Morbidity of chin bone harvesting

The chin is a very common donor site for autogenous bone grafts. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate long-term morbidity of the donor site following chin bone graft harvesting. One to three years after grafting of local bone defects of the anterior maxilla with chin bone, 21 patients were recalled for objective assessment of any residual morbidity at the harvesting area. Morbidity as well as satisfaction of the patients were evaluated by a survey of the medical record, a mail-in questionnaire, and a standardized physical examination. The outcome of this study showed that there was good acceptance of the chin bone harvesting procedure. The objective morbidity was low, but subjectively almost half of the patients reported a changed (decreased) sensibility in the harvesting area. This subjective change in sensibility did not result in noteworthy complaints or discomfort by the patients, however. Although bone harvesting from the chin is generally considered as a good option for reconstruction of local bony defects, the patients should be informed about the potential hazard of a changed sensibility in the chin region.     

Hypersalivation, lesions of oral mucosa and generalized fatigue

In case of a combination of hypersalivation and mucosal disease that rapidly progresses towards becoming indisposed, one has to consider an underlying general disease. In this paper a patient with these complaints, who visited the emergency department of the Groningen University Hospital, is described. The patient appeared to be suffering from a specific form of erythema multiforma, viz. the syndrome of Stevens-Johnson.     

Rhino-sinusitis related to endosseous implants extending into the nasal cavity. A case report

Rhino-sinusitis may develop as a result of an altered airflow in the nasal cavity causing irritation of the nasal mucosa. A patient is presented who developed recurrent rhino-sinusitis complaints following placement of endosseous implants in the maxilla. Inspection of the nasal floor revealed that two implants had perforated the floor of the nasal cavity. The part of the implants protruding in the nasal cavity was surgically resected via an endonasal approach whereupon the rhino-sinusitis complaints disappeared.     

Syndromes 16. Osteogenesis imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta consists of a group of hereditary connective tissue diseases with fragility of the bone as a general feature. Frequently occurring other characteristics are blue sclerae, opalescent teeth, hearing loss, disorders of the skeleton, and hyperextensibility of the joints. Obliteration and the unusual shape of the pulp chambers may interfere with dental treatment.     

Behçet's syndrome

A dentist referred a 35-year-old woman to the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery because of recurrent aphtous-like changes of the oral mucosa and persisting pain. She also experienced similar complaints about her eyes and genitals. This combination of symptoms was suspect for Beh?et's disease.     

Secondary retention of permanent molars. II. Therapy

The efficacy of 5 treatment modalities for secondary retention of permanent molars was evaluated in 62 patients with 92 affected molars. The results showed that a prosthetic build up is a proper treatment if secondary retention develops late in or after the growth spurt. In these cases the extent of infraocclusion is slight and relatively stable. If secondary retention starts before the growth spurt, immediate removal of the retained molar followed by orthodontic treatment to close the diastema gives maximal success. When secondary retention develops during the growth spurt, the tooth affected has to be observed at six monthly intervals. In such cases, no active treatment is indicated if the extent of infraocclusion is minor and stable. In all other cases the affected molar should be removed, followed by orthodontic closure of the diastema.     

Wetting properties of human saliva and saliva substitutes

Contact angle measurements were employed so that we could study the wetting properties of human whole saliva and saliva substitutes containing mucins or carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) on human oral mucosa (in vivo) and on ground and polished human enamel (in vitro). A new approach was introduced for measuring contact angles on human oral mucosa in vivo. It was shown that the wetting properties of CMC- and mucin-containing saliva substitutes on human enamel were significantly better than those of human whole saliva. On human oral mucosa, the wetting properties of CMC-containing saliva substitutes and human whole saliva were comparable, but were surpassed by those of the mucin-containing saliva substitutes. Mucin-containing substitutes thus provide good wetting properties on ground and polished enamel as well as on oral mucosa.     

Sjögren's syndrome. Consequences for oral health

Sj?gren's syndrome is an auto-immune disease involving exocrine glands causing amongst others xerostomia and dry eyes. Many other tissues may be affected as well. Early recognition of this disease may help to alleviate signs and symptoms and is, thus, important. The aim of this paper is to provide the dentist with knowledge to enable him to timely diagnose the oral component of Sj?gren's syndrome as well as to give guidelines for the treatment.