Perception and Awareness of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Speciality Among Medical Postgraduate Trainees.

INTRODUCTION: Oral and maxillofacial surgery evolves around the head and neck region, and acts as a connecting bridge between medical and dental specialities. Little is known regarding the scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery among the medical postgraduates; good awareness towards oral and maxillofacial surgery among different branches of medical professionals is essential for better referral and, in turn, for the benefit of the patient. The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and awareness of oral and maxillofacial surgery speciality among medical postgraduates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 306 medical postgraduates of medical institutions associated with and without dental institutions. RESULTS: In this study, we found that there is a very low awareness of oral and maxillofacial surgery speciality in the medical postgraduates in terms of its scope of service and emphasis should be laid on the public image regarding this speciality.

Evaluation of use of distraction osteogenesis in mandibular retrognathia and its effect on soft and hard tissues and airway.

OBJECTIVES: Bone distraction is the process of new bone formation between the surfaces of bone segments gradually separated by incremental traction of soft tissues. These adaptive changes in the soft tissues allow for greater skeletal movements while minimizing the potential relapse. In this study, we are reporting our clinical experience with mandibular distraction used to achieve simultaneous skeletal and soft-tissue correction with distraction osteogenesis (DO). METHODOLOGY: A total of five patients who reported to the department for the treatment of mandibular deficiencies were selected. Cephalometric studies were done preoperatively and postoperatively for hard tissue assessment. Predefined reference points were used for the clinical evaluation for the evaluation of soft tissues. Results were compared between preoperative and 1st-, 3rd-, 6th-, and 12th-month postoperatively. RESULTS: The clinical observations in our study showed that there is a remarkable improvement in the facial esthetics. Cephalometric analysis has shown lengthening of the mandibular corpus and increase in the height of the vertical ramus. Certain minimal complications have also been noted. CONCLUSION: Despite the few complications, DO has become a popular surgical modality due to its many advantages.

Versatility of Dieffenbach's Modification of Weber Fergusson's Approach for Treatment of Maxillary Pathologies.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to evaluate the usage of Dieffenbach's modification of Weber-Fergusons approach in the treatment of lesions involving maxilla. STUDY: In this study five different maxillary pathologies were approached through Dieffenbach's modification of Weber-Fergusons approach. Partial and subtotal procedures were performed depending on the type of pathology and the extent of the lesion which was assessed both clinically and radiologically. The study evaluates the easy exposure of the site, post operative complications like scar formation and infra orbital nerve parasthesia. RESULTS: There were two subtotal maxillectomy procedures and three partial maxillectomy procedures approached through Dieffenbach's modification of Weber-Fergusson's approach. All the cases recovered well in the post operative healing period without noticeable scarring. There was parasthesia in three cases which subsided in 3 months. CONCLUSION: The approach through Dieffenbach's modification of Weber-Fergusons incision gave better visibility and accessibility to the lesions of maxilla. Because there is direct access to the pathology, the inadvertent resection of the un-involved structures is prevented thus minimizing the morbidity.

Serum biochemical markers in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) characterized by local and systemic effects of inflammation has a wide range of biochemical markers implicated directly or indirectly to its pathogenesis. In the present study, homocysteine, cortisol, adenosine deaminase (ADA), ferritin, malondialdehyde (MDA) and alpha-tocopherol in serum of RA patients and healthy individuals were estimated to assess if they contribute to the disease process. The markers of disease activity such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and rheumatoid factor (RF) were also measured. The study group included a total of 45 subjects, including 30 RA patients and the rest being healthy individuals. RA group showed a significant increase in the levels of homocysteine, ADA and MDA, and a significant decrease in alpha-tocopherol compared to the healthy individuals. However, cortisol and ferritin levels did not show any significant change. Also, there was no significant correlation between the studied serum markers and markers of disease activity. Our results indicate that these biochemical markers contribute independently to the pathogenesis of RA.

Condyloma acuminatum associated with odontogenic myxoma: a case report.

Condylomata acuminatum is a sexually transmitted infectious disease caused by human papiloma virus on the skin. The transmission is mainly by close contact with infected person and autoinoculation. In oral cavity the condition manifests as soft pink nodules which proliferate and coalesce rapidly to form diffuse papillomatous clusters of varying size. Odontogenic myxoma is a rare tumor of jaws which occurs in the tooth-bearing areas of the mandible and maxilla. It is an uncommon, benign, but locally aggressive neoplasm. This case report highlights a 17-year-old girl with two lesions in oral cavity with soft tissue growth on the palate which has been diagnosed as Condyloma Acuminatum, treated by surgical excision and a large swelling on the right side of the mandible in the same patient diagnosed as odontogenic myxoma where marginal resection was performed.

Status of oxidative stress in rheumatoid arthritis.

AIM: To assess the oxidative stress status in rheumatoid arthritis by measuring markers of free radical production, systemic activity of disease, free radical mediated tissue destruction and levels of antioxidant. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were used for all the assays. Total nitric oxide (NO) was quantitatively measured using immunoassay kit. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and vitamin E were measured by spectrophotometric methods. RESULTS: Statistically significant changes were observed in the levels of MDA, vitamin E, total NO and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in the patient group. Significant differences were also observed in ESR and vitamin E levels in patients with active disease. CONCLUSIONS: Increased oxidative stress status exists, which may lead to connective tissue degradation leading to joint and periarticular deformities in rheumatoid arthritis.