The experimental study of oral care for early radiation therapy in the head and neck cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Teeth requiring extraction before radiotherapy in head & neck cancer patients should be removed as long as possible before the initiation of radiation therapy. Conventionally, a minimum 2-week waiting primary healing period is recommended. Although the above 2-week period is ideal, it was not uncommon for the radiotherapist and cancer patient to feel an urgent need to process with radiotherapy despite the need for dental care. Therefore, alternative approaches for early radiotherapy, including conservative endodontic treatment and a 1-week waiting primary healing period after dental extraction at the time of radiotherapy, were considered and applied based on the experimental study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighteen dogs were processed for histopathologic wound healing. The effect of the primary endodontic treatment and extraction before early radiotherapy was examined. RESULTS: No specific complication, such as, post-extraction wound infection, radiation osteitis and osteoradionecrosis, were encountered despite the early radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Based on the experimental study, a minimum 1-week waiting primary healing period for oral care before radiotherapy is suitable for the early radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients.

The clinical study of oral care for early radiation therapy in the head and neck cancer patients

INTRODUCTION: Tooth requiring extraction before radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients should be performed as long as possible before the initiation of radiation therapy. Conventionally, a minimum 2-week waiting primary healing period is recommended. Although the above 2-week period is ideal, it is not uncommon for the radiotherapist and cancer patient to feel an urgent need to proceed with radiotherapy despite the need for dental care. Therefore, alternative approaches for early radiotherapy, including conservative endodontic treatment and a 1-week waiting primary healing period after dental extraction at the time of radiotherapy were considered and applied based on a literature review MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical study involved 120 head and neck cancer patients who were treated at Wonju Christian Hospital, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, from January 1995 to December 2004. RESULTS: In the clinical study, there were no specific complications, such as, post-extraction wound infections, radiation osteitis and osteoradionecrosis over the recent 10 years despite the early radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Based on the clinical study, a minimum 1-week waiting primary healing period for oral care before radiotherapy is suitable for early radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients.

Crown removal and endodontic drainage as a last method in active gingival bleeding with liver cirrhosis and periodontitis: a case report

The most common local cause of active gingival bleeding is the vessel engorgement and erosion by severe inflammation. Abnormal gingival bleeding is also associated with the systemic disturbances. Hemorrhagic disorders in which abnormal gingival bleeding is encountered include the following: vascular abnormalities (vitamin C deficiency or allergy), platelet disorders, hypoprothrombinemia (vitamin K deficiency resulting from liver disease), and other coagulation defects (hemophilia, leukemia). There are many conventional methods for gingival bleeding control, such as, direct pressure, electrocoagulation, direct suture, drainage, application of hemostatic agents and crushing and packing. If the active continuous gingival bleeding is not stopped in spite of the application of all conventional bleeding control methods, the life of patient is threatened owing to upper airway obstruction, syncope, vomiting and hypovolemic shock. Therefore, the rapid and correct hemostatic method is very important in the emergency dental care.

Emergency bleeding control in a mentally retarded patient with active oral and maxillofacial bleeding injuries: report of a case

Excessive oral and maxillofacial bleeding causes upper airway obstruction, bronchotracheal and gastric aspiration and hypovolemic shock. Therefore, the rapid and correct bleeding control is very important for saving lives in the emergency room. Despite the conventional bleeding control methods of wiring (jaw fracture, wound suture and direct pressure), continuous bleeding can occur due to the presence of various bleeding disorders. There are five main causes for excessive bleeding disorders in the clinical phase; (1) vascular wall alteration (infection, scurvy etc.), (2) disorders of platelet function (3) thrombocytopenic purpura (4) inherited disorders of coagulation, and (5) acquired disorders of coagulation (liver disease, anticoagulant drug etc.). In particular, infections can alter the structure and function of the vascular wall to a point at which the patient may have a clinical bleeding problem due to vessel engorgement and erosion. Wound infection is a frequent cause of postoperative active bleeding. To prevent postoperative bleeding, early infection control using a wound suture with proper drainage establishment is very important, particularly in the active bleeding sites in a contaminated emergency room. This is a case report of a rational bleeding control method by rapid wiring, wound suture with drainage of a rubber strip & iodoform gauze and wet gauze packing, in a 26-year-old male cerebral palsy patient with active oral and maxillofacial bleeding injuries caused by a traffic accident.

The conservative care by early endodontic drainage of infected teeth in the line of a mandibular fracture: report of a case

The management of teeth in the line of a mandibular fracture is controversial despite the general agreement that most of these teeth can be preserved. Teeth should be retained if bony attachments are adequate for survival, the tooth is sound and important in maintaining fixation of the fractured segment of bone. Teeth should be removed if they are loose and interfere with the reduction of fragments, are devitalized and potentially a source of wound infection, are damaged beyond their usefulness or may become devital and interfere with healing by becoming infected. However, tooth removal will increase the level of trauma, extend the severity of the wound and require expensive prosthetic treatment. Therefore, it is very important to conserve infected teeth in the line of a mandibular fracture through early primary endodontic treatment (pulp extirpation, canal enlargement and canal opening drainage) and splinting. The basic principles underlying the treatment of pulpless teeth are those underlying general surgery. Therefore, debridement of the infected wound (pulp extirpation and canal enlargement), drainage (canal opening) and gentle treatment of the tissues (occlusal reduction and teeth splinting) are the principles of surgery. This is a representative case report of conservative care by the early endodontic drainage of infected teeth in the line of a mandibular fracture.

Severe Recurrent Gingival Bleeding and Toothache Control in a Patient with Liver Cirrhosis and Oral Metastatic Hepatoma: Report of a Case

EFFECT OF IMMEDIATE DRAINAGE ON THE SURGICAL EXTRACTION OF IMPACTED MESIODENS IN CHILDREN: REPORT OF CASES

THE SHORT-TERM REMOVABLE INTERMAXILLARY FIXATION CARE BY USE OF AN ADDITIVE INCISION & DRAINAGE ON THE ORAL LACERATION WOUNDS ADJACENT WITH MANDIBULAR COMPOUND FRACTURES: REPORT OF A CASE

EMERGENCY BLEEDING CONTROL BY RAPID ENTIRE OROPHARYNGEAL PACKING IN A PATIENT WITH ACTIVE OROPHARYNGEAL BLEEDING FOLLOWING BASAL SKULL FRACTURE : REPORT OF A CASE

Conservative infection control on acute pericoronitis in mandibular third molar patients referred from the prison

In the presence of acute pericoronitis of mandilbular third molar, antibiotic therapy and early incision and drainage are the method of choice, followed by definitive surgical extraction of the tooth as soon as it becomes subacute. If excision of the overlying tissues is decided on, it should be done adequately. All overlying tissues must be throughly excised, and the crown portion of the unerupted tooth should be completely exposed. After excision has been completed, the wound should be managed with a surgical dressing. This should be allowed to remain approximately 7 days. And then, surgical extraction of the impacted mandibular third molar can be done usually. In this operation, there are many complications, such as, postoperative bleeding, infection, trismus, dysphasia and paresthesia. The surgeon are discredited and medicolegal problem may be occurred in the presence of many distressed complications. Therefore, the relatively nonsurgical treatment is the method of choice. So, authors selected the conservative treatment methods of incision and drainage, primary endodontic drainage, operculectomy without surgical extraction of the mandibular third molars. The results were more favorable without the postoperative complication in Wonju old offender prison.

The Long-Term Conservative Drainage Care of Extensive Osteomyelitis Associated with Mandibular Compound Fracture: Report of a Case

Bleeding Control by Continuous Wound Drainage of Active Bleeding Sites of Teeth Extraction Wound in a Patient with Advanced Liver Cirrhosis: Report of a Case

There are five principal causes for excessive bleeding in the immediate postextraction phase ; (1) Vascular wall alteration (wound infection, scurvy, chemicals, allergy) (2) Disorders of platelet function (genetic defect, drug-aspirin, autoimmune disease) (3) Thrombocytopenic purpuras (radiation, leukemia), (4) Inherited disorders of coagulation (hemophilia, Christmas disease, vitamin deficiency, anticoagulation drug-heparin, coumarin). If the hemorrhage from postextraction wound is unusually aggressive, and then dehydration and airway problem are occurred, the socket must be packed with gelatine sponge(Gelfoam) that was moistened with thrombin and wound closure & pressure dressing are applied. The thrombin clots fibrinogen to produce rapid hemostasis. Gelatine sponges moistened with thrombin provide effective coagulation of hemorrhage from small veins and capillaries. But, in dental alveoli, gelatine sponges may absorb oral microorganisms and cause alveolar osteitis (infection). This is a case report of bleeding control by continuous rubber strip & iodoform gauze drainage (without gelfoam packing) of active bleeding infection sites of three teeth extraction wounds in a 46-years-old female patient with advanced liver cirrhosis.

The use of Autologous Venous Blood for Maxillary Sinus Floor Augmentation in Conjunction with the Sinus Membrane Elevation: An Experimental Study

There have been reports of successful bone formation with sinus floor elevation by simply elevating the maxillary sinus membrane and filling the sinus cavity below the lifted sinus membrane with a blood clot. But, in a review of the current literature, we found no animal study that substantiated blood clot's ability in this respect. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the method of maxillary sinus floor augmentation using the patient's own venous blood in conjunction with a sinus membrane elevation procedure. An implant was placed bilaterally in the maxillary sinus of six adult mongrel dogs so that it protruded 8 mm into the maxillary sinus after sinus membrane elevation. On one side of the maxillary sinus, the resultant space between the membrane and the sinus floor was filled with autologous venous blood retrieved from the dog. On the opposite side, the maxillary sinus was left untreated as a control. The implants were left in place for six months. The mean height of the newly formed bone in the sinus was 3.7 mm on the side without venous blood and 3.5 mm on the side with venous blood (p>0.05). There was no difference between the two sides regarding new bone height in the sinus. Our results indicate that filling the space between the lifted sinus membrane and the sinus floor with venous blood has no effect on bone formation around implants placed in the maxillary sinus cavity.