Donor site morbidities of concha cartilage harvesting using a retroauricular approach for cleft rhinoplasty: retrospective study

Objectives@#Concha cartilage is recommended for correction of cleft nasal deformities. Morbidities at the donor site have been reported in esthetic rhinoplasty cases. Reports on cleft patients are limited, so we investigated the complications of concha cartilage harvesting using the retroauricular approach in cleft rhinoplasty and their management. @*Materials and Methods@#This was a retrospective review of the charts of 63 patients with cleft deformities who underwent septorhinoplasty with concha cartilage. All cases were harvested using a retroauricular approach. Data on patient demographics, surgery type, amount of cartilage harvested, and complications were gathered. @*Results@#Sixty-three patients were enrolled (21 males and 42 females). The mean age of patients was 20.2±5.9 years. Complications were observed in 6 cases (9.5%) and included delayed wound healing (4.8%), prolonged postoperative pain (1.6%), postoperative paresthesia (1.6%), and prominauris (1.6%). @*Conclusion@#The rate of complications associated with concha cartilage harvesting using a retroauricular approach is low. The use of meticulous surgical techniques, especially hemostasis control and adequate wound dressing, is key to minimizing postoperative complications.

Alveolar cleft bone grafting: factors affecting case prognosis

Objectives@#The goal of this retrospective study was to determine the significance and impact of several factors on the alveolar cleft bone grafting procedure. @*Materials and Methods@#The medical records were reviewed. In addition, x-rays were checked. The size of every cleft was measured in this retrospective study. The analyzed factors included sex, age, type of cleft, size of the cleft, and the type of flap used in surgery. The patients were characterized into group A (no complications, Bergland scale 1 or 2), group B (complications or Bergland scale 3), or group C (failure cases). Statistical analysis was performed with a P-value set at 0.05. @*Results@#There were 32 cases in group A, 26 in group B, and 9 in group C. Multinomial logistic regression showed an association between the type of the cleft and the size of the cleft, with the presence of complications, or achieving type 3 on the Bergland scale, with odds ratios of 5.118 and 6.000, respectively. The type of cleft was related to failure with an odds ratio of 4.833. Given a small sample, statistical analysis could not be performed to evaluate the relationship between the size of the cleft and group C. Age, sex, and the type of the flap were not significant factors. @*Conclusion@#The cleft size of more than 10 mm and bilateral clefts were listed regarding their effect on the procedure. Clinicians should not overlook these factors. In addition, patients must be informed of any risks that are present.

Alveolar cleft bone grafting: factors affecting case prognosis

Objectives@#The goal of this retrospective study was to determine the significance and impact of several factors on the alveolar cleft bone grafting procedure. @*Materials and Methods@#The medical records were reviewed. In addition, x-rays were checked. The size of every cleft was measured in this retrospective study. The analyzed factors included sex, age, type of cleft, size of the cleft, and the type of flap used in surgery. The patients were characterized into group A (no complications, Bergland scale 1 or 2), group B (complications or Bergland scale 3), or group C (failure cases). Statistical analysis was performed with a P-value set at 0.05. @*Results@#There were 32 cases in group A, 26 in group B, and 9 in group C. Multinomial logistic regression showed an association between the type of the cleft and the size of the cleft, with the presence of complications, or achieving type 3 on the Bergland scale, with odds ratios of 5.118 and 6.000, respectively. The type of cleft was related to failure with an odds ratio of 4.833. Given a small sample, statistical analysis could not be performed to evaluate the relationship between the size of the cleft and group C. Age, sex, and the type of the flap were not significant factors. @*Conclusion@#The cleft size of more than 10 mm and bilateral clefts were listed regarding their effect on the procedure. Clinicians should not overlook these factors. In addition, patients must be informed of any risks that are present.

The anesthetic efficiency of retromolar infiltrations with two local anesthetic solutions of the same concentration in lower third molar surgery

Background@#Mandibular third molar removal is the most common surgical procedure encountered in oral and maxillofacial clinics. It also presents the greatest challenges and controversies for surgeons when surgical removal is considered. Furthermore, diverse anesthesia results and success rates are achieved after using the same concentrations of different solutions or the same amounts of local anesthetics. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficiency of using double-cartridge (3.4 ml) 4% lidocaine (high concentration) and 4% articaine with a 1:100000 epinephrine infiltration in the retromolar region for impacted lower third molar surgery. @*Methods@#This double-blind study included 30 patients with symmetrically impacted lower third molars. The patients were randomly selected to receive 4% articaine on one side and 4% lidocaine on the other, as a local anesthetic for third molar surgery. The onset, duration of soft-tissue numbness, pulpal sensitivity, amount of additional local anesthetic needed, pain score during the surgical procedure, and duration of the operation were recorded. @*Results@#The results of this research indicate that 86.7% of the operations in the 4% articaine group and 83.3% of those in the 4% lidocaine group were successful. Furthermore, the outcomes in both groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Numbness onset occurred faster in the articaine group than it did in the lidocaine group. However, the duration of soft-tissue anesthesia and pain scores recorded immediately postoperatively were similar. @*Conclusion@#It is concluded that 4% lidocaine and 4% articaine had a similar infiltration efficacy in the retromolar region and both local anesthetics are adequate for impacted lower third molar surgery. There were no statistically significant differences between the two local anesthetics regarding pain control and the duration of soft-tissue numbness during the procedure.

Hemodynamic changes and pain perception-related anxiety after experiencing an impacted-tooth removal: clinical practice outcome

BACKGROUND: Dental fear is usually associated with hemodynamic changes. Fear of pain during the surgical removal of a lower impacted third molar might cause patients anxiety, thereby leading to avoidance of any future dental therapy. This study aimed to determine the effect of experiencing a surgical impacted-tooth removal on the pain perception-related anxiety and hemodynamic status. METHODS: Twenty-seven healthy patients aged 15–30 years (mean age, 24 years), for whom surgical removal of bilateral lower third molars was advised, were included. This prospective, randomized, controlled, split-mouth study involved operations on both sides of the mandibular arch, with a 1-month washout period in between. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured before the surgical procedure, during and after the injection, preoperatively, and postoperatively. Pain perception was evaluated using a 100-mm visual analog scale during the injection, preoperatively, and postoperatively after the numbness disappeared. Differences in the blood pressure, heart rate, and pain perception between the two appointments were analyzed using the paired t-test. For all statistical analyses, SPSS version 11.5 was used. RESULTS: The mean pain perception values during the injection and preoperatively showed no significant differences between the two appointments (P > 0.05); however, significant differences in the blood pressure and heart rate were noted before the surgical procedure; preoperatively, the blood pressure alone showed a significant difference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant decrease in the blood pressure and heart rate preoperatively; hence, experiencing a surgical impacted-tooth removal can reduce the subsequent preoperative anxiety in healthy patients.

4% lidocaine versus 4% articaine for inferior alveolar nerve block in impacted lower third molar surgery

BACKGROUND: No study has compared lidocaine with articaine, each at a concentration of 4% and combined with epinephrine. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of 4% lidocaine with that of 4% articaine, with a concentration of 1:100,000 epinephrine added to each, in an inferior alveolar nerve block for surgery on impacted lower third molars. METHOD: This study was conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. The randomized, single-blind, comparative split-mouth study was carried out in patients with symmetrically impacted lower third molars, as identified on panoramic radiographs. Each patient underwent surgery for the removal of the lower third molars by the same surgeon under local anesthesia at two separate visits, 3 weeks apart. The onset and duration of local anesthesia, intra-operative pain, surgical duration, and number of additional anesthetics administered were recorded. RESULTS: The subjective and objective onset of action for the local anesthetics showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). However, the intra-operative pain, surgical duration, duration of local anesthesia, and number of additional anesthetics administered did not show statistically significant differences. CONCLUSION: The use of 4% articaine for the inferior alveolar nerve block was clinically more effective in the onset of subjective and objective anesthesia as compared with the use of 4% lidocaine. Based on the pain scores from the visual analogue scale, 4% lidocaine provided more analgesia during the procedure, and patients noted less intra-operative pain than with 4% articaine; however, the difference was not clinically significant.

Decreased post-operative pain using a sublingual injection of dexamethasone (8 mg) in lower third molar surgery

BACKGROUND: Every patient who undergoes mandibular third molar surgery is concerned about post-operative pain. Indeed, previous researchers have used various methods to treat such pain. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of sublingual injection of dexamethasone (8 mg) to treat post-operative pain after mandibular third molar surgery. METHOD: This was a randomized, double-blind, split-mouth, clinical trial, involving 48 healthy patients who required surgical removal of two mandibular third molars with similar bilateral positions. All operations were performed by the same experienced surgeon. The patients were randomized into a study group (8 mg dexamethasone injection) and a placebo group (normal saline injection). Both interventions were injected into the sublingual space immediately after local anesthesia, 30 min before the first incision. The study group received an 8 mg dexamethasone injection, while the placebo group received a normal saline injection. The wash period between the patients' two operations was 3 to 4 weeks. Pain was assessed by recording the number of analgesic tablets (rescue drug) consumed, as well as by noting the patients' responses to the visual analog scale (VAS) on the first, second, and third days after surgery. RESULTS: The study group differed significantly from the placebo group in terms of VAS score and analgesic consumption. CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone (8 mg), injected sublingually, significantly eased post-operative pain after surgical removal of the mandibular third molar.

The efficacy of dexamethasone injection on postoperative pain in lower third molar surgery

BACKGROUND: Surgery on the lower impacted third molar usually involves trauma in the highly vascularized loose connective tissue area, leading to inflammatory sequelae including postoperative pain, swelling, and general oral dysfunction during the immediate post-operative phase. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of preoperative injection of a single dose of 8 mg dexamethasone for postoperative pain control in lower third molar surgery. METHODS: A controlled, randomized, split-mouth, prospective study involving lower third molar surgery was performed in 31 patients. The randomized sampling group was preoperatively injected, after local anesthesia, with a single dose of dexamethasone (8 mg in 2 ml) through the pterygomandibular space; 2 ml of normal saline (with no dexamethasone) was injected as a placebo. RESULTS: The pain VAS score was significantly different on the day of the operation compared to the first post-operative day (P = 0.00 and 0.01, respectively), but it was not significantly different on the third and seventh postoperative day between the control and study groups. There was a significant reduction in swelling on the second postoperative day, and a difference between the second postoperative day and baseline value in the study group (P < 0.05). Trismus was highly significantly different on the second postoperative day and between baseline and second postoperative day between the groups (P = 0.04 and 0.02, respectively). Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t- test were used to assess the significance of differences. CONCLUSIONS: Injection of 8 mg dexamethasone into the pterygomandibular space effectively reduced the postoperative pain and other postoperative sequalae.

The efficacy of dexamethasone injection on postoperative pain in lower third molar surgery

BACKGROUND: Surgery on the lower impacted third molar usually involves trauma in the highly vascularized loose connective tissue area, leading to inflammatory sequelae including postoperative pain, swelling, and general oral dysfunction during the immediate post-operative phase. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of preoperative injection of a single dose of 8 mg dexamethasone for postoperative pain control in lower third molar surgery. METHODS: A controlled, randomized, split-mouth, prospective study involving lower third molar surgery was performed in 31 patients. The randomized sampling group was preoperatively injected, after local anesthesia, with a single dose of dexamethasone (8 mg in 2 ml) through the pterygomandibular space; 2 ml of normal saline (with no dexamethasone) was injected as a placebo. RESULTS: The pain VAS score was significantly different on the day of the operation compared to the first post-operative day (P = 0.00 and 0.01, respectively), but it was not significantly different on the third and seventh postoperative day between the control and study groups. There was a significant reduction in swelling on the second postoperative day, and a difference between the second postoperative day and baseline value in the study group (P < 0.05). Trismus was highly significantly different on the second postoperative day and between baseline and second postoperative day between the groups (P = 0.04 and 0.02, respectively). Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t- test were used to assess the significance of differences. CONCLUSIONS: Injection of 8 mg dexamethasone into the pterygomandibular space effectively reduced the postoperative pain and other postoperative sequalae.