Efficacy of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy for Pain Management After Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery. A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain and swelling associated with the removal of the third molar (M3) adversely affect the patient's quality of life. PURPOSE: The study aims to measure pain reduction and analgesic use in patients treated with pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy following M3 removal and compares it to patients who did not receive PEMF. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, SAMPLE: The single-center study was designed as a randomized, prospective, controlled, double-blinded trial on a sample of patients with impacted mandibular M3 ascertained by x-ray orthopantomography and computed tomography. PREDICTOR/EXPOSURE/INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: The predictor variable is postoperative pain management. It was assigned randomly to each subject who received either PEMF or standard therapy. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES: The pain was quantified using a 100 mm visual analog scale and the number of analgesics taken. Each subject kept a daily clinical diary for 7 days, recording the amount of pain using the visual analog scale and the number of analgesic tablets taken. COVARIATES: The study covariates were age, sex, tobacco use, and Pell and Gregory's classification of M3s. ANALYSES: Student's t test was used, placing the statistical significance for P value < .05. The primary planned analysis was a 2-group, continuity-corrected, χ2 test of equality of proportions. RESULTS: The study sample included 90 patients, 47 men and 43 women, with an average age of 32.43 ± 8.80 years. PEMF was statistically associated with improved pain reduction (2.08 vs 5.04 with a P value = .0002) and consumption of fewer analgesics than the control group (2.6 vs 5.8 with a P value = .0062). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The study's results attest to the effectiveness of PEMF therapy in pain control after M3 surgery.

Electrochemotherapy as an Effective Alternative in the Treatment of Local Advanced Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Analysis of Treated Cases.

Advanced oral squamous cell carcinomas represent a major challenge for maxillofacial surgeons, oncologists and radiation therapists. They also account for a large share of healthcare costs. They respond little and/or poorly to conventional therapies (surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy). Electrochemotherapy is a new method used as a palliative treatment in patients with advanced cancer of the neck/head region who are not eligible for standard therapies. It combines the use of cytotoxic drugs with the physical principle of electroporation; it effectively controls the tumour locally and preserves organ function. To date, ECT has been little used for oral mucosal tumours, as this is difficult to access for electrodes. We report six cases of advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma treated with electrochemotherapy. This study aims to assess the debulking effect of cancer via ECT in patients with advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma. It also aims to assess the safety and tolerability of this treatment.

Effect of COVID-19 Italian Lockdown on Maxillofacial Trauma Related to Domestic Violence: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: This retrospective study aims to identify the potential reasons for the increase in maxillofacial trauma from domestic violence in the first COVID-19 lockdown and propose some strategies that could be effective in fighting it during any future pandemic events. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on patients with maxillofacial trauma who arrived at the Maxillofacial Unit of the Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro from 9 March to 3 May 2020, who were compared with those registered in the same period in 2019. Inclusion criteria were: patients of both sexes and admission diagnosed with maxillofacial trauma with or without bone fracture. Exclusion criteria were: patients less than 7 years of age, maxillofacial trauma that occurred outside the established period, and patients unconscious or with unclear clinical history. Patients were divided into two groups according to the mechanism of injury (MOI): "domestic" and "non-domestic" trauma. Both descriptive and regressive statistical analysis was conducted using a Student's t-test with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: The total number of maxillofacial fractures in 2020 was similar to 2019 (31 pcs in 2020 vs. 38 pcs in 2019). Before the lockdown, most of the trauma occurred in non-domestic settings (25% in 2020 vs. 76.67% in 2019), especially in road accidents (4.17% in 2020 vs. 20% in 2019). During the lockdown, most of the trauma occurred in a domestic setting (75% in 2020 vs. 23.33% in 2019), especially interpersonal violence (31.58% in 2020 vs. 14.28% in 2019). There were 7 cases of interpersonal violence recorded in 2020 (1 male and 6 female), compared to only one case (female) recorded in 2019, with a statistically significant p-Value (0.0475). Conclusions: The first COVID-19 lockdown has provided the opportunity to study the aetiology of domestic trauma due to interpersonal violence attributable to economic and social problems, all of which were aggravated by the impediment to requesting help due to the difficulty of contacting the services and the general slowdown in the ways out of violence. The analysis conducted and compared with data in the literature suggests the adoption of a proactive (and non-reactive) approach to combat domestic violence during pandemic events.

Extra-Nodal Lymphomas of the Head and Neck and Oral Cavity: A Retrospective Study.

Disease Overview: Lymphomas, both Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, are one of the most common cancers in the head and neck area. The extra-nodal variant of lymphoma is rare, but it is the most common non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (ENHL). Furthermore, it is difficult to diagnose due to its non-specific clinical and radiological features, which can mimic other benign or malignant clinical manifestations. The study: This retrospective study involved 72 patients affected by head and neck ENHL in the period between 2003 and 2017. All patients underwent a diagnostic-therapeutic procedure according to the guidelines, and a 5-year follow-up. Based on the location of the swelling at the time of diagnosis, patients were divided into two groups: oral and non-oral ENHLs. Statistical analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test. In addition, Fisher's exact test was applied to the two groups to evaluate and compare variances (the acceptable significance level was set at p < 0.05). Conclusion: ENHL with oral localization is much more aggressive than ENHL with non-oral localization, with a death rate of 40% (versus 4.76 for the non-oral one). In fact, between the two groups, there is a statistically significant difference in mortality, with a p-value of 0.0001 and 0.0002, respectively.