Assessing the Utility of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Posters as Educational Aids in Dental Education for Undergraduate Students: Is it Useless or Helpful?

Background: Educational posters play a crucial role in education, information dissemination, and awareness. Their visual appeal efficiently communicates condensed yet vital information on significant topics, making them valuable for teaching sequential concepts. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of educational posters in the oral and maxillofacial surgery department for student education. Methods: The study was carried out during the fall semester of 2022 at Mashhad Dental School, Mashhad, Iran utilizing a questionnaire-based approach. The questionnaire gathered demographic information and assessed students' perspectives on educational posters. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23 with a significance level set at 0.05. Results: This study was conducted on 70 students (35 females and 35 males). Gender-based analysis demonstrated significant differences in beauty, adaptability, and learning, with male students scoring lower than females (P values = 0.036 and 0.031, respectively). Further analysis by academic year unveiled higher beauty and adaptability scores among third-year students compared to second-year students, showing statistical significance (P value = 0.035). A two-by-two comparison highlighted that the average beauty score of third and fifth-year students surpassed that of second-year students (P values = 0.041 and 0.038, respectively). In summary, higher academic years correlated with superior performance, emphasizing the potential impact of educational posters on academic outcomes. Conclusion: Posters in the oral and maxillofacial surgery department received commendable ratings in various areas, positively impacting the teaching and learning process.

Piezotome Versus Surgical Bur: Which is More Effective in Reducing the Postoperative Pain and Edema Following Open Sinus Lift Surgery?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the piezotome versus surgical bur on postoperative edema and pain following open sinus lift surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a double-blinded split mouth randomized clinical trial. The subjects who were candidates for bilateral open sinus lifting in the posterior maxilla were included in this experiment. Each maxillary side was assigned randomly to one group, piezosurgery or surgical diamond bur for sinus lifting. Postoperative pain and edema were evaluated on the second and seventh days after the surgery, using the VAS scale. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. RESULTS: In this study, 20 subjects including 10 females (50%) and 10 males (50%) with a mean age of 50.87 ± 9.04 years participated. The mean duration of surgery in piezosurgery (240.13 ± 49.5 s) was significantly higher than the surgical bur technique (135.07 ± 43.53 s) (P < 0.001). Pain and edema were significantly decreased on the seventh day postoperatively compared to the second day in both group (P < 0.05). Pain and edema were similar between the two study groups on the second and seventh days after surgery. CONCLUSION: The results of this study depicted that the piezosurgery clinical outcomes were similar to surgical bur following open sinus lift surgery.

The Comparison of Utilizing Piezotome and Surgical Disc in Ridge Splitting of Atrophic Edentulous Maxillary Ridge.

OBJECTIVE: Narrow dentoalveolar ridges remain a serious challenge for the successful placement of dental implants. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of piezosurgery versus surgical disc on ridge splitting in the atrophic edentulous maxilla. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a double-blinded randomized clinical trial. The healthy subjects who were candidates for maxillary ridge expansion were included in this experiment. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: piezosurgery group and surgical disc group. The width of the bone in the surgical site was measured by surgical calliper before the osteotomy. The bone width was remeasured after ridge-split completion (before suturing) and during the implant placement (4 months later). Then data were analysed by SPSS software, and the P value was set at 0.05. RESULTS: The study sample size included 20 cases. Our outcomes showed that both techniques (surgical disc and piezotome) were effective in ridge splitting (P < 0.001). However, the average bone width which was obtained after ridge splitting was significantly higher in the piezosurgery group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that both methods of piezosurgery and surgical disc can significantly lead to increase in the ridge width. However, the piezosurgery technique was more effective in ridge splitting.

Herpes Zoster Induced Alveolar Bone Necrosis in Immunocompromised Patients; Two Case Reports.

INTRODUCTION: Herpes zoster Infection (HZI) is a viral disease with painful skin rashes and blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a strip. Osteonecrosis with spontaneous exfoliation of teeth in association with HZI of the mandibular nerve is a rare phenomenon. In this report, such an unusual complication of HZI is presented. CASE REPORT: The clinical course of a 53-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man with HZI associated with alveolar bone necrosis and tooth exfoliation were reviewed in order to develop a patient profile for this rare combination of physical findings. CONCLUSION: In immunocompromised patients, the clinicians should consider HZI as a possible cause of tooth mobility, exfoliation, and alveolar osteonecrosis, which needs early intervention to prevent secondary complications.

A Large Ameloblastic Fibro-odontoma of the Maxillary Sinus.

INTRODUCTION: Ameloblastic fibro-odontoma is a rare, benign, asymptomatic tumor. The term ameloblastic fibro-odontoma was first used by Hooker in 1967 as a separate lesion from ameloblastic odontoma. CASE REPORT: This case report describes an eleven years old female with large ameloblastic fibro-odontoma in the right maxillary sinus. CONCLUSION: There is a low potential for recurrence after complete Enucleation of ameloblastic fibro-odontoma, but due to the risk of ameloblastic sarcoma after recurrence, the surgery should be perfect along with a careful follow up.

Ameloblastic fibrodentinoma: report of a rare case.

AIM: This is to report a rare case of ameloblastic fibrodentinoma (AFD), including detailed history, histopathologic as well as radiographic findings. Her condition, a mixed odontogenic tumor, has rarely been reported in publications. We also included the gist of theories put forward regarding the histogenesis of this lesion. BACKGROUND: AFD is a rare and controversial entity; it boasts a variety of classifications and terminology based on its unique biological nature as well as histopathological features. CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient was a 13-year-old girl with a chief complaint of central unerupted tooth on the left mandible. Cone beam computed tomographic images revealed a mixed pericoronal and multilocular lesion surrounding the crown of the aforementioned tooth, displacing it apically to a large extent. CONCLUSION: It is important to differentiate AFD from other benign mixed odontogenic tumors with similar radiographic appearance because of different therapeutic approaches in some of these tumors. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: From the clinical point of view, it is of paramount significance for dental practitioners to assess any delayed tooth eruption (more than 6 months and in comparison with its counterpart on the opposite side) radiographically to ascertain or rule out any such similar lesions.