Multiple oral mucoceles treated with evening primrose oil: a report of two cases.

Multiple mucoceles of the minor salivary glands are rare in the mouth. Typically, the minor salivary glands of the soft palate are affected. We report two cases that responded entirely following systemic therapy with evening primrose oil. No recurrence was reported over a two-year follow-up period. Evening primrose oil is postulated to have an effect on the composition and/or viscosity of minor salivary gland secretions.

Patients' pain experience following oral mucosal biopsy under local anaesthesia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence and severity of post-operative pain and use of analgesics following biopsy of oral mucosal lesions. DESIGN: A patient survey using a self-completed pain diary. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Seventy-six patients attending an oral medicine clinic for investigation of oral mucosal disease recorded overall and worst pain experiences and analgesic usage over 7 post-operative days following biopsy using visual analogue scales in patient completed diaries. RESULTS: One third of patients reported no post-operative pain on any day. Most patients recorded no pain or mild pain. The percentage experiencing pain dropped from the first day (61%) to the seventh day (21%). Most patients did not use any analgesics. Analgesic use was not related to the presence of pain. Only a small minority of patients recorded severe pain. CONCLUSION: Biopsy of oral mucosal lesions does not cause undue pain in most patients.

Thermal image analysis of electrothermal debonding of ceramic brackets: an in vitro study.

This study used modern thermal imaging techniques to investigate the temperature rise induced at the pulpal well during thermal debonding of ceramic brackets. Ceramic brackets were debonded from vertically sectioned premolar teeth using an electrothermal debonding unit. Ten teeth were debonded at the end of a single 3-second heating cycle. For a further group of 10 teeth, the bracket and heating element were left in contact with the tooth during the 3-second heating cycle and the 6-second cooling cycle. The average pulpal wall temperature increase for the teeth debonded at the end of the 3-second heating cycle was 16.8 degrees C. When the heating element and bracket remained in contact with the tooth during the 6-second cooling cycle an average temperature increase of 45.6 degrees C was recorded.

Efficacy of bioadhesive patches in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

This study evaluated the efficacy of bioadhesive hydrogel patches, made of a pharmaceutical grade cellulose derivative, in the control of pain and as an aid to healing of aphthous ulceration. Patients kept a twice daily ulcer diary to record their pain level on a visual analogue scale. The sensitivity of the test ulcer was assessed by a challenge with pure orange juice as a stimulant before and after application of the patch by the patient. A significant reduction in stimulated pain was recorded following application of the patches to the ulcers (P < 0.01). The patches were found to adhere longer to large ulcers in the early stages of ulceration, when they achieved their maximum protective and pain-attenuating effects. The ulcer size was recorded daily by the patient and patients claimed a reduction in healing time following patch therapy.

Contact sensitivity to menthol and peppermint in patients with intra-oral symptoms.

We report 12 cases of contact sensitivity to the flavouring agents menthol and peppermint oil in patients presenting with intra-oral symptoms in association with burning mouth syndrome, recurrent oral ulceration or a lichenoid reaction. The patients were referred from the Glasgow Dental Hospital over a 4-year period for assessment of the possible contribution of contact sensitivity to their complaints. 5 patients with burning mouth syndrome demonstrated contact sensitivity to menthol and/or peppermint, with 1 patient sensitive to both agents, 3 positive to menthol only and 1 to peppermint only. 4 cases with recurrent intra-oral ulceration were sensitive to both menthol and peppermint. 3 patients with an oral lichenoid reaction were positive to menthol on patch testing, with 2 also sensitive to peppermint. 9 of the 12 cases demonstrated additional positive patch test results. After a mean follow-up of 32.7 months (range 9-48 months), of the 9 patients that could be contacted, 6 patients described clearance or improvement of their symptoms as a consequence of avoidance of menthol/peppermint.

Secretor status and oral cancer.

A prospective study was undertaken of 100 Sri Lankan patients with oral cancer and an equal number of age and sex matched control individuals. Each subject's secretor status was established from samples of appropriately prepared whole saliva using a haemagglutination technique. No significant differences were recorded in the distribution of secretors or non-secretors between the patient and control groups. In contrast to studies of Caucasians with potentially malignant oral lesions such as candidal leukoplakia in which non-secretor status predominates, secretor status does not appear to be an associated risk marker for the development for oral cancer in a selected Sri Lankan population.

Histopathological studies on experimental murine salivary gland tumours treated with adriamycin: evidence for an anti-myoepithelial cell action.

Mice bearing pleomorphic salivary tumours induced by polyoma virus underwent chemotherapy with Adriamycin. Animals were killed at 2 day intervals and the tumours examined histologically. Two days after a single dose of Adriamycin, gross vacuolation degeneration was seen around ductal cells at sites corresponding to myoepithelial cells. At subsequent time periods there was progressive degeneration of other tumour elements. It is proposed that myoepithelial cell death in salivary gland tumours induced by Adriamycin may be an important factor in the early response of this tumour to chemotherapy.