ISSN : 0376-4672
Members of dental academia are eager to embrace innovative tools for anatomy education. The proliferation of tech nological resources has facilitated the integration of virtual systems into dental and medical education. This is considered paramount for communicating the anatomical knowledge essential for safe and competent medical practice. Among these tools, three-dimensional (3D) anatomy models, virtual reality (VR) simulations, and haptic technologies are pivotal for educating students and training healthcare professionals. This narrative review discusses these topics based on published outcomes from the past decade, emphasizing their potential in anatomical learning and clinical practice, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Substantial interest and positive impacts have been reported by educators and students regarding the utilization of 3D VR. 3D VR enables precise and high-resolution representations of organ structure, vascular forma tion, and nerve distribution. It enriches anatomical, clinical, and radiological learning and familiarizes individuals with the anatomical and radiological features of real patients. Furthermore, 3D VR ensures the continuity of anatomical and surgical training through online platforms, making the strategic deployment of these devices especially pertinent during quarantine. Therefore, dental education and clinical applications using 3D VR, augmented reality, and haptic technology are expected to become an unstoppable trend.
Purpose: The objective of this study is to investigate the oral health of inpatients with mental disorders, providing foun dational data for future oral health policies. Materials and Methods: Oral examination results obtained from alcohol use disorder and schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients currently residing in mental health facility were used to investigate the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index and Community Periodontal Index score. Self-administered questionnaire record was utilized to categorize patients based on survey items, and the DMFT index and Community Periodontal Index results were analyzed. Results: As age increased, both DMFT and MT showed higher values. Schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients exhibited higher DMFT and MT results compared to those with alcohol use disorder. Longer duration of illness and hospitalization were associated with poorer oral health conditions. Significant differences were observed in oral health-related indices based on toothbrushing frequency, post-meal brushing, and time spent per brushing session. Individuals who had received dental treatment in the past 6 months and regular dental check-ups before admission demonstrated significantly lower DMFT and MT results. Conclusion: In mental health facility inpatients, oral health conditions varied based on age, types of mental disorders, illness and hospitalization duration, oral care habits, and dental visits. Overall, their oral health status was less favorable than that of the general population. Regular oral exams, oral health education, and hygiene management training for facility personnel are believed to significantly improve oral health in these patients.
Proportion of the elderly is steadily increasing, and accordingly, number of elderly care facilities for elderly support is also rising up. However, number of nursing caregivers for welfare services is not following the increasing tendency of elderly care facilities. In this study, we surveyed the oral care work fatigue and satisfaction of the nursing caregivers in elderly care facilities, and what the nursing caregivers think to improve quality of welfare services. Also, we analyzed the factors that have relation with self-care ability of the elderly patients in elderly care facilities to help patients care of nursing caregivers. The above can be summarized as results and proposals as follows. 1. Most of the nursing caregivers were engaged in oral healthcare. Satisfaction of oral healthcare work tended to be high, but fatigue of work and need to improve oral healthcare procedure were also high. 2. To make improvement, nursing caregivers argued that regular oral checkup by dental specialists in the facility is needed, followed by regular education of oral health care to nursing caregivers. This was contrary to the opinions of administrators, who rated regular education of oral health management to administrators as the most important one. 3. Nursing caregivers in elderly care facilities were actively performing oral healthcare, but they felt fatigue of work and argued needs to improve working environment. To achieve this, muti-disciplinary approach should be considered, including improvement of oral healthcare speciality, systemic improvement to ease the healthcare burden on nursing caregivers, and to bridge the gap of opinion between nursing caregivers and administrators in elderly care facilities.
Since 2019, orthodontic treatments of cleft lip and/or palate have been supported by the Korean National In surance System. Based on the national claim data, more than 30% of fixed orthodontic treatments were provided to adult cleft palate patients. Their maxillary arches frequently were deformed and collapsed, and sometimes needed arch coordination for alveolar bone graft. Therefore, the treatment progress for two patients with uni lateral/bilateral cleft palate was introduced, presenting improvement of inter-arch horizontal disharmony and dental alignment with fixed orthodontic appliances to enable iliac bone graft and implant prosthesis.
Cleft nasal deformity is most common sequel after cleft lip and palate surgery. The severity of the nasal de formity is usually decided by initial cleft state, previous operation skill and postoperative care. Secondary cleft rhinoplasty for unilateral cleft patient requires both esthetic and functional results. Understanding the anatomic defect and growth potential after cleft operation help to perform favorable secondary rhinoplasty. Surgical methods for deformed cleft nose are diverse and each methods have pros and cons. Closed or open rhinoplasty with or without cartilage graft and piriform augmentation are the mainstay for cleft rhinoplasty. The purpose of this study was to describe current concepts in secondary rhinoplasty for unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity. Sec ondary rhinoplasty for cleft patients requires an understanding of the anatomic situation, and the use of cosmetic and functional rhinoplasty techniques for its successful management.
Autogenous bone grafts remain the standard for cleft alveolus surgery despite absorption tendencies and donor site complications. DDM, derived from teeth, demonstrates promising osteoinductive properties compa rable to autogenous bone. This paper aims to introduce and discuss cases of bone graft for cleft alveolus utiliz ing demineralized dentin matrix (DDM) derived from teeth, highlighting the outcomes and potential advantages of DDM in cleft alveolus reconstruction. A nine-year-old patient underwent cleft alveolus surgery with bilateral bone grafting. To address volume limitation of DDM, the surgical procedure involved harvesting bone from the anterior iliac crest. Postoperative radiographic assessments at nine months revealed favorable bone integration in the cleft region. The study advocates for further exploration of DDM applications in clinical recommends.
