Traumatic Pediatric Buccal Fat Pad Herniation: A Report of Two Cases.

The buccal fat pad (BFP) is a specialized encapsulated adipose tissue, located intimately between the buccinator muscle and oral mucous membrane. A small perforation of buccinator muscle can lead to herniation of BFP into the oral cavity, which can be readily mistaken with a pathological entity. In general, the size of herniated BFP is larger than the perforation. The treatment options for BFP are excision or repositioning in its anatomical position if noticed early. This article reports two such cases presenting with herniation of the BFP, following trauma to buccal mucosa and its surgical management.

A simple solution to help with feeding difficulties in neonates with cleft palate: A case report.

Feeding a neonate baby with a complete cleft lip and palate is a problematic pursuit because of the communication between the oral and the nasal cavity and associated problems. This present case is of a 6-day-old underweight neonate with feeding difficulties due to the cleft palate. In this case report, simple, uncomplicated steps for the fabrication of a feeding obturator are explained to aid in the proper nourishment of neonates for definite corrective procedures in the future with overall growth.

Fluoride and its Implications on Oral Health: A Review.

This article aims to review the literature about the history of fluoride, its toxicity, prevalence, prevention, diagnosis, and management in oral healthcare practice. Fluoride is the cornerstone of oral health, playing a pivotal role in oral health. Fluoride can be administered topically or systemically. Topically, it is found in toothpaste, mouth rinses, and professional treatments such as fluoride varnish. These directly shield teeth from decay and strengthen the existing enamel. Systemically, fluoride is ingested through water, foods, or supplements, benefiting tooth development, especially in children. Nevertheless, responsible fluoride use is essential. Overexposure can lead to dental fluorosis, affecting tooth aesthetics. Consulting a dentist for personalized guidance on fluoride usage can help strike the right balance between oral protection and potential side effects, ensuring a radiant and healthy smile for life.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Pharmacovigilance and Materiovigilance among Oral Health Practitioners in India.

Aim: This electronic survey was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices among the oral health practitioners. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among undergraduates, graduated practitioners, and specialist practitioners. A Google Form that included a specified instruction format, informed consent with a clear description of the purpose of the study, and questions in different categories were sent through Whatsapp and email. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze responses. The association of knowledge and attitude with respect to oral health professionals was analyzed with the Chi-square test. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 570 participants. Thirty percent of participants encountered ADR related to the drugs available in the market and 33.2% of participants encountered adverse reaction related to materials used in practice. ADR should be reported as soon as it is detected, according to this study about 12.1% of participants reported the ADRs, and this reporting is primarily for patient safety. Almost 66.8% of participants perceived that dental products can cause ADR owing to a lack of information about ADR and reporting procedures, or due to fear of legal concerns. Only about 9.5% of the participants had previously attended an ADR workshop. Conclusion: Oral health practitioners have a general understanding of ADR; however, there is substantial evidence of underreporting and a lack of reporting system information. Organizing an orientation program and raising awareness about ADR reporting could help improve spontaneous reporting and better patient care.

Does Unidirectional Polyglycolide Caprolactone Barbed Suture Have Improved Outcomes Over Non-barbed Suture When Applied for Intra-oral Incision Closure?

Purpose: The choice of wound closure material may influence the clinical outcomes of intra-oral incision closure. Studies evaluating the application of barbed suture in the oral cavity are scarce. Hence, the present study was carried out with the aim to monitor and compare the efficacy and ease of handling of monofilament polyglycolide caprolactone (PGCL) unidirectional barbed and non-barbed sutures used for intra-oral incision closure in patients undergoing transalveolar extraction of impacted mandibular third molar and mandible fracture open reduction internal fixation. Methods: A prospective randomized open label study was carried out among subjects requiring intra-oral incision closure following mandibular third molar extraction and isolated mandible fracture fixation. The difficulty index of the impacted third molars was evaluated pre-operatively. Subjects were randomized to receive either 3-0 monofilament PGCL unidirectional barbed or non-barbed sutures. Incision closure time and ease of suture handling were recorded intra-operatively. Post-operatively, patients were monitored for incision healing using the Hollander wound evaluation scale (HWES) and intensity of pain using visual analog scale (VAS) on post-operative days 1, 3 and 7. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, Chi-square, unpaired t test and multivariate analysis using the IBM SPSS-PC software (v.25.0). Results: A total of 60 subjects completed the study protocol, who were randomized into two groups (n1 = n2 = 30), comparable in terms of age, gender and treatment (TAE = 51; ORIF = 9) received. The incision healing outcomes were significantly better (p = 0.016) with barbed suture using HWES on day 7. The mean closure time using barbed suture (142.50 ± 34.803 secs) was significantly (p = 0.001) shorter than that with non-barbed suture (204.56 ± 52.94 secs). The mean VAS for the barbed suture (0.97 ± 1.89) was less (p = 0.015, 95% CI) than the non-barbed suture (2.50 ± 2.91) on day 3. The suture handling ease was comparable between the two groups. Conclusion: Monofilament unidirectional PGCL barbed suture has merits over the non-barbed suture with regards to superior post-operative incision healing, reduced incision closure time (43%), lower post-operative pain and comparable ease of suture handling. Hence, knotless PGCL suture is a promising alternative for intra-oral surgical incision closure in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Materiovigilance of unidirectional barbed and poliglecaprone 25 nonbarbed sutures used for intraoral incision closure: An open-label prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: The adverse events of sutures used for the closure of surgical incisions influence clinical outcomes. Literature on the safety profile of the application of unidirectional barbed sutures in oral and maxillofacial surgery is scarce. Hence, focused materiovigilance was done to monitor and compare the adverse events of unidirectional barbed and poliglecaprone 25 nonbarbed sutures for intraoral incision closure. METHODS: In a prospective randomized comparative study, 64 patients requiring intraoral incision closure were randomized to receive either unidirectional barbed or poliglecaprone 25 nonbarbed sutures. Postoperatively, patients were monitored for any adverse events for 15 days. Causality association of adverse events with sutures was done using the European Commission directives on safety reporting of medical devices. RESULTS: Adverse events observed with unidirectional barbed suture were suture extrusion (n = 7; 21.875%) and suture discomfort (n = 3; 9.375%). While subjects who received poliglecaprone 25 suture experienced suture discomfort (n = 6; 18.75%) and knot unraveling (n = 2; 6.25%). The number of adverse events in both groups was statistically comparable (P = 0.78). Causality assessment of adverse events was probable for suture extrusion and discomfort with nonbarbed and barbed sutures, while it was possible for knot unraveling for nonbarbed sutures. CONCLUSION: Both types of study sutures were associated with minor severity adverse events when used for the closure of intraoral surgical incisions. Suture extrusion had a probable causal association with barbed suture. Knot unraveling was possibly associated with the nonbarbed suture. Both types of suture materials were equally safe in oral and maxillofacial intraoral surgical incision closure.

A Pattern-based Imaging Approach to Pediatric Jaw Lesions.

Jaw lesions in the pediatric population, although infrequently encountered in clinical practice, can cause functional impairment and cosmetic disfiguring. It is further complicated by the difficulty in diagnosis due to complex anatomy and facial developmental process during infancy and childhood. Intraosseous pediatric jaw lesions may vary from odontogenic to nonodontogenic types with nonspecific clinical features in most cases. They deserve careful attention by a systematic approach to provide a relevant diagnosis or differential diagnosis for timely management. Imaging plays a major role in diagnosis with orthopantomograph being the foremost investigation, followed by cross-sectional imaging, essentially computed tomography as a problem-solving tool. This article highlights the imaging spectrum of various jaw lesions in the pediatric population with a pattern-based approach for radiological diagnosis.

Metabolic regulation in HPV associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Cancer cells exhibit distinct energy metabolic pathways due to multiple oncogenic events. In normoxia condition, the anaerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect) is highly observed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). HNSCC is associated with smoking, chewing tobacco, consumption of alcohol or Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection primarily HPV16. In recent years, the correlation of HPV with HNSCC has significantly expanded. Despite the recent advancement in therapeutic approaches, the rate of HPV infected HNSCC has significantly increased in the last few years, specifically, in lower middle-income countries. The oncoproteins of High-risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV), E6 and E7, alter the metabolic phenotype in HNSCC, which is distinct from non-HPV associated HNSCC. These oncoproteins, modulate the cell cycle and metabolic signalling through interacting with tumor suppressor proteins, p53 and pRb. Since, metabolic alteration represents a major hallmark for tumorigenesis, HPV acts as a source of biomarker linked to cancer progression in HNSCC. The dependency of cancer cells to specific nutrients and alteration of various metabolic associated genes may provide a unique opportunity for pharmacological intervention in HPV infected HNSCC. In this review, we have discussed the molecular mechanism (s) and metabolic regulation in HNSCC depending on the HPV status. We have also discussed the possible potential therapeutic approaches for HPV associated HNSCC through targeting metabolic pathways.

Disfiguring Giant Odontogenic Myxoma of Mandible: A Case Report with Brief Review of Literature.

Odontogenic myxoma is an uncommon benign but locally aggressive tumor which exclusively arises from tooth bearing areas. We are reporting a case of a giant slow growing odontogenic myxoma of mandible in a 16-year-old girl causing significant functional and cosmetic problem. Giant size of the tumor has caused facial disfigurement, mental agony and foul smell, because of which the patient confined herself in the house and lived the reclusive social life. Tumor was widely excised and reconstruction done with titanium plate.

Does Hypoxia-Inducible Factor -1 α (HIF-1α) C1772T polymorphism predict short-term prognosis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)?

BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a cancer of the oral cavity that is a major health problem in India. There is an urgent need to identify biomarkers that have prognostic significance. We studied HIF-1α levels as well as single-nucleotide polymorphism of HIF-1α gene in cancer and healthy controls. METHODS: Fifty newly diagnosed OSCC patients and 50 age and sex-matched healthy control were included in the study. Serum concentrations of HIF-1α were measured by sandwich ELISA; whereas HIF-1α gene polymorphism study was performed using restriction enzyme digestion by HpH I. RESULTS: The major genotype observed was CC genotype in both control (84%) and patients (86%) followed by CT genotype (control 16%, cases 14%). CT genotype led to more aggressive tumors. On subgroup analysis based on prognosis, the median overall survival of patients who were treatment responders was 488 days (16.2 months) and that of the patients with progressive disease was 365 days (12.1 months). The patients who expired during the study observation period had median survival of 330 days (11 months). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that CT genotype for C1772T polymorphism of HIF-1α predisposes to aggressive tumor phenotype in patients with OSCC. Moreover, patients with CT genotype had poor survival rate as compared to CC genotype. A cut-off value of 460 pg/mL of HIF-1α can help to segregate patients with OSCC from healthy controls.

Complex composite odontoma associated with impacted tooth: A case report.

Odontomas are the most common type of odontogenic tumors and are generally asymptomatic. This paper describes the case of a complex composite odontoma in a patient who had an asymptomatic swelling in the maxillary molar region, along with the impacted third molar. In this case, surgical excision of the lesion was performed, and the impacted third molar was intentionally left in situ so that it could erupt to the level of occlusion.