• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.587-598
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• 2000

Urea in the oral cavity is hydrolyzed mainly by bacterial ureases to ammonia, which in turn, raises pH of the oral environment, maintaining oral pH homeostasis, thereby inhibiting dental caries. Streptococcus salivarius has been shown to be a major contribution to oral ureolysis. Synthesis of urease by S. salivarius appears to be constitutive, but can be greatly enhanced in the acidic environment. It has been presumed that ureolytic activity of S. salivarius strains isolated from caries-active site is greater than that of strains from caries-free site. However, no in vivo study has supported the presumption. The present study was performed to observe the ureolytic activity of S. salivarius strains isolated from different environments in the same individual, finding out whether the ureolytic activity is related to dental caries. For the purpose, S. salivarius strains were isolated from caries-active site (>C2), a caries-free site of the tooth, and the dorsum of the tongue of each of 50 patients having decayed teeth. The strains isolated from the patients who harbored S. salivarius in more than two sites were selected and then their ureolytic activities were measured. In order to examine clonal diversity of the strains, their ureC genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then restricted with EcoRV, and the protein profiles of the strains were compared by SDS-PAGE. The results were as follows: 1. Of 50 patients, 13 patients harbored S. salivarius in more than two sites; a total of 61 S. salivarius strain were isolated from the patients and selected for the study. 2. Of 17 isolates from the caries-active site of 9 patients harboring S. salivarius in more than two sites including carious lesion, 10 (58.8%) showed a high ureolytic activity (> 200 ${\mu}mol/min/mg$). While, 19 out of 44 isolates (43.2%) from the caries-free site of the teeth and the dorsum of the tongues of 13 patients were the strains with a high ureolytic activity. 3. Of 9 patients harboring S. salivarius in more than two sites including caries-active site. 6 patients were found to have the strains in the caries-active site showing a lower ureolytic activity than the strains in the other sites. 4. Of 34 isolates with ureolytic activity higher than 40 ${\mu}mol/min/mg$, 32 isolates produced 0.54-Kbp PCR products regardless of the sites of bacterial collection. In contrast, of 27 isolates with ureolytic activity lower than 40${\mu}mol/min/mg$, 26 isolates yielded 1.3-Kbp PCR products or none regardless of the sites. 5. Different clonal types of S. salivarius with relatively higher and lower ureolytic activities were found in the same individuals and even in the same sites. 6. None of strains showing different ureolytic activity appeared to be the same clonal type. The overall results suggest that ureolytic activity of the isolates does not appear to be related to differences of the environments but related to their own genetic traits.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.109-121
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• 2013

This study examined several kinematic properties of the primary articulator (the tongue dorsum) and the supplementary articulator (the jaw) in the articulation of the voiceless velar stop (/k/) within nonassimilating contexts. We examined in particular the spatiotemporal properties (constriction duration and constriction maxima) from the constriction onset to the constriction offset by analyzing a velar (/k/) followed by the coronal fricative (/s/), the coronal stop (/t/), and the labial (/p/) in across-word boundary conditions (/k#s/, /k#t/, and /k#p/). Along with these measurements, we investigated intergestural temporal coordination between C1 and C2 and the jaw articulator in relation to its coordination with the articulation of consonant sequences. The articulatory movement data was collected by means of electromagnetic midsagittal articulometry (EMMA). Four native speakers of Seoul Korean participated in the laboratory experiment. The results showed several characteristics. First, a velar (/k/) in C1 was not categorically reduced. Constriction duration and constriction degree of the velar (/k/) were similar within nonassimilating contexts (/k#s/=/k#t/=/k#p/). This might mean that spatiotemporal attributes during constriction duration were stable and consistent across different contexts, which might be subsequently associated with the nontarget status of the velar in place assimilation. Second, the gestural overlap could be represented as the order of /k#s/ (less) < /k#p/ (intermediate) < /k#t/ (more) as we measured the onset-to-onset lag (a longer lag indicated shorter gestural overlap.). This indicates a gestural overlap within nonassimilating contexts may not be constrained by any of the several constraints including the perceptual recoverability constraint (e.g., more overlap in Front-to-Back sequences compared to the reverse order (Back-to-Front) since perceptual cues in C1 can be recovered anytime during C2 articulation), the low-level speech motor constraint (e.g., more overlap in lingual-nonlingual sequences as compared to the lingual-lingual sequences), or phonological contexts effects (e.g., similarity in gestural overlap within nonassimilating contexts). As one possible account for more overlap in /k#t/ sequences as compared to /k#p/, we suspect speakers' knowledge may be receptive to extreme encroachment on C1 by the gestural overlap of the coronal in C2 since it does not obscure the perceptual cue of C1 as much as the labial in C2. Third, actual jaw position during C2 was higher in coronals (/s/, /t/) than in the labial (/p/). However, within the coronals, there was no manner-dependent jaw height difference in C2 (/s/=/t/). Vertical jaw position of C1 and C2 was seen as inter-dependent as higher jaw position in C1 was closely associated with C2. Lastly, a greater gap in jaw height was associated with longer intergestural timing (e.g., less overlap), but was confined to the cluster type (/kp/) with the lingual-nonlingual sequence. This study showed that Korean jaw articulation was independent from coordinating primary articulators in gestural overlap in some cluster types (/k#s/, /k#t/) while not in others (e.g., /k#p/). Overall, the results coherently indicate the velar stop (/k/) in C1 was robust in articulation, which may have subsequently contributed to the nontarget status of the velar (/k/) in place assimilation processes.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.355-364
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• 2011

Introduction: This study evaluated nerve recovery through retrospective study of patients with lingual nerve damage. Patients and Methods: The patients who visited Seoul National University Dental Hospital for an injury to the lingual nerve from April 1988 to August 2009 were enrolled in this study (n=41). The relevance of various factors including the causes of damage, age, etc. was analyzed by the subjective improvement based upon questionnaires and the clinical records. The evaluation variants were a subjective assessment and neurosensory examination composed of the direction, contact threshold, two-point discrimination, pin prick, thermal discrimination and current perception threshold. Results: The causes of lingual nerve damage were an extraction of the lower third molar (75.6%), local anesthesia (9.7%), incision and drainage (4.88%), trauma (2.44%). The evaluation of subjective prognosis exhibited no difference in sensory improvement depending on the cause, age and gender. Based upon the subjective evaluation, 44.7% of patients showed sensory improvement. The first hospital visit from injury was shorter in the group showing subjective improvement (3.41 months) than those showing no improvement (5.24 months) (P=0.301). Thirty six out of 41 patients were treated with only conservative therapy and 5 patients were treated by surgical intervention. Neurosensory examinations revealed improvement, although not statistically significant, and the degree was higher in the subjectively improved group. The contact threshold discrimination showed the highest correlation with subjective improvement (P=0.069). Most of the sensory recovery was gained within 12 months and the degree of improvement at the tip of the tongue was higher than that of the dorsum (P<0.001). Conclusion: The damaged lingual nerve improved at a rate of 44.7% and mostly within 12 months after the incident. There was no difference between the subjective prognosis and neurosensory examination depending on the cause of damage, age and gender, whereas the contact threshold discrimination was the best variant that reflected the subjective prognosis statistically.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2009

Recently there is much interest in the antibacterial activity of nano-sized silver particle (nanosilver) since silver is known to be safe and effective as disinfectant for a long time. Oral malodor is considered to originate in the oral cavity primarily as a result of production of malodorous compounds by oral bacteria. Major compounds responsible for oral malodor are volatile sulfur compounds, which is thought to be generated by the G(-) anaerobic bacteria found normally in the oral cavity, especially on the dorsum of the tongue. The purposes of this study were to investigate the effect of nanosilver on growth of oral malodor generating microorganisms, including Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella melaninogenica, Klebsiella pneumonia, and to determine the optimal culture condition of them. The results were as follows: 1. The optimal culture condition for P. melaninogenica was vacuum culture using desiccator after evacuation of air by vacuum pump in chopped beef meat media. 2. The growth of K. pneumonia was temporarily inhibited by nanosilver (5 ppm and 10 ppm). 3. The morphological alteration and cell damage caused by nanosilver were observed in K. pneumonia.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 1998

Dental caries is induced by organic acids produced by oral bacteria. In order to prevent dental caries, therefore, it is essential to maintain neutral pH in the oral cavity. Urea plays a major role in oral pH homeostasis. Urea is hydrolyzed by bacterial ureases to ammonia, causing a pH elevation. Streptococcus salivarius has been shown to be a major contribution to oral ureolysis. Synthesis of urease by S. salivarius appears to be constituitive, but can be greatly enhanced by low pH. It is, therefore, conceivable that ureolytic activity of S. salivarius from a carious lesion is greater than that of the bacterium from a healthy tooth. In the present study, urease activity of S. salivarius isolates from dental plaque of carious lesions was compared with that of the isolates from plaques of the teeth and the dorsum of the tongue; 45 S. salivarius strains were isofated from carious lesions(>C2) of 21 individuals with dental caries and 30 strains from 10 individuals without dental caries. The results were as follows: 1. All the 21 individuals with dental caries harbored ureolytic S. salivarius whereas 3 of 13 individuals without dental caries harbored non-ureolytic strains of S. salivarius. 2. All the 45 S. saliuarius isolates from carious lesions showed urease activity. In contrast, of 30 isolates from individuals without dental caries, 17 isolates(56.7%) did not demonstrate urease activity, or if any, very little(<5${\mu}mol$/min/mg). 3. Urease activity of the isolates from carious lesions was greater than that of the isolates from individuals without dental caries : the urease activity ranged from 42 to $381{\mu}mol$/min/mg and from 0 to $208{\mu}mol$/min/mg, respectively. 4. At acid pH(5.5), the isolates which showed intermediate urease activity at pH 7.0 demonstrated even higher activity whereas the isolate with no or lower urease activity did not show any significant difference in their activity. However, the isolates with the greatest urease activity from both individuals with and without dental caries, exhibited a rather much lower urease activity at pH 5.5. The overall results suggest that isolates may have their own urease activity but the isolates exposed to chronic acidic environment of the carious lesion might elevate urease activity of S. salivarius, which in turn, might influence on survival of S. salivarius itself and other bacteria, establishing a new oral bacterial ecosystem.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.365-377
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• 2012

Objectives : This research was conducted to determine the effect of the Visiting Oral Health Care Program by examining the oral health of the elderly women, who are the beneficiaries of this Visiting Oral Care Program. Methods : This research was conducted from November of 2011 to February of 2012, in Chilgok-gun in the Kyeongbuk Province, South Korea. One hundred and twenty five (125) elderly women among the beneficiaries of the Visiting Oral Care Program within the area were randomly selected for the research. The research subjects would regularly visit the area senior citizen center, and they were divided into two groups, with 64 of them belonging to a control group, and the rest (61 people) belonged to a intervention group. The research subjects were examined for their dental health condition, and we investigated the effect of the Visiting Oral Care Program through this research. Results : 1. When they were asked about how many times they wash their dentures, the majority of the control group, 57.4% of them answered that they do it "once" a day. The majority of the intervention group answered "more than 3 times", with 35.2% of group mentioning that they wash their dentures more than 3 times a day(p<.001). 2. When the research subjects were asked to scale their overall quality of life before and after the Visiting Oral Care Program, the control group had rated 49.3 before the Service and 56.8 after the Service (p<.01), and scores for the individual factors to determine the overall quality of life has significantly improved as well (p<.01, p<.01, p<.01, p<.01, p<.01, p<.01, p<.01). 3. The oral hygiene condition after the Visiting Oral Care Program has shown improvement as well. The control group scored 64.2 for the severity of the symptoms of dental plaque before the dental care, and scored 46.8 after the dental care (p<0.1). The control group was diagnosed for the symptoms of coated tongue, and the severity of the symptoms were scaled as 3.7 before the Program and 2.0 after the Program (p<.01). Furthermore, the overall functionality of the oral cavity was improved as well. The control group showed 1.0 time increase in repetitive voluntary swallowing test (p<0.1), increased amount of sublingual saliva from 0.8mm to 1.4mm, and from 1.6mm to 2.0mm in dorsum linguae(p<0.1). Also, the control group showed an improvement in mouth opening as well, increased from 3.9 to 4.0cm after the oral care program (p<.05). When compared the result with the examination after the Visiting Oral Care Program, the two groups showed a significant difference with the control group showing a significant improvement compared to the intervention group(p<.01, p<.01, p<.01, p<.01, p<.05). 4. The correlation between the dental hygiene condition and the functionality of oral was made for the result of examining the beneficiaries for Visiting Oral Care Program. The amount of saliva showed a negative correlation with the severity of dental plaque (p<.05), and a positive correlation with the repetitive voluntary swallowing count (p<0.1). Also, mouth opening showed a positive correlation with repetitive voluntary swallowing count (p<.05). Conclusions : After the Visiting Orall Care Program, the beneficiaries of the program experienced improvement in their quality of life related to oral health, overall oral hygiene and functionality of oral.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.375-395
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• 2006

Purpose: Lingual nerve (LN) damage may be caused by either tumor resection or injury such as wisdom tooth extraction, Although autologous nerve graft is sometimes used to repair the damaged nerve, it has the disadvantage of necessity of another operation for nerve harvesting. Moreover, the results of nerve grafting is not satisfactory. The nerve growth factor (NGF) is well-known to play a critical role in peripheral nerve regeneration and its local delivery to the injured nerve has been continuously tried to enhance nerve regeneration. However, its application has limitations like repeated administration due to short half life of 30 minutes and an in vivo delivery model must allow for direct and local delivery. The aim of this study was to construct a well-functioning $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus for the ultimate development of improved method to promote peripheral nerve regeneration with enhanced and extended secretion of hNGF from the injured nerve by injecting $rhNGF-{\beta}$ gene directly into crush-injured LN in rat model. Materials and Methods: $hNGF-{\beta}$ gene was prepared from fetal brain cDNA library and cloned into E1/E3 deleted adenoviral vector which contains green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene as a reporter. After large scale production and purification of $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus, transfection efficiency and its expression at various cells (primary cultured Schwann cells, HEK293 cells, Schwann cell lines, NIH3T3 and CRH cells) were evaluated by fluorescent microscopy, RT-PCR, ELISA, immunocytochemistry. Furthermore, the function of rhNGF-beta, which was secreted from various cells infected with $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus, was evaluated using neuritogenesis of PC-12 cells. For in vivo evaluation of efficacy of $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus, the LNs of 8-week old rats were exposed and crush-injured with a small hemostat for 10 seconds. After the injury, $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus($2{\mu}l,\;1.5{\times}10^{11}pfu$) or saline was administered into the crushed site in the experimental (n=24) and the control group (n=24), respectively. Sham operation of another group of rats (n=9) was performed without administration of either saline or adenovirus. The taste recovery and the change of fungiform papilla were studied at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks. Each of the 6 animals was tested with different solutions (0.1M NaCl, 0.1M sucrose, 0.01M QHCl, or 0.01M HCl) by two-bottle test paradigm and the number of papilla was counted using SEM picture of tongue dorsum. LN was explored at the same interval as taste study and evaluated electro-physiologically (peak voltage and nerve conduction velocity) and histomorphometrically (axon count, myelin thickness). Results: The recombinant adenovirus vector carrying $rhNGF-{\beta}$ was constructed and confirmed by restriction endonuclease analysis and DNA sequence analysis. GFP expression was observed in 90% of $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus infected cells compared with uninfected cells. Total mRNA isolated from $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus infected cells showed strong RT-PCR band, however uninfected or LacZ recombinant adenovirus infected cells did not. NGF quantification by ELISA showed a maximal release of $18865.4{\pm}310.9pg/ml$ NGF at the 4th day and stably continued till 14 days by $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus infected Schwann cells. PC-12 cells exposed to media with $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus infected Schwann cell revealed at the same level of neurite-extension as the commercial NGF did. $rhNGF-{\beta}$ adenovirus injected experimental groups in comparison to the control group exhibited different taste preference ratio. Salty, sweet and sour taste preference ratio were significantly different after 2 weeks from the beginning of the experiment, which were similar to the sham group, but not to the control group.