Halitosis: Its Aetiology and Psychosocial Impact- A Hospital Based Study

Introduction Halitosis means bad or unpleasant odour from oral cavity. It causes embarrassment to the patients and affects their social life and communication. This study aims to find the causes of halitosis and to assess its psychosocial impact. Materials and Methods A prospective study was conducted in the department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery in a tertiary care hospital. It included 165 patients, presenting to the ENT OPD with chief complains of oral malodour for at least 3 months. The patients in the age above 15 years and below 75 years, irrespective of gender, were included in the study. Results The age of the patients ranged from 15 to 75 years with a mean age of 52.24 ± 15.67 with male: female ratio of 7:10. The most common cause of halitosis in the present study included chronic rhinosinusitis (38.7%), gingivitis/periodontitis (19.39%), tonsillitis (4.84%), laryngopharyngeal reflux (2%), deep neck space infections (1.2%). In 23.56%, the halitosis was a symptom of an underlying malignancy. Conclusion Halitosis from an extra oral origin can be the sign of an underlying systemic disease or malignancy. The consultation should be done with the periodontist, ENT specialist and a physician

Review of Treatment Modalities for Maxillary Cancers-Institute’s Experience Over 10 Years

Objective: The treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the maxilla and paranasal sinuses, radical surgery and reconstruction with free flaps is quoted in literature, but the protocol varies from center to centre. This study was performed to present our experience in the treatment of maxillary squamous cell carcinoma with surgery without reconstruction with post operative radiotherapy.Patients and Methods: Thirty patients with primary resectable squamous cell carcinoma were included in the study. The mean age was 65.6 years (20-80 years) and 53% presented in advanced tumor stage (T4). Two patients already had cervical metastases, underwent neck dissection. All patients were treated by radical surgery without reconstruction, and the resulting defects were closed primarily followed by the use of an obturator at 4-6 weeks.Results: The overall 5-year survival rate was 65.7%; the recurrence rate was 23.3%. Only patients who had stage T4 disease and positive resection margins, died during radiotherapy. The 2 patients with cervical metastases received therapeutic neck dissection and showed no regional recurrence.Conclusions: The surgical treatment without reconstruction and with postoperative radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinomas of the maxillary sinus led to good results, and can therefore be seen as a cost effective and valuable strategy. Free resection margins and early detection of the tumor are the most important factors for success. Our future focus is on orbital preservation & reconstruction of disfiguring defects following radical maxillectomy

Large central osteoma of maxillary sinus: A case report

AbstractOsteoma is a benign osteogenic tumor arising from the proliferation of compact or cancellous bone. Osteomas of the craniofacial region are common in the nose and paranasal sinus particularly in the frontoethmoid region. However osteoma of the maxillary antrum is very rare and its presentation is different from the commoner frontoethmoid osteomas. We present here a rare case of large osteoma of the maxillary antrum in a 12-year-old child and also describe the difficulty faced in removing the tumor endoscopically. The tumor was removed using combined approach