Incidence of COVID-19 Virus Transmission in Three Dental Offices: A 6-Month Retrospective Study.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has shown the ability to become aerosolized with a potential airborne route of transmission. Dentists and dental hygienists are listed as two of the occupations in a nonhospital setting with the greatest risk of contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as routine dental procedures involve aerosol generation. In a statement on interim guidance, WHO recommended that all routine dental procedures be delayed until COVID-19 transmission rates decrease from community transmission to cluster cases and until the risk of transmission in a dental office can be studied and evaluated. This prospective study involves 2,810 patients treated over a 6-month period (March 15 to September 15, 2020) in three different dental offices by two dentists and three hygienists during and shortly after the height of the pandemic in New York. By utilizing screening questionnaires, performing enhanced infection control, and having appropriate personal protective equipment, these dental offices were able to record no transmission of COVID-19 to the dental healthcare workers or patients during the study. In addition, 69% of the patients treated in these dental offices were recorded as having one or more high-risk comorbidities related to COVID-19 severity.

A Rationale for Postsurgical Laser Use to Effectively Treat Dental Implants Affected by Peri-implantitis: Two Case Reports.

Peri-implantitis is a biologic complication that can affect the survival of a dental implant. Most surgical and nonsurgical treatments have been relatively ineffective even when using targeted antimicrobial approaches. A growing number of reports are documenting the presence of titanium granules and/or cement in the soft tissues surrounding peri-implantitis-affected dental implants. Two case reports are presented demonstrating how the Nd:YAG or a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser used following regenerative surgeries changed failures into successes as measured by radiographic bone fill and improved clinical parameters. These cases suggest that successful peri-implantitis treatment may need to incorporate decontamination of the soft tissues in addition to the implant's surface. Further studies are warranted to determine if each of these lasers would be successful over a larger patient cohort.

Thermal Testing of Titanium Implants and the Surrounding Ex-Vivo Tissue Irradiated With 9.3um CO2 Laser.

PURPOSE: To measure the temperature rise and surface damage of titanium dental implants and the surrounding tissue in a pig jaw during 9.3-µm carbon dioxide (CO2) laser irradiation at various durations of time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thermal analysis tests were performed on 12 implants with the same surface. Twelve implants mounted alone or in pig jaws were laser-irradiated with a 9.3-µm CO2 laser using 3 different power settings. The temperature of the implant body and the proximal tissues was measured with a J-Type Thermocouple after being laser-irradiated with 3 different power setting for 30, 60 seconds, and 2 minutes. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and digital microscope images were also taken of the all the implants before and after laser irradiation to detect the presence or absence of surface damage. RESULTS: Temperature analysis showed that in all cases the implant and the proximal tissue temperatures remained around the start temperatures of the implant and tissues with fluctuations of ±3°C but never reached the upper threshold of 44°C, the temperature at which thermal injury to bone has been reported. Digital and SEM images that were taken of the implants showed an absence of surface damage at the cutting speed of 20% (0.7 W); however, cutting speeds of 30% to 100% (1.0-4.2 W) did yield surface damage. CONCLUSIONS: Laser irradiation of titanium implant surfaces using a 9.3-µm carbon dioxide laser with an average power of 0.7 W showed no increase in thermal temperature of the implant body and tissue temperatures as well as no evidence of implant surface damage.

Retrospective Evaluation of Factors Related to the Outcomes of Regenerative Therapy for Implants Affected by Peri-implantitis.

The aim of this retrospective study was to examine the histories of 100 patients with 170 implants that were consecutively treated and reported in a previous study to identify which patient and implant factors might have affected the outcomes of therapy. Patient factors included history of periodontitis, hypertension, cardiac problems, rheumatoid arthritis, smoking, and penicillin allergy. Implant factors included whether the prosthesis was cemented or screw retained and initial bone loss (≤ 50% or > 50% of implant length). Frequency of maintenance visits (≤ 3 months or > 3 months) were recorded, as was patient age (≤ 60 years or > 60 years). On the patient level, only postoperative maintenance (≤ 3 months) showed a statistically significant effect on radiographic bone gain (RBG) compared to patients with > 3 months maintenance frequency. Nondiabetic patients showed a trend toward soft tissue gain. On an implant level, screw-retained prostheses demonstrated a statistically significant RBG compared to those with cement-retained prostheses. Significant favorable differences were seen in all outcomes when evaluating presurgical bone level loss (> 50% of the implant length). Further studies with larger groups of patients are necessary to substantiate the findings in this report.

A Regenerative Approach to the Successful Treatment of Peri-implantitis: A Consecutive Series of 170 Implants in 100 Patients with 2- to 10-Year Follow-up.

This article presents the results of a consecutive case series of 170 treated peri-implantitis-affected implants in 100 patients with follow-up measurements from 2 to 10 years. A total of 51 implants in 38 patients previously reported on were followed for an additional 2.5 years, and 119 additional implants in 62 additional patients were treated with the same protocol and monitored for at least 2 years posttreatment. The treatment consisted of flap reflection, surface decontamination, use of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) or platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and guided bone regeneration with mineralized freezedried bone and/or anorganic bovine bone combined with PDGF or EMD and covered with an absorbable membrane and/or subepithelial connective tissue graft. Maintenance and monitoring followed every 2 to 3 months. Two implants were lost 6 months posttreatment, for a 98.8% survival rate. Bleeding on probing was eliminated in 91% of the treated implants. Probing depth reduction averaged 5.10 mm, bone level gain averaged 1.77 mm, and soft tissue marginal gain averaged 0.52 mm. These outcomes were obtained with one surgical procedure on 140 implants, with two procedures on 18 implants, and with three procedures on 10 implants. The results to date with this layered/combined regenerative approach for the treatment of peri-implantitis appear to be encouraging.

Successful management of peri-implantitis with a regenerative approach: a consecutive series of 51 treated implants with 3- to 7.5-year follow-up.

The results of a case series of 51 consecutively treated, peri-implantitis-affected implants in 38 patients with follow-up measurements from 3 to 7.5 years are presented. Each implant displayed bleeding on probing, probing depths ≥ 6 mm, and bone loss ≥ 4 mm prior to surgery. A successful regenerative approach including surface decontamination, use of enamel matrix derivative, a combination of platelet-derived growth factor with anorganic bovine bone or mineralized freeze-dried bone, and coverage with a collagen membrane or a subepithelial connective tissue graft was employed in all cases. Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 included patients in which the greatest defect depth was visible on radiographs; group 2 included patients in which the greatest loss of bone was on the facial or oral aspect of the implant. Bone level changes in patients in group 2 were determined by probe sounding under local anesthesia. Probing depth reductions at 3 to 7.5 years of follow-up were 5.4 and 5.1 mm in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Concomitant bone level gain was 3.75 mm in group 1 and 3.0 mm in group 2. No implant in either group lost bone throughout the duration of the study. The results to date with this regenerative approach for the treatment of peri-implantitis appear to be encouraging.

The use of phentolamine mesylate to evaluate mandibular nerve damage following implant placement.

High success rates and long-term predictability of implant therapy have been well documented in the literature. However, complications in implant treatment can arise and include sensory disturbances, especially in the posterior mandible in areas close to the inferior alveolar nerve. Treatment efficacy of sensory disturbances caused by implant placement in this area relies on the expeditious diagnosis of an induced paresthesia. Recently, phentolamine mesylate has been introduced as a reversal agent of local anesthesia with the ability to decrease the requisite time for a patient to return to normal sensation. This article introduces a method for faster detection of a potential paresthesia induced by implant placement in the posterior mandible.