Histomorphometrical and radiological comparison of low-level laser therapy effects on distraction osteogenesis: experimental study.

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is the application of traction to the callus formed between bone segments and stimulation of bone formation by creating stress on the callus with this traction. Shorten the duration of DO and increasing the capacity of bone formation is important to prevent the possible complications of DO. For this reason, it was considered that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) may affect positively DO and it can decrease the complication range by shortening the period. Unilateral mandibular distractors were applied on 16 female white New Zealand rabbit to prove this hypothesis with micro CT, plain radiograph and histomorphometric analyses. Eight rabbits were applied LLLT with GaAlAs laser on the distraction area during the distraction period. On the post-distraction 28th day, four rabbits from study group and four rabbits from control groups were sacrificed. The rest of the rabbits were sacrificed on post-distraction 56th day. As a result of this study, significant positive effects of LLLT on post-distraction 28th day were revealed with all analyses. In histomorphometrical analyses, new bone formation was significantly higher in short-term laser applied group comparing to that of short-term control group (p = 0.029). In both microCT and plain radiograph, the highest radioopacity values were observed in short-term laser group when compared with that of the controls (p = 0.043 and p = 0.025, respectively). Even though LLLT increased the healing capacity on short-term, it was not sufficient on long-term (post-distraction 56th day) healing. LLLT application on distraction period, activate healing on bone so it may decrease DO period. The result of this study should be supported with clinical studies and the most effective laser source, dose and application time should be revealed with experimental and clinical studies.

The effects of first premolar extractions on third molar angulations.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the inclinations of second and third molars during a two- to 2.5-year period in patients treated orthodontically both with and without premolar extractions. Records of 37 first premolar extraction patients and 33 nonextraction patients were examined. The pretreatment and posttreatment panoramic radiographs were analyzed. The angles were measured between the long axis of the third molar and the occlusal plane and between the long axis of the third molar and the long axis of the second molar. Changes in third molar angulations from pretreatment to posttreatment for two groups were compared by Mann-Whitney U-test. Statistical analysis revealed that mandibular third molars showed an improvement in angulation relative to the occlusal plane in the first premolar extraction group.

Effects of lidocaine with and without epinephrine on plasma epinephrine and lidocaine concentrations and hemodynamic values during third molar surgery.

Lidocaine with epinephrine is currently the most common local anesthetic agent used for impacted third molar surgery. The purpose of the present study was to define the adverse hemodynamic effects and plasma concentrations of lidocaine and epinephrine on 17 healthy patients during the impacted teeth operations. Arterial blood pressure (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure), heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation range, and electrocardiography were measured by an automatic noninvasive pressure device and monitor. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to measure the changes of plasma concentrations of epinephrine and lidocaine from blood samples taken 5 different times during the operation. We concluded that lidocaine-epinephrine is effective local anesthetic and had no important adverse events in healthy patients during the third molar surgery.

Cemento-ossifying fibroma: a case report.

Cemento-ossifying fibroma is a mesodermal, slow-growing, benign fibro-osseous lesion of the jaws. A case of mandibular molar enlargement that was treated previously by other surgeons and diagnosed as cemento-ossifying fibroma, is presented. Two recurrences occurred 4 and 8 years after surgery due to incomplete surgical removal.

Factors affecting the antibacterial effects of Nd:YAG laser in vivo.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One of the main advantages of laser surgery is it's bactericidal effect which reduces the risk of postoperative infections. Several study designs have been set to investigate this effect. Aim of this study was to research if the bactericidal effect of laser tool was affected from several factors in vitro studies. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: To determinate and investigate the bactericidal effect of laser in an original model, alpha-hemolytic streptococcus, Bacterioides fragilis, Neisseria, Streptococcus salivarius, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans were prepared in 10(4), 10(6) and 10(8) inoculum and placed in Mueller-Hinton Broth which have five different proportions of sheep blood. Samples which exposed with various energy levels of Nd:YAG laser were spread on agar plates, and at the end of an incubation time the colonization counted comparatively. The lowest energy level without colonization was accepted as minimal bactericidal energy level. RESULTS: Highest minimum bactericidal energy level is used for alpha-hemolytic streptococcus and lowest values for neisseria. Bactericidal effect decreased on suspensions, of which population of microorganisms are high and hemoglobin concentration was high in the broth. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the Nd:YAG laser has a higher bactericidal effect when sheep blood is added to the media. Factors like population and type of bacteria in the irradiated suspension affect minimum bactericidal energy level.