Oral health related quality of life in cleft lip and palate patients rehabilitated with conventional prostheses or dental implants

Cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) is the most common congenital craniofacial abnormality, with a prevalence of 9.92 per 10,000 live births. In treating patients with CLP, oral rehabilitation is definitely a very important phase of the treatment in order to improve the patient's oral health related quality of life (OH-QoL). The aim of this retrospective study is to assess the OH-QoL in patients rehabilitated with different prosthetic options, thus comparing the conventional treatments, which include removable partial dentures and fixed partial dentures, with the implant-supported prostheses

Ozone therapy in extractive surgery on patients treated with bisphosphonates

It is certain that oral extractive surgery is a remarkable trigger to avascular osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients treated with pyrophosphate analogous. This acquisition limits the use of endo-oral surgery in those patients, even when they have already developed the lesions. In this study, we present the results obtained in a group of 15 patients deriving from a 33-patient cluster with osteonecrosis of the jaw in treatment at our department with a new protocol based on ozone therapy. The object of this article is to demonstrate how dental extraction becomes possible in a patient with avascular bisphosphonate-related jaw osteonecrosis or in those who simply received pyrophosphate analogous when proper treatment with ozone therapy has been done

Obstructive sleep apnea in a growing patient

Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is a complex respiratory disorder that is very difficult to diagnose and to treat surgically as well as medically. SAS can affect growing patients as well as adults. SAS shows a central, an obstructive, and a mixed form. Diagnosis is based on clinical examination of the patient and instrumental examinations such as teleradiography, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR), three-dimensional computed tomography, polysomnography, rhinomanometry, and spirometry. The patient presented has an obstructive form of SAS in addition to Crouzon's disease. He underwent a Le Fort III osteotomy to obtain an advancement of the orbitomaxillary complex, allowing an increase in volume of posterior airway space at the level of the hypopharynx

Obstructive sleep apnea in a growing patient

Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is a complex respiratory disorder that is very difficult to diagnose and to treat surgically as well as medically. SAS can affect growing patients as well as adults. SAS shows a central, an obstructive, and a mixed form. Diagnosis is based on clinical examination of the patient and instrumental examinations such as teleradiography, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR), three-dimensional computed tomography, polysomnography, rhinomanometry, and spirometry. The patient presented has an obstructive form of SAS in addition to Crouzon's disease. He underwent a Le Fort III osteotomy to obtain an advancement of the orbitomaxillary complex, allowing an increase in volume of posterior airway space at the level of the hypopharynx

Interleukine-6 (IL-6) may be a link between myasthenia gravis and myoepithelioma of the parotid gland

Myoepithelioma is a rare benign neoplasm of the salivary glands occurring more frequently in the parotids. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic, T-cell dependent, antibody and complement-mediated autoimmune neuromuscular transmission disorder. Interleukine-6 (IL-6) is an immune protein belonging to the family of the hematopoietins, liberated in response to infection, burns, trauma, and neoplastic diseases. It seems that an overproduction of IL-6 might play an important role in the pathophysiotogy of MG. Moreover, it has been discussed the possible role of IL-6 as a modulating factor either in proliferation or in differentiation of pleomorphic adenoma cell line into myoepithelioma. The authors present a rare case of parotid myoepithelioma occurred in a patient affected by myasthenia gravis and suppose a possible IL-6 mediated relationship between myasthenia gravis and parotid myoepithelioma. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Condylar fractures during growth: Follow-up of 16 patients

Fractures of the mandibular condyle represent 20% to 35% of all mandibular fractures. There are several clinical variants of this type of fracture that give rise to different problems in relation to their classification and treatment. A sample of 16 patients (of a total of 280 patients examined and treated from 1985 through 1995) with mono- and bilateral, displaced and decomposed, condylar fractures that occurred during growth were examined by the authors, who assessed, by a 2-year followup, the relevant clinical, functional, and instrumental parameters. On the basis of the data gathered by this study, a plan was drawn up for treating these patients that takes into account the different situations, such as either a nonsurgical or surgical treatment (by the use of condylectomy or external rigid fixation), and points out the advantages and disadvantages of each method

Calvarial onlay graft and submental incision in treatment of atrophic edentulous mandibles: An approach to reduce postoperative complications

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to test our approach based on the use of calvarial graft and extraoral approach, in treatment of severe mandibular atrophies with implant surgery and prosthetic rehabilitation. METHODS: We selected 6 patients, 4 females and 2 males, completely edentulous with a severe mandibular atrophy (class VI Cawood and Howell classification). Mean age of patients was 63 years, ranging from 60 to 67 years. Mandibles were reconstructed with a submental incision with calvarial bone graft harvested from parietal area. After a mean of 4.2 months, each patient received 4 implants, and after a mean of 4.67 months, implants were loaded. RESULTS: No complications occurred in donor site or on the mandible, and all patients recovered well. No extraoral scar occurred. A total of 25 implants were inserted, and, with exception of an early failure and successive replacement, all implants were osseointegrated at successive visits. After 1-year follow-up, our analysis showed 100% implants survival and correct fit and success of prosthetic rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study showed an uneventful recovery for all patients with our approach and reduced healing time of bone graft. So extraoral approach with submental incision and calvarial graft is a reliable method in reconstruction of atrophic mandibles, and staged implant surgery is suggested