Obturator with soft liner in the management of hard palate defect: a case report

Maxillary defects are created following surgical treatment of patients with congenital defects, trauma, or neoplasm. Oral cancer is one of the more common malignancies if detected lately massive tissues will be excised surgically and correction will be challenging. One of the treatment strategies is obturator, the retention of which is a major problem. 70 years old female presented with complaint of difficulty in chewing, speech and unlike her appearance. Hemimaxillectomy [or transectomy] was done 6 months ago as surgical treatment of squamous cell carcinoma resulted in a huge hole on the right side of the remaining maxilla.The size of the defect was about 3.0X1.5 cm. Acrylic obturator was made. Soft liner [Mucopren, Germany] was added to the fitting surface of the obturator. The patient's speech, swallowing, mastication and facial appearance were improved. The use of hard acrylic base obturator with soft linear rendered the obturator more retentive and comfortable to the patient. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case to be reported in Sudan in a method different from those used by others worldwide

Prevalence of dental caries among type I diabetic children in Sudan

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic diseases in the general population. Dental caries is the most prevalent disease affecting the human race. The relation between diabetes mellitus and dental caries is in the ingestion of carbohydrates. The main objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of dental caries in type I diabetic children. 63 Type I diabetics from Ja'far Ibn Ouf Children's Hospital [Khartoum] and 63 control subjects with a mean age +/- SD of 13 +/- 3.19 years. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire and an examination check list including dietary, oral habits and DMFT Index [D: diseased, M: missed and F: filled Teeth]. Relationship between variables was tested by Chi-square with level of significance P< 0.05. dental caries of diabetic subjects was 60.3% with a DMFT index of 0.09, while that of the control group was 85.7% with a DMFT index of 0.20.The main dietary constituent consumed by the diabetic sample was found to be proteins [76.4%] while in the control it was carbohydrates [71%]. The relationship between DMFT and dietary constituents for the control group was found to be statistically significant [P=0.006]. DMFT and the number of daily insulin injections of the diabetic sample was statistically significant [P=0.046] The prevalence of dental caries and DMFT index were higher in the control group than in the diabetic children

Use of diode laser [810] nm in frenectomy

Frenula consist of a mucosal fold in the labial, buccal and occasionally the lingual surface of the alveolar ridge. Their high attachment may cause orthodontic problem eg. [Diastima], prosthodontic problems eg. [Poor retention of denture], periodontic problems [gingival recession and inflammation] and speech problem [tongue tied in ligual frenum]. The removal of frenum could be done by surgical excision using scalpel through different techniques eg. [Vertical, Z plasty and hemostat]. Modern technology now offers an alternative mode of treatment like laser surgery. eight patients [14-75 years old] with freni indicated for excision were referred for laser clinic in police hospital. Laser used was diode with wavelength [810] nm [Oralaser Jet 20 - Germany], energy 1.8 Jul/sec and frequency 10,000 Hz using PPR1 [pulse pause relation] program with fiber tip diameter of 400 micron in contact mode. Laser safety measures were followed. showed dry and bloodless field during operation, no post operative swelling, no pain or discomfort, with normal healing process. as these were first cases to be treated by laser in Sudan, we suggest and stimulate the use of laser for soft tissue surgery because of its time saving, patients comfort and easy manipulation