Efficacy of Buccal Infiltration with or without Palatal Injection for Posterior Maxillary Teeth Extraction - A Split-Mouth Randomized Trial

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of posterior maxillary teeth extraction buccal infiltration with or without the use of palatal injection. Material and Methods: A total of 70 patients underwent extraction of bilateral maxillary posterior teeth under 2% lignocaine hydrochloride with 1:2,00000 adrenaline infiltration in this single-centric split-mouth randomized trial. The test side was administered with a buccal infiltration of 2 mL of anesthetic alone. An extended waiting period of 10 minutes was given before the commencement of the procedure. A standard protocol was followed for the control side. A single operator performed all extractions. Results: A total of 140 posterior maxillary teeth were extracted. Patients marked pain perception on a visual analogue scale in three different instances. During the administration of injections for the test side, the pain score was less than that of the control side and was statistically significant. The overall pain during the extraction procedure was comparable and statistically insignificant. The overall success of the method was 90%. Conclusion: Extraction of posterior maxillary teeth was feasible with a single buccal infiltration without palatal injection in most cases using an extended waiting period. Dentists can attempt extraction without palatal injections with optimal success. However, the alternate technique could be used when there is a necessity for rescue palatal anesthesia.

Association of Impacted Mandibular Third Molar with Caries on Distal Surface of Second Molar

Objective: To evaluate the relationship of impacted mandibular third molars (M3M) status with caries on distal surface (CODS) of mandibular second molars (M2M). Material and Methods: A retrospective study on digital panoramic radiographs. Information on age, gender, eruption status of impacted mandibular third molars and mandibular second molars caries on distal surface were recorded. Winters' classification and Pell and Gregory classification were used to classify impacted mandibular third molars. The Chi-square test and Poisson regression were used. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 1497 radiographs were evaluated out of which 2704 sites were recorded. A total of 33.2% M3M were impacted and 1053 (38.9%) M2M had caries on distal surface. Among the total M3M teeth, 39.1% of erupted and 38.6% of impacted teeth had CODS of M2M. However, there was no significant difference in the distribution of CODS of M2M in erupted and impacted mandibular third molars teeth (p=0.796). As per Winters classification, mesio-angular and horizontal impaction types were significantly associated with CODS (p<0.001). Conclusion: All impacted mandibular third molars may not be associated with caries on distal surface of mandibular second molars. But, the angulation like mesioangular and horizontal, class I and II may predispose to caries on distal surface of mandibular second molars.

Application of Piezosurgery in Surgical Extraction of Impacted Mandibular Third Molars Versus Conventional Rotatory Technique: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of conventional rotatory and piezosurgery technique for surgical removal of lower third molars. Material and Methods: Twenty patients with impacted lower third molars (with no acute symptoms) were divided into two groups (G1 and G2) and evaluated clinically and radiographically. They were allotted alternately into rotatory (G1) and piezotome (G2). Parameters assessed were the pain, swelling, trismus, comfort, analgesics consumed, the time taken for the procedure, intraoperative soft tissue damage and any other complications. Findings were then tabulated and analyzed. Results: Findings of pain, swelling, trismus, analgesics consumed and tissue damage were favorable in the piezosurgery group. However, the time taken for the procedure was significantly more as compared to the rotatory group. Post-operative trismus, values from the piezosurgery group were found to approach normality by day seven while in the rotatory group, a significant difference was found to exist up to day 14, suggesting that patients tend to return to normal function faster in the piezo group. Conclusion: Piezosurgery was found to be a good alternative to the conventional rotatory handpiece in select cases where extraction of the tooth could be carried out with minimal bone removal.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography in the Assessment of Facial Fractures

Abstract Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of Ultrasonography (USG) in diagnosing superficial facial fractures. Material and Methods: Patients visiting our facility with facial trauma and suspected fracture of the facial skeleton, those who had undergone CT scans, and conventional radiographic examinations and those who were conscious and cooperative were included in the study. All conventional radiographs, CT scans and ultrasound examinations were done during 0-20 days after trauma in all the patients Results: A total of 20 patients participated in our study, out of which 18 were male (90%) with a mean age of 34.4 years (range of 19-75 years). Eleven sites of the face were examined bilaterally in each patient, i.e., a total of 440 sites. Of these, 84 sites were found to be fractured according to the CT scan examination whereas conventional radiographs detected 59 and ultrasonography detected 74 fractures (of which 70 were true fractures, while 4 were false-positive results). The sensitivity and specificity of USG in all fracture sites were 83.33% and 98.88% respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 94.59% and 96.17% respectively Conclusion: Ultrasound examination had a better sensitivity when compared to conventional radiography in detecting superficial facial fractures.