Ozkan Miloglu

Dentigerous cyst associated with an ectopic tooth in the maxillary sinus: a report of 3 cases and review of the literature.

Dentigerous cysts are benign odontogenic cysts that are associated with the crowns of permanent teeth. Dentigerous cysts surrounding impacted teeth often displace teeth into ectopic positions. In the maxilla, these teeth are often displaced into the maxillary sinus. We report 3 cases of dentigerous cysts associated with an ectopic tooth in the maxillary sinus and review the literature reports of this condition over the past 29 years.

Comparison of the sensitivity for detecting foreign bodies among conventional plain radiography, computed tomography and ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity for detecting foreign bodies among conventional plain radiography, CT and ultrasonography in in vitro models. METHODS Seven different materials were selected as foreign bodies with dimensions of approximately 1 x 1 x 0.1 cm. These materials were metal, glass, wood, stone, acrylic, graphite and Bakelite. These foreign bodies were placed into a sheeps head between the corpus mandible and muscle, in the tongue and in the maxillary sinus. Conventional plain radiography, CT and ultrasonography imaging methods were compared to investigate their sensitivity for detecting these foreign bodies. RESULTS Metal, glass and stone can be detected with all the visualization techniques used in the study in all of the zones. In contrast to this, foreign bodies with low radiopacity, which could be detected in air with CT, became less visible or almost invisible in muscle tissue and between bone and muscle tissue. The performance of ultrasonography for visualizing foreign bodies with low radiopacity is relatively better than CT. CONCLUSIONS Ultrasonography detects and localizes superficial foreign bodies with low radiopacity in the tissues of the body more effectively than CT and conventional plain radiography. However, CT is a more effective technique for visualization of foreign bodies in air than ultrasound and conventional plain radiography.

Frequency of Agenesis, Impaction, Angulation, and Related Pathologic Changes of Third Molar Teeth in Orthodontic Patients

PURPOSE The objectives of the present study were to investigate the frequency of impaction, agenesis, angular position, and related pathologic changes of third molar teeth in a group of orthodontic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our sample included the panoramic radiographs of 351 orthodontic patients aged 20 to 26 years (mean 22.8). The descriptive characteristics of agenesis, impaction, angular position, and pathologic changes of third molars were recorded. The chi(2) test was used for analysis. RESULTS The proportion of third molar agenesis was 17.3% with no statistically significant gender differences (18.4% for women and 15.8% for men). The frequency of impacted third molars (ITMs) was 35.9% (24.2% in men and 45.0% in women; P < .05). The frequency of maxillary ITMs was 43.2% (192 of 444 teeth), and the frequency of mandibular ITMs was 56.8% (252 of 444 teeth). The position observed most often was mesioangular inclination, with a frequency of 50.0%. Only 10.4% of the ITM teeth were affected by any pathologic changes, and most of these changes were associated with the horizontal position. CONCLUSIONS The present results showed that agenesis accounted for 17.3% and impaction for 35.9% of the pathologic features in this group of Turkish orthodontic patients aged 20 to 26 years of age. Mesioangular inclination was seen in 50.0%, and a small proportion (10.4%) had pathologic changes of the ITMs.

The prevalence and risk factors associated with benign migratory glossitis lesions in 7619 Turkish dental outpatients

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of benign migratory glossitis (BMG) in a Turkish population with respect to gender, age, smoking, atopic and allergic diseases, dermatological diseases (psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis), systemic diseases, and fissured tongue (FT). PATIENTS AND METHODS The study was conducted on 7619 patients (3819 female, 3800 male) with various dental complaints, ranging in age from 4 to 60 years, recruited from the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Oral Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey. RESULTS BMG was found in 1.5% (95% CI: 0.9-1.9) of all patients examined. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that age less than 30 (OR: 6.7 [95% CI: 2.9-15.5]), not smoking (6.3 [2.8-14.1]), and history of allergy or atopy (6.5 [3.3-12.5]) were significantly related to BMG. Of the patients with BMG, 34.5% (n = 40) had FT. No significant associations existed with gender, dermatological conditions (psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis), or systemic diseases (diabetes mellitus, hematological disorders, cardiovascular disorders, hepatitis, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory disorders, connective tissue disorders, and genitourinary disturbances). CONCLUSION The present study demonstrated that BMG is more prevalent in young, nonsmokers, and atopic or allergic individuals.

The frequency of bifid mandibular condyle in a Turkish patient population.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency and pattern of bifid mandibular condyles (BMCs). METHODS A retrospective study was performed using panoramic radiographs from 10 200 patients undergoing dental treatment in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (Erzurum, Turkey) between 1996 and 2008. RESULTS Of the 10 200 patients, 32 (0.3%) had BMCs, of whom 17 were female (53.1%) and 15 were male (46.9%). The age range of the patients with BMCs was 5 to 71 years (mean age 30.0+/-0.40). Of these 32 patients, 24 (75.0%) had unilateral and 8 (25.0%) had bilateral BMCs, none of the patients had a history of trauma. No symptoms associated with bifid condyles were observed in any of the patients with BMCs. CONCLUSIONS It is possible that BMC is a more frequent condition than is commonly perceived. However, because of the minimal symptoms associated with this condition, the authors believe that it will remain an incidental finding upon routine radiographic examination, rather than a clinical observation. Nevertheless, in symptomatic cases or in cases where surgical treatment is planned, panoramic radiographs should be supplemented with CT.

Oxidative stress and myeloperoxidase levels in saliva of patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis

OBJECTIVE Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common oral ulcerative condition affecting 5-25% of the general population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oxidative stress parameters in saliva of patients with RAS and to investigate the relationship among these parameters in either group. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study involved 50 patients with RAS of whom 24 were male and 26 were female, and 25 healthy controls of whom 13 were male and 12 were female. RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference in the salivary total antioxidant capacity, total oxidant status, oxidative stress index levels, and myeloperoxidase activity between patients with RAS and those in the control group. CONCLUSIONS The results show that reactive oxygen species may not play a role in the etiology of RAS.

Pneumatization of the articular eminence on cone beam computed tomography: prevalence, characteristics and a review of the literature

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of pneumatized articular eminence (PAT) by cone beam CT (CBCT) and to present a review of the PAT literature. METHODS A retrospective study was performed using sagittal and coronal CBCT images of 514 patients in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Ataturk University, Turkey. Age and gender were recorded for all patients and, for the cases of PAT, laterality and types were also recorded. The χ(2) test was used. RESULTS Of the 514 patients, 41 (8.0%) had PAT, of whom 25 were female (61.0%) and 16 were male (39.0%). This difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The age range of the patients with PAT was 15-62 years (mean 30.6 ± 11.4). Of the 41 patients, 31 (75.6%) had unilateral and 10 (24.4%) had bilateral PAT. 17 (41.5%) PATs were unilocular and 24 (58.5%) were multilocular. CONCLUSIONS It is possible that PAT is a more frequent condition than is commonly perceived. In differential diagnosis of suspected cases or in cases for which surgical treatment is planned, panoramic radiographs should be supplemented with CBCT.

Radiographic evaluation on prevalence of Stafne bone defect: a study from two centres in Turkey

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of Stafne bone defect (SBD) and to describe the clinical and radiological characteristics of detected cases. METHODS A retrospective study was performed using panoramic radiographs from 34 221 patients undergoing dental treatment in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology at Erciyes University and Ataturk University, Turkey. After finding an image compatible with SBD in the radiographs, multislice CT (MSCT) on seven patients and cone beam CT (CBCT) on six patients were performed to confirm the diagnosis. RESULTS Of the 34 221 patients, 29 (0.08 %) had SBDs, of whom 4 were female (13.8%) and 25 were male (86.2 %). The age range of patients with SBD was 18-77 years (mean age 49.6 years). SBD was found in the lingual molar region in 28 patients and in the lingual canine-premolar region of the mandible in 1 patient. The contour of the concavities on CT images (MSCT and CBCT) was detected. The MSCT revealed glandular tissue within the defects. CONCLUSIONS According to our results, SBD is an uncommon anomaly. Examination of MSCT images supports the presence of aberrant submandibular glands within these mandibular defects, suggesting that pressure from submandibular gland tissue had caused the SBD, as generally thought. Both CBCT and MSCT can provide adequate support for the detection of SBDs. The CBCT could be suggested as the most suitable non-invasive diagnostic modality for this bony configuration of the mandible since it provides a lower radiation exposure dose than MSCT.

Is the assessment of dental age by the Nolla method valid for eastern Turkish children

Abstract:  The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the Nolla method is appropriate for Turkish children for the determination of the dental age (DA). A group of 719 children between the ages of 6 and 18 years were included in the study. DAs from orthopantograms by the Nolla method were estimated. The results obtained were compared with chronologic age (CA). Paired t and the Wilcoxon tests were performed. Both genders were underestimated in dental maturity when compared with the reference samples in total (−0.3 years) (p < 0.01). The differences in girls were statistically significant in total and in all groups except for 7–7.9. The differences in boys between the CAs and DAs were not statistically significant in total and in all groups except for 7–7.9 and 8–8.9. Although the accuracy of this method was suitable for boys, according to our findings, it was not suitable for girls.

Dental Panoramic Radiography in the Diagnosis of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is common in the elderly and the dentist is often the only healthcare professional that they visit regularly. Since dental panoramic radiographs (DPRs) are widely used for routine examinations when planning treatment, this study evaluated whether the presence of osteoporosis might be apparent in a population of patients who underwent DPR. The mandibular cortical index (MCI) and a new method of measuring the mandibular radiographic density (m-RD), which used DPR that incorporated an aluminium step-wedge, were compared with the total vertebral bone mineral density (v-BMD) of the lumbar vertebrae measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 25 osteoporotic women. Although there was only a weak correlation between m-RD and v-BMD, significant correlation was found between MCI and v-BMD. Since both m-RD and MCI were related to v-BMD, dental radiographic density and MCI may be useful in clinical dental practice to identify osteoporotic women with previously undetected low BMD.