A Comparative Clinical Evaluation of the Buccal Fat Pad and Extended Nasolabial Flap in the Reconstruction of the Surgical Defect in Oral Submucous Fibrosis Patients.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of locally available nasolabial and buccal fat pad flaps for increasing postoperative mouth opening in the reconstruction of the defect created after fiberotomy in surgically treated cases of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 32 patients selected for the study, 21 patients underwent closure of the surgical defect using the buccal fat pad (group 1) and 11 patients underwent closure of the surgical defect using a nasolabial flap (group 2). Histologically proven cases of OSMF with a mouth opening no larger than 25 mm were included in the study. Patients in groups 1 and 2 were evaluated at regular intervals and mouth opening was documented preoperatively, intraoperatively, and at 3 and 6 months of follow-up. The results were analyzed by paired and unpaired t tests. RESULTS: In groups 1 and 2, mouth opening differed substantially at all periods of follow-up from preoperative values. At 3-month follow-up, mean mouth opening increased to 32.41 mm in group 2 compared with 30.47 in group 1. No relevant difference was observed in mouth opening between groups 1 and 2 at the end of 6 months. The effective increase in mouth opening at the end of 6 months compared with the preoperative value was statistically different in group 2 (mean increase, 24.2 mm) compared with group 1 (mean increase, 19.2 mm). CONCLUSION: Nasolabial flaps are a good option for the coverage of surgically treated defects in OSMF compared with the buccal fat pad.

Sodium hyaluronate: an effective adjunct in temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis.

BACKGROUND: Internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most common forms of temporomandibular disorders. The minimally invasive treatments such as arthrocentesis as well as arthroscopic lysis and lavage are often used as a first-line surgical treatment or in conjunction with nonsurgical modalities with low morbidity and high efficacy. Sodium hyaluronate (SH) has been proposed as an alternative therapeutic agent with similar therapeutic effects. OBJECTIVE: A prospective study was carried out for evaluation of efficacy of TMJ arthrocentesis with and without injection of SH in management of internal derangements. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 30 patients suffering from internal derangement of TMJ were selected for this study. Patients were randomly divided into the following two groups: group 1-arthrocentesis-only group and group 2-arthrocentesis + SH group. Each group constituted 15 patients. RESULTS: Six-month postoperative mean mouth opening (MMO) increase was 13.61 ± 1.64 and 15.53 ± 3.01 mm in group 1 and group 2, respectively. At 6 months, there was marked improvement in masticatory efficiency with mean increase of 5.07 ± 0.13 in group 1 and 6.40 ± 0.04 in group 2. Mean pain reduction was 5.27 ± 0.67 and 6.48 ± 0.44 in group 1 and group 2, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although our series comprised a limited number of cases and a short follow-up period, initial results suggested that arthrocentesis with SH injection seemed to be superior to art.

Surgical defect coverage in oral submucous fibrosis patients with single-stage extended nasolabial flap.

PURPOSE: Long standing oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is associated with involvement of the oral submucosa and the muscles of mastication leading to difficulty in mouth opening. Various surgical modalities are mentioned for release but each has its own limitations. The aim of the study was to evaluate the postoperative mouth opening in patients of OSMF after excision of fibrous bands followed by coronoidotomy and surgical defect coverage by extended nasolabial flap. METHODS: We evaluated the use of extended nasolabial flaps and coronoidectomy in the management of 11 randomly selected patients with histologically confirmed oral submucous fibrosis. They all had interincisal opening of less than 25 mm and were treated by bilateral release of fibrous bands, coronoidectomy or coronoidotomy, and extended grafting with a nasolabial flap. RESULT: Their interincisal opening improved significantly from a mean of 8.68±7 mm to a mean of 36.75±4.05 mm at 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: The procedure was effective in the management of patients with oral submucous fibrosis, the main disadvantage being the extraoral scars.

Unilateral coronoid hyperplasia treated by coronoidectomy using a transzygomatic approach.

Coronoid hyperplasia is a rare disorder, which effectively is a mechanical problem associated with limited mouth opening. In some cases, enlarged coronoid pushes the zygoma forward causing facial asymmetry. This article looks at the case of a 15-year-old boy reporting in OPD of Government College of Dentistry, Indore, with chief complaint of facial asymmetry. Transzygomatic approach was taken to get proper access to the enlarged coronoid. Coronoidectomy was performed which significantly reduced facial asymmetry. Postoperative healing was uneventful and recurrence was not reported.

Analysis of mutations of the PITX2 transcription factor found in patients with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome.

PURPOSE: To assess the effects of previously uncharacterized PITX2 missense mutations found in patients with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome and to determine the functional roles of the C-terminal region of PITX2. METHODS: Recombinant PITX2 proteins were analyzed with the use of cellular immunofluorescence, electrophoretic mobility shift, reporter transactivation, and protein half-life assays in human trabecular meshwork cells. RESULTS: Two homeobox mutations, R43W and R90C, resulted in severely reduced DNA-binding and transcriptional activation despite normal nuclear localization. L105V, located C-terminal to the homeodomain, resulted in normal localization, reporter gene transactivation, and protein half-life, but with an altered mobility shift pattern of protein-DNA complexes. N108T, also located C-terminal to the homeodomain, resulted in an altered mobility shift pattern and with slightly increased reporter transactivation and shortened protein half-life. The PITX2 C-terminal region contains at least three domains, each with distinct modulating effects on reporter transactivation. CONCLUSIONS: PITX2 homeobox mutations predictably resulted in decreased function of the protein. However, the two C-terminal mutations exhibited only subtle defects on PITX2 transactivation and protein-DNA binding, suggesting that ocular development is sensitive to even slight alterations of PITX2 function. The C-terminal mutations L105V and N108T lie in a domain that inhibits PITX2 transcriptional activation. These two mutations produce electrophoretic mobility shift assay patterns representing altered protein-DNA interactions that may be important for accurate target gene selection. Additionally, N108T resulted in a less stable PITX2 mutant protein with elevated activity that may result in stochastic dysregulation during critical stages of development. Together, the results clearly indicate that stringent control of PITX2 is required for normal ocular development and function.

A review of anterior segment dysgeneses.

The anterior segment dysgeneses are an ill-defined group of ocular developmental abnormalities that share some common features and have a high prevalence of glaucoma. Current classification of what are and what are not anterior segment dysgeneses seems to vary and our knowledge of them is incomplete. As the limits of classical clinical medicine based on evaluation of signs and symptoms are reached, further advancements increasingly will come from molecular medicine and genetics. In this article we review the normal and abnormal development of the anterior segment (concentrating primarily upon neural crest derived dysgeneses), describe the various clinical entities produced and their diagnosis, and discuss the current knowledge of the genetics of these disorders. We also suggest a new approach to the classification of anterior segment dysgeneses, based upon the embryological contribution to the formation of the anterior segment of the eye.

A novel homeobox mutation in the PITX2 gene in a family with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome associated with brain, ocular, and dental phenotypes.

Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome (ARS) is a genetically heterogeneous birth defect characterized by malformation of the anterior segment of the eye associated with glaucoma. Mutation of the PITX2 homeobox gene has been identified as a cause of ARS. We report a novel Arg5Trp missense mutation in the PITX2 homeodomain, which is associated with brain abnormalities. One patient had a small sella turcica likely to reflect hypoplasia of the pituitary gland and consistent with the critical role identified for Pitx2 in pituitary development in mice. Two patients had an enlarged cisterna magna, one with a malformed cerebellum, and two had executive skills deficits one in isolation and one in association with a below average intellectual capacity. The mutation caused a typical ARS ocular phenotype. All affected had iris hypoplasia, anterior iris to corneal adhesions, and corectopia. The ocular phenotype varied significantly in severity and showed some asymmetry. All affected also had redundant peri-umbilical skin, a hypoplastic maxilla, microdontia, and hypodontia missing between 20 and 27 teeth with an unusual pattern of tooth loss. Dental phenotypes were documented as they are often poorly characterized in ARS patients. All affected individuals showed an absence of first permanent molars with variable absence of other rarely absent teeth: the permanent upper central incisors, maxillary and mandibular first and second molars, and the mandibular canines. Based on the distinctive dental anomalies, we suggest that the dental phenotype can assist in predicting the presence of a PITX2 mutation and the possibility of brain abnormalities.