Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary alveolus in a 10-year-old girl.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is rare in the pediatric population. When it does occur, it is most commonly seen on the tongue or lip. In this article, we report a rare case of squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary gingiva and alveolus in a 10-year-old girl and review the literature concerning oral squamous cell carcinoma in the pediatric population.

Fat embolism following posterior iliac graft harvest for jaw reconstruction: managing the complications of major surgery.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons offer their patients a wide variety of surgical options that may be classified as major or minor surgery. Complications are part of surgery, but major surgery may lead to life-threatening complications that must be managed by the surgical team. Obtaining iliac graft tissue during oral and maxillofacial reconstruction carries the risk of rare but serious complications, such as deep vein thrombosis and fat embolism syndrome. In this paper we describe the latter postoperative complication experienced by a patient undergoing an otherwise routine major oral and maxillofacial reconstructive procedure. A discussion of the factors that stimulate fat embolism during or following surgical procedures is intended to help surgeons prevent this complication.

An analysis of peripheral giant cell granuloma associated with dental implant treatment.

This report discusses the management of a 21-year-old male who developed a peripheral giant cell granuloma (PGCG) associated with dental implant therapy, and reviews 4 previously reported cases of PGCGs developing in association with dental implant treatment. The patient described in this report was treated with multiple dental implants to manage severe oligodontia. Six years after implant placement, with the patient lost to follow-up, he presented to his dentist complaining of increasing swelling in the right mandibular vestibule. The patient was noted to have a large exophytic, ovoid-shaped, firm, smooth-surfaced, maroon-colored lesion. The lesion was found to be a PGCG associated with a dental implant. The lesion was treated successfully by explantation of the dental implant, complete excision of the lesion, and curettage of the underlying bony defect. No evidence of recurrence was seen over 12 months of follow-up.

Changes in TrkB-like immunoreactivity in rat trigeminal ganglion after tooth injury.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the impact of tooth injury on the distribution of tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) among trigeminal ganglion neurons and assess the time course for tooth injury-induced TrkB distribution changes. In addition, we sought to further characterize the subpopulation of the afferents expressing TrkB receptors. Fifteen adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were studied. Pulpal inflammation was induced and ganglia were subsequently harvested and processed at different time points. Standard immunohistochemical fluorescence techniques were used to visualize TrkB-like immunoreactivity and isolectin B4 binding. Results indicate that full-length TrkB receptors are present in 36.6% of trigeminal ganglion neurons. This percentage decreases for the first 48 h and then increases to 41% by 7 days after tooth injury. Finally, TrkB appears to be present in a large percentage (54%) of isolectin B4+ neurons, suggesting that it is present in nociceptive afferents. These data highlight the fact that even mild injury results in sustained changes in nociceptive circuitry and raise the possibility that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor/TrkB system may contribute to persistent pain after tooth repair.