How patients benefit from surgical-orthodontic care

Article Abstract:

Orthodontics (a branch of dentistry that corrects jaw deformities) improves not only dental health, but also psychological and social functioning. In cases of severe malocclusion (imperfect contact between upper and lower teeth), three more aggressive treatment alternatives exist: dentofacial orthopedics, which changes growth patterns to improve the deformity; camouflage, where the teeth are moved to a correct position without altering the jaw; and surgery to reposition all or part of the jaws (a skeletal, rather than a dental, approach). Surgery of this type is usually performed on adults, since their jaws will not change and only one operation is therefore needed. In cases where children are severely deformed or have cleft palates, surgery is also performed. Patients with overbites of more than seven millimeters usually need surgery; camouflage approaches in such cases often involve so much dental ''hardware'' that cooperation can be hard to obtain. In the opposite case (a lower jaw that protrudes), surgery is also often necessary. Surgical approaches usually involve fewer extractions and are effective within a shorter time than orthodontics alone. Several types of malocclusive problems, and their treatment, are discussed. Dentists must always take heed of patients' concerns, not their own, and must try to explain realistically the discomfort that will be associated with treatment. Other medical specialists, such as a patient's general practitioner or dentists who will prepare partial dentures, should be involved from the start. Attention should also be paid to the periodontal status of the teeth (the condition of the gums and tissues surrounding the teeth). Risks of surgical-orthodontic treatment include: a catastrophic event, such as a reaction to anesthesia (risk of 1 in 25,000); surgical complications (1 in 15); or altered sensation in the lips or gums (1 in 20 in which it is intense enough to be troublesome). (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, Evaluation, Oral surgery, Orthodontics, Malocclusion

---

Facial asymmetry

Article Abstract:

A case study is described of a 22-year-old man who had right facial asymmetry. His right lower jaw appeared larger on examination than the left side, and X-rays revealed that areas of the right jaw contained abnormal bone. The patient had noticed this asymmetry for two years, but photographs revealed it had existed for at least five years. The young man complained of painless swelling in the region. To determine the cause of the condition, the bone was surgically reshaped, and portions were removed and analyzed. The diagnosis was monostotic fibrous dysplasia, an overgrowth of the jawbone by fibrous tissue. In such cases, the normal bone is overgrown by immature, structurally insufficient tissue. This condition accounts for 7 percent of all benign bone tumors. Other related diagnostic terms are discussed, and a table presents the most common locations of these tumors. Monostotic (in one bone) fibrous dysplasia is somewhat more common in females, while the polyostotic (more than two bones affected) form involves more females than males by a three-to-one ratio. Symptoms besides painless swelling can appear, depending on the location of the tumor. Microscopic and radiographic details of the bone changes associated with this disorder are discussed. According to an earlier study, malignant transformation (appearance of cancer in a region of fibrous dysplasia) occurred at a rate of 0.5 percent, with a long interval (averaging 13.5 years) between the identification of the two conditions. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Case studies, Diagnosis, Fibrous dysplasia of bone, Facial bones

---

The rhythms of human premolar eruption: a study using continuous observation

Article Abstract:

Human teeth appear most likely to erupt in the evening. This was demonstrated when researchers used fiber-optic video cameras to film erupting teeth in 12 children over an 11-hour period beginning at 8 p.m. Eruption most often occurred in the late evening before 1 a.m. This is also the time the body secretes growth hormone, indicating a role for this hormone in erupting teeth. The erupting teeth also followed a 20- to 50-second cycle, which could be another indication that the process is controlled by growth hormone.

Usage, Physiological aspects, Growth, Circadian rhythms, Video cameras, Molars

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Fertility after ectopic pregnancy. The risk of pregnancy after tubal sterilization: findings from the U.S. Collaborative Review of Sterilization
• Abstracts: Follow-up of patients operated on for colorectal carcinoma. The suction knife in liver surgery. Surgical treatment of gastric carcinoma
• Abstracts: Evaluating a behavioral method to manage dental fear: a 2-year study of dental practices. Assessing patient pain during dental laser treatment
• Abstracts: Effect of maternal carbon dioxide inhalation on human fetal breathing movements in term and preterm labor. Septic shock complicating drainage of a Bartholin gland abscess
• Abstracts: Atrial natriuretic factor: the heart as an endocrine organ. A dose ranging study of ibuprofen suspension as an antipyretic

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.