ISSN : 0376-4672
This study aims to understand the characteristics of the dental visit, and to evaluate the compliance with regular check-up of infants who visited Wonkwang University Daejeon Dental Hospital(WKUDH) from January 2008 to December 2017. A retrospective analysis of clinical data including chief complaint, visit route, performed treatment option and pattern of recall visit for 3 years after the first visit was conducted based on the electronic medical record. The compliance with a regular check-up of each individual was evaluated according to the intervals and the number of recall visits. Within 321 infants, 19.3% of the participants were under 6 months old whereas 80.7% were between 6 months and 1 year old. While the presence of natal/neonatal teeth was the most frequent chief complaint of infants under 6 months old was, dental trauma was the most common one of the infants between 6 months and 1 year old. The participants were classified into 4 groups according to the compliance with regular check-up for 3 years. The group which showed poorer compliance with regular check-up occupied bigger proportion. It is necessary to understand why and how infants make their first visit to dental clinic, which would be a groundwork to provide adequate clinical management and oral health education for the infants as well as their caregivers.
Vascular malformations are structural abnormalities in blood vessels with normal endothelial cell turnover, and are known as one of vascular abnormalities along with hemangiomas. Vascular malformations can occur anywhere in the body and are relatively rare in the oral cavity. It presents symptoms such as bleeding, pain, and swelling, and can cause functional and aesthetic problems. Treatment methods for vascular malformations include surgical excision, Nd:YAG and CO2 laser therapy, embolization and sclerotherapy. In this study, three cases of vascular malformations in the soft tissues of the oral cavity were identified. We report three cases who were simply treated using sclerotherapy with a review of the literature. Sclerotherapy using a sclerosant showed successful results, and known complications were not observed. In properly selected patients with vascular malformation, sclerotherapy can be considered as the first treatment.
The incidence of intracranial brain abscess originating from the oral and maxillofacial infection is rare. However, brain abscesses have been reported in immunocompromised patients, which may cause neurological sequelae with high mortality. Early diagnosis of brain abscess and intensive antibiotic treatment can reduce the mortality rate. However, as a clinician, early diagnosis is difficult, and there are limitations in the use of antibiotics. Odontogenic infection can be diagnosed and treated early using clinical examination and dental radiographs. Although the temporomandibular joint is an area that dentists are in charge of, it is difficult to diagnose an infection, and there is a possibility that it may develop into a brain abscess. The purpose of this report is to review the case of temporomandibular joint infection and secondary maxillofacial and brain abscesses in a 61-year-old female patient with systemic rheumatoid arthritis, and to report the importance of prevention and early diagnosis of brain abscess as a clinician.
Synovial chondromatosis is an uncommon benign lesion in which the synovial membrane within the joint forms cartilaginous nodules and loose bodies due to cartilaginous metaplasia. It is rare to develop in the temporomandibular joint, and may be accompanied by cranial base expansion or temporal bone morbidity. A 41-year-old male patient visited our hospital complaining of preauricular pain and crepitus. On CT and MRI, increased synovial fluid in the joint cavity, loose body, temporal bone erosion and cranial base expansion were observed. It was diagnosed as synovial chondromatosis through imaging and clinical symptoms. After arthrocentesis, the symptoms slightly decreased, and arthrotomy was performed for complete resolution of the pain. The patient's pain and crepitus were resolved, and no recurrence of the lesion was observed.
Sleep related breathing disorders (SRBDs) are a spectrum of diseases characterized by difficulties in airflow during sleep. Central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), sleep-related hypoventilation, and hypoxemia disorder are included in this disease entity. OSA is known to be the most common SRBDs and studies show its significant correlation with general health issues including hypertension, arrhythmia, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The relationship between cardiovascular risk and OSA is especially significant with systemic inflammation, intermittent hypoxia, and increased oxidative stress considered as the underlying mechanism. Previous studies show that oral appliance treatment for OSA has a positive impact on lowering blood pressure and such an effect is non-inferior to that of continuous positive airway pressure therapy. More recent studies also support the favorable effect of oral appliance treatment for OSA patients in the aspect of endocrine, psychologic disorders, and cognitive function. Furthermore oral appliance treatment for OSA is known to improve the overall quality of life and daytime sleepiness levels of the patient. The dentist who is experienced in dental sleep medicine can easily identify patients with the risk of OSA and provide appropriate treatment. The dentist should play an important part in the diagnosis and treatment of OSA which is inevitably connected to the well-being of the patient and better treatment results for various conditions. So the objective of this article is to assist dental professionals in gaining knowledge and insight of the systemic effects of oral appliance treatment for OSA.
Oral appliances are the main alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA). Treatment of OSA with oral appliance (OA) could provide an equivalent health benefit to achieve the best possible health outcomes. But not all outcome of OA treatment is successful. The challenge of predicting which patients will not receive therapeutic benefit from OA remains a barrier to the more widespread use of this therapy. This review summarizes some of the putative action mechanisms related to oral appliance effectiveness, side effects and its management, and on patient acceptability and treatment adherence are discussed.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic disease that requires long-term, continuous treatment. Considering the prevalence of sleep apnea and serious health-related sequelae, various medical and surgical treatments have been developed to achieve various therapeutic goals according to individual anatomy and patient compliance. Although CPAP treatment should be the preferred treatment, many patients cannot continue this treatment and alternative treatment is needed. Surgical treatment should be aimed at resolving the obstruction of the nose, palatal, retrolingual, and hypopharynx, or should be performed in the direction of increasing adherence to positive pressure therapy. In this review, the author will introduce various surgical approaches currently used when non-surgical treatment for sleep apnea did not yield positive results, and present research on the treatment results.
