Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: diagnosis and management.

Increased awareness that changes in sleeping habits and daytime behaviour may be attributable to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has led many patients to seek both information and definitive treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide information to dentists that will enable them to identify patients who may have OSAS and to assist these patients in making informed decisions regarding treatment options. In patients who have identifiable anatomic abnormalities of the maxilla and mandible resulting in a narrow pharyngeal airway, orthognathic surgery appears to be an excellent treatment option.

Cleft lip and palate: a review for dentists.

The goals of primary closure of cleft lip and palate include not only re-establishing normal insertions for all of the nasolabial muscles but also restoring the normal position of all the other soft tissues, including the mucocutaneous elements. Conventional surgical wisdom, which recommends waiting until growth is complete before undertaking surgical correction of the postoperative sequelae of primary cheiloplasty, carries with it many disadvantages. If, after primary surgery of the lip, orolabial dysfunctions remain, they will exert their nefarious influences during growth and will themselves lead to long term dentofacial imbalances. These imbalances can significantly influence facial harmony. Unless accurate, symmetric and functional reconstruction of the nasolabial muscles is achieved during the primary surgery, not only will the existing dentoskeletal imbalances be exaggerated, but other deformities will be caused during subsequent growth, among which the most important are nasal obstruction and mouth breathing, reduced translation of the maxilla, dysymmetry of the nose and inability of the patient to symmetrically project the upper lip

Preparing for medical emergencies in the dental office.

If you discover an unconscious patient in your office, attend to the ABCs while you evaluate the patient's medical history and piece together the events leading up to the emergency. These actions will help you arrive at a diagnosis. Then as the emergency cart and team arrive, you will be able to provide good, safe care to stabilize the patient and get him or her to a medical facility.

Presence of impacted teeth as a determining factor of unfavorable splits in 1256 sagittal-split osteotomies.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of unfavorable mandibular fracture in sagittal-split osteotomies in the presence or absence of impacted third molar teeth. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective study evaluated 1256 mandibular sagittal-split osteotomies in two groups of patients: Group I had impacted third molar teeth removed during sagittal-split osteotomy; in Group II, the third molar teeth had been removed at least 6 months before the sagittal-split osteotomy. Statistical testing consisted of chi-square analysis of contingency table for p < 0.05. RESULTS: In 1256 mandibular sagittal-split osteotomies there were 24 (1.9%) with unfavorable fractures. Five of 24 occurred when third molar teeth were removed at the time of osteotomy and 19 of 24 mandibular fractures occurred when no impacted third molar tooth was present at the time of osteotomy. However, no significant difference was demonstrated between the groups. CONCLUSION: The result of this study suggests that mandibular fractures may occur with greater frequency when the impacted third molar teeth have been removed at least 6 months before sagittal-split osteotomy as compared with that when third molar teeth are removed concomitant with sagittal-split osteotomy.

Orthognathic surgery and the family dentist.

In general, orthognathic surgery is a reliable, appropriate and prudent treatment option to correct maxillofacial deformities that cannot be managed by nonsurgical means alone. Unfavorable outcomes are relatively rare, but the statistical frequency of these complications loses its meaning in those cases where they occur. If a complication happens to an individual patient, it represents a one-hundred per cent incidence for that individual. For this reason, prior to the provision of treatment it is vitally important to obtain informed consent, ideally by establishing the widest possible information base on which meaningful communication can be built for the patient, the orthodontist, the surgeon, and the family dentist.

Clinical diagnosis of caliber-persistent labial artery of the lower lip.

Only 14 cases of caliber-persistent labial artery of the lower lip have been reported to date. Six of these were misdiagnosed and treated as squamous cell carcinoma, another as a mucocele. The correct diagnosis emerged only after the wedge resections were examined histopathologically. We report the first cases of caliber-persistent labial artery to be diagnosed clinically since the original description of the condition by Howell and Freeman in 1973. Our first case was a nonpulsatile hard, linear, "gooseneck lamp" submucosal nodule of the lower lip. On the basis of an initial misdiagnosis of sclerosing sialadenitis, a biopsy was attempted. Brisk pulsatile bleeding proved the lesion to be an artery, and the superficial location and large diameter of the vessel lead to the clinical diagnosis of caliber-persistent labial artery. The "gooseneck lamp" hardening is typical of Monckeberg's arteriosclerosis. The second case was a pulsatile blue linear submucosal nodule of the lower lip. The clinical diagnosis of caliber-persistent labial artery was confirmed when angiography showed the lesion to be an abnormally dilated labial artery. Both cases were successfully ligated with no complications at 16 and 10 months after surgery.

Pterygoid plate fracture in Le Fort I osteotomy with and without pterygoid chisel: a computed tomography scan evaluation of 58 patients.

The incidence of pterygoid plate fracture as determined by computed tomography (CT) scan is much higher than that determined at surgery. This observation is irrespective of whether a chisel is used to effect pterygo-maxillary separation.

New developments in genioplasty: functional versus cosmetic.

Since the orthodontist is frequently the first clinician to be consulted for dentofacial deformity, an awareness of potential surgical procedures available to correct such deformities is imperative. Despite the fact that isolated genioplasty is becoming rare, the role the procedure plays in corrective jaw surgery is not diminished. Functional and cosmetic aspects must be considered in case planning and the flexibility of the procedure lends itself well to deformity correction in all three dimensions.

Duplication of mental nerve in a patient with cleft lip-palate and rubella syndrome.

A case of duplication of the mental nerve in a patient with cleft lip, cleft palate, and rubella syndrome is presented. The most vulnerable period of fetal infection by rubella virus corresponds with the critical period of development of the maxilla, mandible, and corresponding orofacial structures. The significance of duplication of the mental nerve is discussed in relation to the influence that this anatomic structure has on the growth and development of the mandible. The concept of activisms to explain such anomalies is reviewed.