Use of Phototherapy and Er-YAG Laser in the Management of Mandible Osteoradionecrosis: A Case Report.

Introduction: Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is a secondary complication from radiotherapy, which is difficult to manage and significantly reduces the life quality of the affected patients. Case Report: A 59-year-old female patient, diagnosed with infiltration by squamous cell carcinoma in the left cervical region, underwent adjuvant cervical-facial radiotherapy with a total dose of 66.6 Gy of radiation. Eight years after the diagnosis, the patient underwent multiple extractions and, subsequently, the installation of osseointegrated implants, evolving to extensive intraoral bone exposure associated with oral cutaneous fistula. The patient was initially exposed to photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), with a low-power laser at wavelengths of 660 nm and 808 nm, and thereafter to antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). After an improvement in the clinical condition and resolution of the oral cutaneous fistula, a surgical procedure with the Er: YAG laser was performed to remove the remaining necrotic bone. Once the ORN condition was completely treated, the patient's oral rehabilitation was implemented by the installation of an upper mucous-supported total prosthesis and a lower implant-supported prosthesis. Conclusion: The patient is in a clinical follow-up and has no signs of bone necrosis recurrence, suggesting that low and high-power laser treatment can be an effective therapeutic alternative to resolve this condition.

Photobiomodulation Therapy on the Palliative Care of Temporomandibular Disorder and Orofacial/Cervical Skull Pain: Preliminary Results from a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

The main symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are pain from musculoskeletal and/or joint-in the head and neck region-and complaints of difficulty in mandibular movements. The photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has been reported as a promising treatment in the management of these symptoms. The objective of this research was to assess the effect of PBMT immediately after irradiation on TMDs symptoms under a prospective clinical trial, randomized, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled, and with two parallel arms. According to the RDC/TMD, maximum mouth opening (MMO) and pain in the orofacial/cervical muscles and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were recorded. One hundred forty-five participants (71 placebo and 74 PBMT experimental) were analyzed after irradiation protocols (sham-PBMT or PBMT) at the orofacial/cervical skull musculature and at the TMJ. The results showed a reduction in the total pain score (p = 0.026), a reduction in the number of painful points (p = 0.013), and an increase in the MMO (p = 0.016) in the PBMT protocol group when compared to the placebo protocol (sham-PBMT). The PBMT was shown to be effective in reducing orofacial/cervical skull pain immediately after the irradiation. It is clinically relevant and should be taken into consideration by professionals who are dedicated to treating this pathology because, in addition to bringing comfort to patients who need dental treatment, it also consists of a low-cost and low technical complexity clinical approach.

Photobiomodulation therapy on the palliative care of temporomandibular disorder and orofacial/cervical skull pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is the most common cause of orofacial and cervical skull pain and is considered to be a public health problem, affecting 5% to 12% of the world population. TMD is multifactorial and there are several types of treatment, with the conservative types being indicated more often as they are less aggressive and reversible. The main aim of these treatments is to relieve symptoms, reduce of pain, and restore orofacial and cervical skull functions. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), a noninvasive therapy, is an option for the management of musculoskeletal disorders due to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative effects. METHODS: The aim of the proposed study is to verify whether PBMT is effective for use in palliative care of TMD and orofacial and cervical skull pain. A randomized, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial is proposed. This study will involve 200 adult participants (over 18 years of age) who will be randomly divided into two groups (n = 100): Group 1, active treatment (PBMT); and Group 2, placebo. Participants will be subjected to three sessions of PBMT or placebo and will be evaluated using the research diagnostic criteria (RDC) for TMD. Pain level (measured by a visual analog scale (VAS)), mandibular movements (measured by ruler and caliper), quality of life (measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-14), and quality of sleep (measured by the Epworth scale) will be recorded. This study is being conducted at the Special Laboratory of Lasers in Dentistry (LELO) of the School of Dentistry of the University of Sao Paulo (USP). DISCUSSION: This study will verify whether PBMT is effective in reducing TMD and orofacial and cervical skull pain. PBMT may be an option for the management of musculoskeletal disorders due to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative effects, in addition to being a noninvasive technique. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos, RBR-9b6mnj . Registered on 27 March 2018. Trial registry name: Laser de baixa potência no cuidado paliativo da disfunção temporomandibular e dor crânio orofacial e cervical. Ethics committee: #1774930 approved on 14 October 2016.

Measurement of oral health quality of life among patients who underwent haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation.

Oral mucositis is a painful condition that occurs in patients who have undergone haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) and has a huge impact on their quality of life. The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) are associated with oral health quality of life among patients who underwent HSCT. A. C. Camargo Cancer Center patients were evaluated over 20 months at 4 different time-points: a) at patient admission (M1); b) on the day of infusion of HSC (M2); c) 12 and 20 days after the first day of the conditioning regimen for autologous and allogeneic transplantation, respectively (M3); and d) 30 days after the first day of the conditioning regimen (M4). Mucositis clinical evaluations were performed using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Oral health quality of life was measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile short form (OHIP-14), Oral Mucositis Quality of Life (OMQoL) and Patient-Reported Oral Mucositis Symptom (PROMS) scales. Correlations between clinical data and quality of life scores were examined. STATA 11.0 was used to perform the statistical analyses (5% level of significance). Eighty-two patients participated in the study; 62.2% were male, 28.05% had multiple myeloma, and the mean age was 48.49 years (SD 13.76). Higher scores (worse quality of life) were observed as mucositis scores increased, but the results were not significant. The OMQoL had a high correlation with OHIP-14 (0.8377), but the correlation between the PROMS scale and the OHIP-14 was lower (0.6643). Higher concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α were associated with worse quality of life, according to all indices (p < 0.05). Oral mucositis was associated with quality of life scores (p < 0.01).

Measurement of oral health quality of life among patients who underwent haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation

Abstract Oral mucositis is a painful condition that occurs in patients who have undergone haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) and has a huge impact on their quality of life. The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) are associated with oral health quality of life among patients who underwent HSCT. A. C. Camargo Cancer Center patients were evaluated over 20 months at 4 different time-points: a) at patient admission (M1); b) on the day of infusion of HSC (M2); c) 12 and 20 days after the first day of the conditioning regimen for autologous and allogeneic transplantation, respectively (M3); and d) 30 days after the first day of the conditioning regimen (M4). Mucositis clinical evaluations were performed using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Oral health quality of life was measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile short form (OHIP-14), Oral Mucositis Quality of Life (OMQoL) and Patient-Reported Oral Mucositis Symptom (PROMS) scales. Correlations between clinical data and quality of life scores were examined. STATA 11.0 was used to perform the statistical analyses (5% level of significance). Eighty-two patients participated in the study; 62.2% were male, 28.05% had multiple myeloma, and the mean age was 48.49 years (SD 13.76). Higher scores (worse quality of life) were observed as mucositis scores increased, but the results were not significant. The OMQoL had a high correlation with OHIP-14 (0.8377), but the correlation between the PROMS scale and the OHIP-14 was lower (0.6643). Higher concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α were associated with worse quality of life, according to all indices (p < 0.05). Oral mucositis was associated with quality of life scores (p < 0.01).

Influence of Sexual Hormones on Neural Orofacial Perception.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the trigeminal somatosensory (thermal, pain, tactile, vibratory, and electric), gustative (salty, bitter, sweet, sour), and olfactory thresholds in healthy women during the menstrual cycle and investigate any association with estradiol and progesterone levels in saliva. METHODS: We examined/tested 39 women between age 19 and 47 years and with regular menstrual cycles and no comorbidities. All women were informed about the purposes of the study, and only those who signed the informed consent were included. The tests were performed at three stages within the cycle: menstrual phase, follicular phase, and luteal phase. The procedure consisted of saliva collection at the beginning of each session to measure hormone levels, salivary flow, somatosensory evaluation with quantitative sensory testing applied to the right trigeminal maxillary branch and right forearm, gustative (sweet [glucose], salt [sodium chloride], sour [citric acid], and bitter [urea]) and olfactory (isopropanol at different concentrations) thresholds. RESULTS: During the menstrual cycle, thresholds for sweet, salty, sour, cold, vibration, and deep pain decreased, but warmth, electrical, and superficial pain thresholds increased. The bitter threshold was high, and the olfactory threshold was low in the follicular phase. Low estrogen levels were correlated to high deep pain thresholds in the forearm ( P = 0.008) and face ( P = 0.041), high tactile thresholds ( P = 0.001), and high superficial pain ( P = 0.006) thresholds in the face. High levels of progesterone were associated with a high deep pain threshold in the face and a high salty threshold ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Estrogen and progesterone seem to be involved in sensory neuromodulation in women during the menstrual cycle.

Avaliação da capacidade de descontaminação da terapia fotodinâmica no pós-operatório imediato de implantes: estudo piloto / Efficiency of photodynamic therapy in the immediate postoperative of dental implants: pilot study

Em todo ato cirúrgico para instalação de implanttes dentários ocorre uma contaminação inerente ao procedimento que pode prejudicar a cicatrização. Este projeto foi proposto para encontrar uma forma de reduzir a microbiota da área peri-implantar com a terapia fotodinâmica (PDT, do inglês photodynamic therapy). Após triagem (critérios de inclusão: normorreativos, com espaço intercalar superior, sem histórico de doença periodontal grave), cinco pacientes foram selecionados e reabilitados com implantes Standard Plus da Straumann®. Ao término da cirurgia, uma primeira coleta microbiológica peri-implantar foi efetuada (controle). Aplicou-se o corante azul de metileno a 0,005% por 5 minutos. Em seguida, a área peri-implantar foi irradiada com laser diodo de baixa potência (AsGaAl, 660 nm, 40mW), por 2 minutos, totalizando 120 J/cm(2) de densidade de energia, dividida em 4 pontos (2 na vestibular e 2 na palatina). Ao término da PDT, outra coleta microbiológica foi realizada (teste). Todo o material coletado passou pelo seguinte processo: diluições seriadas; semeadura em meios de cultura; incubação em meio anaeróbio por sete dias e contagem do número de unidades de colônias totais (UFC). O teste estatístico de Wilcoxon mostrou haver diferença significante (p < 0,001) na redução bacteriana para as UFC, tendo como mediana dessa redução 93,67%. Os resultados permitem afirmar que a PDT é um método eficaz de descontaminação da área cirúrgica no pós-operatório imediato de implantes dentários.