Effects of pain catastrophizing and anxiety on analgesic use after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars.

BACKGROUND: In dentistry, pain is a factor that negatively affects treatments and drug use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlations of the postoperative analgesic use with pain catastrophizing and anxiety in patients who underwent removal of an impacted mandibular third molar. METHODS: We recruited 92 patients who underwent the extraction of impacted mandibular third molar. In this study, the Pederson index was used to preoperatively determine the difficulty of surgical extraction. Patients were asked to note the number of analgesics used for 7 postoperative days. Patients were divided into two groups based on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale: low and high score groups. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-trait and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-state questionnaires were used to determine the anxiety levels of the patients. The obtained data were examined to evaluate the correlations of pain catastrophizing and anxiety with the postoperative analgesic use. RESULTS: In this study, 92 patients, including 60 women and 32 men, were recruited. The analgesic use was higher in women than in men but with no significant difference (P > 0.05). Pain Catastrophizing Scale scores were higher in women than in men but with no significant difference (P > 0.05). The analgesic use was higher in patients with high pain catastrophizing than in those with low pain catastrophizing but with no significant difference (P > 0.05). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-trait scores were higher in women than in men but with no significant difference. However, state-Trait Anxiety Inventory-state scores were significantly higher in women than in men (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The postoperative analgesic use may be higher in patients who catastrophize pain than in others. Knowing the patient's catastrophic characteristics preoperatively would contribute to successful pain management and appropriate drug selection.

Radiographic characteristics of mesiodens in a non-syndromic pediatric population in the Black Sea region.

AIM: A mesiodens is the most frequent type of supernumerary tooth. They can be related to several complications, such as ectopic eruption and midline diastema. The aim of the present study was to assess the radiographic properties of mesiodens by analyzing the associated age, sex distribution, number of mesiodens per patient, shape, direction of eruption, and their association with complications. METHODS: The present study was performed using panoramic radiographs of 14 400 pediatric patients (4-14 years old) who visited the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Gaziosmanpasa University for a variety of dental complaints from 2015 to 2018. RESULTS: There were 82 mesiodens diagnosed in a total of 71 patients. Among the 82 mesiodens, 51 (62.1%) were conical in shape, which was the most commonly seen shape, followed by 14 supplemental (17.07%), and 12 (14.6%) tuberculate. Of the 82 mesiodens, 65 (79.2%) were aligned vertically, nine (10.9%) were inverted, and eight (9.7%) were horizontally placed. Clinical complications were observed in 76.8% of patients. CONCLUSION: The management of mesiodens can be performed using three methods: (a) spontaneous eruption; (b) early intervention; and (c) delayed intervention. However, the management of mesiodens should be evaluated on an individual basis to determine the best treatment method. Mesiodens-associated complications should be addressed prior to the lateral incisors erupting.

Are Environmental Factors Effective in Congenitally Missing Teeth? A Multicenter Study

Abstract Objective: To examine the prevalence of congenital absence of permanent teeth other than third molar teeth in non-syndromic children in the Black Sea and Mediterranean Regions of Turkey, and the correlation between gender and distribution sites in the jaws. Material and Methods: Panoramic radiographs and clinical records of 9831 children (5025 girls, 4806 boys) in the Mediterranean Region and 11372 children (5540 girls, 5832 boys) in the Black Sea region were examined. All panoramic radiographs were evaluated by a dentist. The permanent tooth, which was not seen in radiography, was recorded as a congenitally missing tooth, and the fact that the tooth was not extracted was confirmed by treatment records. The data were statistically evaluated by Chi-Square and t-test Results: The prevalence of congenitally missing permanent teeth was 2.8% (3.52% in girls, 2.5% in boys) in the Mediterranean region and 1.63% (1.82% in girls and 1.45% in boys) in the Black Sea region. Congenitally missing permanent teeth were observed more in the maxilla compared to mandible. The teeth that most frequently have congenitally missing permanent teeth in the Mediterranean Region are mandibular second premolars, maxillary lateral incisors and maxillary second premolars, respectively. The teeth that most frequently have congenitally missing permanent teeth in the Black Sea region are mandibular second premolars, maxillary second premolars and maxillary lateral incisors, respectively. Most of the patients had one or two teeth missing, and the lack of three or more teeth was rare Conclusion: In this study, which is performed in different climatic characteristics of Black Sea and Mediterranean Regions, the frequency of congenitally missing teeth is similar.