Three-dimensional printing in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Advanced imaging techniques and modalities coupled with computer-assisted surgical planning and simulation has been in use in the field of medicine. However, it is worth noting that it is now being frequently used for the evaluation and exploration of the craniofacial structures. It had gained ingress in the planning as well as forecasting of the surgical outcomes of oral and maxillofacial surgical interventions. Numerous surgical guides and devices which are tailor-made can be fabricated using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. The article is intended to put forth an overview of 3D printing technology and its applications in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Role of Serratiopeptidase and Dexamethasone in the Control of Postoperative Swelling.

AIM: The present study is designed to evaluate and compare the ability of serratiopeptidase and dexamethasone to control edema following the surgical removal of mandibular third molar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two drugs, dexamethasone and serratiopeptidase, were compared for its efficacy in reducing the postoperative swelling. A total of 100 patients requiring the surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molar were randomly divided into two groups, consisting of 50 patients each. One group was administered 1 mg dexamethasone, one-half h preoperatively and every 8th hourly for 3 days postoperatively. The other group was given 10 mg serratiopeptidase every 8th hourly for 3 days postoperatively. The swelling was measured on 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th postoperative days. The results of this study showed that serratiopeptidase was effective in reducing swelling from 2nd to 5th postoperative day, and dexamethasone was effective in reducing swelling from 1st to 2nd postoperative day, further, it also reduced the swelling from 2nd to 5th postoperative day. RESULTS: There was highly significant difference in the facial measurement between serratiopeptidase and dexamethasone group on postoperative day 2 (the mean difference was 62.5 with P < 0.001) and statistically significant difference on postoperative day 1, day 5, and day 7 (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that serratiopeptidase, a proteolytic enzyme and dexamethasone, a long-acting corticosteroid was effective in reducing the swelling, but dexamethasone was more effective than serratiopeptidase in reducing the swelling.