Median Lingual Foramen, a new midmandibular cephalometric landmark.

PURPOSE: In asymmetrical mandibles, it is often challenging to identify the mandibular midline. The median lingual foramen (MLF) is located at the midline of the anterior mandible. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reproducibility of identifying the MLF compared to conventional landmarks on cone beam computed tomography's (CBCT's) to mark the mandibular midline. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten symmetrical class II, 10 symmetrical class III, ten asymmetrical class II and 10 asymmetrical class III patients were included. On CBCTs, the cephalometric landmarks menton, pogonion, genial tubercle and MLF were identified twice by two observers. RESULTS: A high intra- and interobserver reproducibility was found for all landmarks, the highest being the MLF. The gain in accuracy is 0.998 mm, 0.824 mm and 0.361 mm compared to pogonion, genial tubercle and menton, respectively (P-value <.05). CONCLUSION: MLF is a reliable and reproducible landmark to indicate the midline of the mandible, particularly in Class II asymmetric mandibles.

A comparative study of 1% silver sulphadiazine (Flammazine®) versus an enzyme alginogel (Flaminal®) in the treatment of partial thickness burns.

INTRODUCTION: In the conservative treatment of burns, rapid wound healing is desirable to obtain good a esthetic and functional results. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of 1% Silversulfadiazine (SSD/Flammazine(®)) and an enzyme alginogel (Flaminal(®) or Flaminal(®) Forte) on the healing of superficial and intermediate partial thickness burns. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study comparable burn wounds treated with Flaminal(®) or with 1% SSD were included. Outcome parameters included: length of hospital stay, bacterial burden and time to wound closure. Significance was tested using SPSS package. RESULTS: 44 wounds in the Flaminal(®) group, and 39 wounds in the 1% SSD group were included. Wounds treated with Flaminal(®) showed a significantly higher bacterial load (p=0.024) and contained significantly more bacterial species (p=0.010) but showed a significantly shorter healing time of 17 vs. 24 days (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: A significantly shorter healing time was demonstrated in partial thickness burn wounds treated with Flaminal(®) versus 1% SSD, which may lead to a shorter length of hospital stay and better scar quality. The possibility of accurate burn depth assessment and the results in this study corroborate the change in treatment protocol made in the year 2000 when we switched from 1% SSD to Flaminal(®).