Anatase-based implants nanocoating on stem cells derived from adipose tissue.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a new anatase coating with antibacterial properties (Bactercline anatase coating [BAC]) on dental implants in the commitment of stem cells derived from adipose tissue to osteoblasts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, the quantitative expression of specific genes, such as transcriptional factors (runx2 and sp7), bone-related genes (spp1, col1a1, col3a1, alpl, and fosl1), and mesenchymal stem cells marker (eng), was examined. RESULTS: BAC caused induction of bone-related genes such as sp7, fosl1, alpl, and spp1. In contrast, the expression of runx2, col3a1, and col1a1 was decreased in stem cells treated with BAC with respect to untreated cells. CONCLUSION: The obtained results are relevant to better understand the molecular mechanism of bone regeneration and as a model for comparing other materials with similar clinical effects.

Computer planning and bone density evaluation of jaws reconstructed with bone grafts from living donors.

Bone augmentation to reconstruct atrophic jaws provides the base for sufficient functional and aesthetic implant-supported oral rehabilitation. Although autografts are the standard procedure for bone grafting, the use of homolog bone provides a reasonable alternative because it is safe, cheap, and available in adequate amount. Five patients were grafted with femur bone derived from living donors, and in 2 of them, 16 implants were inserted after 6 months. Pearson χ test was used to investigate the difference in bone density (BD) between native and grafted bone and between peri-implant and bone far from fixtures. The BD of the grafted bone is about double that of the native bone. Peri-implant BD is higher than BD far from fixtures, demonstrating that implant loading increase BD. Computed tomography is a valuable and accurate preoperative and follow-up method to obtain information about bone quality and quantity (ie, volume of available bone). Femur graft has a high density that improves under loading, thus suggesting that early implant loading should be performed whenever possible. However, a larger implant series and a longer observation period are mandatory to have a stronger support to these preliminary data.

Biological effect of resorbable plates on normal osteoblasts and osteoblasts derived from Pfeiffer syndrome.

Biodegradable fixation devices made of the polymers polylactide, polyglycolide and their copolymers are used routinely during maxillofacial, craniofacial, and orthopedic reconstructive surgical procedures, thanks to their property of biodegradation that avoid the need for implant removal. In particular, they are used in the treatment of craniosynostosis in pediatric patients affected by Pfeiffer syndrome, where the resorption time of 1 year or less does not interfere with the normal growth of the skull. To study the mechanism how polylactide-polyglycolide (PLPG) acid plates can induce osteoblast differentiation and proliferation in normal osteoblasts and in osteoblasts derived from a patient with Pfeiffer syndrome, the expression levels of bone-related genes were analyzed using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Osteoblasts grown on the PLPG acid plates resulted in significant upregulation of mRNA expression of many genes related to osteodifferentiation during the treatment, indicating that polylactide, polyglycolide biopolymers enhance proliferation, differentiation, and deposition of matrix in osteoblasts. This study also revealed some differences in gene expression between normal osteoblasts and osteoblasts derived from patients with Pfeiffer syndrome, cultivated on PLPG acid plates.

Effectiveness of fresh frozen and cryopreserved homologue iliac crest grafts used in sinus lifting: a comparative study.

In the last decade, several investigators have reported that autologous and homologous fresh frozen bones (FFB) are effective materials to restore alveolar ridges previous to insert dental implants. Recently we have used cryopreserved homologue grafts (CFFB). Here we reported a retrospective comparative study between implants inserted in FFB and CFFB evaluate their clinical outcome. Patients were treated with a split mouth scheme for bone grafting with FFB and CFFB and spiral family implants (SPI) were inserted in the same surgical time. Several variables (patient, grafts, anatomic site, implant, prosthetic restoration) were investigated. Implant' failure and peri-implant bone resorption were considered as predictor of clinical outcome. A total of 84 SFIs were inserted in 12 patients. Implants were inserted to replace 8 incisors, 4 cuspids, 31 premolars and 41 molars. The mean follow-up was 14 months. Three out of 84 implants was lost (i.e. survival rate SVR = 96.4%) and no differences were detected among the studied variables. Similar result was obtained by analyzing the crestal bone resorption around implant' neck (i.e. success rate). FFB and CFFB have high and comparable survival and success rate. Implants inserted with one step surgical procedure in native (i.e. not grafted) bone, FFB and CFFB have similar clinical outcome.

Spiral implants bearing full-arch rehabilitation: analysis of clinical outcome.

A spiral implant (SPI) is a conical internal helix implant with a variable thread design which confers the characteristic of self drilling, self tapping, and self bone condensing. The effectiveness of this type of implant has been reported in several clinical situations. However, because there are no reports that specifically focus on one of the biggest challenges in oral rehabilitation, that is, full arch rehabilitation, it was decided to perform a retrospective study. The study population was composed of 23 patients (12 women and 11 men, median age 57 years) for evaluation and implant treatment between January 2005 and June 2009. Two-hundred six spiral family implants (SFIs) were inserted with a mean postloading follow-up of 23 months. Several variables were investigated: demographic (age and gender), anatomic (maxilla and mandible, tooth site), implant (type, length, and diameter), surgical (surgeon, postextractive, flapless technique, grafts), and prosthetic (implant/crown ratio, dentition in the antagonist arch, type of loading, and computerized tomography [CT] planning) variables. Implant loss and peri-implant bone resorption were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate tests were performed. Survival and success rates were 97.1% and 82.5%, respectively. Only implant length and implant/crown ratio showed statistical significance in determining a better clinical outcome. In conclusion, SFIs are a reliable tool for the most difficult cases of oral rehabilitation. No differences were detected among implant type. Length and implant/crown ratio can influence the crestal bone resorption with better result for longer fixtures and a higher implant/crown ratio. In addition, banked bone derived from living donors can be used to restore alveolar ridge augmentation without adverse effects. Finally, flapless and CT-planned surgery did not significantly increase the clinical outcome in most complex rehabilitation.

Implant treatment in grafted and native bone in patients affected by ectodermal dysplasia.

Ectodermal dysplasia (ED) is a congenital syndrome characterized chiefly by abnormalities of tissues of ectodermal origin, namely skin, nails, hair, and teeth. Dental treatment of patients with ED is necessary because it affords the opportunity to develop normal forms of speech, chewing, swallowing, and normal facial support. Because there are few reports focusing on implants inserted in bone grafted in patients with ED, we therefore performed a retrospective study on 44 implants inserted in 4 patients to detect those variables acting on survival and crestal bone remodeling around implant neck in such subjects. Forty-four fixtures were analyzed. Several patient-related (age and sex), anatomic (maxilla and mandible and tooth site), implant (type, length, and diameter), surgical (sites and types of grafts), and prosthetic (type of loading) variables were investigated. Implant failure and peri-implant bone resorption were considered as predictors of clinical outcome. Kaplan-Meier algorithm and Cox regression were then performed to detect those variables statistically associated with the clinical outcome. Implant length and diameter ranged from 11.5 to 15 mm and from 3.5 to 4.0 mm, respectively. Implants were inserted to replace 12 incisors, 12 cuspids, 11 premolars, and 9 molars. No implant was lost. On the contrary, implant's length, grafted sites, and type of loading affected univariate analysis, but these data were not confirmed by multivariate algorithm. Dental implants and bone grafts to orally rehabilitate patients with ED are valuable devices with no difference if compared with unaffected patients, at least in adults.

Implant rehabilitation in grafted and native bone in patients affected by ectodermal dysplasia: evaluation of 78 implants inserted in 8 patients.

OBJECTIVES: Ectodermal dysplasia (ED) is a congenital syndrome characterized chiefly by abnormalities of tissues of ectodermal origin, namely skin, nails, hair, and teeth. Dental treatment of patients with ED is necessary, because it affords the opportunity to develop normal forms of speech, chewing, swallowing, and normal facial support. Because there are few reports focusing on implants inserted in bone grafted in patients affected by ED. This is a retrospective study of 78 implants inserted in 8 patients to detect those variables acting on survival and crestal bone remodeling around the implant neck in such subjects. MATERIALS: Seventy-eight fixtures were analyzed. Several patient-related (age and gender), anatomical (maxilla and mandible, tooth site), implant (type, length, and diameter), surgical (sites and types of grafts), and prosthetic (type of loading and implant/crow ratio) variables were investigated. Implant failure and peri-implant bone resorption were considered as predictors of clinical outcome. Kaplan-Meier algorithm and Cox regression were then performed to detect those variables statistically associated with the clinical outcome. RESULTS: Implant length and diameter ranged from 11.5 to 18 mm and from 3.5 to 6.0 mm, respectively. Implants were inserted to replace 19 incisors, 19 cuspids, 21 premolars, and 19 molars. One implant was lost. On the contrary, implant' length, grafted sites, and type of loading have an impact on univariate analysis, but this datum was not confirmed by multivariate algorithm. CONCLUSION: The use of dental implants and bone grafts to orally rehabilitate patients affected by ED is a valuable service with no difference in the results compared with unaffected patients, at least in adults.

Ectodermal dysplasia treated with one-step surgical rehabilitation: a case report.

Ectodermal dysplasia (ED) comprises a large heterogeneous group of inherited disorders that are characterized by primary defects in the skin, hair, nails, eccrine glands and teeth. The most characteristic findings are the reduced number of teeth. All rehabilitative programmes involve proper evaluation of skeletal relationships. Prosthetic-implantological treatment at the end of bony growth can be used. In this article a case of ED treated with Le Fort I for maxillary advancement, femur homografts, implants' insertion and immediate loading is described. In December 2007, a 38-year-old female was referred to the Maxillofacial Department of Galeazzi Hospital (Milan, Italy) who had a diagnosis of ED. Twelve implants were inserted in one-step surgical procedure. No implant was lost and all are stable. The occlusion is stable after 15 months of follow-up. The results indicate that the one-step oral rehabilitation can be performed in adults who are affected by ED. Also, this significantly reduces the time of oral and facial rehabilitation.

Scoring mandibular fractures: a tool for staging diagnosis, planning treatment, and predicting prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Mandibular fractures (MF) are a daily problem in maxillofacial surgery. A staging system for classifying MF is of paramount importance to plan surgery, to define prognosis, and to exchange information among trauma centers. In this article, a classification for MF is proposed. METHODS: The mandible is divided into six sites (symphysis, body, angle, ramus, coronoid, and condyle) and the mandibular nerve divides the alveolar process (i.e., the upper part containing teeth) from the basal bone (placed caudally with respect to the nerve). MF can be summarized using three abbreviations: A = alveolar, B = basal, and C = complete. Consequently, MFs are staged as follows: F in situ = a greenstick fracture; F1 = a single mobile fragment of alveolar or basal bone; F2 = double mobile fractures of the alveolar or basal portion or a single complete separation of the mandibular arch continuity; F3 = a complete double separation of the mandibular arch continuity; F4 = triple or more mandibular arch fragments. To evaluate the suitability of the proposed classification, a retrospective study on a series of 128 patients (and 205 MFs) was performed. Age, gender, stage, clinical diagnosis at admission, type of surgery, and outcome were considered. RESULTS: A good correlation between the proposed classification and the studied variables was detected. CONCLUSIONS: The new classification is a simple and precise method for staging MF. It can summarize MFs and be used in daily practice. It is our understanding, however, that a multicenter study should be performed before the effectiveness of the proposed classification can be clearly stated.

Comparison between implants inserted with and without computer planning and custom model coordination.

PURPOSE: In the last decade, several systems for computer-planned implantology have been reported. Among them is a system that uses software and a three-dimensional parallelometer able to transfer the implant position from the virtual project to the master model. To verify the effectiveness of this system, a retrospective comparative study has been planned. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series of 300 implants were analyzed. Sixty-six were inserted with computer planning. Several variables related to patient, anatomic site, implant, and surgery were investigated. Implants' failure and peri-implant bone resorption were considered as predictors of clinical outcome. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were then performed to detect those variables statistically associated with the clinical outcome. RESULTS: Implant length and diameter ranged from 10 to 16 mm and from 3.75 to 6.0 mm, respectively. Implants were inserted to replace 66 incisors, 39 canines, 116 premolars, and 79 molars. Mean follow-up was 14 months. Nine implants were lost (survival rate, 97%), but no differences were detected among the studied variables. On the contrary, lower crestal bone resorption was detected for implants inserted in healed bone and in anterior jaws. CONCLUSIONS: Computer-planned and cast model-transferred implantology give good clinical results in survival and success rate. It is a useful technology that should be used in most difficult cases such as totally edentulous patients and reduced crestal bone volume.

Mandibular condyle fractures: evaluation of the Strasbourg Osteosynthesis Research Group classification.

Condylar fractures (CFs) are about 30% of mandibular fractures. Condylar fractures are treated with several protocols, and unsatisfying outcome is achieved in some cases. A staging system for classifying CFs is of paramount importance to plan therapy, to define prognosis, and to exchange information among trauma centers. The Strasbourg Osteosynthesis Research Group proposed a classification system for CFs, but no report focusing to its effectiveness is still available. Thus, we performed a retrospective study on a series of patients affected by CFs.The Strasbourg Osteosynthesis Research Group classification defines 3 main types of CFs: diacapitular fracture (i.e., through the head of the condyle [DF]), fracture of the condylar neck, and fracture of the condylar base (CBF). A series of 66 patients (and 84 CFs) was evaluated, and age, sex, clinical diagnosis at admission, treatment, and outcome were considered.Fractures of the condylar base and DFs are the most (52.4%) and the least (4.8%) frequent fractures, respectively. Conversely, associated fractures of the facial skeleton are found in most cases of DFs (75%) and in few cases of CBFs (20.5%). Surgery was performed in about 15% of all cases: no DF was operated, whereas fractures of the condylar neck and CBFs have an open reduction and an internal rigid fixation in 57% and 43%, respectively. Postsurgical and late sequelae were 22.3% and 19%. Temporomandibular joint symptoms and malocclusion cover about 80% and 90% of postsurgical and late sequelae.The new classification is a simple method to define CFs and can give some elements about the prognosis.

One-step oral rehabilitation by means of implants' insertion, Le Fort I, grafts, and immediate loading.

PURPOSE: In the last decade, several investigators have reported that autologous and homologous fresh frozen bones are effective materials to restore alveolar ridges before insertion of dental implants. Recently, we have used femur homograft derived from living donors. Here, we reported a 1-step oral rehabilitation of the severely resorbed maxilla by means of implants' insertion, Le Fort I osteotomy for maxillary advancement, grafts, and immediate loading. METHODS: Patients were treated with 1-step oral rehabilitation. Age, sex, implant length and diameter, tooth site, loading, and grafts were the investigated variables. Implant failure and peri-implant bone resorption were considered as predictors of clinical outcome. Kaplan-Meier algorithm and Cox regression were then performed to detect those variables statistically associated with the clinical outcome. RESULTS: Eighty-four implants were inserted in 11 patients. Implants were inserted to replace 22 incisors, 21 cuspids, 20 premolars, and 21 molars. The mean follow-up was 17 months. Two of 84 implants were lost (ie, survival rate = 97.6%), and no differences were detected among the studied variables. By using the 82 fixtures processed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression, only implant site has an impact on clinical outcome, and molars have a worse outcome than incisors. CONCLUSION: One-step oral rehabilitation can be used in selected patients. It significantly shortened the time of rehabilitation without adverse effects. Femur homograft derived from living donors is a valuable material for grafting jaw: it is safer, cheap, and available in programmed amounts and avoids a second operation field.

Mandibles grafted with fresh-frozen bone: an evaluation of implant outcome.

In the last decade several studies have been performed to evaluate the clinical outcome of implants inserted into grafted mandibles with autologous bone, but none is available on mandibles grafted with fresh-frozen bone. Thus, we planned a retrospective study on a series of implants inserted into homologue fresh-frozen bone to evaluate their clinical outcome. Twenty-one patients were operated on, 28 onlay grafts were inserted into the mandible, and 63 implants placed. Patients had total and partial edentulism in 11 and 10 cases, respectively. The mean follow-up was 20 months. No or reduced crestal bone resorption was considered an indicator of success rate to evaluate the effect of several host-, implant-, and occlusal-related factors. The difference between the implant-abutment junction and the bone crestal level was defined as the implant abutment junction (IAJ) and calculated at the time of operation and during follow-up by means of radiographs. Delta IAJ, the difference between theIAJ at the last check-up and the IAJ recorded just after the operation, were stratified according to variables of interests. Kaplan-Meier algorithm and Cox regression were then performed to detect those variables statistically associated with the delta IAJ. Only 2 of 63 implants were lost (i.e., survival rates = 96.8%) and no differences were detected among the studied variables. On the contrary, Cox regression showed that prosthetic restoration (i.e., removable dentures) was the only factor correlated with a statistically significant lower delta IAJ (i.e., reduced crestal bone loss) and thus a better clinical outcome. Implants inserted into mandibles grafted with fresh-frozen bone allografts have high survival rates and success rate, which are comparable with those obtained with autologous iliac crest bone grafts.

PerioGlas regulates osteoblast RNA interfering.

PURPOSE: PerioGlas (PG) is an alloplastic material that has been used for grafting periodontal osseous defects since the 1990s. In animal models, it has been proven that PG achieves histologically good repairs of surgically created defects. In clinical trials, PG is effective as an adjunct to conventional surgery in the treatment of intrabony defects; however, how PG alters osteoblast activity to promote bone formation is poorly understood. We therefore attempted to address this question by using microRNA (miRNA) microarray techniques to investigate the translation process in osteoblasts exposed to PG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: By using miRNA microarrays containing 329 probes designed from human miRNA sequences, we identified several miRNA whose expression was significantly modified in osteoblast-like cell lines (MG-63) cultured with PG. RESULTS: There were ten up-regulated miRNA (mir-337, mir-377, mir-9, mir-516, mir-515-3p, mir-496, mir-200b, mir-489, mir-25, mir-423) and two down-regulated miRNA (mir-26a, mir-30d). CONCLUSION: PG acts on miRNAs, which in turn regulate several messengers. Among them there are mRNAs related to bone formation and skeletal and cartilage development. The vast majority of detected genes are down-regulated, and some are homeobox genes like NOG, EN1, and CHRD. Other down-regulated genes are receptors (like GHRHR) and extracellular matrix proteins (like COMP). Although the exact mechanism of PG action on osteoblasts is still incompletely understood, these data demonstrate that PG has not only an osteoconductive effect, but also regulates bone formation.

Sinus lift tissue engineering using autologous pulp micro-grafts: A case report of bone density evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Although autografts are the standard procedure for bone grafting, the use of bone regeneration by means of dental pulp stem cell is an alternative that opens a new era in this field. Rigenera Protocol is a new technique able to provide the surgeon autologous pulp micro-grafts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At the Department of Oral Surgery, Don Orione Hospital, Bergamo, Italy, one patient underwent sinus lift elevation with pulp stem micro-grafts gentle poured onto collagen sponge. A CT scan control was performed after 4 months and DICOM data were processed with medical imaging software which gives the possibility to use a virtual probe to extract the bone density. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to investigate difference in bone density (BD) between native and newly formed bone. RESULTS: BD in newly formed bone is about the double of native bone. CONCLUSION: This report demonstrated that micro-grafts derived from dental pulp poured onto collagen sponge are a useful method for bone regeneration in atrophic maxilla.

Titanium alloys (AoN) and their involvement in osseointegration.

BACKGROUND: Osseointegration is essential for a long-term successful and inflammation-free dental implant. Such a result depends on osteoblastic cells growth and differentiation at the tissue-implant interface. The aim of this study was to compare two different AoN titanium layers (GR4 and GR5) to investigate which one had a greater osteoconductive power using human osteoblasts (HOb) culture at two different time-points. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression levels of some bone-related (ALPL, COL1A1, COL3A1, SPP1, RUNX2, and SPARC) were analyzed using real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real time RT-PCR). RESULTS: Real-time RT-PCR data showed that after 3 days of treatment with TiA4GR, the genes up-regulated were COL3A1, ALPL, SPP1, and RUNX2. Moreover, no difference in gene expression was noticed 4 days later. On the other hand, the genes that overexpressed after 3 days of treatment with AoN5GR were ALPL, SPP1, and RUNX2. In both cases, the expression of COL1A1 and SPARC was negatively regulated. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that both titanium surfaces led to osteoblasts recruitment, maturation, and differentiation, thus promoting osseointegration at the tissue-implant interface.

Fibroblast behavior after titanium surfaces exposure.

BACKGROUND: The main requirements for a good material are its ability to promote attraction and adhesion of bone precursor cells and their proliferation and differentiation. Different biocompatible materials are currently employed as scaffold. Among these, titanium is considered a gold standard because of its biocompatibility and good corrosion resistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The aim of this work was to compare two different AoN titanium layers (GR4 and GR5) to investigate which one had a greater osteoconductive power using human fibroblasts (HFb) culture at two different time-points. The expression levels of some adhesion and traction-resistance related genes (COL11A1, COL2A1, COL9A1, DSP, ELN, HAS1, and TFRC) were analyzed using real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: After 7 days of treatment with TiA 4GR, the only two up-regulated genes were COL2A1 and DSP. After 15 days of treatment, none of genes over expressed. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary results suggest that neither AoN 4GR nor AoN 5GR are able to promote the production of protein involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion and in stress-resistance, required for a good outcome in dental implantology.

A case report of haemorrhagic-aneurismal bone cyst of the mandible.

Haemorrhagic-aneurismal bone cysts (HABCs) are quite rare, benign, non-neoplastic, expansive, and vascular locally destructive lesions. They are generally considered sequelae of an earlier trauma causing an overflow of blood into the bone. HABCs are classified as pseudocysts and they should be differentiated from true cysts because their treatment is different. Since few of these cysts involve subjective symptoms, most are discovered accidentally during radiography, while a sure diagnosis is likely to be obtained only during surgery, on discovery of a non-epithelialised cavity. Here, we report a typical case of a haemorrhagic-mandibular cyst in a 13-year-old girl, which was treated by opening the cavity and scraping its walls following diagnostic arteriography and post-operative transcutaneous intralesional embolization. No further complications were recorded in the post-operative period, although the convalescence lasted for a time longer than expected, because of anemia. No further surgery was performed. She has been disease-free for two years. Evaluation of intralesional blood flow is important for HABCs because of the hemorrhagic risk in surgery. Embolization seems to be a useful procedure in the treatment of HABCs and could be tried as the treatment modality in the standard protocol for the treatment of HABCs.

A case of lipoma of lateral anterior neck treated with surgical enucleation.

Lipoma arise in almost 50% of all soft tumours. The neck lipomas are rare tumours that may present as painless masses with slow growth, in the lateral portions of the neck. Some lipomas, such as the one studied in our case, grow deep in the subcutaneous tissue, in close contact with muscles. Here, we report a case of lipoma extending from pre-tragal region up to the ascending branch of the mandible in a 62 year old man, treated with enucleation. The inferior margin of lipoma involved the pharyngeal and the superior margin was achieved by the top of the skull base. The mass of lipoma caused breathing difficulties in the patient, preventing regular sleep. No complication was recorded in the post-operative period and no further surgery was performed. The complete resolution after one year's follow-up, together with the rarity of the anatomical site, makes this case worthy of description. A correct diagnosis facilitated removal of this lesion with a surgical method.

A case of mandible osteonecrosis after a severe periimplant infection.

The term osteonecrosis has been applied to describe the presence of a persistent inflammation of the mouth, osteomyelitis, delayed healing of extraction sockets, development of sequestra or presence of fistulae from the mouth to the lower skin. Here, we document a case of mandible osteonecrosis that developed in a patient after a severe periimplant infection. Osteonecrosis, severe inflammatory osteolysis, and heavy bacterial colonization were found. Surgical toilette and hyperbaric oxygen therapy permitted complete healing of the case. No complication was recorded in the post-operative period and no further surgery was performed. The clinical follow up and the imaging after one year showed a complete 'restitution ad integrum' of the mandible. Although the risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw for oral implants is low, the devastating complications still require caution.