tomographic study of air cell pneumatization of the temporal components of the TMJ in patients with temporomadibular joint disorders

Pneumatization by definition is the presence or development of air filled cavities in a bone. In addition to the pneumatization of the mastoid process. However, accessory air cell may affect the whole temporal component. Conventional tomograms for 300 patients who had been referred to the radiology specialty clinic, college of dentistry, King Saud University were examined on both sides. In this study. Pneumatization was noted in both males and females both unilaterally and bilaterally with variable distributions of air cells. Pneumatization may render the temporal component of the TMJ more fragile. Furthermore, in some cases, the roof of the glenoid fossa is extensively weakened by pneumatization. Therefore, a severe traumatic injury may cause impingement of the head of the condyle on the middle cranial fossa. Conventional tomography is recommended in patients with air cell defect in the temporal bone components of the TMJ before any surgical procedures involving the eminence to determine the extent of the pneumatization

Computed tomography and conventional radiography in the diagnosis of middle face fractures

Fourteen patients of both sexes ranging between 22 and 56 years of age were investigated in this study. All patients selected had recent severe trauma to the craniofacial complex. They were examined by both conventional radiography and computed tomography [CT]. It has been found that conventional radiography is useful for demonstrating simple mandibular, maxillary and middle face fractures. However, it did not demonstrate the more complicated middle face fractures. On the other hand, CT was found to be a very reliable modality for evaluating the more complicated middle face fractures. CT offered information that could not be obtained by conventional radiography as soft, sues association, fractures of the antral walls, ethmoid and nasal bones as well as displaced bone fragments. The main advantages of CT including the lack of superimpositions, the possibility of image manipulation as well as the three-dimensional reconstruction capabilities

value of pre-operative radiographic examination of edentulous patients prior to denture construction: the risk versus the benefit

Many investigators recommended a routine radiographic examination for the edentulous cases before denture treatment. Panoramic radiographs obtained from inactive files of 212 patients -of both sexes- who required treatment in the college of dentistry KSU. The radiographs were me-ticulously examined. The plan of this study was to examine panoramic radiographs of edentulous patients with emphasis on the incidence of five entities ; root fragments, impacted teeth, radio-lucencies, radiopacities, and foreign bodies. Of the 212 panoramic radiographs examined, 180 were free of positive findings, and 32 [15.1%] have shown positive findings ,eighteen patients [8.5%] had one or more remaining root fragments, and this entity was statistically significant from the other entities. Three patients [1.4%] demonstrated impacted teeth. Five patients [2.4%] demonstrated radiopacities, two patients [1.9%] demonstrated radiolucencies. The radiographs of four patients [1.9%] demonstrated foreign bodies. The results of this study have proved the necessity of performing routine radiographic examination of the jaws for all edentulous patients before constructing complete dentures. It also indicates the need for a better extraction technique together with the use of radiographs before and after extraction