Artrocentesis en el tratamiento de artritis séptica en articulación temporomandibular: reporte de un caso / Arthrocentesis in the treatment of septic arthritis in the temporomandibular joint: a case report

Objetivo: El objetivo de este reporte de caso es presen- tar a la artrocentesis como una alternativa quirúrgica mínima- mente invasiva en el tratamiento de la artritis séptica tempo- romandibular. Caso clínico: Un paciente hombre de 26 años con an- tecedente de flegmón perimandibular derecho tratado, acude a la Unidad Hospitalaria de Cirugía Maxilofacial por dolor articular temporomandibular, impotencia funcional y trismus, a un mes de haber sido dado de alta de un primer cuadro infec- cioso. Luego de los exámenes clínicos y complementarios, se diagnostica artritis séptica de articulación temporomandibular derecha, la cual fue tratada quirúrgicamente mediante dos ar- trocentesis acompañadas de terapia farmacológica (AU)

Aim: The aim of this case report is to present arthrocen- tesis as a minimally invasive surgical alternative in the treat- ment of temporomandibular septic arthritis. Clinical case: A 26-year-old male patient, with a his- tory of treated right perimandibular phlegmon, came to the Maxillofacial Surgery Hospital Unit due to temporomandibu- lar joint pain, functional impairment and trismus, one month after having recovered from his first infectious process. After clinical and complementary examinations, septic arthritis of the right temporomandibular joint was diagnosed, which was treated surgically by means of two arthrocenteses and phar- macological therapy (AU)

Oral infections and orofacial pain in Alzheimer's disease: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Dental infections are frequent and have recently been implicated as a possible risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite a lack of studies investigating orofacial pain in this patient group, dental conditions are known to be a potential cause of pain and to affect quality of life and disease progression. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate oral status, mandibular function and orofacial pain in patients with mild AD versus healthy subjects matched for age and gender. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients and 30 control subjects were evaluated. The protocol comprised a clinical questionnaire and dental exam, research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the decayed, missing, and filled teeth index, and included a full periodontal evaluation. AD signs and symptoms as well as associated factors were evaluated by a trained neurologist. RESULTS: A higher prevalence of orofacial pain (20.7%, p < 0.001), articular abnormalities in temporomandibular joints (p < 0.05), and periodontal infections (p = 0.002) was observed in the study group compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Orofacial pain and periodontal infections were more frequent in patients with mild AD than in healthy subjects. Orofacial pain screening and dental and oral exams should be routinely performed in AD patients in order to identify pathological conditions that need treatment thus improving quality of life compromised due to dementia.