RESUMO
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: The inferior alveolar canal (IAC) is a bony canal that starts from mandibular foramen at the inner surface of the mandibular ramus and extends along the ramus and body of mandibular bone in forward and downward directions to the mental foramen. Inside the mandibular canal, there are lower alveolar artery and a nerve with the same name. Understanding the anatomical details of the lower alveolar canal, including position, pathway and morphology to prevent complications in surgical procedures in the lower jaw such as mandibular impacted molar surgeries, mandibular nerve block injection, or even root canal treatment of mandibular teeth is important. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the course and direction of IAC in mandibular bone and its relation to anatomical factors such as gonial angle and location of entrance of IAC in the mandibular ramus. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study evaluated a sample of 280 digital panoramic images. All samples were Iranian. The pattern and direction of the IACs were recorded according to age and gender and the relation of these patterns to the gonial angle of mandible and the entry point of the IAC in mandibular ramus were evaluated. RESULTS: The results showed that the course of canal, the entrance point of the canal and the gonial angle were the same between different age groups and between two genders. There was no significant relation between the course of canal and the two anatomical variables mentioned (p> 0.05). CONCLUSION: Considering the increasing frequency of implant surgeries and presence of different courses of the mandibular canal and concerning the important complications such as paresthesia caused by damage to the mandibular nerve, panoramic radiography is necessary before any surgery in this area to avoid unwanted injuries to the neurovascular system if other advanced modalities are not available.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Recently, the radiation application research center for the atomic energy organization of Yazd (Iran) has developed a hydrogel dressing which was evaluated for quality and safety in 2008. Its efficacy for assisting in the wound healing process was approved for animal use, and its use has proven to be more effective than a related Syrian material. OBJECTIVES: We have already confirmed the safety and efficacy of Irgel use on mice (1, 2), so this study was conducted in order to further evaluate its effectiveness on human burn wounds, and to compare its efficacy with MaxGel, another hydrogel. A randomized clinical trial study was conducted to compare the efficacy of hydrogel produced by the radiation application research center (Yazd Branch) with MaxGel and routine dressing on burn repair in the Yazd Burn hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 90 patients with second-degree burn injuries who were admitted to the Yazd Burn hospital were randomly divided into three equal groups. In the negative control group, the wounds were covered with sterile vaseline gauze followed by double sterile dry gauze and ultimately bandaged. In the test group, the wounds were covered by an Iranian hydrogel sheet (Irgel) instead of vaseline gauze, while in the positive control group, the wounds were covered by MaxGel instead of Irgel. At each visit (every other day), each dressing was renewed by its respective method and the wound area, pain score, and body temperature were recorded. At the beginning and at the end of the first and second week, five milliliters of venous blood were taken from all patients to evaluate hematologic parameters such as peripheral blood cell count, liver function, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine. RESULTS: Before the intervention, the extent of the burns and pain sensations were quite similar among the different groups, but at the second week, the burn areas and pain scores for the Irgel group were significantly less than those of the normal control and the positive control groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, both gels assist in the process of burn wound healing and pain reduction more effectively as compared with routine dressing. However, Irgel had better effects on wound healing and pain relief than MaxGel, which indicates a better quality of Irgel for this particular kind of treatment.
