Piero Papi

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: Clinical and practical guidelines

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a severe adverse drug reaction, consisting of progressive bone destruction in the maxillofacial region of patients. ONJ can be caused by two pharmacological agents: Antiresorptive (including bisphosphonates (BPs) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand inhibitors) and antiangiogenic. MRONJ pathophysiology is not completely elucidated. There are several suggested hypothesis that could explain its unique localization to the jaws: Inflammation or infection, microtrauma, altered bone remodeling or over suppression of bone resorption, angiogenesis inhibition, soft tissue BPs toxicity, peculiar biofilm of the oral cavity, terminal vascularization of the mandible, suppression of immunity, or Vitamin D deficiency. Dental screening and adequate treatment are fundamental to reduce the risk of osteonecrosis in patients under antiresorptive or antiangiogenic therapy, or before initiating the administration. The treatment of MRONJ is generally difficult and the optimal therapy strategy is still to be established. For this reason, prevention is even more important. It is suggested that a multidisciplinary team approach including a dentist, an oncologist, and a maxillofacial surgeon to evaluate and decide the best therapy for the patient. The choice between a conservative treatment and surgery is not easy, and it should be made on a case by case basis. However, the initial approach should be as conservative as possible. The most important goals of treatment for patients with established MRONJ are primarily the control of infection, bone necrosis progression, and pain. The aim of this paper is to represent the current knowledge about MRONJ, its preventive measures and management strategies.

Temporomandibular Disorders and Headache: A Retrospective Analysis of 1198 Patients

Aim. Headache is one of the most common diseases associated with Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs). The aim of this study was to evaluate, retrospectively, if headache influences TMDs symptoms. Material and Methods. A total sample of 1198 consecutive TMD patients was selected. After a neurological examination, a diagnosis of headache, according to the latest edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, was performed in 625 subjects. Patients were divided into two groups based on presence/absence of headache: Group with Headache (GwH) and Group without Headache (GwoH). Descriptive statistics and Chi-square index were performed. Results. Sociodemographic (gender, marital status, and occupation) and functional factors, occlusion (occlusal and skeletal classes, dental formula, and occlusal abnormalities), and familiar pain did not show a statistically significant correlation in either group. Intensity and frequency of neck pain, arthralgia of TMJ, and myalgia showed higher correlation values in GwH. Conclusion. This study is consistent with previous literature in showing a close relationship between headache and TMD. All data underlines that headache makes pain parameters more intense and frequent. Therefore, an early and multidisciplinary treatment of TMDs should be performed in order to avoid the overlay of painful events that could result in pain chronicity.

Evaluation of temporomandibular disorders before and after orthognathic surgery: Therapeutic considerations on a sample of 76 patients

Objectives: Temporomandibular disorders may be associated with dental and facial malformations. The aim of this study is to record the prevalence of TMDs in patients scheduled for orthognathic surgery, reporting the development of TMDs and symptoms during the entire period of the treatment, and demonstrating the benefits of a team effort on this population. Materials and Methods: Assessment of temporomandibular status was performed using the RDC/TMD criteria at T0 (prior to orthodontic therapy), T1 (3 months after the surgery), and T2 post-therapeutic cycle (6 to 12 months postoperatively). A total of 76 participants were included in the study; all the patients underwent surgical treatment: 12 had bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, 6 with condylar position devices; 64 had Le Fort I + bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, and 15 with condylar position devices. Results were evaluated with a paired-sample t-test and segmentation analysis. Results: Forty-seven patients were affected by TMDs. At T0, 25 patients experienced TMJ pain, 27 had muscular pain, 31 suffered headaches, 42 had disc dislocation with reduction, and 5 were affected by disc dislocation without reduction. Thirty-five patients had occlusal signs of parafunctions, 8 reported tinnitus, and 7 dizziness. At T1, TMJ pain changed from 33.3% to 4.44%, muscular pain changed from 35.5% to 11.1%, headaches improved from 40% to 6.67%, and disc dislocation from 55.2% to 17.7%. Segmentation analysis highlighted improvement after therapy; 57 patients were considered recovered, 14 improved, none were considered stable, whereas 5 patients demonstrated some worsening, 3 of whom had not presented disc dislocation before surgery. At T2, 71 patients were considered completely recovered or improved. Conclusions: Our data indicates beyond any doubt that both functional status and pain levels related to TMDs can be significantly improved with a multi-disciplinary approach. We concluded that surgeon′s intervention need to be modified in the presence of presurgical TMDs.

Dental implants placed in patients with mechanical risk factors: A long-term follow-up retrospective study

Objectives: Risk factors in oral implantology are defined as local or systemic conditions that increase failure rates. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the long-term survival rate of dental implants placed in patients presenting mechanical risk factors. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted only with patients presenting at least one of the following risk factors were included: Bruxism; crown-to-implant (C/I) ratio <0.8; abutment angulation. The overall implant survival was estimated using Kaplan–Meier analyses. Risk factors for implant failure were identified using the Cox proportional hazard regression models. Results: Eighty-nine eligible patients were enrolled in this study: They were both male (n = 56, 62.92%) and female (n = 33, 37.08%), with an average age of 53.24 (23–76 years), with 227 dental implants inserted. The mean follow-up was 13.6 years (range: 10–16 years). The overall 10-year Kaplan–Meier survival estimate with associated 95% confidence intervals was 86.34% (82.8, 87.1). Bruxism was the only variable that showed a statistically significant association with implant failure (P < 0.05) and a hazard ratio of 2.9, while both Crown to-implant and abutment angulations reported lower values of failure (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, can be concluded that data suggested an evident relationship between bruxism and dental implant failure but further studies, with a larger sample and a different design are required to assess this relationship.

Unusual Case of Osseointegrated Dental Implant Migration into Maxillary Sinus Removed 12 Years after Insertion

Displacement of dental implants into the maxillary sinus is not an uncommon event in implant dentistry and may lead to serious complications, such as sinusitis. To avoid systemic problems, performing the removal of the foreign body as soon as possible is suggested. Despite the fact that early implants dislocation has been reported several times, late migration into maxillary sinus has been described by just a few studies. The purpose of this study was to report a rare case of dental implant migration into maxillary sinus after 12 years of function. A 61-year-old woman came to our attention in June 2015 after being visited by an otolaryngologist and being diagnosed with sinusitis and presence of a foreign body into the right maxillary sinus. A panoramic radiograph and a CT scan showed the migration of dental implant sited in 1.6 positions into the maxillary sinus. The implant was removed following a Caldwell-Luc procedure under local anesthesia. Postoperative course was uncomplicated and the patient reported no symptoms of sinusitis after 12 months of follow-up.

Histological and immunohistochemical evaluation of mandibular bone tissue regeneration

The purpose of the study was to perform an immunohistochemical and histological evaluation of samples taken from different bone regeneration procedures in atrophic human mandible. 30 patients (15 men and 15 women, age range of 35–60 years), non-smokers, with good general and oral health were recruited in this study and divided into three groups. The first group included patients who were treated with blood Concentration Growth Factors (bCGF), the second group included patients who were treated with a mixture of bCGF and autologous bone, while the third group of patients was treated with bCGF and tricalcium phosphate/hydroxyapatite (TCP-HA). Six months after the regenerative procedures, all patients undergone implant surgery, and a bone biopsy was carried out in the site of implant insertion. Each sample was histologically and immunohistochemically examined. Histological evaluation showed a complete bone formation for group II, partial ossification for group I, and moderate ossification for group III. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the three groups, and the best clinical result was obtained with a mixture of bCGF and autologous bone.

The Use of a Novel Porcine Derived Acellular Dermal Matrix (Mucoderm) in Peri-Implant Soft Tissue Augmentation: Preliminary Results of a Prospective Pilot Cohort Study

Objective Over the years, several techniques have been proposed for soft tissue augmentation around dental implants in order to improve keratinized mucosa width (KMW). Recently, a porcine derived acellular dermal matrix (Mucoderm®) has been proposed as autogenous graft substitute in order to avoid palatal harvesting and obtain comparable results to connective tissue grafts, in terms of aesthetics and function. The aim of this study is to present the one-year follow-up results of this matrix in peri-implant soft tissue augmentation procedures. Material and Methods Twelve patients were enrolled in this pilot prospective study: a dental implant was placed in the upper premolar area and, at implant uncovering after eight weeks, the matrix was inserted. KMW gain was considered as primary outcome variable. Results After one month from matrix insertion, mean KMW was 7.86±3.22 mm (100%), with no statistically significant intragroup variations (p>0.05). No membrane exposures or wound healing complications occurred during postoperative phase and, after one year, mean KMW was 5.67±2.12 mm (72.13%). Conclusions The results of the present pilot study indicate that by placing a Mucoderm membrane during implant surgery the keratinized tissue width can be augmented, and the width remains stable for the assessment period of 12 months. Further studies with greater power and longer investigation period are needed to confirm the suggestion for clinical use. Clinical trial registration number is EudraCT number 2018-000147-16.

Dental students' knowledge of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate and assess knowledge and attitude of dental students about medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ), to optimize future training programs in this field. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was administrated. Ninety-eight participants agreed to complete an anonymous questionnaire. It was divided into two sections: the first section was about general information such as interviewers gender and date of birth; the second section included questions about bisphosphonates (BPs), others medication associated to osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), risk factors, and prevention of osteonecrosis. Descriptive statistics were computed and the odds ratio was used to compare the odds for the groups. Results: Ninety-nine percent of participants declared to know BPs, but only 26.9% of 4th year and 34.8% of 6th year students knew the correct definition of MRONJ. Almost all of students identified the importance to report, in anamnesis, the use of BPs, as well as to check-up patients before the beginning of treatment; on the other hand, the knowledge about how invasive dental treatment might be carried out in patients under therapy was not adequate. In addition, half of the students did not recognize any active principle or commercial name of BPs. The situation was even worse regarding alternative drugs involved in ONJ. Conclusions: These findings are alarming and the lack of knowledge about MRONJ suggests that greater educational efforts should be performed about this pathology at undergraduate level.

A tooth preparation technique in fixed prosthodontics for students and neophyte dentists.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel technique of tooth preparation in fixed prosthodontics suitable for dental students and neophyte dentists. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-four dental students of the sixth-year class were recruited to verify the predicibility of this technique. Each student prepared two mandibular second premolars on a typodont for a dental crown with a 90° shoulder finishing line. One tooth was prepared using standard procedures taught in the prosthodontic dental course; the other tooth was prepared with the new technique. Three Professors of Prosthodontics of the same University evaluated the result on the basis of 10 criteria. RESULTS A statistically significant difference between the two techniques was found in 8 out of 10 criteria. The new technique showed higher values (p<0.05) in 7 criteria, while the conventional technique had better results in just 1 criterion. Moreover, the total sum of values was higher for the new technique (total 41.2±3.98, p<0.05) compared to the conventional technique (total 38.12±5.18, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that the results were less dependent on manual abilities and personal experience with the novel technique. It could helps dental students and neophyte dentists in their learning curve.