French Otorhinolaryngology Society (SFORL) good practice guidelines for dental implant surgery close to the maxillary sinus.

OBJECTIVES: To draw up guidelines for ENT management associated with dental implant surgery with or without sinus lift. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The methodology followed the rules of laid down by the French Health Authority (HAS): "Methodological bases for drawing up professional recommendations by formalized consensus". The chosen method was the RAND/UCLA "RAND appropriateness method" (short version). RESULTS: In the pre-implantation check-up, it is recommended to systematically screen for sinonasal pathology on medical interview and to favor 3D CT or cone-beam imaging. It is recommended that imaging include the entire maxillary sinus when the patient does not have sinonasal history or functional signs on interview. Otherwise, examination of all sinonasal cavities is recommended. This attitude enables simultaneous analysis of maxillary infrastructure for pre-implantation work-up and assessment of sinonasal cavity status. Sinus mucosal incidentalomas are very common in the healthy population and must be assessed with reference to the clinical, endoscopic and radiological context. CONCLUSION: This formalized expert consensus establishes a common base of knowledge, to clarify the issues and clinical situations and to standardize practices.

Inferior alveolar nerve transposition and reposition for dental implant placement in edentulous or partially edentulous mandibles: a multicenter retrospective study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the success and complications following inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) transposition/reposition for dental implant placement in edentulous or partially edentulous mandibles. This was a multicenter retrospective study; patients who had undergone IAN transposition/reposition at four surgical clinics were retrospectively evaluated. Adverse effects, especially neural disturbances, were recorded and followed. Overall, 68 IAN reposition and 11 nerve transposition procedures were performed in 57 patients (only three patients reported on smoking). The residual bone above the IAN was an average 3.88±1.98mm. A total of 232 dental implants were inserted in the area after transposition/reposition of the nerve. The average follow-up time was 20.62±9.79 months, ranging from 12 to 45 months. One implant loss was observed during the follow-up period. Four patients reported prolonged transient neural disturbances immediately following surgery (5% of the operations). The duration of neural disturbances after the surgery ranged from 1 to 6 months. No permanent neural damage was reported. Thus, within this study's limitations, it can be concluded that IAN transposition and reposition are useful adjunct techniques for managing severely atrophic edentulous or partially edentulous mandibles with dental implants. The risk of neural dysfunction appears to be low.

Does milling one-piece titanium dental implants induce osteocyte and osteoclast changes?

One-piece dental implants avoid adverse effects sometimes associated with the traditional implant-abutment interface and may provide a suitable alternative to two-piece implants; however, one-piece implants often need in situ milling, which may exacerbate cell apoptosis from excessive heat at the bone-implant interface and induce secondary crestal bone loss. Twelve implants were placed in the metaphyses of two sheep under general anesthesia. Six implants were milled with a diamond bur while the other six implants remained intact. Animals were euthanized after four days, and bone blocks were harvested. Bone samples were studied without decalcification. Osteocytes were stained with Hoechst 33342 and osteoclasts by the TRAcP reaction. Both cell types, in the cortical and trabecular bone around the implant's cervical region, were counted utilizing morphometric methods. Values were compared to areas at a distance from the cervical region. No difference was observed between milled and unmilled implants, which suggested that the amount of generated heat did not provoke osteocyte loss or induce osteoclastogenesis. Intraoral abutment preparations did not increase cellular apoptosis at the bone-implant interface after four days in the ovine model.