Dentists' knowledge of chronic orofacial pain.

OBJECTIVE: Orofacial pain (OFP) is a unique group of dental conditions with focus on chronic nonodontogenic pain affecting mouth, jaws, and face. The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge of dentists in Saudi Arabia toward OFP assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An English language questionnaire containing 20 close-ended questions was used to capture data. The questionnaire included diagnostic criteria and clinical symptoms and signs of various OFP conditions. It was distributed to general dental practitioners (GDP) and dental specialists in four major provinces in Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: A total of 318 questionnaires were completed by 163 males and 155 females. Most participants were GDPs (193/318) and the remaining were specialists from different dental specialties. A majority of participants were not able to diagnose neuropathic OFP or neurovascular/vascular OFP conditions (33% and 28.6%, respectively). On the other hand, only 40.3% were confident enough to diagnose different types of temporomandibular disorders. The results also showed that graduates from non-Saudi programs had significantly higher self and knowledge assessment score (59.8% and 43.4%, respectively) compared with graduates from Saudi programs (39.9% and 22.6%, respectively). The dental specialists had higher self-assessment scores compared with GDPs (48% vs. 43.7%). Overall, there was a weak positive correlation between self-assessment and knowledge assessment (20.2%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a higher OFP knowledge and confidence for dental specialists compared with GDPs. However, this difference does not necessarily translate into more competencies in clinical practice. Therefore, the implementation of OFP courses in dental schools' curricula may benefit future dentists and improve patients' care.

A role of oral bacteria in bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw.

No consensus has yet been reached to associate oral bacteria conclusively with the etio-pathogenesis of bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw (BONJ). Therefore, the present study examined the effects of oral bacteria on the development of BONJ-like lesions in a mouse model. In the pamidronate (Pam)-treated mice, but not control non-drug-treated mice, tooth extraction followed by oral infection with Fusobacterium nucleatum caused BONJ-like lesions and delayed epithelial healing, both of which were completely suppressed by a broad-spectrum antibiotic cocktail. Furthermore, in both in vitro and in vivo experiments, the combination of Pam and Fusobacterium nucleatum caused the death of gingival fibroblasts (GFs) and down-regulated their production of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), which induces epithelial cell growth and migration. Therefore, in periodontal tissues pre-exposed to bisphosphonate, bacterial infection at tooth extraction sites caused diminished KGF expression in GFs, leading to a delay in the epithelial wound-healing process that was mitigated by antibiotics.

Oral epithelial dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: clinical presentation and treatment outcomes.

Late complications of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) include a risk of secondary malignancies. Optimization for early diagnosis and treatment of oral premalignant or malignant lesions requires an assessment of potential predisposing risk factors. The medical records of patients who developed oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) following allogeneic-HSCT were reviewed. Data on HSCT course, chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), and clinical outcome were recorded; landmark survival was calculated. Twenty-six patients with OED (n=8) and OSCC (n=18) were identified with a median follow-up of 26.5 and 21.5 months, respectively. Premalignant and malignant oral lesions were diagnosed at a median time of 2.5 and 8 years after HSCT, respectively. Chronic GVHD was present in 96% of patients and of these, 96% had oral involvement. Multifocal oral cancer was found in 28% of cases, and localized recurrence was observed in 44% of cases. These results suggest that oral cGVHD may be considered a potential risk factor for the development of OSCC following allogeneic-HSCT. The observation that oral cancers were frequently multifocal and recurred locally suggests that these cancers may be more aggressive. Vigilant follow-up and coordination of care are critical.

Sirolimus oral ulcer with Cedecea davisae superinfection.

Cedecea davisae is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family and is an uncommon pathogen. This organism has been isolated from the blood, sputum, and cutaneous ulcers of only a handful of patients, most of these being elderly or otherwise medically compromised. This is a report of a patient, status post renal transplantation, who developed an oral ulcer associated with sirolimus use and superinfected with C. davisae. According to the literature, this is the first case of C. davisae detected in the oral cavity. Antibiotic therapy led to prompt resolution of this very large ulcer.

Combined topical dexamethasone/tacrolimus therapy for management of oral chronic GVHD.

Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) frequently affects the oral cavity. The purpose of this study was to estimate the efficacy of combined topical dexamethasone (DEX) and tacrolimus (TAC) solutions in the management of oral cGVHD. The records of 14 patients with oral cGVHD treated with combined topical DEX/TAC were reviewed retrospectively. Pre-to-post treatment changes in subjective and objective measures were evaluated at a median follow-up of 60 days. Serum TAC levels were examined. Marginal objective improvement was detected at follow-up. The median pre-to-post treatment differences were 0.5 (range, -1 to 1) for erythema score, and 0.5 (range, 0 to 2) for lichenoid score, (P=0.06, 0.07 and 0.02, respectively). Subjective improvement was noted in three of four measures at the follow-up visit. The median differences in pain, sensitivity and dryness scores were 1 (range -1 to 6), 1 (range -3 to 5) and 2.5 (range, -5 to 5), respectively (0-10 scale, P<0.05). Four patients (37%) showed increased serum TAC levels; however, all remained within therapeutic range. In conclusion, combined topical DEX/TAC therapy appears to be effective in reducing symptoms attributable to oral cGVHD. Our data has shown minimal evidence of systemic TAC absorption.