A retrospective cohort study of pediatric hospitalization due to dentoalveolar infection before and after a change in national health insurance.

This retrospective cohort study aimed to examine trends in pediatric (0-18 years old) hospitalizations due to dentoalveolar infection, before and after the inclusion of pediatric dental care in Israel's National Health Insurance Law. Data were collected from the medical records of one oral and maxillofacial surgery department. Data were compared between patients hospitalized during 2002-2010 (group A, n = 531) and 2011-2019 (group B, n = 381). The mean age of the cohort was 8 years. A dentoalveolar abscess was the main cause of hospitalizations in both groups. Group B exhibited a higher rate of previous dental treatment in general (p = 0.001), and of previous dental treatment for the tooth responsible for the infection (p = 0.03). The prevalent treatment during hospitalization combined intravenous antibiotics and extraction, with or without drainage (58.1%) for group A; and intravenous antibiotics and drainage (49.4%) for group B (p < 0.01). Dental care provided by the Israel's National Health Insurance should focus not only on operative treatment but also on oral health promotion and caries prevention, to reduce hospitalizations due to dentoalveolar infections.

Clinicopathologic evaluation of malignancy adjacent to dental implants.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe a new case series of peri-implant malignancy, review the literature, and discuss the implications of malignancies resembling peri-implantitis. STUDY DESIGN: This study was a retrospective analysis of cases from 2000 to 2016. RESULTS: Seven patients (two males and five females), aged 44 to 89 years, were included, representing 1.5% of oral malignancy cases. Five cases were squamous carcinoma, one of basal cell carcinoma, and one of carcinoma of metastatic origin. Six cases presented with nonulcerated overgrowth, with bone loss in three and massive osteolysis in one. Misinterpretation as peri-implantitis delayed diagnosis in six cases. Risk factors included previous oral malignancy (2), potentially malignant conditions (2), and smoking (1). Of the 47 cases in the English language literature, 85% were squamous cell carcinoma and 8.5% had distant metastasis. Most cases had one or more risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Peri-implant malignancy may represent up to 1.5% of oral malignancy cases. Clinical features imitating peri-implantitis may delay diagnosis. Lesions failing to respond to treatment, especially in patients with pre-existing risk factors, should significantly increase suspicion. Histopathology is crucial for diagnosis.

Topical curcumin for the prevention of oral mucositis in pediatric patients: case series.

BACKGROUND: Oral mucositis is a common complication of cancer therapy. Animal models suggest that curcumin may prevent oral mucositis. To date, no clinical studies have been reported. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this pilot study was to assess the tolerability of a curcumin mouthwash. The secondary aim was to describe oral mucositis in pediatric patients undergoing doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy who were using the curcumin mouthwash. METHOD: The research team had originally designed a placebo-controlled study, but gastrointestinal adverse events (nausea and vomiting) affected the compliance of the first three participants who entered the study. An independent researcher found that all three had received the placebo. Believing it unethical to continue using the study's original design, the research team discontinued the control group, and the resulting study is comparable to a case series. SETTING: The research team performed the study at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were seven pediatric and young-adult oncology patients. INTERVENTION: In addition to standard, preventive oral care (chlorhexidine 0.2% mouthwash for 30 s twice per day), participants also used 10 drops of Curcumall twice per day in a mouthwash during treatment with highdose chemotherapy. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Oral mucositis was assessed on days 0, 7, 10, 14, and 21. The World Health Organization (WHO) scale, the Oral Mucositis Assessment Scale (OMAS), and a Visual Analog pain scale (VAS; patient reporting scale of 0-10) were used. Adverse events were tracked. RESULTS: No oral adverse events were documented. No systemic adverse events that possibly could be related to the use of the curcumin mouthwash were observed. In the four patients who fulfilled the compliance criteria, the WHO, OMAS and VAS scores were lower than the severity of oral mucositis previously reported in the literature. Four out of the five participants developed OM, but the values were low, reflecting a relatively mild case. CONCLUSION: In this study, the research team suggested that curcumin mouthwash was safe and well-tolerated. More research is warranted about the efficacy of topical curcumin in the prevention of oral mucositis.

Jaws features in Type 1 Gaucher disease.

PURPOSE: Our aims were to present 2 new cases of Gaucher disease involving the jaws and to review the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two new cases and the literature from 1982-2011 were reviewed. RESULTS: Ten articles describing 35 cases (for a total of 37 with 2 new cases presented) were analyzed. The mandible and maxilla were affected in 97.3% and 24.3% of the reported cases, respectively. Generalized rarefaction of bone (osteopenia) was present in 83.8%, and well-defined radiolucent lesions in 40.5%. The effects on the surrounding structures included loss of cortication of the mandibular canal (56.7%), cortical bone thinning (27%), expansion, root resorption (24.3%), mandibular canal displacement (18.9%), cortical perforation, maxillary sinus obliteration, and tooth displacement (10.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Two distinct bone abnormalities with separate pathophysiologies, radiographic presentation, and effects on the surrounding structures are suggested: 1) generalized mandibular/maxillary osteopenia and 2) a well-defined radiolucent lesion, which appears only in the mandible. This review refutes 2 accepted assumptions; according to the results, 1) the most common manifestation is generalized osteopenia (and the resulting mandibular canal changes), whereas the well-defined radiolucent lesion is the next most common, and 2) cortical bone thinning/perforations and lamina dura thinning are not uncommon in these patients.

Intraoral electrostimulator for xerostomia relief: a long-term, multicenter, open-label, uncontrolled, clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: A previous sham-controlled multinational study demonstrated the short-term efficacy and safety for xerostomia treatment of an intraoral device that delivers electrostimulation to the lingual nerve. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that those beneficial effects would be sustained over an 11-month period. STUDY DESIGN: The device was tested on a mixed sample of 94 patients with xerostomia in an open-label, uncontrolled, prospective multicenter trial. Statutory outcome assessments were done at 5th, 8th, and 11th months and analyzed by multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Improvements achieved at month 5 from baseline were sustained throughout the follow-up period for the primary outcome, xerostomia severity, and the secondary outcomes resting whole salivary flow rate, xerostomia frequency, oral discomfort, and difficulties in speech, swallowing, and sleeping. No significant side effects were detected. CONCLUSIONS: The beneficial effects of a removable intraoral electrostimulating device were sustained for an 11-month period.

Validation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) scale for oral chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD).

The aim of this study was to validate the 2005-2006 National Institutes of Health (NIH) scale for patient's self-reporting and clinical manifestations of oral chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Numerical parameters of the NIH scale were analyzed for their construct validity (correlation of the NIH scale with numerical rating scale [NRS] for pain) and internal consistency reliability (correlation between different parameters of the same scale). Categoric parameters were analyzed by comparison between severity subgroups defined by the oral manifestation (lichenoid/erythema/ulceration). Analysis included data of 75 evaluations. The total NIH score and the NRS for pain were found to be moderately correlated (r=0.449). Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was .718. Strong correlations were found between the total NIH score and both erythema and ulceration scores (r=0.746 and r=0.926, respectively). The difference between the 2 "severe" subgroups (ie, lichenoid and erythema/ulceration) was significant (P=.025). The difference between the moderate-erythema/ulceration subgroup and the severe-lichenoid subgroup was nonsignificant (total NIH score and NRS for pain: P=.276 and .291, respectively). The correlation between the total NIH score and the NRS for pain is only moderate. The internal consistency reliability analysis yielded good reliability, especially for erythema and ulceration. Analysis of categoric parameters suggests that the NIH scale disproportionately differentiates between moderate-erythema/ulceration and severe-lichenoid cGVHD.