Identification of the Incisive Branch of the Inferior Alveolar Nerve of Edentulous Mandibles Using Cone-Beam Computerized Tomography.

This study explored the average length of the incisive branch (IB) of the inferior alveolar nerve on cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) with regard to patient demographics in patients with edentulous mandibles. CBCT was used in a retrospective study of edentulous mandibles to assess the presence and anatomical variation for the IB. Three independent observers measured bilateral IB lengths. In addition to demographics, IB length and port of exit data were obtained. A 1-way analysis of variance was used to test whether IB length varied by sex or port of exit, and a standard Pearson correlation was used to test for IB length and age significance, with a significance level of P < .05. Intraclass correlation coefficients showed significant agreement in IB length across all observers. No significant difference was noted between the exit port and IB length. An important effect was reported for sex, indicating women have generally shorter IB lengths (9.43 ± 3.99 vs 10.55 ± 3.92). There was a significant correlation with age, but the relationship was weak. Edentulous mandibles have an altered anatomic landscape, and establishing predictive IB dimensions aids practitioners in surgical planning.

The Relationship of Low-Serum Vitamin D and Early Dental Implant Failure.

The study is aimed to assess the effects of serum vitamin D levels and their relationship to early dental implant failures. A total of 174 implants in 109 patients were placed and serum vitamin D levels were noted on the day of implant placement. Implants were followed up until restoration, approximately 3-6 months later, and any implant failure was reported based on 50% or more bone loss or implant mobility. Eight individuals had an implant fail early and their vitamin D levels had a mean of 42.54 ng/mL compared with the successful patients' levels of 31.92 ng/mL. Although not statistically significant, there was no correlation between patients' low serum vitamin D levels and early implant failure.

Identification of the Incisive Branch of the Inferior Alveolar Nerve of Edentulous Mandibles Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography.

This study explored the average length of the incisive branch of the inferior alveolar nerve on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) regarding patient demographics in patients with edentulous mandibles. CBCT was utilized in a retrospective study of edentulous mandibles to assess the presence and anatomical variation for the incisive branch (IB). Three independent observers measured bilateral IB lengths. In addition to demographics, IB length and port of exit data were obtained. A one-way ANOVA was used to test IB length varied by sex or port of exit, and a standard Pearson's correlation was used to test for IB length and age significance with a significance level of a p-value<0.05. Intraclass correlation coefficients show significant agreement in IB length across all observers. No significant difference was noted between the exit port and IB length. An important effect was reported for sex, indicating women have generally shorter IB lengths (9.43 ± 3.99 vs 10.55 ± 3.92). There was a significant correlation with age, but the relationship was weak. Edentulous mandibles have an altered anatomic landscape and establishing predictive incisive branch dimensions aids practitioners in surgical planning.

Diagnosing Oral Granulomatous Lesions: A Case Report.

The diagnosis of oral granulomatous lesions raises many challenges for the clinician. This article, which includes a case report, describes a process to formulate differential diagnoses by identifying distinguishing characteristics of an entity and applying that information to attain understanding of the ongoing pathophysiological process. Relevant clinical, radiographic, and histologic findings of common disease entities that can mimic clinical and radiographic presentation of this case are discussed to aid dental clinicians in identifying and diagnosing similar lesions in their practice.

Flap versus flapless alveolar ridge preservation: A clinical and histological single-blinded, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to compare a flapless technique of alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) to a flap technique to determine if preserving the periosteal blood supply would limit loss of crestal ridge width and height. METHODS: Twenty-four patients were randomly assigned to receive ARP using either a flapless or flap technique. Sockets were grafted with demineralized bone matrix and mineralized particulate allograft then covered with a barrier in both groups. Re-entry was performed at 4 months to obtain samples for histological analysis and subsequent implant placement. RESULTS: Ridge width of the flapless group at the crest decreased from 8.3 ± 1.3 mm to 7.0 ± 1.9 mm for a mean loss of 1.3 ± 0.9 mm (p < 0.05), whereas the flap group decreased from 8.5 ± 1.5 mm to 7.5 ± 1.5 mm for a mean loss of 1.0 ± 1.1 mm (p < 0.05). The mean midbuccal vertical change for the flap group was a loss of 0.9 ± 1.3 mm (p < 0.05) versus 0.5 ± 0.9 mm (p < 0.05) for the flapless group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups. Histologically, flapless ARP revealed more vital mineralized tissue (44 ± 10%) compared to the flap group (p>0.05). In the flapless group, the occlusal soft tissue was significantly thicker than in the flap group at the 4-month re-entry (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Crestal ridge width, height, and percentage of vital mineralized bone following treatment with a flapless ARP technique, was not significantly different from a flap technique.