Reliability of new poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) membranes treated with oxygen plasma plus silicon dioxide layers for pre-prosthetic guided bone regeneration processes.

BACKGROUND: The use of cold plasmas may improve the surface roughness of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) membranes, which may stimulate the adhesion of osteogenic mediators and cells, thus accelerating the biodegradation of the barriers. Moreover, the incorporation of metallic-oxide particles to the surface of these membranes may enhance their osteoinductive capacity. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to evaluate the reliability of a new PLGA membrane after being treated with oxygen plasma (PO2) plus silicon dioxide (SiO2) layers for guided bone regeneration (GBR) processes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Circumferential bone defects (diameter: 11 mm; depth: 3 mm) were created on the top of eight experimentation rabbits' skulls and were randomly covered with: (1) PLGA membranes (control), or (2) PLGA/PO2/SiO2 barriers. The animals were euthanized two months afterwards. A micromorphologic study was then performed using ROI (region of interest) colour analysis. Percentage of new bone formation, length of mineralised bone, concentration of osteoclasts, and intensity of ostheosynthetic activity were assessed and compared with those of the original bone tissue. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied for between-group com Asignificance level of a=0.05 was considered. RESULTS: The PLGA/PO2/SiO2 membranes achieved the significantly highest new bone formation, length of mineralised bone, concentration of osteoclasts, and ostheosynthetic activity. The percentage of regenerated bone supplied by the new membranes was similar to that of the original bone tissue. Unlike what happened in the control group, PLGA/PO2/SiO2 membranes predominantly showed bone layers in advanced stages of formation. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of SiO2 layers to PLGA membranes pre-treated with PO2 improves their bone-regeneration potential. Although further research is necessary to corroborate these conclusions in humans, this could be a promising strategy to rebuild the bone architecture prior to rehabilitate edentulous areas.

Prospective double-blind clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of Bromelain in the third molar extraction postoperative period.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of Bromelain (pineapple extract) administered orally in the postoperative after extraction of impacted lower molars. STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective, placebo-controlled, unicentric, double-blind study; the sample size was 34 patients. The pre and postoperative outcomes, evaluated on the third (D3) and eighth day (D8), included inflamtion, pain and oral aperture, as well as the need for analgesics. One group received Bromelain 150mg per day for three days and 100mg on days 4 to 7. The other group received placebo in the same dosage. All outcomes werrecorded quantitatively and analyzed with the Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples. RESULTS: Although there were no statistically significant differences between the treatment groups, a trend towards less inflammation and improved oral aperture was observed in the group that received Bromelain, compared to the group that received placebo. This trend can be attributed completely to random reasons, since there is no statistical difference in the results. CONCLUSIONS: Further studies are necessary to analyze different administration patterns and doses of Bromelain for the use in the postoperative of impacted third molars.

[Odontogenic myxoma of nasosinusal localization in a pediatric patient]. / Mixoma odontogénico de localización nasosinusal en un paciente pediátrico.

In the present study we report and discuss a case of odontogenic myxoma in a 13-month-old patient. Only two other reports have been published in the literature describing the occurrence of this type of tumor at an earlier age. Odontogenic myxoma is a benign mesenchymal neoplasm of the maxilla more common between the third and fourth decades of life. The case here reported is exceptional as it presents in an infant and, although some cases have been reported in the literature, this type of tumor is rare in early childhood. The most common locations include the ascending ramus and the angle of the jaw, although these tumors may also affect the upper maxilla, in which case they may involve the maxillary sinus. According to the review of the literature, these tumors show a recurrence rate of about 25%. Consequently, after the intraoperative clinical examination of the lesion and the assessment of the initial suspected diagnosis by means of intraoperative biopsy under general anesthesia, we carried out the resection of the tumor with wide margins at some points of the tumor location.