Myofunctional therapy Part 3: Tongue function and breastfeeding as precursor of oronasal functions.

Breastfeeding is the best practice to ensure proper nutrition, correct growth of the craniofacial complex and overall health of the baby with optimal breathing, feeding and sleeping functions. Many mothers face breastfeeding problems due to the baby's difficulty in latching, especially if the lingual frenum is restricted. Early detection and understanding of some of the root causes of those difficulties will lead to an early intervention, thus getting the babies on the right tract of their full potential of growth and development.

Using topical benzocaine before lingual frenotomy did not reduce crying and should be discouraged.

AIM: The US Food and Drug Administration has said that oral preparations containing benzocaine should only be used in infants under strict medical supervision, due to the rare, but potentially fatal, risk of methemoglobinemia. This study aimed to determine the analgesic effect of topical application of benzocaine prior to lingual frenotomy in infants with symptomatic tongue-tie. We hypothesised that the duration of crying immediately following frenotomy with topical benzocaine would be shorter than with no benzocaine. METHODS: This randomised controlled study compared the length of crying after lingual frenotomy in term infants who did, or did not, receive topical application of benzocaine to the lingual frenulum prior to the procedure. RESULTS: We recruited 21 infants to this study. Crying time was less than one minute in all of the subjects. The average length of crying in the benzocaine group (21.6 ± 13.6 sec) was longer than the length of crying in the control group (13.1 ± 4.0 sec), p = 0.103. CONCLUSION: Contrary to our hypothesis, infants who were treated with topical benzocaine did not benefit from topical analgesia in terms of crying time. The use of benzocaine for analgesia prior to lingual frenotomy in term infants should therefore be discouraged.

The effectiveness of midazolam and hydroxyzine as sedative agents for young pediatric dental patients.

The purpose of the study was to compare hydroxyzine (HYD) and 0.2mg/Kg midazolam (MDZ) as sedative agents for young pediatric dental patients. Twenty-nine healthy two-to-four-year-old children participated in the study. Hydroxyzine was dripped nasally 10 minutes before treatment. The patient's crying, alertness, movement and general behavior were blindly assessed and statistically analyzed. No differences were found between the mean general behavior scores nor between the first and second visits in both groups. A significant difference (p < 0.02) was found in the acceptance of the face and nasal masks by children of the midazolam group between the first and second appointments. None of the children of this group cried nor moved at the first visit. The results of the study indicate that midazolam is somewhat more effective than hydroxyzine as a sedative agent for short procedures in young pediatric dental patients.

Immediate esthetic treatment of an avulsed/replanted permanent incisor with extensive root resorption: a case report.

This article describes the treatment of a 10 year-old patient with complete root resorption of the maxillary permanent incisor following avulsion and replantation 4 years earlier. The remaining natural crown was used to immediately solve the esthetic problem created by its extraction. The crown was attached with an orthodontic wire and composite resin to adjacent teeth. This temporary treatment does not elicit any damage to adjacent teeth, and can be easily removed. Therefore, it does not affect any plans that might be considered in the future as the permanent treatment.