Clinicopathological evaluation of 164 dental follicles and dentigerous cysts with emphasis on the presence of odontogenic epithelium in the connective tissue. The hypothesis of "focal ameloblastoma"

Objectives: Some ameloblastomas presumably originate from odontogenic epithelium within the connective tissue of dental follicles and dentigerous cysts. Therefore, it would seem reasonable to discuss as whether odontogenic epithelium proliferations, frankly displaying ameloblastomatous features ('focal ameloblastoma'), should be considered as an 'early' ameloblastoma. Study Design: Histopathological reports from 164 dental follicles and dentigerous cysts from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology of the VU Free University medical center in Amsterdam, The Ne-therlands, were reviewed. Histopathological slides from 39 cases reporting the presence of odontogenic epithelium within the connective tissue were re-evaluated in order to assess the possible presence of focal ameloblastomas. Results: Focal ameloblastomas were detected in one dental follicle and in two dentigerous cysts. During a follow-up period of 6, 8 and 22 years, respectively, no clinical signs of (recurrent) ameloblastoma have occurred in these patients. Conclusions: Focal ameloblastoma possibly represents the early stage of ameloblastoma development

Non-invasive visual tools for diagnosis of oral cancer and dysplasia: a systematic review

Background: Gold standard for the diagnosis of oral dysplasia (OD) oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and malignant lesions is the histological examination. Several adjunctive diagnostic techniques have been proposed in order to increase the sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) of conventional oral examination and to improve the diagnostic first level accuracy. The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review on non-invasive tools for diagnosis of OD and early OSCC. Material and Methods: Medline, Scopus, Web of Knowledge databases were searched, using as entry terms “oral dysplasia AND diagnosis” / ”oral cancer AND diagnosis”. Data extracted from each study included number of lesions evaluated, histopathological diagnosis, SE, SP, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV), diagnostic accuracy (DA) and the main conclusions. Results: After title and abstract scanning of 11.080 records, we selected 35 articles for full text evaluation. Most evaluated tools were autofluorescence (AF), chemiluminescence (CL), toluidine blu (TL) and chemiluminescence associated with toluidine blue (CLTB). Conclusions: There is a great inhomogeneity of the reported values and there is no significant evidence of superiority of one tool over the other. Further clinical trials with a higher level of evidence are necessary in order to assess the real usefulness visual diagnostic tools

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

Intraoral Sialadenoma Papilliferum: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature with Emphasis on Clinical and Histopathological Diagnostic Features

Sialadenoma papilliferum (SP) is a rare benign epithelial tumor of salivary gland origin, its diagnosis being potentially challenging. It was first described by Abrams and Finck in 1969 as an analog of the cutaneous syringocystadenoma papilliferum. The aim of this comprehensive review is to highlight the clinical and histopathological diagnostic aspects of intraoral SP, analyzing cases previously described and reporting new cases. Methods. Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched up to February 2022, using as entry term “sialadenoma papilliferum”. No time limits were applied and only studies in English were taken into account. Only cases involving the mouth were included. Conference proceedings, personal communications, and letters to the editor were excluded. Results. In total, 42 out of 234 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria, with 64 cases reported. Mean age of patients with SP was 57.2 years, with a higher prevalence among males. The most affected site was the palate, particularly the hard palate. Four cases with uncertain malignant features have been reported. While clinical manifestations of SP are rather unspecific (e.g., submucosal swelling with ulceration), histopathological and immunohistochemical features are quite peculiar, SP have a limited growth potential, leading to conservative excision as treatment of choice. Conclusions. SP, though rare, should be taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis of intraoral swellings, particularly those located on the palate

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

Surgical Approach and Laser Applications in BRONJ Osteoporotic and Cancer Patients

Bisphosphonates-related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (BRONJ) has been reported with increasing frequency in literature over last years, but its therapy is still a dilemma. One hundred ninety patients affected by BRONJ were observed between January 2004 and November 2011 and 166 treated sites were subdivided in five groups on the basis of the therapeutical approach (medical or surgical, traditional or laser-assisted approach, with or without Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)). Clinical success has been defined for each treatment performed as clinical improvement or complete mucosal healing. Combination of antibiotic therapy, conservative surgery performed with Er:YAG laser and LLLT applications showed best results for cancer and noncancer patients. Nonsurgical approach performed on 69 sites induced an improvement in 35 sites (50.7%) and the complete healing in 19 sites (27.5%), while surgical approach on 97 sites induced an improvement in 84 sites (86.6%) and the complete healing in 78 sites (80.41%). Improvement and healing were recorded in 31 (81.5%) and 27 (71.5%) out of the 38 BRONJ sites treated in noncancer patients and in 88 (68.75%) and in 69 (53.9%) out of the 128 in cancer patients

Large-sized pleomorphic adenoma of the cheek treated with Nd:Yag laser : report of a case and review of the literature

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) mostly involves parotid glands, while extra-parotid localizations are relatively uncommon. Particularly, PAs of the cheek minor salivary glands with a size larger than 4 cm are exceedingly rare, with only few cases reported. Surgical treatment of PA usually consists in radical excision. However, despite a presumptive radicality, recurrences, sometimes followed by malignant transformation, may occur. Here we report a case of a large-sized (6 cm) PA of the cheek minor salivary glands in a 70 year-old female patient, successfully treated through a conservative approach, based on the use of Nd:YAG Laser (?=1064 nm). No recurrences were observed after a 2-year follow-up. A concise review of the literature, describing the features of 14 cases is also provided. Advantages of laser treatment include a precise cut, reduction of trauma on surrounding tissues, the possibility of a very good intraoperative hemostasis. Such features may sometimes allow to avoid general anesthesia, even for removal of big lesions. Post-operative course, in terms of pain and swelling, is usually better for intervention performed with laser, when compared to traditional surgery

Mandibular metastasis from carcinoma of the bladder: Report of a case and literature review

Metastases represent about 1% of all malignant tumors of the oral region. Only 12 cases of metastases to the jawbones and 3 to the oral soft tissues from a carcinoma of the bladder are reported in the English literature. Here we report a case of an 86 year-old man with a metastasis to the anterior region of the lower jaw from a transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder treated 5 years before, all-together with a literature review

A 5-year retrospective longitudinal study on the incidence and the risk factors of osteonecrosis of the jaws in patients treated with zoledronic acid for bone metastases from solid tumors

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and the risk factors of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in a group of patients treated with zoledronic acid (ZA) for bone metastases from solid tumors and enrolled in a preventive dental program. Material and Methods: This 5-year retrospective longitudinal study included all consecutive oncological patients who underwent at least one infusion with ZA between 2004 and 2011 for bone metastases due to solid neoplasms. Results: Of the 156 patients enrolled in the study, 17 developed ONJ (10.89%). At the multivariate analysis, severe periodontal disease (P=0.025), tooth extraction (P<0.0001) and starting the preventive dental program after the beginning of ZA therapy (P=0.02) were the only factors which showed a significant association with the occurrence of ONJ. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the importance of beginning dental prevention before zoledronic acid exposure in reducing ONJ occurrence, especially in the long term. The results of this research show that control of periodontal disease and an increase in the time between tooth extraction and the first ZA administration are recommended in order to reduce the risk of ONJ developmen