Bilateral comunications of the paralingual space / Comunicaciones bilaterales del espacio paralingual

Paralingual Space is a region located on the floor of the oral cavity. The cavity has great importance in communications and for the spread of infectious diseases. This study investigated the level of dissemination of 0.2 ml of an oily pigment solution, into paralingual space of 20 heads of male Sprague Dawley rats. The results can be seen by the spread of the solution in the three segments of paralingual space, being higher in the middle third of the region, although the differences were not significant (p<0.05). With these observations, the discussion is about the possibility that an infection may spread into paralingual space opposite the muscles of the medial wall of this space.

El espacio paralingual es una región ubicada en el piso de la cavidad oral con comunicaciones de gran importancia para la difusión de procesos infecciosos. El presente estudio investigó el nivel de difusión de 0,2 ml de una solución oleosa pigmentada, hacia el espacio paralingual opuesto en 20 cabezas de ratas Sprague Dawley. En los resultados obtenidos se observa la difusión de la solución en los tres segmentos del espacio paralingual, siendo mayor en el tercio medio de la región, aunque las diferencias no resultaron significativas (p<0,05). Con estas observaciones se discute acerca de la posibilidad de que un proceso infeccioso pueda difundir hacia el espacio paralingual opuesto a través de la musculatura de la pared medial del espacio.

EMG and cephalometric study on changes in upper airway structures and muscle activities according to the use of mandibular repositioning appliance and body posture in OSA parients / 대한치과교정학회지

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder characterized by repetitive episode of upper airway collapse during sleep. Recent studies showed that not only the anatomic factors but the physiologic factors of the upper airway also have effects on the occurrence of apnea and that the genioglossus muscle also plays an important role in the maintenance of the upper airway. A variety of therapies were performed to treat OSA, and among them the use of mandibular repositioning appliances showed reasonable results. But there is still a lack of research on the structural and physiological mechanism upon the use of mandibular repositioning appliances. The author selected 26(male 17, female 9) OSA patients that came to the Yonsei University Dental Hospital; Department of Orthodontics, and 20 normal adults (male 10, female 10) and took cephalometric radiographs of them in a supine position before and after the placement of the mandibular repositioning appliance to see the structural changes of the upper airway and compare the therapeutic effects between the two groups. W ~ also studied the waking genioglossus muscle activity in OSA patients and investigated the difference in the electromyo ram of the genioglosssus muscle upon the change in body posture and the use of mandibular repositioning appliance. Following results were obtained. 1. Among the cephalometric measurements of the upper airway structure, the length of the soft palate, maximum thickness of the soft palate and SPAS, MAS, VAL, H-H1, MP-H showed statistically significant differences between the normal and OSA groups, but the lAS and EAS showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups. 2. In both the normal and OSA groups, as the epiglottis moved forward on wearing the mandibular repositioning appliance, the epiglottis level of the upper airway increased and the maximum thickness of the soft palate changed and the hyoid bone also moved forward, but the lAS in both groups showed various results and the effect of the mandibular repositioning appliance on the structure of the upper airway was different in the two groups. 3. Upon changing the position, the electromyogram of the genioglossus muscle showed a increasing tendency but there was no statistically significant differences, and when the mandibular repositioning appliance were worn there was a statistically significant increase in the electromyogram of the genioglossus muscle in both the upright and supine positions. The mandibular repositioning appliances not only have an effect on the anatomical structure of the upper airway but also on the physiology of the upper airway. There are different responses to the use of mandibular repositioning appliance between the normal and OSA groups therefore it could be considered to have the different physiology of the upper airway between the two groups.