Variations in concerns reported on the Patient Concerns Inventory (PCI) in head and neck cancer patients from different health settings across the world

Background: The aim was to collate and contrast patient concerns from a range of different head and neck cancer follow-up clinics around the world. Also, we sought to explore the relationship, if any, between responses to the patient concerns inventory (PCI) and overall quality of life (QOL). Methods: Nineteen units participated with intention of including 100 patients per site as close to a consecutive series as possible in order to minimize selection bias. Results: There were 2136 patients with a median total number of PCI items selected of 5 (2-10). “Fear of the cancer returning” (39%) and “dry mouth” (37%) were most common. Twenty-five percent (524) reported less than good QOL. Conclusion: There was considerable variation between units in the number of items selected and in overall QOL, even after allowing for case-mix variables. There was a strong progressive association between the number of PCI items and QOL

Comparisons of measures that evaluate oral and general health quality of life in patients with temporomandibular disorder and chronic pain

Objective: To analyze the oral and general health related quality of life (HRQOL) measures, and to establish their ability to categorize chronic temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Methods: Data were collected from 104 patients through a questionnaire with detailed socio-demographic information, the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), the Short-Form-36 (SF-36), the Revised Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) Axis I and II. Descriptive statistics were computed. Results: Better self-rated health and having no muscle pain were the key predictors for better physical HRQOL, whereas higher levels of depression, worse self-rated health and mandibular functioning were highly associated with worse mental HRQOL. The oral HRQOL were significantly lower in TMD patients with higher pain-related disability and worse oral health rating. Discussion: The use of the OHIP-14 in chronic TMD patients may provide valuable clinical information for better assessing the pain-related disability when compared to SF-36

Effects of Different Abutment Connection Designs on the Stress Distribution Around Five Different Implants: A 3-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis

The stability of the bone-implant interface is required for the long-term favorable clinical outcome of implant-supported prosthetic rehabilitation. The implant failures that occur after the functional loading are mainly related to biomechanical factors. Micro movements and vibrations due to occlusal forces can lead to mechanical complications such as loosening of the screw and fractures of the abutment or implants. The aim of this study was to investigate the strain distributions in the connection areas of different implant-abutment connection systems under similar loading conditions. Five different implant-abutment connection designs from 5 different manufacturers were evaluated in this study. The investigation was performed with software using the finite element method. The geometrical modeling of the implant systems was done with CATIA virtual design software. The MSC NASTRAN solver and PATRAN postprocessing program were used to perform the linear static solution. According to the analysis, the implant-abutment connection system with external hexagonal connection showed the highest strain values, and the internal hexagonal implant-abutment connection system showed the lowest strain values. Conical + internal hexagonal and screw-in implant abutment connection interface is more successful than other systems in cases with increased vertical dimension, particularly in the posterior region

Craniodentofacial Manifestations in a Rare Syndrome: Orofaciodigital Type IV (Mohr-Majewski Syndrome)

Background. The orofaciodigital syndromes (OFDS) are a heterogeneous group of syndromes that affect the face, oral cavity, and the digits. OFDS type IV (OMIM %258860) is rare and characterized by broad nasal root and tip, orbital hypertelorism or telecanthus, micrognathia, hypoplastic mandible, and low-set ears. Oral symptoms may include cleft lip, cleft or highly arched palate, bifid uvula, cleft or hypoplastic maxillary and mandibular alveolar ridge, oral frenula, lingual hamartoma, and absent or hypoplastic epiglottis. Dental anomalies are common and generally include disturbances in the number of teeth. Case Report. This report presents a six-year-old girl, referred with the chief complaint of missing teeth. She was diagnosed as having OFDS type IV based on clinical findings. Her parents reported three deceased children and two fetuses that had the same phenotype. She was the seventh child of consanguineous parents who were first cousins. Conclusion. This is a very rare syndrome. Many reported OFDS type IV cases have consanguineous parents, consistent with an autosomal recessive trait. Manifestation of cleft palate in the healthy sibling may be mild expression of the disorder or an unrelated isolated cleft

A surface roughening technique for maxillofacial prostheses

Giving a natural surface texture to the maxillofacial prostheses is one of the major goals for the maxillofacial prosthodontists. This article describes a technique for application of an antiskid epoxy resin to the surface of the definitive mold before pouring the maxillofacial silicone elastomer. This technique produces evenly distributed and same-size pores that are more similar to the natural appearance of human skin

Use of biofunctional prosthetic system following partial maxillary resection: A clinical report

This clinical report describes the prosthodontic rehabilitation of an edentulous patient with a maxillary defect using the biofunctional prosthetic system. The Biofunctional Prosthetic System brand denture includes a comprehensive technique for impressions, record taking, tooth placement, fabrication and processing. The advantage of this technique is to provide patients with optimal form, function, and aesthetics in complete dentures. This system is based on a team effort and systematic approach to removable prosthetic treatment. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Predictors of obturator functioning and satisfaction in Turkish patients using an obturator prosthesis after maxillectomy.

Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical factors affecting obturator function and satisfaction using the obturator functioning scale (OFS) in maxillectomy patients rehabilitated with obturator prostheses

Dental Education for Prevention of Oral Cancer in Turkey: Needs for Changing the Curriculum

OZDEMIR-OZENEN, Didem/0000-0002-2607-7634; Ozcakir-Tomruk, Ceyda/0000-0003-1545-5588; Ozdemir-Karatas, Meltem/0000-0001-7132-9936The aim of the present study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of dental students on oral cancer in Istanbul, Turkey. A self-administered questionnaire adapted from Tanriover et al. consisting of 48 questions was distributed to 311 students enrolled in the fourth and fifth grades of a dental faculty in Istanbul, Turkey. Questions were grouped under 5 main headings: socio-demographic features, knowledge on risk factors and diagnostic procedures, history taking regarding to alcohol and smoking status, opinions and behaviors of oral cancer, and distribution of dental students according to diagnostic practice of oral cancer. The frequencies and percentages were calculated with descriptive analysis. The differences in distributions were analyzed using the chi-squared test. The p value was set at 0.05 for statistical significance. The overall response rate was 98% (305/311). The majority of the students identified tobacco and alcohol as risk factors (82% and 75.1%, respectively), while older age and inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables were less likely to be known (60.2% and 52.8%, respectively). Almost one-fifth of the students stated that they have never performed oral cancer examinations during their first or subsequent dental examinations of their patients. Female students thought that dentists were authorized to make oral cancer examinations with a higher frequency compared to males (65.8% and 34.2%, respectively; p = 0.006). On the other hand, female students reported that they did not receive adequate education regarding cessation of smoking with a higher frequency compared with males (69.2% female and 30.8% male respectively; p = 0.0001). As this present study revealed that future dentists had insufficient knowledge in some of the main concepts on oral cancer risk factors, and they lacked the confidence in performing oral examinations in their patients, it is concluded that there is a need for a more structured teaching program with greater emphasis on the early signs and risk factors of OC. Reorganization of the dental curriculum, and courses which further draw attention on the responsibility of the dental practitioner in the detection of oral cancers will be beneficial for the creation of awareness on this significant topic among future dental workforce. Understanding the knowledge and perception of dental students on oral cancers is not only limited to a specific country but it is a worldwide critical issue in which information should be exchanged

Identifying potential predictors of pain-related disability in Turkish patients with chronic temporomandibular disorder pain

Background: The aims of this study were to examine whether patients' psychosocial profiles influence the location of pain, and to identify the clinical and psychosocial predictors of high levels of pain-related disability in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients with chronic pain at least 6 months in duration