Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis: laser-assisted surgical treatment or conventional surgery?

Bisphosphonates (BSPs) are used for the treatment of multiple myeloma, metastatic breast and lung cancer, Paget's disease, osteoporosis, hypercalcemia due to malignancy, and many other skeletal diseases. BSPs reduce osteoclastic functions, which result in bone resorption. Bisphosphonates-related osteonecrosis of jaws (BRONJ) is a newly developed term that is used to describe the significant complication in patients receiving bisphosphonates. BSPs are known to exhibit an anti-angiogenetic effect that initiates tissue necrosis of the hard tissue. There is currently no consensus on the correct approach to this issue. The aim of this retrospective study is to compare the effects of laser surgery with biostimulation to conventional surgery in the treatment of BSP-induced avascular bone necrosis on 20 patients who have been treated in our clinic. BRONJ was evaluated in patients with lung, prostate, and breast cancer under intravenous BSP treatment. Twenty patients in this study developed mandibular or maxillary avascular necrosis after a minor tooth extraction surgery or spontaneously. Bone turnover rates were evaluated by serum terminal C-telopeptide levels (CTX) using the electrochemiluminescence immunoassay technique and patients were treated with laser or conventional surgical treatments and medical therapy. Ten patients were treated with laser surgery and biostimulation. An Er:YAG laser (Fotona Fidelis Plus II® Combine laser equipment, Slovenia) very long pulse (VLP) mode (200 mJ, 20 Hz) using a fiber tip 1.3 mm in diameter and 12 mm in length was used to remove the necrotic and granulation tissues from the area of avascular necrosis. Biostimulation was applied postoperatively using an Nd:YAG laser. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) was applied to the tissues for 1 min from 4 cm distance using an Nd:YAG laser (Fotona-Slovenia) with a R24 950-µm fiber handpiece long-pulse (LP) mode, 0.25-W, 10 Hz power/cm(2) from the mentioned distance the spot size was 0.4 cm(2), and power output was 2.5 J. Energy density from the mentioned distance was calculated to be 6.25 J/cm(2). The other ten patients were treated with conventional surgery. Treatment outcomes were noted as either complete healing or incomplete healing. There were no statistically significant differences between laser surgery and conventional surgery (p > 0.05). CTX values also did not affect the prognosis of the patients. Treatment outcomes were significantly better in patients with stage II osteonecrosis than in patients with stage I osteonecrosis. Our findings suggest that dental evaluation of the patients prior to medication is an important factor in the prevention of BRONJ. Laser surgery is a beneficial alternative in the treatment of patients with this situation. Further randomized studies with larger patient numbers may also improve our understanding of treatment protocols for this situation.

Surgical treatment of oroantral fistulas: a clinical study of 23 cases.

Oroantral communication can be defined as a pathologic space created between the maxillary sinus and the oral cavity. This communication and subsequent formation of a chronic oroantral fistula is a common complication often encountered by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Although various techniques have been proposed in published studies, long-term successful closure of oroantral fistulas is still one of the most difficult problems confronting the surgeon working in the oral and maxillofacial region. The decision of which treatment modality to use is influenced by many factors, such as the amount and condition of tissue available for repair, the size and location of the defect, the presence of infection, the time to the diagnosis of the fistula, and, even, the surgeon's past experience. In the present study, 23 patients with a chronic oroantral fistula who underwent surgical correction at Istanbul University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from 2002 to 2009 were included. The fistulas were treated with a buccal advancement flap in 10 patients and a palatal island flap in 13 patients. The advantages, limitations, and complications of each technique are discussed.

A technique for atraumatic extraction of teeth before immediate implant placement using implant drills.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to present a minimally invasive technique using the implant drills to help extract teeth before the insertion of immediate implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine patients (7 women and 2 men) aged 24 to 60 years having root fractures and dental caries were included in this study. Inclusion criteria for the study were presence of at least 4 mm of bone beyond the root apex, the absence of acute signs of infection or inflammation in the treatment area, and the absence of systemic pathologies that would contraindicate bone healing around implants. Heavy smokers were not included in the study. Extraction was done after thinning the root walls by the help of the implant drills. After extraction, implant sites were prepared and implants were inserted. In 2 of the cases, the peri-implant bone defect was filled with autogenous bone graft. RESULTS: Healing progressed uneventfully in all 9 cases. The use of implant drills to thin the root walls provided atraumatic tooth extraction protecting the thin buccal bone. At second stage surgery, all implants were asymptomatic, immobile, and osseointegrated. The soft tissue anatomy was clinically acceptable in all patients. Radiographic examination of all 9 implants showed no peri-implant radiolucency at the end of a year. CONCLUSION: Successful osseointegration and complete bone healing were observed for all patients. The new extraction technique was found to be effective in immediate implant cases in order not to damage the thin plate of buccal bone.

Management of a mandibular fracture accompanying a gunshot wound.

Gunshot injuries of the mandible can result in high rates of complications, especially in cases of bone loss. A fractured mandible accompanying a gunshot wound almost always has an external wound; the fracture is always compound and comminuted. Sometimes management of these injuries may require multiple surgical interventions. In this clinical report, treatment of a patient, who had a mandibular fracture due to a gunshot wound, is presented.A 52-year-old man with a mandibular fracture in the right mandibular body accompanying a gunshot wound was operated on. Owing to a nonunion, a second surgery was performed using reconstruction plates after hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Healing was uneventful after the second surgical intervention.

Accidental displacement of a high-speed handpiece bur during mandibular third molar surgery: a case report.

Removal of third molars is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in oral and maxillofacial surgery. This procedure may result in a number of major and minor complications. Accidental displacement of impacted third molars is a complication that occasionally occurs during these operations, but accidental displacement of a high-speed handpiece bur has never been reported in literature before. The aim of this article is to present a rare and previously unreported case of a foreign body in the submandibular space and to review the possible complications seen after third molar surgery.

Oronasal communication caused by a denture with suction cup: a case report.

Suction cups, which provide high retention, are not being recommended anymore because of the destructive effect of the negative pressure on the palatal tissues. It is known that dentures with suction cups can cause perforations in the palate. In this case report, an oronasal communication caused by a denture with suction cup in a patient who had previously undergone pleomorphic adenoma excision of the palate is presented. Disadvantages of suction cups are emphasized.

Comparative study of the effect of tube drainage versus methylprednisolone after third molar surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of tube drainage versus a single dose of methylprednisolone (MP) on maximal mouth opening, facial swelling, and pain after third molar surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-two patients requiring extraction of bilaterally impacted mandibular third molars were selected. Each patient had 2 operations. In the first operation, a drainage tube was inserted into the buccal fold after the suture procedure and left there for 3 days. In the second operation 1 month after the first surgery, 1.5 mg/kg intravenous methylprednisolone was administered 1 hour before the surgery. The patients were evaluated by the same person for maximal mouth opening, facial swelling, and pain in the immediate preoperative time point and on the second, fifth, and seventh days after surgery. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in mouth opening on fifth and seventh days but none in facial swelling and pain between MP group and drain group. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the use of a drain or methylprednisolone is useful in reducing postoperative discomfort after third molar surgery.

Alveolar distraction osteogenesis before placement of dental implants.

Distraction osteogenesis of the edentulous alveolar ridges may be considered an alternative to many other augmentation oriented surgical techniques. It is now being widely used for treating severe forms of alveolar ridge atrophy, especially before the placement of dental implants. Leibinger Endosseous Alveolar Distraction System (LEAD; Stryker Leibinger, Kalamazoo, MI) is an intraosseous distraction device used for edentulous ridges. In this study, the healing was uneventful in all 5 cases that were treated except 1, in which the vitality of the distraction segment could not be maintained. No complications related to the prosthodontic restoration were observed.