Pain intensity and its objective determinants following implant surgery and sinus lifting: A 1-year prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: The main goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between postoperative pain and short-term implant survival. Objective parameters, such as implant-related factors (type, diameter, length) and the surgical approach were also assessed to correlate them with pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, single-center study consisted of 144 patients scheduled for the surgical placement of one or more implants either with conventional surgery or with sinus-lifting together. All patients were asked to complete a questionnaire form of pain with a visual-analog scale (VAS, 1-10) for 7 days following surgery. The association of pain scores at each time-point was assessed on implant- and surgery-related factors. RESULTS: The overall cumulative survival rate of 546 implants in 144 patients was 98.17 % (10 implants lost) after 1-year follow-up. No statistical difference was found in pain (VAS) scores between patients with loss and survived implants at any observation period. The length and diameter of placed implants and the presence of a sinus-lifting procedure did not influence the pain scores at any period (P > 0.05). In patients with bilateral sinus lifting, the decrease in pain scores was significant after 3 days (P < 0.05), whereas it was significant after 6 hours for the conventionally treated group (P < 0.01). Although no severe pain was reported at any time, this study found a significant difference in pain intensities among different implant brands. CONCLUSIONS: This study was able to show that increased postoperative pain is not a sign of early implant failure. In addition to this, the implant dimensions and presence of sinus lifting procedure did not influence the pain experience. However, the bilateral sinus lifting prolongs the recovery time.

Large central osteoma of the maxillary antrum.

The aim of this report is to describe a case presenting with complaints of orbital pain, altered facial sensation, nasal obstruction and unilateral spontaneous nose bleeding. Panoramic radiography and computerized tomography disclosed a large pedunculated heterogeneous mineral opacity with two impacted molar teeth invading the maxillary sinus. The patient was operated on under general anaesthesia. Microscopic examination of the surgical specimen revealed relatively dense, compact bone with sparse marrow tissue that was diagnosed as osteoma. Clinical characteristics and biological behaviour of this lesion were evaluated with special regard to the reliability of imaging modalities and surgical procedures.

Radiological evaluation of sinus lift operation: what the general radiologist needs to know.

This article provides an overview of the sinus lift operation, including radiographic evaluation of the procedure. Plain radiographs such as dental or panoramic radiographs have conventionally been used to measure the bone volume in the operation site, but full three-dimensional assessment of the region before and after the sinus lift operation is advisable both to allow planning of the lift and to see the results of it. The general radiologists sometimes misinterpret the graft material used in sinus lift cases as odontogenic tumour or some other pathology. The aim of this article is to put an end to this wrong interpretation and to familiarize the general radiologist with pre-operative and post-operative imaging of sinus lift cases.

Intra-articular injection of tenoxicam in rats: assessment of the local effects on the articular cartilage and synovium.

This study investigated the possible local adverse effects of intra-articular administration of tenoxicam in the rat knee joint. A total of 50 rats were given 0.25 ml of a standard preparation of tenoxicam by injection into the right knee joint and 0.25 ml of 0.9% saline solution by injection into the left knee joint as a control. Groups of 10 rats were killed 24 h, 48 h, 7 days, 14 days and 21 days after tenoxicam administration. Two rats were sham operated; one was killed on the first day and the other on the second day after this procedure. All the joints were prepared and sectioned for histological examination. Tissue loss and oedema were observed in the specimens obtained 24 h and 48 h after treatment with tenoxicam. No pathological changes were observed in the 7-day, 14-day and 21-day specimens, or in the control joints. Caution should be exercised when using intra-articular tenoxicam for post-operative analgesia.

Radiologic and histomorphometric evaluation of maxillary sinus grafting with alloplastic graft materials.

BACKGROUND: Sinus lifting procedures are widely used to obtain adequate bony support for implant placement at the atrophic maxillae. The aim of this study was to compare various sinus lifting and grafting techniques and materials. METHODS: Nine maxillae were treated with delayed and 46 maxillae with immediate implant placement techniques. A total of 104 implants were inserted. Panoramic radiographs were obtained prior to, after, and 6 to 8 months after surgery. Computed tomographies were also taken before and after surgery. The height of new bone was compared. Biopsy specimens were obtained during delayed implant placement and analyzed histomorphologically. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the panoramic radiographs for delayed and immediately placed implants, or between the graft materials. We observed correlations between the panoramic radiographs and computerized tomographies. CONCLUSION: Both delayed and immediate placement of implants can be used safely for sinus lifting. There were no statistically significant differences between the various graft materials.