Peripheral and central giant cell granulomas of the jaws: a retrospective study and surgical management.

This 18-year retrospective multi-center study analyzed data from patients diagnosed and treated for peripheral giant cell granuloma (PGCG) and central giant cell granuloma (CGCG) of the jaws from 1991-2009. Data included age, gender, the jaw involved, the area of the lesion, the type of surgical treatment, and recurrence. Thorough curettage or partial resection was used to treat CGCG (96.39% success rate) and PGCG (98.71% success rate) in this group of patients documented during the follow-up period (1-18 years).

Can flap design influence the incidence of alveolar osteitis following removal of impacted mandibular third molars?

This study sought to evaluate the influence of flap design (that is, modified triangular flap or buccal envelope flap) on alveolar osteitis (AO) and on healing following the surgical removal of an impacted mandibular third molar. A double-blind split-mouth clinical trial examined 17 patients who were candidates for extraction of a bilaterally impacted mandibular third molar with the same difficulty index; a modified triangular flap was placed on one side and a buccal envelope flap (control) was placed on the other side. AO and healing were assessed at three and seven days after surgery. Data were analyzed with the McNemar and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The modified triangular flap decreased the incidence of AO and expedited healing at seven days postsurgery. In addition, statistically significant differences were observed in terms of both AO and postoperative healing.

Surgical management of a complex odontoma associated with impacted maxillary first, second, and third molars.

Odontomas are mixed odontogenic tumors of the jaws with both epithelial and mesenchymal origins. These tumors usually are small and at times are disregarded; however, there are times when dentists will need to remove such tumors (for example, when they are symptomatic, when they enlarge or impede tooth eruption, when orthodontic treatment is required, or when they are associated with teeth that require removal, such as impacted third molars). Although odontomas are not uncommon and are familiar to practitioners, postsurgical complications may result if dentists are not aware of the potential pitfalls associated with the surgical removal of large maxillary odontomas. This article reports a typical case of a complex odontoma and addresses points and pitfalls concerning surgery to remove maxillary complex odontomas.