An Auto-Fluorescence guided surgical approach performed with Er:YAG laser and Nd:YAG Low Level Laser Therapy for Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (MRONJ) therapy remains an unresolved problem. The proposed conservative and surgical treatment regimens are associated to contradictory success rates. Surgical approach with Er:YAG laser is associated to significant better results compared to medical treatment and traditional surgical approaches. Objective: To describe a new surgical approach that couples the advantages of the Er:YAG laser and the usefulness of the AF in highlighting surgical margins. One of the difficulties encountered during surgical removal of a MRONJ is the precise individuation of necrotic bone margins. Case Report: A case of Stage III mandibular osteonecrosis treated with a new surgical approach is presented. The aim is to describe an auto-fluorescence (AF) guided surgical approach performed with Er:YAG laser and Nd:YAG Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). After one month of follow-up, the complete mucosal healing was evident and symptoms was unobserved. Such a technique allowed a highly accurate and minimally invasive approach through the selective ablation of the non-/hypofluorescent areas. Conclusion: Taking into account the advantages of laser therapy and the possible effectiveness of the AF in highlighting surgical margins, this approach would probably achieve excellent outcomes.DOI: 10.14693/jdi.v22i2.48

Pain and Health-Related Quality of Life After Oral Soft Tissue Surgical Interventions: The Advantages of Nd:Yag Laser

The new technology such as the neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser has been used for oral soft tissue surgery. Previous study shown that laser surgery resulted in lower morbidity and complication rates. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the differences in the post-operative course associated to the use of Nd:YAG laser and to cold blade after oral soft tissue surgery. Methods: One-hundred and eighteen comparable surgical interventions were evaluated. Group 1 (G1) included 77 interventions performed with Nd:YAG laser; group 2 (G2) 41 with cold blade. Acute post-operative pain was evaluated with visual analogue scale (VAS), numeric rating scale (NRS) and verbal rating scale-6 (VRS-6) on the same day of surgery, and at 1, 3 and 7 days after surgery.The HRQoL was evaluated on day 7 using a 0-45 score range questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the software STATA 12 (StataCorp LP, College Station, Texas, USA). Results: No statistically significant differences could be highlighted in VAS and NRS scores. The VRS-6 scores resulted statistically significant at days 1 and 3. At day 1, 47.14% of patients in G1 and 13.16% in G2 had no pain; at day 3, 62.86% in G1 and 21.05% in G2 had no pain. The HRQoL in G1 was statistically higher than G2. Conclusion: The better HRQoL and the lower post-operative pain observed in laser-treated patients may be associated to the possible bio-modulating effect of the laser

Odontogenic myxofibroma: a concise review of the literature with emphasis on the surgical approach

Purpose : The aim of this work is to report a review of the literature concerning epidemiology, clinical and radiographic features as well as treatment of odontogenic myxofibroma (MF). Methods : The PubMed database was searched using the following keywords: “odontogenic myxofibroma”, “odontogenic fibromyxoma”, “myxofibroma of the jaw” and “fibromyxoma of the jaw”. Results : Fifteen articles reporting the experience with 24 patients were identified. Male/female ratio was 1:1.4 and the average age was 29.5 years. The most frequent location was the mandible. In 66.7% of the cases the radiographic appearance was a multilocular radiolucency. Swelling was observed in 13 patients (92.86%), varying degrees of pain in 5 (35.71%) and paresthesia in only one patient (7.14%). Six out of 24 patients (26.09%) were treated with radical surgery and 17 (73.91%) with a conservative approach. In two out of 21 cases (9.52%) a recurrence was reported. Conclusions : MF is an extremely rare tumor and no agreement exists on the causes of its development. According to the present review, the choice of treatment should depend on variables such as localization, presence of a primary or of a recurrent lesion, age, general medical conditions and aesthetic needs of the patien

An Auto-Fluorescence guided surgical approach performed with Er:YAG laser and Nd:YAG Low Level Laser Therapy for Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (MRONJ) therapy remains an unresolved problem. The proposed conservative and surgical treatment regimens are associated to contradictory success rates. Surgical approach with Er:YAG laser is associated to significant better results compared to medical treatment and traditional surgical approaches. Objective: To describe a new surgical approach that couples the advantages of the Er:YAG laser and the usefulness of the AF in highlighting surgical margins. One of the difficulties encountered during surgical removal of a MRONJ is the precise individuation of necrotic bone margins. Case Report: A case of Stage III mandibular osteonecrosis treated with a new surgical approach is presented. The aim is to describe an auto-fluorescence (AF) guided surgical approach performed with Er:YAG laser and Nd:YAG Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). After one month of follow-up, the complete mucosal healing was evident and symptoms was unobserved. Such a technique allowed a highly accurate and minimally invasive approach through the selective ablation of the non-/hypofluorescent areas. Conclusion: Taking into account the advantages of laser therapy and the possible effectiveness of the AF in highlighting surgical margins, this approach would probably achieve excellent outcomes.DOI: 10.14693/jdi.v22i2.48

Laser Welded versus Resistance Spot Welded Bone Implants: Analysis of the Thermal Increase and Strength

Introduction. The first aim of this “ex vivo split mouth” study was to compare the thermal elevation during the welding process of titanium bars to titanium implants inserted in pig jaws by a thermal camera and two thermocouples. The second aim was to compare the strength of the joints by a traction test with a dynamometer. Materials and Methods. Six pigs’ jaws were used and three implants were placed on each side of them for a total of 36 fixtures. Twelve bars were connected to the abutments (each bar on three implants) by using, on one side, laser welding and, on the other, resistance spot welding. Temperature variations were recorded by thermocouples and by thermal camera while the strength of the welded joint was analyzed by a traction test. Results. For increasing temperature, means were 36.83 and 37.06, standard deviations 1.234 and 1.187, and P value 0.5763 (not significant). For traction test, means were 195.5 and 159.4, standard deviations 2.00 and 2.254, and P value 0.0001 (very significant). Conclusion. Laser welding was demonstrated to be able to connect titanium implant abutments without the risk of thermal increase into the bone and with good results in terms of mechanical strength

Pain and Health-Related Quality of Life After Oral Soft Tissue Surgical Interventions: The Advantages of Nd:Yag Laser

The new technology such as the neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser has been used for oral soft tissue surgery. Previous study shown that laser surgery resulted in lower morbidity and complication rates. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the differences in the post-operative course associated to the use of Nd:YAG laser and to cold blade after oral soft tissue surgery. Methods: One-hundred and eighteen comparable surgical interventions were evaluated. Group 1 (G1) included 77 interventions performed with Nd:YAG laser; group 2 (G2) 41 with cold blade. Acute post-operative pain was evaluated with visual analogue scale (VAS), numeric rating scale (NRS) and verbal rating scale-6 (VRS-6) on the same day of surgery, and at 1, 3 and 7 days after surgery.The HRQoL was evaluated on day 7 using a 0-45 score range questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the software STATA 12 (StataCorp LP, College Station, Texas, USA). Results: No statistically significant differences could be highlighted in VAS and NRS scores. The VRS-6 scores resulted statistically significant at days 1 and 3. At day 1, 47.14% of patients in G1 and 13.16% in G2 had no pain; at day 3, 62.86% in G1 and 21.05% in G2 had no pain. The HRQoL in G1 was statistically higher than G2. Conclusion: The better HRQoL and the lower post-operative pain observed in laser-treated patients may be associated to the possible bio-modulating effect of the laser

The Effect of Age, Gender, and Insertion Site on Marginal Bone Loss around Endosseous Implants: Results from a 3-Year Trial with Premium Implant System

Objectives. The goal of this study was to evaluate bone changes around endosseous implants in partially edentulous patients. Materials and Methods. A total of 632 two-stage implants were placed in 252 patients. The implants had straight emergence profile, ZirTi surface, 3.3 to 5 mm diameter, and 8.5 to 13 mm length. Bone levels were assessed on orthopantomography immediately after surgery and after 36 months and marginal bone loss (MBL) was calculated from their difference. Results. Cumulative survival rate was 98.73%. Overall MBL was 0.8 mm ± 0.03 (mean ± SEM). Higher MBL was observed around implants in the maxilla than in the mandible (P<0.007). A relation between implant diameter and MBL (P<0.0001) was observed in male and, more limitedly, female patients. Older patients had higher MBL in the maxilla, but not in the mandible (P<0.0001). MBL progressively increased with age in male patients, but reached a peak already in the 50–60 years age group in the female subset (P<0.001). Conclusions. The overall MBL is consistent with the available literature. Site difference and patient age and gender appear to significantly affect MBL, representing important factors to be considered during implant placement