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The oral cavity, an essential part of the upper aerodigestive tract, is believed to play an important role in the pathogenicity and transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The identification of targeted antiviral mouth rinses to reduce salivary viral load would contribute to reducing the COVID-19 pandemic. While awaiting the results of significant clinical studies, which to date do not exist, the commercial availability of mouth rinses leads us to search among them for reagents that would have specific antiviral properties with respect to SARS-CoV-2. The challenges facing this target were examined for 7 reagents found in commercially available mouth rinses and listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website: povidone-iodine, chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide, cyclodextrin, Citrox, cetylpyridinium chloride, and essential oils. Because SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus, many reagents target the outer lipid membrane. Moreover, some of them can act on the capsid by denaturing proteins. Until now, there has been no scientific evidence to recommend mouth rinses with an anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect to control the viral load in the oral cavity. This critical review indicates that current knowledge of these reagents would likely improve trends in salivary viral load status. This finding is a strong sign to encourage clinical research for which quality protocols are already available in the literature.

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The aim of this study is to evaluate the concordance between the empirical choice of interdental brushes of different diameters compared to the gold standard, the IAP CURAPROX(©) calibrating colorimetric probe. It is carried out with the aim of facilitating the consensus development of best practices. All the subjects' interproximal spaces were evaluated using the reference technique (colorimetric probe), then after a time lapse of 1.2 ± 0.2 hours, using the empirical clinical technique (brushes) by the same examiner. Each examiner explored 3 subjects. The order the patients were examined with the colorimetric interdental probe (CIP) was random. 446 sites were selected in the study out of 468 potential sites. The correspondence of scores between interdental bushes vs. colorimetric probe is 43.0% [95%-CI: 38.5-47.6]. In 33.41% of the 446 sites, the brush is inferior to the probe; in 23.54% of cases, the brush is superior to the probe. Among the discrepancies there is thus a tendency for the subjects to use brushes with smaller diameter than that recommended by the colorimetric probe. This review has found very high-quality evidence that colorimetric probes plus interdental brushing is more beneficial than interdental brushing alone for increase the concordance between the empirical choice of interdental brushes of different diameters compared to the gold standard. Uncertainties remain and further research is required to provide detailed data on user satisfaction.

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Initial sensing of infection is mediated by germline-encoded pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs), the activation of which leads to the expression of inflammatory mediators responsible for the elimination of pathogens and infected cells. PRRs act as immune sensors that provide immediate cell responses to pathogen invasion or tissue injury. Here, we review the expression of PRRs in human dental pulp cells, namely, receptors from the Toll-like (TLR) and Nod-like NLR families, by which cells recognize bacteria. Particular attention is given to odontoblasts, which are the first cells encountered by pathogens and represent, in the tooth, the first line of defense for the host. Understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with the recognition of bacterial pathogens by odontoblasts is critical for the development of therapeutic strategies that aim at preventing excessive pulp inflammation and related deleterious effects.

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Human odontoblasts are neural crest-derived, dentin-producing mesenchymal cells aligned at the periphery of the dental pulp. They become exposed to cariogenic oral bacteria as these progressively demineralise enamel then dentin to gain access to the pulp. Due to their situation at the dentin-pulp interface, odontoblasts are the first cells encountered by invading pathogens and/or their released components, and represent, in the tooth, the first line of defence for the host. Previous studies have shown that odontoblasts are able to sense pathogens and elicit innate immunity. In particular, they express several pathogen recognition receptors of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain (NOD) families, which allow them to recognize specific bacterial and viral components. So far, most studies aiming at elucidating the role of odontoblasts in the dental pulp innate response have focused on Gram-positive bacteria, as these largely dominate the carious microflora in initial and moderate dentin caries lesions. In vitro, odontoblasts were found to be sensitive to Gram-positive bacteria-derived components, mainly lipoteichoic acid which is recognized through cell membrane TLR2. Our studies have shown that engagement of odontoblast TLR2 by LTA triggers TLR2 and NOD2 up-regulation, NF-B nuclear translocation, production of various chemokines including CCL2, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL8 and CXCL10, while promoting immature dendritic cell recruitment. Conversely, LTA down-regulates major dentin matrix components, including collagen type I and dentin sialophosphoprotein, as well as TGF-b1, a known inducer of dentin formation. We provide here additional data showing the fine localization of NOD2 in healthy dental pulps, as well as differential regulation of TLR2, TLR4, NOD2, CCL2 and CXCL8 genes by LTA and the synthetic TLR2 agonists Pam2CSK4 and Pam3CSK4. It appears from the aforementioned data that odontoblast-triggered immune events constitute potential targets for interrupting the signaling cascades which lead to excessive immune response and necrosis in the dental pulp tissue challenged with cariogenic bacteria. In particular, preventing Gram-positive bacteria recognition or signal transduction by pattern recognition receptors may represent a valuable strategy to achieve this goal. Future studies in the field will pave the way for designing novel therapeutic agents which modulate odontoblast behaviour to promote pulp healing and repair.

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Previously, we established a subtractive cDNA library enriched in odontoblast-specific genes and hypothesized that new, previously unidentified, markers would be present, associated with the odontoblast phenotype. In this paper, we report the first characterization of a new gene we have named HUGO, and its associated deduced protein sequence. This gene expression is under the control of two alternative promoters, resulting in the synthesis of two proteins, one of which, HUGO2, is included in the other, HUGO1. HUGO proteins are mainly composed of a proline-rich region at the N-terminus, 8 type III-fibronectin modules, and a transmembranous helix at the C-terminus. In odontoblasts, the proteins are located in Golgi vesicles. However, they display a broader expression pattern, since they are also expressed by nerve fibers in the dental pulp and other tissues (e.g., trachea, brain, kidney), as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and qPCR, respectively. Their location in odontoblasts suggests a role in collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis.

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