Use of cortical bone screws in maxillofacial surgery - a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the various applications of cortical bone screws in oral and maxillofacial surgery. MATERIALS & METHODS: The study was conducted in a teaching hospital located in, Bangalore, India, on 20 patients. These patients were categorized into three groups depending on the applications of these screws like, for achieving intermaxillary fixation in Group-1, for treatment of simple, undisplaced fractures by "Tension wire" method in Group-2, and further application of these screws were evaluated in Group-3. Different parameters were used to evaluate the efficacy of these screws. RESULTS: In Group-1(n=12) there was satisfactory occlusion in all the patients with minimal incidence of complications. In Group-2 (n=4) post-operative reduction and fixation was satisfactory and in Group-3 (n=4) the function of these screws was satisfactory when it was used for vestibuloplasty and also as a suspension wiring in treatment of comminuted fracture of zygoma with minimal incidence of complications. CONCLUSION: Use of cortical bone screws is a valid alternative for achieving intermaxillary fixation, reduction and fixation of simple, undisplaced or minimally displaced fractures through Tension wire method owing to its simplicity, economy and ease of use, and as a fixation method for apically positioned flap in vestibuloplasty procedure. How to cite the article: Satish M, Rahman NM, Reddy VS, Yuvaraj A, Muliyar S, Razak PA. Use of Cortical Bone Screws in Maxillofacial Surgery - A Prospective Study. J Int Oral Health 2014;6(2):62-7.

Dento-Alveolar distraction osteogenesis using rigid intra-oral tooth borne distraction device.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this clinical prospective study is to apply and evaluate an approach to reduce the overall orthodontic treatment time, by means of dentoalveolar distraction osteogenesis to achieve rapid canine retraction using an indigenously developed intra-oral tooth-borne distraction device. MATERIALS & METHODS: This study was carried out in the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. Four patients selected for the purpose of Maxillary and/or Mandibular canine distraction with a rigid custom-made, intra-oral distraction device made of stainless steel and were scheduled for orthodontic treatment with bilateral first premolar extraction and then subsequent bilateral canine teeth distalization. RESULTS: In all the patients the canine teeth moved distally and made contact with the second premolars within 14-16 days range after which they were kept passive, with the appliance for a week of consolidation. The amount of canine retraction was in 7-7.5mms range, in all the patients, in each of the four quadrants studied. Bodily movement, tipping and buccal flaring of the canine teeth were noticed in all the cases. CONCLUSION: Combination of newer orthodontic appliances and the principles of biomechanics to maintain the control over rapid tooth movement, rapid canine distalization using distraction osteogenesis awaits further development before routine application, of this innovative and exciting approach. How to cite the article: Nair A, Kumar JP, Venkataramana V, Yuvaraj A, Reddy VS, Kumar SK. Dento-Alveolar distraction osteogenesis using rigid intra-oral tooth borne distraction device. J Int Oral Health 2014;6(2):106-13.

Mandibular reconstruction using AO/ASIF stainless steel reconstruction plate: a retrospective study of 36 cases.

AIM: The study was aimed at esthetic and functional results as well as patient tolerance after reconstruction with reconstruction plate. The follow-up ranged from 1 to 4 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 36 patients who had mandibular reconstruction with AO/ASIF stainless steel reconstruction plates after oncologic resection was evaluated. The indications and postoperative outcomes were studied. RESULTS: At the end of study, 24 of 36 patients (67%) still had the plate in place. Around three (8%) plates were fractured. Nine (25%) plates got exposed leading to surgical intervention. Surgical results were satisfying, particularly when looking at delayed healing or long-term tolerance. Esthetic (79% rated results as good or acceptable) and functional results of this reconstruction were satisfying. CONCLUSION: We conclude by saying that reconstruction plate provides a solution for safe and rapid mandibular reconstruction for patients with poor prognosis or poor condition. This method also preserves the possibility of secondary reconstruction. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The reconstruction plate may be a good clinical choice for safe and rapid mandibular reconstruction.

Quantitative digital subtraction radiography in the assessment of external apical root resorption induced by orthodontic therapy: a retrospective study.

AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate density changes around the apices of teeth during orthodontic treatment by using digital subtraction radiography to measure the densities around six teeth (maxilla central incisors, lateral incisors, and canines) before and after orthodontic treatment in 36 patients and also assess treatment variables and their coorelation with root resorption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 36 consecutive patient files were selected initially. The selected patients presented with a class I or II relationship and were treated with or without premolar extractions and fixed appliances. Some class II patients were treated additionally with extraoral forces or functional appliances. External apical root resorption (EARR) per tooth in millimeters was calculated and was also expressed as a percentage of the original root length. Image reconstruction and subtraction were performed using the software Regeemy Image Registration and Mosaicing (version 0.2.43-RCB, DPI-INPE, Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil) by a single operator. A region of interest (ROI) was defined in the apical third of the root and density calibration was made in Image J® using enamel (gray value = 255) as reference in the same image. The mean gray values in the ROIs were reflective of the change in the density values between the two images. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The root resorption of the tooth and the factors of malocclusion were analyzed with a one-way ANOVA. An independent t-test was performed to compare the mean amount of resorption between male and female, between extraction and nonextraction cases. The density changes after orthodontic treatment were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signedrank test. In addition, the density changes in different teeth were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The cut-off for statistical significance was a p-value of 0.05. All the statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS (version 13.0 for Windows, Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: Gender, the age at which treatment was started and Angle's classification was not statistically related with observed root resorption. The mean percentage density reduction as assessed by DSR was greatest in both central incisor: by 27.2 and 25.2% in the upper-right and upper-left central incisors, respectively, followed by the upper-right and upper-left canine teeth (23.5 and 21.0%) and then the upper-right and upper-left lateral incisors (19.1 and 17.4%). CONCLUSION: Tooth extraction prior to treatment initiation and the duration of orthodontic treatment was positively correlated with the amount of root resorption. DSR is useful for evaluating density changes around teeth during orthodontic treatment. The density around the apices of teeth reduced significantly after the application of orthodontic forces during treatment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Assessment of density changes on treatment radiographs of patients undergoing orthodontic therapy may help in the monitoring of external apical root resorption during course of treatment.