Dental students' familiarity with the medical management of dental patients at Brazilian dental schools

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Dental students familiarity with the implications of using local anesthetics and dental materials

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Deflection of conventional versus nondeflecting dental needles in vitro.

Deflection of conventional and newly introduced nondeflecting dental local anesthetic needles were compared in vitro by radiographic examination of the course of the needles in a hydrocolloid impression material. Results indicated significantly less deflection of the new needles when compared to a variety of conventional needles. Controlled clinical trials will be required to test the significance of this finding.

Clinical significance of supplementary innervation of the lower incisor teeth: a dissection study of the myelohyoid nerve

In view of the relevance of the mylohyoid nerve to clinical difficulties in achieving deep analgesia of the lower incisors, a dissection study was undertaken. Dissections from 29 adult cadavers of both sexes were studied with the aid of a dissecting microscope. The following observations were made: a supplementary branch of the mylohyoid nerve entered the mandible through accessory foramina in the lingual side of the mandibular symphysis in 50% of the cases; it generrally arose from the right side (76.9%) and entered the inferior retromental foramen (84.6%); the mylohyoid nerve branch either ended directly in the incisor teeth and the gingiva or joined the ipsilateral or contralateral incisive nerve. In view of this information concerning the high incidence of possible involvement of the mylohyoid nerve in mandibular sensory innervation, it is advisable to block it whenever intervention in the lower incisors is indicated. Routine mylohyoid injection is recommended after mental nerve block. If the inferior alveolar nerve is chosen for anesthetic purposes, additional mylohyoid injection should be given only if pain persists. The mylohyoid injection should be given at the inferior retromental foramen on the median aspect of the inferior border of the mandible through extraoral approach.

The mandibular lingula's position in children as a reference to inferior alveolar nerve block

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the position of the mandibular lingula (ML) to provide data for inferior alveolar nerve block techniques in children. Methods: One hundred fifty-four panoramic radiographs of 7- to 10-year-old boys and girls were analyzed. Measurements were taken from the ML to the occlusal plane, and the percentile distances of the ML to ramal borders were determined. Results: The distance between the ML and the occlusal plane showed a gradual increase, but only in the male group was it statistically significant. MLs ratio position on the ramus remained constant in all analyzed groups. In the 7-year-old group, the ML was observed above the occlusal plane in 70% of girls and 55% of boys. That percentage reached 85% of all children by age 10. Conclusions: The mandibular lingula's ratio position remained constant. Inferior alveolar anesthesia should be administered at least 6 mm above the occlusal plane in 7- to 8-year-old children, while 10 mm could be indicated for 9- to 10-year-old children. The mandibular lingula should be considered a reliable reference for further studies of inferior alveolar nerve block techniques.

Articaine and mepivacaine efficacy in postoperative analgesia for lower third molar removal: a double-blind, randomized, crossover study

Objective: Comparison of the clinical efficacy of 4% articaine in relation to 2% mepivacaine, both with 1:100,000 epinephrine, in the prevention of postoperative pain after lower third molar removal. Study design: Twenty patients underwent removal of bilateral lower third molars under local anesthesia (articaine or mepivacaine) in 2 separate appointments, in a double-blind, randomized, and crossed manner. Objective and subjective parameters were recorded for paired comparison of postoperative courses. Results: Duration of analgesia provided by articaine and mepivacaine was 198.00 ± 25.86, and 125.40 ± 13.96 min, respectively (P = .02), whereas the duration of anesthesia was 273.80 ± 15.94 and 216.85 ± 20.15 min, respectively (P = .06). Both solutions exerted no important effects upon arterial pressure, heart rate, or oxygen saturation (P > .05). Conclusions: Articaine provides a longer period of analgesic effect and a tendency for a longer period of anesthesia as compared to mepivacaine. The presence of a vasoconstrictor agent in local anesthetic solutions does not seem to influence hemodynamic parameters during lower third molar removal in healthy subjects. © 2006 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intravenous procedural sedation: an alternative in the treatment of patients with intellectual disability

Conscious sedation has become established as an important alternative to general anesthesia (GA) in dental treatment of patients with intellectual disability (ID). Aim: to investigate dental patients undergoing sedation using a mean dose of 0.6 mg/kg intravenous midazolam and the adverse events of sedation in patients with ID. Methods: This study analyzed the records of 163 dental patients with ID aged between 2 and 76 years who had undergone conscious intravenous sedation (CIV) using a mean dose of 0.61 mg/kg of midazolam at Araçatuba Dental School, São Paulo State University, Brazil. The efficacy and complications induced by CIV were evaluated in each subject. Results: CIV was effective for dental treatment in 80% of the cases. A total of 626 dental procedures were performed. The mean treatment time was 33.9 minutes. There was statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between absence and presence of adverse reactions. Adverse reactions were observed in 21.47% of the cases. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that CIV is a useful method for dental treatment of patients with ID and these patients can need higher doses of sedative to reach an adequate level of sedation.

Comparative efficacy of 2 topical anesthetics for the placement of orthodontic temporary anchorage devices.

This study compared the effectiveness of topical benzocaine 20% versus a combination of lidocaine, tetracaine, and phenylephrine in providing sufficient analgesia for the placement of orthodontic temporary anchorage devices (TADs). The 2 topical anesthetics were tested against each other bilaterally using a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. The agents were left in place for the amount of time prescribed by the manufacturer. The TAD was then placed, and each subject rated the degree of pain on a Heft-Parker visual analogue scale. A pulse oximeter was used to record the preoperative and postoperative pulse rates. Statistically significant differences in perceived pain (P < .05) and success rate (P < .01) between drugs were seen, but no significant difference in pulse rate change between the topical anesthetics was observed (P > .05). It was concluded that when the efficacy of topical benzocaine and of a combination product was compared as the sole anesthetic to facilitate acceptable pain control for placement of orthodontic temporary anchorage devices, the combination product was considerably more efficacious.

Double-blind comparison of rectally administered diazepam to placebo for pediatric sedation: the cardiovascular response.

The sedative and cardiovascular effects of rectally administered diazepam (0.6 mg/kg) were compared to placebo in uncooperative children who required sedation during dental treatment. Twelve healthy preschool children, who required amalgam restorations, were treated during two standardized restorative appointments in a double-blind, crossover study. Blood pressure and pulse were obtained during four specified intervals during the appointment. The behavior of the children during the treatment visits was videotaped and later statistically analyzed using a kinesics/vocalization instrument. Behavioral ratings of cooperation were significantly improved during the treatment visit following diazepam. All interfering bodily movements, patient vocalizations and operator commands for the diazepam group were reduced significantly (p≤0.0001). No significant differences were observed for noninterfering behavioral response. Rectally administered diazepam did not alter blood pressure or pulse significantly in these sedated children when compared to the placebo. These findings indicate that rectal diazepam is an effective sedative agent with minimal effect on the cardiovascular system for the management of the young pediatric dental patient.

Economia na consulta de Endodontia

Introdução: Em Portugal a realidade actual, clínica e financeira do exercício da Medicina Dentária é bem distinta da do final do séc. XX devido à pletora de Médicos Dentistas e à baixa de honorários por acto Médico registada nos últimos anos. Objectivos: Este trabalho teve como objectivo perceber um pouco sobre os detalhes a ter em consideração aquando da abertura de uma clínica centrada na realização de tratamentos na área da Endodontia, e como publicitá-la de forma legal e apelativa. Pretende-se depois também estimar o custo mínimo para a realização de tratamentos Endodonticos com diferentes equipamentos e comparar a eficácia entre tratamentos usando ferramentas diferentes. Materiais e Métodos: Foram usadas como fontes de pesquisa para o presente trabalho bases de dados como a PubMed, B-On e Cochrane Library. Foi também usado o Google. Para pesquisa no PubMed foram usados vários descritores MeSH, como “Commerce”, “Dentistry”, “Endodontics”, “Management” e “Marketing”. Foram também usadas diversas palavras-chave no PubMed e nos outros motores de pesquisa, como “Anesthesia”, “Dental Office”, “Files”, “Irrigation”, “Magnification”, “Microscope”, “Obturation Systems” e “Rotatory Systems”. As pesquisas foram filtradas para serem apresentados apenas resultados entre 2011 e 2016, sendo este filtro retirado só quando não eram encontrados resultados satisfatórios ou relevantes para os temas discutidos no trabalho. Foram obtidos 3927 artigos e seleccionados 24. A inclusão destes artigos foi feita tendo em conta as suas fontes bibliográficas e a qualidade dos estudos a que se reportavam. Foram excluídos artigos que se reportavam a estudos muito antigos ou a tecnologias ultrapassadas, como sistemas de limas antigos. Conclusões: As novas tecnologias usadas para tratamento Endodontico, apesar de dispendiosas, melhoram muito o atendimento ao paciente.

Ophthalmic complications and local anesthesia. Pathophysiology and types of eye complications after intraoral dental anesthesia, and clinical recommendations

The present article reviews the different types of ophthalmologic complications following administration of intraoral local anesthesia. Since the first report by Brain in 1936, case reports about that topic have been published regularly in the literature. However, clinical studies evaluating the incidence of ophthalmologic complications after intraoral local anesthesia are rarely available. Previous data point to a frequency ranging from 0.03% to 0.13%. The most frequently described ophthalmologic complications include diplopia (double vision), ptosis (drooping of upper eyelid), and mydriasis (dilatation of pupil). Disorders that rather affect periorbital structures than the eye directly include facial paralysis and periorbital blanching (angiospasm). Diverse pathophysiologic mechanisms and causes have been reported in the literature, with the inadvertent intravascular administration of the local anesthetic considered the primary reason. The agent as well as the vasopressor is transported retrogradely via arteries or veins to the orbit or to periorbital structures (such as the cavernous sinus) with subsequent anesthesia of nerves and paralysis of muscles distant from the oral cavity. In general the ophthalmologic complications begin shortly after administration of the local anesthesia, and disappear once the local anesthesia has subsided.

Use of Allogeneic Bone Graft in Maxillary Reconstruction for Installation of Dental implants

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the application of allogenous bone at the maxillo-mandibular reconstructions for future rehabilitation with dental implants. The patients were submitted to reconstruction of maxilla, using allogeneic bone grafts, in 3 different techniques: onlay grafts for lateral ridge augmentation, onlay and particulate bone for sinus lift grafting, and particulate alone for sinus lift grafts. Clinical and radiographic control was done at the postoperative phase for at least 8 months, until the patient could be submitted to the installation of dental implants. The results showed success in the majority of the cases, and dental implants could be installed. This can be considered an excellent alternative when compared with the use of autogenous grafts; because handling is easier, there is a great amount of material available and a possibility of using local anesthesia, and consequently there is a reduction of patient morbidity. (C) 2008 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Histologic study of use of microfibrillar collagen hemostat in rat dental sockets

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Liposomal encapsulation improves the duration of soft tissue anesthesia but does not induce pulpal anesthesia

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Calvarial Autogenous Bone Graft for Maxillary Ridge and Sinus Reconstruction for Rehabilitation With Dental Implants

Autogenous bone grafting is the gold-standard technique for bone augmentation procedures prior to implant placement. If the amount of available intraoral donor bone is insufficient, it is necessary to harvest bone graft from extraoral sites, such as calvaria. Although this technique is well established, only a few case reports show the histological analysis of the grafted bone at the moment of implant placement. This article reports the case of a 48-year-old female patient with a critical atrophic maxillary ridge reconstructed using autogenous calvarial bone graft prior to implant placement, with clinical and histological evaluation. Bone was collected under general anesthesia from the parietal bone. The outer cortical originated the bone blocks, and the medullar bone layer between was collected to be used in the sinus augmentation procedure, together with 5 of the bone blocks triturated. Six months after bone augmentation, 8 implants were placed in the grafted area and 2 biopsies were retrieved (anterior and the posterior regions), allowing the visualization of the bone-remodeling process in the grafted areas. The patient had a stable recovery. Our results showed that although necrotic bone could still be seen in the outer layer of the grafted area, the interface between this necrotic bone and the already remodeled bone was consistent with biocompatibility. Two-year radiographic evaluation showed success of the grafts and the implants in supporting an esthetic and functionally stable prosthesis. Summarizing, calvarial bone grafts are a viable alternative for the attainment of adequate bone volume prior to implant placement.