Accidental Intraoperative Mandibular Fracture in a Third Molar Surgery: When Surgical Skills Are Mandatory in the Face of Empiricism.

Iatrogenic mandible fractures are rare complications from third molar removal surgeries. While most documented cases stress risk factors inherent to the patient and tooth presentation in fractures' etiology, appreciation of the risk factors underlying the practitioner's skills is scarce. Here, we describe an intraoperative fracture in a healthy 26-year-old female resulting from an incompatible surgical technique during the right mandibular third molar removal. The patient showed facial swelling, pain, malocclusion, and significant mobility of the fractured segment. The surgical management involved an intraoral open reduction with the installation of titanium plates for the fixation of the bone segments. Thus, we highlight that acknowledging the extent of the operator's surgical skills should be part of comprehensive treatment planning, serving as a valuable measure to prevent iatrogenic mandible fractures besides avoiding a traumatic experience for the patient.

Biosafety in Dental Health Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had quite an impact on dental health care. Concerns about the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through contaminant fluids and droplet formation during several dental procedures highly impacted dental health care, drastically reducing the number of dental practices worldwide. To monitor SARS-CoV-2 contamination in dental clinics, a longitudinal study was carried out during the return of dental practice at university. Methods: Dental health care professionals [(DHCPs); teachers, undergraduate dental students, and dental assistants] and patients were screened for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a dental school clinic environment from 11th January to 12th March 2021 (9 weeks). Serological testing was performed on DHCPs in two-time points. Additionally, samples with low Ct values were sequenced to identify the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant and possible transmission clusters. Results: We found a low number of dental staff (5.8%), patients (0.9%), and environment sites (0.8%) positive for SARS-CoV-2. Most positive cases had asymptomatic to mild symptoms, and two asymptomatic DHCPs presented prolonged infection. In the first week after previous exposure to COVID-19, 16.2% of DHCPs had IgM or IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and 1/3 of them had undetected antibodies in the last weeks. The variant zeta (P.2) could be detected. No cross-infection was observed between participants. Conclusion: Our study suggests that dental practice can be safely executed when adequate control measures and biosafety protocols are applied. DHCP and patient testing, patient telemonitoring, proper use of personal protection equipment, and sanitization of surfaces are essential to avoid SARS-CoV-2 cross-infection in dental practice.

Extra short 4mm implants used to rehabilitation of atrophic posterior mandible. A serial case reports.

Rehabilitation of patients through implants in areas with severe bone resorption in the posterior mandible is a challenge in implant dentistry. In this context, extra short implants configure a treatment option for this type of patient, as they can avoid increased financial cost, treatment time and patient morbidity. The present study evaluated the marginal bone stability in individualized extra-short implants for masticatory function in the posterior mandible. Using digitized periapical radiographs of 13 extra-short implants performed on 7 patients. The mesial and distal regions of each implant were selected, from the bone crest to the region parallel to the apex, and the bone stability of this crest was measured using the Image J software immediate T1 and 1 year after rehabilitation (T2). The height of the bone crest remained stable, showing no statistically significant difference between T1 and T2 (p> 0.005) for both the mesial bone crest and the distal bone crest in individual or united crowns rehabilitation. Marginal bone stability was observed in extra short implants, corroborating the biological and biomechanical stability of these implants presented in the literature. Despite the limited sample size and proservation time, extra-short implants are predictive treatment options for patients with severe bone atrophy in the posterior mandible. Key words:Extra-short implants, marginal bone loss, mandibular bone atrophy.

Use of the buccal fat pad as free graft for closure of oronasal fistula in a cleft palate patient.

Oronasal fistulas are frequent complications after cleft lip and palate surgery, with difficult treatment because of the presence of fibrotic and scarred tissue as well as the absence of local virgin tissue, representing a challenge in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The size of the fistula, its location, and the cause of the defect are important factors to determine the type of treatment and surgical technique. The use of pedicled buccal fat pad (BFP) for the repair of cleft palate has shown promising results, becoming a safe and effective method. On the other hand, the use of BFP as a free graft for oral defects has been rarely described in the literature. The current study is the first case report that shows the use of free graft of BFP in oronasal fistula after cleft lip and palate surgery and aimed to discuss the promising results of this surgical technique, suggesting it as a treatment option for anterior maxillary defects, when properly indicated.

Association between IL1B (+3954) polymorphisms and IL-1ß levels in blood and saliva, together with acute graft-versus-host disease.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is associated with morbidity and mortality in the recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants (allo-HSCTs). Interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) is a potent inflammatory mediator involved in different inflammatory conditions. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association of IL1B gene polymorphism in recipients and donors in cases in which acute GVHD (aGVHD) has been reported and the impact of this gene polymorphism on the level of cytokines in the blood and saliva. Fifty-eight consecutive allo-HSCT recipients and their donors were prospectively studied. Saliva and/or blood samples were obtained from the recipients and donors to identify the IL1B gene polymorphism, and cytokine levels were assessed by ELISA. Samples were collected weekly from 7 days before transplantation (day -7) to 100 days after allo-HSCT (day+100), for a total of 16 weeks or until death. aGVHD occurred in 27 individuals evaluated. A significant association was identified between the IL1B polymorphism in the donor and aGVHD development in the corresponding recipients. However, no significant association was detected between the IL1B polymorphism in recipients and the development of aGVHD. In the recipients who were diagnosed with aGVHD, the level of IL-1ß in the saliva and blood were increased. In the saliva, IL-1ß levels increased progressively from the time before the diagnosis of aGVHD until weeks after the diagnosis, whereas in the blood, IL-1ß peak levels could be observed within the time allotted for diagnosis, followed by a decrease in the levels. In addition, we observed a significant association between the IL1B genotype of the recipient (CC) and high IL-1ß levels in the saliva at week 13. In conclusion, IL-1ß could be considered a useful predictor of aGVHD development.