Lateral alveolar ridge augmentation using tenting screws, acellular dermal matrix, and freeze-dried bone allograft alone or with particulate autogenous bone.

This randomized prospective study evaluated the clinical benefits of using a corticocancellous mixture of freeze-dried bone allograft alone or in combination (1:1) with particulated autogenous bone for horizontal ridge augmentation and subsequent implant placement. Twenty-four patients with atrophic ridges received lateral ridge augmentations with particulate grafts placed around tenting screws and covered with a fixed acellular dermal matrix membrane. Thirty-three standard-diameter implants were successfully placed in 21 patients after a 24-week graft healing period. Three patients experienced early postoperative infections following the grafting procedure (12.5% of sites). At reentry, the allograft alone group showed similar average horizontal ridge width gains (3.33 ± 0.83 mm) to the combination group (3.09 ± 0.63 mm; P = .44). The mean graft resorption between baseline and reentry averaged 13.89%.

Substance dependence and chronic pain: profile of 50 patients treated in an alcohol and drug dependence unit.

Fifty adult patients with chronic pain and substance dependence were admitted to an inpatient unit for treatment of addiction without primary emphasis on treatment of pain. As a group they had received considerable medical attention for their pain, but relatively little for their addictions. When compared with a group of general medical patients, the study population showed MMPI evidence of considerably more psychopathologic characteristics. MMPI data and family histories of substance dependence did not differentiate the study group from a comparable group in a Pain Management Center.

Substance dependence and chronic pain: experience with treatment and follow-up results.

Fifty patients with chronic pain and substance dependence were admitted to the hospital for treatment of substance dependence. Sixteen patients left treatment prematurely and were noted to have been less flexible in seeking treatment options for relief of pain. Most patients experienced an improved sense of well-being with abstinence, but this was not reflected in pain rating scales. At 1 and 3-4 years follow-up, the group that completed treatment was more outstanding in its commitment to a course of abstinence from drugs and alcohol than the group that had not completed treatment and seemed to experience a greater improvement in overall functioning.