How Far Have We Come in the Field of Nerve Regeneration After Trigeminal Nerve Injury?

Patients suffering from nerve injury with sensory disturbances or orofacial pain have greatly reduced quality of life, and it is a big cost for the society. Abnormal sensations caused by trigeminal nerve injury often become chronic, severely debilitating, and extremely difficult to treat. In general, non-invasive treatment such as drug treatment has been insufficient, and there are currently few available effective treatments. Surgical interventions such as end-to-end connection or nerve grafting have disadvantages such as donor site morbidity or formation of neuroma. There is need for optimizing the technique for nerve repair, especially for the trigeminal nerve system, which has so far not yet been well explored. Recently, tissue engineering using biodegradable synthetic material and cell-based therapies represents a promising approach to nerve repair and it has been reported that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) has an anti-inflammatory effect and seems to play an important role in nerve healing and regeneration.

Bisphosphonate associated osteomyelitis of the jaw in patients with bony exposure: prevention, a new way of thinking.

Objective There is strong evidence of a link between the use of systemic bisphosphonates (BPs) and osteonecrosis of the jaw, especially in cancer patients. Among risk factors for BRONJ, tooth extraction and immune suppressive drugs seem to have significant role on bone healing. Therefore, the importance of these parameters in development of BRONJ was reviewed in this retrospective study in two maxillofacial surgery units. Material and Methods From 2007 to 2012, 46 patients on bisphosphonate who had developed oral bony lesions participated in this study. The pharmacological exposure, comorbidities, maxillofacial findings, types of treatment and outcome data were collected from clinical and radiological records. Results The most frequently used BP was alendronate (67%). Tooth extraction was reported in 61% of patients with BRONJ. Systemic corticosteroids were prescribed in 35 cases (76%) as an adjuvant for BP. Patients on corticosteroids had a lower probability of bony lesion healing (p<0.05) than patients without corticosteroids. Of the 46 patients who underwent conservative treatments, only ten were completely healed (21%). Conclusions Beside tooth extraction, corticosteroids were shown to be an implant risk factor for low rate of bone healing and hence the development of BRONJ. The outcome of conservative treatment was uncertain and this emphasizes the importance of prevention.

Bisphosphonate associated osteomyelitis of the jaw in patients with bony exposure: prevention, a new way of thinking

Objective There is strong evidence of a link between the use of systemic bisphosphonates (BPs) and osteonecrosis of the jaw, especially in cancer patients. Among risk factors for BRONJ, tooth extraction and immune suppressive drugs seem to have significant role on bone healing. Therefore, the importance of these parameters in development of BRONJ was reviewed in this retrospective study in two maxillofacial surgery units. Material and Methods From 2007 to 2012, 46 patients on bisphosphonate who had developed oral bony lesions participated in this study. The pharmacological exposure, comorbidities, maxillofacial findings, types of treatment and outcome data were collected from clinical and radiological records. Results The most frequently used BP was alendronate (67%). Tooth extraction was reported in 61% of patients with BRONJ. Systemic corticosteroids were prescribed in 35 cases (76%) as an adjuvant for BP. Patients on corticosteroids had a lower probability of bony lesion healing (p<0.05) than patients without corticosteroids. Of the 46 patients who underwent conservative treatments, only ten were completely healed (21%). Conclusions Beside tooth extraction, corticosteroids were shown to be an implant risk factor for low rate of bone healing and hence the development of BRONJ. The outcome of conservative treatment was uncertain and this emphasizes the importance of prevention. .