salicylates and Toothache

There is growing public recognition of the importance of oral health, as symbolized by the theme. "Oral Health for a Healthy Life" proposed for the 1994 World Health Day. In this report, the efficacy of antimicrobial mouth rinses, mainly Listerine, was reviewed by three investigators who are working as a microbiologist, a microbiologist, a dentist, and a dental hygienist participating in oral health care. Listerine, an antimicrobial mouth rinse, completely killed microorganisms in 10 to 30 seconds; the microbes includes methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Helicobacter pylori, Candida albicans, Streptococcus mutans, Actinomyces viscosus, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Listerine was also weakly effective in inactivating human immunodeficiency viruses. Bacteria in samples collected from human dental plaque and saliva were completely killed within 30 seconds when exposed to Listerine. When saliva samples were collected from subjects who had rinsed their mouths with 20 ml of Listerine or 1:50 diluted povidone-iodine, levels of viable anaerobic bacteria in the samples were reduced to 1%. When Listerine was used for oral surgery such as tooth extraction and periodontal surgery, the agent was effective in relieving toothache. This was probably due to a decrease in oral bacteria by the antimicrobial action of Listerine, leading to lowering the inflammatory response of the host. The use of antimicrobial mouth rinse during dental treatments such as endodontic treatment proved effective for more reliable infection control. In Japan, there are an increasing number of elderly and medically compromised hosts who are potentially at risk for developing pneumonia due to silent aspiration of microbes in the oral cavity and throat. For the aged with such potential risk, using of antimicrobial mouth rinse may be effective in preventing dental plaque accumulation when used in addition to the mechanical control of plaque, since they tend to have difficulty in brushing teeth by themselves. Indeed, the use of antimicrobial mouth rinse in these elderly people proved useful not only in preventing bacterial pneumonia, but also in improving their quality of life by preserving their oral health.

Topics: Aged; Anti-Infective Agents, Local; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Dental Care for Aged; Drug Combinations; Humans; Mouthwashes; Nursing Homes; Oral Hygiene; Salicylates; Terpenes; Toothache

The root canals of 588 consecutive nonsurgical patients with varying levels of pain were completely instrumented in 10 endodontic practices and 4 endodontic graduate programs. The participants were sequentially assigned to one of nine medications and a placebo. The severity of pain was assessed by the visual analog scale for 72 h following instrumentation. Among all of the parameters studied, three factors (preoperative pain, apprehension, and types of medication) were found to be significant in determining postinstrumentation pain. An association was found between the intensity of pre-and postoperative pain. As the intensity of preoperative pain increased, the chances for more severe postoperative pain increased (p < 0.0001). In addition, an association between the presence of apprehension before any treatment and postoperative pain was also noted (between 0.012 < p < 0.047). Examination of the time-effect curves for various medications in patients with no mild pain showed no statistical significant difference between the effectiveness of different medications and placebo. However, a multiple comparison of the effectiveness of various medications and placebo on patients in moderate and severe preoperative pain showed that ibuprofen, ketoprofen, erythromycin base, penicillin, and methylprednisolone plus penicillin were more effective than placebo within the first 48 h following complete instrumentation.

Topics: Acetaminophen; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Chi-Square Distribution; Codeine; Dental Anxiety; Erythromycin; Humans; Ibuprofen; Ketoprofen; Methylprednisolone; Pain Measurement; Pain, Postoperative; Penicillins; Regression Analysis; Root Canal Irrigants; Root Canal Therapy; Salicylates; Salicylic Acid; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Toothache

Topics: Humans; Salicylates; Toothache

A simple method for bipolar electrical stimulation of the tooth pulp for evaluating pain modulating procedures is described. Stimulation selectivity has been studied by means of cortical evoked potentials before and after gum anaesthesia. Results obtained by constant current and constant voltage stimulation have been compared. Constant voltage stimulation has proved to be more stable in time. This technique is able to differentiate the analgesic effect of a single dose of i.v. lysine acetylsalicylate from saline. Threshold sensation was judged as painful by about half of the subjects.

Topics: Adult; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Dental Pulp; Electric Stimulation; Evoked Potentials; Female; Humans; Lysine; Male; Middle Aged; Pain; Salicylates; Toothache

Topics: Agranulocytosis; Analgesics; Barbiturates; Codeine; Humans; Phenacetin; Pyrazoles; Salicylates; Toothache