Mario Santagata

Comparison of two techniques of cinch suturing to avoid widening of the base of the nose after Le Fort I osteotomy.

All Le Fort I osteotomies have the potential to alter the dimensions of the alar base, and widen it. Surgical techniques to control this lateralisation of the base of the nose, including those of cinch suturing of the alar base, have been widely described and modified. We have compared two techniques of cinch suturing to try and prevent widening of the base of the nose after Le Fort I osteotomy. We studied 40 patients with skeletal class III facial deformities treated by orthognathic operations by the same surgeon. They were randomly divided into two groups of 20 each, one of which was treated with a classic cinch suture and the other by a modified technique. The distances between the nasofacial skinfold at the left alar bases, the columella, and the right nasofacial skinfold were recorded before and six months after operation. The results of the modified technique were more stable than those after classic suturing. In only 3/20 patients in the classic group did the suture prevent nasal widening, whereas in the modified group the number was 14/20.

Immediate Loading of Dental Implant After Sinus Floor Elevation With Osteotome Technique: A Clinical Report and Preliminary Radiographic Results

Edentulous ridges in the posterior maxilla are often compromised by reduced bone volume. This anatomic condition often limits dental implant placement of 10 mm in length without prior or simultaneous sinus augmentation. The osteotome technique is an alternative and conservative technique for sinus floor augmentation and immediate implant placement in the posterior region of the maxillary jaw. According to the relevant literature, the osteotome technique appears to be a predictable and safe method for augmenting bone at the sinus floor and to improve bone density and quality of the implant site sufficiently so that immediate loading is possible. A 46-year-old male patient was referred to the authors to replace the single upper premolar with an implant-supported crown restoration without interfering with the integrity and topography of the adjacent gingival tissues. Only one clinical study analyzed minimally invasive implant and sinus lift surgery with immediate loading. In that case report, the osteotomy was widened to its final diameter using a series of incrementally larger twist drills. In our clinical case, a series of incrementally larger diameter osteotomes improved bone density. This simplified treatment modality can make single tooth implant rehabilitation of the atrophic premolar maxilla region more accessible, and immediate loading is facilitated by improved bone density.

Nasolabial Changes After Maxillary Advancement

Background: Improving facial aesthetics has been shown to be a strong motivating factor in patients who decide to undergo orthognathic surgery. The nasolabial region is a keystone of facial aesthetics and thus is of central importance in planning and execution of orthognathic surgery. This article was performed to study modifications of nasolabial area after maxillary advancement. Methods: Forty-two patients undergoing orthognathic surgery were considered. In those patients, after Le Fort I osteotomy, only maxillary advancement was performed. Results: For each patient, several points in the nasolabial area were marked, and the distances between these landmarks were measured before and 6 months after surgery. Conclusions: The outcomes of this study show a general trend in the widening of the alar base with an associated shortening of the columellar length and lengthening of the base of the nose.

Single-tooth replacement in the esthetic zone with ridge expansion osteotomy: a clinical report and radiographic results.

Maxillary alveolar atrophy often limits the placement of dental implants. The bone splitting and bone widening by osteotome technique is a more obvious method for the immediate placement of implants in those cases in which the dimensions of the residual ridge are reduced by only a small degree. Few studies have been performed that are aimed at the radiographic results shown after the osteotome technique by a low-dose computed tomography scan and assessment of objective improvement of the bone density using Mischs classification. The aim of this clinical case was to analyze the radiographic data of the osteotome technique on the change of bone density and to demonstrate efficacy of the ridge expansion crest to bypass bone fenestrations of the buccal plate in the esthetic zone. The advantages of this technique for patients include less surgical trauma and a shorter treatment time.

A Modified Edentulous Ridge Expansion Technique for Immediate Placement of Implants: A Case Report

This case report is focused on the possibility of treating atrophic ridge with a reduced number of surgical procedures and a reduced healing time. A 43-year-old female patient affected by edentulism associated with horizontal resorption of the ridge was treated by means of a sagittal osteotomy and expansion of the ridge with the new modified edentulous ridge expansion (MERE) technique to obtain a wider bony base for ideal implant placement. In the same procedure 2 implants were placed and connective tissue graft, covering the bony wound, was placed to achieve keratinized mucosa. The implants were placed immediately after the split crest of the ridge and covered by a connective tissue graft. Postoperative recovery was uneventful. Within the limits of this case report, the MERE technique appeared to be reliable and simple, and it reduced morbidity compared with other techniques such as autogenous bone grafts and guided bone regeneration.

A modified crestal ridge expansion technique for immediate placement of implants: a report of three cases.

Atrophic edentulous jaws can pose a significant challenge to successful oral rehabilitation with endosseous dental implants. Although ridge augmentation can help to restore ridge volume, grafting procedures can significantly increase patient morbidity, costs, and treatment time, depending on the case, before dental implants can be placed. This article reports on an alternative technique used in 3 patients to expand ridge volume and place dental implants in a single procedure. A partial-thickness flap was elevated to expose the alveolar crest, and conventional implant osteotomies were partially prepared. Along the crest of the ridge, a furrow with terminal vertical releases 1 to 3 mm deep were created, and a bone chisel was used to deepen the furrow. Osteotomes were used to complete preparation of the implant receptor sites, and the implants were placed. Bony plates were stabilized through the use of resorbable sutures. Furrows more than 2 mm deep between the plates were augmented with a xenograft. Collegen membranes were placed over the sites, and soft tissue was sutured. Healing was unremarkable, and all implants were successfully restored. For these patients, the ridge expansion technique resulted in substantial bone reconstruction with little or no grafting. Long-term, prospective studies on this procedure are required before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

Lower facial contouring with botulinum toxin type A.

The use of botulinum toxin (BoNT) is well established in medical practice. The application of BoNT extends over many indications such as strabismus, blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, and others. Another indication for the use of BoNT type A is the masseteric muscle hypertrophy to obtain a lower facial contouring. Authors report the treatment of 5 patients with intramuscular injection of BoNT. A high degree of patient and physician satisfaction was noted after the treatment. Authors concluded that BoNT type A can safely be considered as a noninvasive drug treatment for patients with MMH.

Effect of Orthognathic Surgery on the Posterior Airway Space in Patients Affected by Skeletal Class III Malocclusion

IntroductionDentofacial deformity refers to deviations from normal facial proportions and dental relationships that are severe enough to be handicapping. These anomalies involve many aspects of patient’s life and are sometimes also associated with a reduction of pharyngeal air space. Through orthognathic surgery it is possible to treat dentofacial deformities: this kind of surgery has several effects on skeletal structures and it has changes, as it is demonstrated by many studies, also on the upper airways. The orthognathic surgeries commonly used to correct this deformity are the mandibular setback and the maxillary advancement procedures. This study aims to evaluate the effects of maxillary and mandibular surgery on pharyngeal airway dimensions in skeletal class III malocclusions.Materials and methodsThis study considers 76 patients, treated between 2007 and 2013 by maxillary advancement (11 patients), maxillary advancement and mandibular setback (39 patients), maxillary advancement, mandibular setback and genioplasty reduction (26 patients). Cranial latero-lateral radiography was used to compare oropharyngeal airway morphologies before and 1 year after surgery.ConclusionThe surgeon should consider bimaxillary surgery rather than mandibular setback surgery to correct a class III deformity to prevent the development of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome; in fact, bimaxillary surgery might have less effect on reduction of the pharyngeal airway than mandibular setback surgery only.

Tip upturning and maxillary advancement: the UT angle.

Improving facial aesthetics has been shown to be a strong motivational factor in patients who decide to undergo orthognathic surgery. The nose is a keystone of facial aesthetics and is thus of central importance in planning and executing orthognathic surgery. Authors present their way to forecast the tip projection in anterior advancement of the maxilla. In the sample, only patients who, after Le Fort I, needed an advancement of the maxilla (56 patients) were considered. For each patient, the upturning angle was measured before and 6 months after surgery. In all the cases, a good aesthetic and functional result was reached; there were no big complications. From this study, it is possible to note that the upturning angle decreased by 0.6 to 0.8 degree each millimeter of maxillary advancement.

High expression of podoplanin in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue occurs predominantly in patients ≤40 years but does not correlate with tumour spread

More than 30% of patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the mobile tongue have clinically undetectable lymph node metastasis. Tumour cells can spread as single cells or collectively. A protein known to play a role in both processes is podoplanin, which is expressed in endothelial cells not only in lymph vessels but also in some aggressive tumours with high invasive and metastatic potential. Here we studied samples from 129 patients with primary SCC of the tongue for expression of podoplanin using immunohistochemistry. mRNA levels were analysed in another 27 cases of tongue SCC with adjacent clinically tumour‐free tongue tissue and 14 tongue samples from healthy donors. Higher levels of podoplanin were seen in tumours compared to both normal tongue and clinically normal tongue in the tumour vicinity. No association was found between levels of podoplanin, presence of lymph node metastases or other clinical factors. Patients aged 40 or less were more likely to express high levels of podoplanin protein compared to older patients (p = 0.027). We conclude that levels of podoplanin in primary tongue SCCs are not associated with lymph node metastases. However, tongue SCCs arising in young patients (≤40 years of age) are more likely to express high levels of podoplanin than tongue SCCs that arise in the more elderly. The data suggest that podoplanin has a distinctive role in young patients, who are known to have a poor prognosis: these patients may, therefore, benefit from podoplanin inhibitory therapies.