Evaluation of the Short-Term Efficacy of Transdermal Ozone Therapy in Turkish Patients with Internal Derangement of the Temporomandibular Joint

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of transdermal high-frequency ozone therapy in the management of pain and pain-related restricted jaw movements in patients with internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Material and Methods: This retrospective study included 40 patients who had received transdermal high-frequency ozone therapy for the management of disc displacement with reduction of the TMJ. Subjects were treated 3 times for one week with a bio-oxidative high-frequency ozone generator with an intensity of 80% for ten minutes bilaterally. Pain scores and maximal interincisal opening (MIO) values of the patients were evaluated before and after the treatment. Results: An increase in the mean MIO value was achieved following the ozone therapy, however, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.350). A statistically significant decrease in the mean pain score (48.13 ± 27.75) was observed following the ozone therapy. Conclusion: Transdermal application of high frequency ozone may be a good alternative for management of pain and pain-related restricted jaw movements in patients with internal derangement of the TMJ.

Does Third Molar Surgery Alter Cardiac Parameters? A Retrospective Study

Objective: To investigate perioperative changes in the cardiac parameters of anxiety, which are blood pressure and heart rate, in patients undergoing surgical extraction of third molars. Material and Methods: Patients who reported anxiety before scheduled procedures were monitored for cardiac parameters before, during and after the surgery. The obtained data were analyzed to determine if there is a certain pattern of change within these values in systemically healthy patients. Alterations in selected parameters with regard to duration and difficulty of operation were also studied. IBM SPSS Statistics was used for data analysis. Repeated-measures of analysis of variance (ANOVA), paired samples t-test and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied and a significance level of 5% was assessed. Results: Difficulty was categorized as minimally, moderately or very difficult in 9, 28 and 3 patients respectively. Mean operation time was 36.18 minutes with a range of 8 to 91 minutes. Operation time showed no variations with different levels of difficulty (p = 0.268). No statistical differences in any of the parameters listed above could be identified. Conclusion: Despite the common belief that dental procedures initiate anxiety, this study reveals that physiological parameters of anxiety show no significant changes over the course of third molar surgery, likewise difficulty and duration of surgery do not cause noteworthy changes in these parameters.