Oral surgery during Byzantine times.

The Byzantine World covers the eleven-century period between 323-1453 AD and was characterized by a comprehensive system of medicine based on the fundamental principles of Ancient Greek medicine. Several clinical entities, such as epulis, parulis, constrictions of the tongue (short frenum), sublingual ranula, jaws fractures and disclocations, oral fistulae were well-known and treated during the Byzantine period with primarily surgical, but also non-surgical, interventions. Tooth extractions and operations on the uvula were also popular. The variety of these operations, for which special dental instruments were used, demonstrates the high level of surgical knowledge among physicians in Byzantine times.

The triumph and tragedy of James Baxler Bean, MD, DDS (1834-1870).

In 1863, James Baxter Bean, a Southern physician and dentist, invented the interdental splint. This device was used to treat hundreds of Confederate soldiers who had received gun shot-related facial and jaw injuries during the Civil War. Made of vulcanized India-rubber, the splint provided a dramatic breakthrough in the treatment of maxillofacial wounds. In an Atlanta, Georgia hospital, Dr. Bean utilized his invention by establishing the first ward devoted exclusively to the treatment of jaw fractures. He also invented an apparatus that manufactured and administered nitrous oxide. Additionally, Bean's groundwork in casting aluminum as a denture base material led to Taggart's later invention (in 1907) of the casting machine. After the Civil War, Dr. Bean became a highly successful dentist, practicing in Baltimore, Maryland. In the fall of 1870, at age 36, Bean, representing the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., traveled to Europe to gather geological specimens. A short time after arriving, Bean decided to climb Mont Blanc with ten other men. The entire group perished in a raging 8-day snow storm on the mountain peak. This tragedy, a compelling drama, is legendary in the annals of mountaineering history. After Dr. Bean's passing, his wife lost her sanity and subsequently died. Later, the death of the couple's only child, Chapin, sadly ended the family line. Although his life was cut short, Bean's contributions to dentistry have been significant and far-reaching.

Reconstrucción mandibular: pasado, presente y futuro / Mandibular reconstruction: past, present and future

La reconstrucción mandibular continua siendo uno de los grandes retos para el cirujano de cabeza.y cuello. Presentamos en este trabajo una revisión de los métodos empleados en nuestro Servicio en los últimos quince años en la reconstrucción mandibular, sus ventajas, inconvenientes y los éxitos de cada técnica. Revisamos el colgajo osteomiocutáneo trapecial como colgajo pediculado regional, las indicaciones actuales de los colgajos microquirúrgicos, peroné, cresta ilíaca y escapular, sin hacer una descripción exhaustiva de los mismos sino haciendo hincapié en las indicaciones, las controversias y nuestros propios resultados en cada colgajo en la última década. Exponemos unas guías clínicas para el estudio de cada defecto que nos ayuden a la selección de uno u otro colgajo. La superioridad de la reconstrucción primaria y de los colgajos microquirúrgicos, sobre los métodos tradicionales, unidos a los implantes osteointegrados nos ha permitido proporcionar una adecuada calidad de vida (estética y función) a los pacientes mandibulectomizados (AU)

[Historical development of the treatment of fractures of the middle third of the face involving occlusion]. / Evolution historique du traitement des fractures du tiers moyen de la face intéressant l'occlusion.

In the past decade principles of diagnosis and treatment of complex facial fractures have evolved dramatically. External appliances fixed to a headcap and semi-rigid immobilisation by wire suspensions which impose long term intermaxillary immobilisation have little by little disappeared. Conservative and often delayed fracture management has led to a more surgical and early approach in order to avoid difficult and often frustrating reoperations. The basic principles of fracture treatment are always based on re-establishing the occlusion to assume good function. The improvement in esthetic results are now derived from a better understanding of facial skeleton biomechanics, wide exposure of bony fragments and use of anatomic rigid internal fixation. Consequently, the duration of hospitalisation and job absence have been considerably reduced. This article reviews the historical steps from antiquity to present day, which mark the evolution of middle third fracture treatment.

[Surgical findings in an Egyptian mummy's skull]. / Kieferchirurgische Befunde eines ägyptischen Mumienschädels.

Reports of hard and soft tissue injuries of the head in ancient Egypt were first published in the surgical "Book of Wounds" of E. Smith's Papyrus, which dates back to the 16th century B.C., and is assumed (Pahl, 1986) to be a collection of experiences gained over a thousand years. Diagnostic clues and guidelines for the treatment of fractures of the maxilla and the zygomatic bone are described in several cases.