Maximal strength and endurance scores of the tongue, lip, and cheek in healthy, normal Koreans

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to establish normative data for healthy Korean adults by measuring the maximal strength and endurance scores of the tongue, lip, and cheek, and to examine correlations between these measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 120 subjects that were divided into three groups according to age: young (20-39 years), middle-aged (40-59 years), and older (over 60 years); and by gender. Measurements were taken using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI). RESULTS: The mean maximal tongue strengths were as follows: young men (46.7±10.2 kPa) and women (32.1±7.9 kPa), middle-aged men (40.9±9.3 kPa) and women (36.9±8.6 kPa), and older men (35.2±9.0 kPa) and women (34.5±6.9 kPa). The mean tongue endurance scores were: young men (28.8±12.6 seconds) and women (20.8±13.5 seconds), middle-aged men (17.0±8.5 seconds) and women (15.3±5.2 seconds), and older men (15.8±6.7 seconds) and women (17.9±8.1 seconds). The mean maximal lip strengths were: young men (11.6±3.0 kPa) and women (11.4±3.8 kPa), middle-aged men (11.4±4.2 kPa) and women (11.1±5.1 kPa), and older men (14.5±3.9 kPa) and women (11.7±2.6 kPa). The mean lip endurance scores were: young men (41.1±23.9 seconds) and women (22.4±21.7 seconds), middle-aged men (24.3±10.3 seconds) and women (30.5±13.4 seconds), and older men (24.9±11.0 seconds) and women (12.8±7.6 seconds). The mean maximal cheek strengths were: young men (24.5±4.6 kPa) and women (20.5±4.3 kPa), middle-aged men (25.2±6.4 kPa) and women (21.2±5.5 kPa), and older men (22.4±5.3 kPa) and women (18.0±4.8 kPa). The mean cheek endurance scores were: young men (47.8±24.4 seconds) and women (43.9±25.0 seconds), middle-aged men (27.3±11.3 seconds) and women (20.0±14.6 seconds), and older men (21.7±14.5 seconds) and women (17.2±11.4 seconds). CONCLUSION: The data collected in this study will provide an important database of standardized measurements for maximal strength and endurance scores of the tongue, lip and cheek in healthy, normal Koreans.

365 nm LED laser treatment on beagle for gingival whitening without gum dermabrasion

PURPOSE: Gingival whitening is one of dental treatment purposes which is close to treating aesthetic disorders. Initial gingival whitening treatment was done by dermabrasion using a high power Diode Laser. However, this treatment method cannot be free from any infection or pain after the treatment. Therefore, we have decided to progress gingival whitening treatment using a low power LED laser. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The laser was irradiated on pork meat then the safety of output power, temperature change and skin denaturalization was measured. Bison 365 nm LED laser was irradiated on oral mucosal pigment of a 15 - 20 kg beagle for 15 min for 1 - 2 weeks, one or two times each. Any pigment loss was checked through Hematoxyline-Eosin staining. RESULTS: The melanin pigments at the area of 365 nm LED Laser irradiation were decreased. CONCLUSION: The 365 nm LED Laser proposed in this study is considered to compensate the bleaching effect achieved by either using Diode laser or surgical methods.

Clinical, statistical and chemical study of sialolithiasis

INTRODUCTION: Sialolithes are initiated by localized deposition of calcified material in the salivary glands. And that may even cause various symptom especially swelling and pain. This study purposes to collect statistical data of sialolithiasis for clinical analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among forty seven patients who have visited Seoul National University Dental Hospital during 2004-2009, patients' age, sex, location and size of stone, radiodensity of stone, symptom, surgical procedure were investigated. Statistical correlation between size, location, symptom was evaluated. Chemical composition was analyzed for 3 sialolithes. RESULTS: The average age was 41.4 years. Sialolithiasis had slight female predilection (57.4%). Most cases occurred in the submandibular glands (91.5%). And most cases had radiopaque features (95.8%). The average size was 7.17 mm. The most frequent location of the stones were the duct orifice and the submandibular gland hilum (16 cases in each), followed by the middle part of the duct (n=8), the intraglandular area (n=4), and the proximal part of the duct (n=3). Eleven cases were asymptomatic. Thirty six cases had complaints of pain, swelling, hardness, and decrease in saliva flow (multiple symptoms). Various methods of surgery was performed. Two cases were self-removed. Thirty seven cases underwent procedure involving stone removal alone. Six cases underwent gland extirpation, and two cases underwent ductoplasty. CONCLUSION: There was no statistical correlation between size, location, and symptoms. Sialolith was composed of Ca (58.5-69.3%), P (30.7-35.7%), organic material, and trace inorganic material.

Recovery of lingual nerve injury: retrospective observational study

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated nerve recovery through retrospective study of patients with lingual nerve damage. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients who visited Seoul National University Dental Hospital for an injury to the lingual nerve from April 1988 to August 2009 were enrolled in this study (n=41). The relevance of various factors including the causes of damage, age, etc. was analyzed by the subjective improvement based upon questionnaires and the clinical records. The evaluation variants were a subjective assessment and neurosensory examination composed of the direction, contact threshold, two-point discrimination, pin prick, thermal discrimination and current perception threshold. RESULTS: The causes of lingual nerve damage were an extraction of the lower third molar (75.6%), local anesthesia (9.7%), incision and drainage (4.88%), trauma (2.44%). The evaluation of subjective prognosis exhibited no difference in sensory improvement depending on the cause, age and gender. Based upon the subjective evaluation, 44.7% of patients showed sensory improvement. The first hospital visit from injury was shorter in the group showing subjective improvement (3.41 months) than those showing no improvement (5.24 months) (P=0.301). Thirty six out of 41 patients were treated with only conservative therapy and 5 patients were treated by surgical intervention. Neurosensory examinations revealed improvement, although not statistically significant, and the degree was higher in the subjectively improved group. The contact threshold discrimination showed the highest correlation with subjective improvement (P=0.069). Most of the sensory recovery was gained within 12 months and the degree of improvement at the tip of the tongue was higher than that of the dorsum (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The damaged lingual nerve improved at a rate of 44.7% and mostly within 12 months after the incident. There was no difference between the subjective prognosis and neurosensory examination depending on the cause of damage, age and gender, whereas the contact threshold discrimination was the best variant that reflected the subjective prognosis statistically.

Oral Manifestation and Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Case Report

Predictors of Transient Hypothyroidism in Neonatal Screening Test / 대한소아내분비학회지

PURPOSE: Congenital hypothyroidism is detected through the neonatal screening test and treated early from neonatal period. Among these patients, however, transient hypothyroidism is included. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the predicting factors of transient hypothyroidism in neonatal screening test. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 40 male and 31 female neonates diagnosed as congenital hypothyroidism by newborn screening from 1996 to 2003. The untreated cases that revealed slightly decreased levels of thyroid hormone on repeated examination and the cases who showed normalized hormone after 2 years of treatment were regarded as transient hypothyroidism. The results of neonatal screening tests and other clinical features of children with transient hypothyroidism were compared to those of children with permanent form. The time to normalization of thyroid hormone levels in the transient hypothyroidism were also reviewed. RESULTS: Among 71 cases of congenital hypothyroidism, 39 cases (54.9%) were transient and 32 cases (45.1%) were permanent hypothyroidism. There were no significant differences in clinical features between two groups, except lower birth weight in the transient group (transient 2.80+/-0.75 kg, permanent 3.22+/-0.57 kg, P=0.02). Free T4 levels were significantly lower and TSH levels were significantly higher in the permanent form than the transient ones (P<0.01). The estimated cut-off point for distinguishing transient hypothyroidism from permanent form was 2.05 ng/dL (sensitivity 54%, specificity 93%) for free T4 and 34 microIU/mL (sensitivity 72%, specificity 87%) for TSH. CONLCUSION: In this study, transient hypothyroidism could be differentiated from permanent hypothyroidism by TSH and free T4 levels of neonatal screening test. Repeated thyroid function tests are thought to be essential to make a diagnosis of not only transient but also permanent hypothyroidism.

A huge trichobezoar in the jejunum / 소아과

An otherwise healthy, 8-year-old girl presented with vague abdominal pain, vomiting, and a tensely distended abdomen. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography demonstrated a huge amount of jejunal material, about 10 cm long, resulting in near obstruction of the jejunum. The material was removed surgically and a postoperative pathologic report confirmed that it was a trichobezoar. A postoperative consultation with a pediatric psychologist revealed neither abnormal behavioral tendencies nor overt psychopathology. After removing the trichobezoar from the jejunum, her health improved completely. We report a rare case of a huge jejunal trichobezoar in a normally developed child with no psychological problems.

A huge trichobezoar in the jejunum / 소아과

An otherwise healthy, 8-year-old girl presented with vague abdominal pain, vomiting, and a tensely distended abdomen. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography demonstrated a huge amount of jejunal material, about 10 cm long, resulting in near obstruction of the jejunum. The material was removed surgically and a postoperative pathologic report confirmed that it was a trichobezoar. A postoperative consultation with a pediatric psychologist revealed neither abnormal behavioral tendencies nor overt psychopathology. After removing the trichobezoar from the jejunum, her health improved completely. We report a rare case of a huge jejunal trichobezoar in a normally developed child with no psychological problems.

A Clinico-Epidemiological Study of Childhood Acute and Chronic Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura / 대한소아혈액종양학회지

PURPOSE: Childhood idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an acute, self-limited disease of several weeks, but 10~20% of cases may have chronic courses. This study was aimed to evaluate factors that might predict the progression to chronic ITP. METHODS: Ninty-four patients with ITP were divided into acute and chronic on the basis of disease duration of 6 months. Clinical and laboratory characteristics were compared between the two groups. Response to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) of either 400 mg/kg for 5 days or IVIg 1, 000 mg/kg for 2 days and progression to chronic ITP was compared. RESULTS: 67 cases (71.3%) were acute and 19 (28.7%) were chronic ITP. Sex, preceding viral infection history, clinical manifestations were not significantly different, but acute ITP was more prevalent in less than 1 year of age (P=.001). The initial WBC count was higher in acute than in chronic ITP (9, 600/microL vs. 7, 600/microL) (P .05). The relapse rate and progression to chronic ITP were not different. CONCLUSION: The intial WBC counts, AST, MPV, the changes of hemoglobin level and MPV after IVIg infusion could be useful predictors of developing chronic ITP in children.

An Infant with Vertical Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Detected Due to Failure to Thrive

Five to fifteen percent of patients affected by human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) are children in developing countries. In Korea, most of HIV infections in children have been transfusion-related, and cases of vertical transmission have been very rare so far and are usually suspected due to a maternal positive history. We experienced a case of vertical transmission of HIV in a 19 month- old girl, incidentally diagnosed in the process of work-up for failure to thrive without suspicion from maternal HIV history. With the increasing number of adult HIV patients in Korea, HIV in fection should be included in the differential diagnosis of children with symptoms compatible with HIV infection even when parental HIV history is not suggestive.