The effect of maxillary sinus floor elevation with lateral antrostomy approach on nasal mucociliary functions.

PURPOSE: It is aimed to evaluate the effect of maxillary sinus elevation with lateral antrostomy approach on mucociliary functions using the saccharin test. METHODS: The study was planned prospectively. 29 patients who underwent maxillary sinus elevation were included in the study. The age and gender information of the patients were noted. Saccharin test was performed in the nasal cavity on the operated side. Mucociliary functions were evaluated with the results of the saccharin test performed before the operation and the saccharin test results at the 1st week, 1st month, and 3rd month postoperatively. Comparisons were made with these values. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 42.10 ± 4.99 years. Of the patients, 14 (48.3%) were female and 15 (51.7%) were male. Preoperative saccharine test results were found to be significantly lower than the postoperative values. As the postoperative recovery period increased, a significant decrease was observed in the saccharin test results. However, preoperative values were within normal limits, while postoperative values were above the normal range. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, it was observed that mucociliary functions improved as the postoperative period increased in patients who underwent maxillary sinus elevation, but were still above normal limits.

Can Topical Agents (Arnica and Mucopolysaccharide Polysulfate) Reduce Postoperative Pain, Edema and Trismus Following Mandibular Third Molar Surgery?

BACKGROUND: Postoperative supplemental maintenance following mandibular third molar surgery remains an area of interest. PURPOSE: Topical agents can modulate inflammatory processes. The aim of the present study was to determine if topical application of arnica or mucopolysaccharide polysulfate (MPSP) reduces pain, trismus, and edema following the removal of impacted mandibular third molars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single center randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted. The patients were randomized into three groups: the control group (standard therapy [ST]: antibiotic + nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs twice a day), the arnica group (arnica + ST), and the MPSP group (MPSP + ST). The patients' pain, trismus, and edema values were measured preoperatively and on postoperative days 1, 3, 5, and 10. Sex, age, and operation time were also included. Analyses included descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, post hoc tests, and determinations of intraclass correlation coefficients. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: Sixty patients with a mean age of 26.98 ± 10.88 years were included in the study; 55% were females and 45% were males. The mean operation time was 23.8 ± 3.27 minutes. According to the visual analogue scale scores (in centimeter units), the arnica and MPSP groups felt less pain than the control group until day 5 (0.6 ± 0.88, 3.75 ± 1.16, 4.75 ± 1.29, and 1.05 ± 1.10, respectively, for the arnica group; 0.35 ± 0.59, 3.25 ± 1.62, 5.0 ± 1.65, and 1.50 ± 1.32 for the MPSP group; and 1.30 ± 1.17, 5.75 ± 1.37, 7.05 ± 1.10, and 3.15 ± 1.53 for the control group; P < .05). The trismus was lower on days 1, 3, and 5 in the arnica group (-8.05 ± 2.82, -12.15 ± 3.1, and -2.15 ± 1.81, respectively) than in the control group (-12 ± 3.82, -15.65 ± 4.81, and -4±2.81, respectively) (P < .05). The edema was lower on days 1 and 3 in the MPSP group (0.95 ± 2.2 and 1.75 ± 3.7, respectively) than in the control group (2.45 ± 0.9 and 3.6 ± 0.8, respectively) (P < .05). Arnica and MPSP had similar pain-relieving action, but arnica was more effective at reducing trismus, while MPSP was more effective at reducing edema. CONCLUSIONS: Topical application of arnica or MPSP may have a beneficial effect on relieving pain 5 days after surgery, but arnica was also effective at reducing trismus, while MPSP was also effective at reducing edema. Both arnica and MPSP reduced postoperative sequelae.

Effects of root-end filling on the fractal dimension of the periapical bone after periapical surgery: retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of root-end filling after periapical surgery on the fractal dimension (FD) of the periapical bone. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients who underwent periapical surgery were included in this study. The cases were divided into two subgroups: (1) In the gutta-percha group, root cavity and root-end fillings were not performed after root resection. In this group, there were 14 female patients and 6 male patients. (2) In the mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) group, the root end was filled with MTA after root resection. In this group, there were 13 female patients and 5 male patients. Each patient underwent two periapical radiographs, one shortly after periapical surgery (10-15 days) and another one 1 year after periapical surgery. Regions of interest (ROIs) located close to the infected root apex were selected for each radiograph. Periapical radiographs were digitized and processed with an FD analysis using the box-counting method. RESULTS: FD was significantly increased in both groups over time (p < 0.05). The increases in FD between groups were not significant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Mathematical morphology combined with the box-counting method showed that the FD change was independent of the root-end filling at the 1-year follow-up after periapical surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Because of the complex anatomy of the root canal, orthograde endodontic treatment may be inadequate and periapical surgery becomes an alternative in these cases. In this study, the effect of root-end filling on the increase in trabecular bone after periapical surgery was investigated using fractal analysis.