Laser Hair Removal for Intraoral Flaps: A Review.

Importance: Laser hair removal is a noninvasive technique that has been used for patients with oropharyngolaryngeal hair growth related to surgical flap reconstruction after head and neck cancer resection. The purpose of this work was to perform a rapid review of the literature to determine the therapeutic relevance of laser hair removal and identify laser parameters. Observations: A total of 10 publications addressing depilation of the head and neck sphere were selected and analyzed. Conclusions and Relevance: Laser therapy appears to be a promising treatment for hair removal from flaps with few side effects. However, there is no scientific basis for a standardized protocol or determination of the superiority of laser hair removal over another treatment.

Biomimetic Coatings in Implant Dentistry: A Quick Update.

Biomimetic dental implants are regarded as one of the recent clinical advancements in implant surface modification. Coatings with varying thicknesses and roughness may affect the dental implant surface's chemical inertness, cell adhesion, and antibacterial characteristics. Different surface coatings and mechanical surface changes have been studied to improve osseointegration and decrease peri-implantitis. The surface medication increases surface energy, leading to enhanced cell proliferation and growth factors, and, consequently, to a rise in the osseointegration process. This review provides a comprehensive update on the numerous biomimetic coatings used to improve the surface characteristics of dental implants and their applications in two main categories: coating to improve osseointegration, including the hydroxyapatite layer and nanocomposites, growth factors (BMPs, PDGF, FGF), and extracellular matrix (collagen, elastin, fibronectin, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronan, and other proteoglycans), and coatings for anti-bacterial performance, covering drug-coated dental implants (antibiotic, statin, and bisphosphonate), antimicrobial peptide coating (GL13K and human beta defensins), polysaccharide antibacterial coatings (natural chitosan and its coupling agents) and metal elements (silver, zinc, and copper).

Contribution of virtual reality in oral surgery: A literature review.

Oral cavity care is very much associated with perceptions of pain and anxiety. Oral health practitioners have many solutions in order to reduce patients' apprehension, and an alternative non-drug technique has increased: the use of virtual reality (VR). The aim of this review is to highlight the contribution of virtual reality headsets in reducing anxiety and pre- and post- operative pain in patients having oral surgery. PubMed and Cochrane Library have been searched for scientific articles with MESH words «virtual reality ¼, « oral surgery ¼, « anxiety ¼ and « pain ¼. 8 articles were identified and 6 met the inclusion criteria. Among the 6 articles analyzed, 4 were control trials and 2 were methodological descriptions. 2 clinical trials found statistically significant results on the outcome measures of pre-operative and post-operative anxiety and pain felt. The use of VR in oral surgery seems to have an impact in reducing anxiety and pre- and post- operative pain, but more studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness.