Congenital Bilateral Zygomatico-Maxillo-Mandibular Fusion Associated With Gum Fusion.

A congenial syngnathia is very rare condition. It can be simple mucosal fusion (synechiae), or complete bony fusion (synostosis) between the maxilla or zygoma and the mandible. Fusion of the ascending ramus of mandible to maxilla and zygoma is less common than fusions of the alveolar ridges of the mandible to the maxilla. Bony syngnathia is either isolated or complex in form. There are 59 cases of congenital bony syngnathia reported in the literature: the first report was by Burket in 1936. There are 16 reported cases of zygomatico-maxillo-mandibular fusion. In the reported cases, women expressed the isolated form more commonly whereas men demonstrated a more complex pattern of disease. The authors present another patient of bony syngnathia involving bilateral fusion of the ascending ramus and body of the mandible with the maxillary complex in a young man. Early surgery was performed to release the bony and soft tissue fusion on the eighth day from the baby's birth. A second operation was performed for recurrence when the baby was 2.5 months old. A customized splint, an intense postoperative program of mouth exercises, and close follow-up aims to prevent further refusion.

The importance of early intervention in the treatment of dental infection.

UNLABELLED: With recent reports of increasing hospital admissions relating to dental infection, the authors believe it is time to re-visit the importance of its effective early treatment. A series of three cases is used to illustrate the potentially life-threatening progression of what, in the early stages, is an easily treatable condition. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The principles of effective management of dental infection are highlighted in the first instance and then indications for specialist maxillofacial referral are discussed.

Monitoring and reporting the US COVID-19 vaccination effort.

Immunizations are an important tool to reduce the burden of vaccine preventable diseases and improve population health.1 High-quality immunization data is essential to inform clinical and public health interventions and respond to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. To track COVID-19 vaccines and vaccinations, CDC established an integrated network that included vaccination provider systems, health information exchange systems, immunization information systems, pharmacy and dialysis systems, vaccine ordering systems, electronic health records, and tools to support mass vaccination clinics. All these systems reported data to CDC's COVID-19 response system (either directly or indirectly) where it was processed, analyzed, and disseminated. This unprecedented vaccine tracking effort provided essential information for public health officials that was used to monitor the COVID-19 response and guide decisions. This paper will describe systems, processes, and policies that enabled monitoring and reporting of COVID-19 vaccination efforts and share challenges and lessons learned for future public health emergency responses.