The term LASER is an acronym for 'Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation'. As its first application in dentistry by Miaman, in 1960, the laser has seen various hard and soft tissue applications. In the last two decades, there has been an explosion of research studies in laser application. In hard tissue application, the laser is used for caries prevention, bleaching, restorative removal and curing, cavity preparation, dentinal hypersensitivity, growth modulation and for diagnostic purposes, whereas soft tissue application includes wound healing, removal of hyperplastic tissue to uncovering of impacted or partially erupted tooth, photodynamic therapy for malignancies, photostimulation of herpetic lesion. Use of the laser proved to be an effective tool to increase efficiency, specificity, ease, and cost and comfort of the dental treatment.

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The temporomandibular joint receives its name from the two bones that enter into its formation, namely the temporal bone and the mandible. This complex synovial system is composed of two temporomandibular joints together with their articulating ligaments and masticatory muscles. This articulation affects other synovial joints that relate specifically to masticatory function. The causes of temporomandibular disorders are complex and multifactorial. There are numerous factors that can contribute to temporomandibular disorders. In some instances a single factor may serve one or all of these roles. Iatrogenic injuries can act as both initiating as well as predisposing factors. The term craniomandibular disorder is used synonymously with the term temporomandibular disorders and is considered a major cause of nondental pain in the orofacial pain region. The successful management of temporomandibular disorders is dependent on identifying and controlling the contributing factors. The temporomandibular disorders are more common in females, the reason is not clearly known. The following article provides detailed information regarding temporomandibular joint disorders.

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Aim: The ameloblastoma is a benign odontogenic tumor of epithelial origin that exhibits a locally aggressive behavior with a high level of recurrence, being believed theoretically to come from dental lamina remains, the enamel organ in development, epithelial cover of odontogenic cysts or from the cells of the basal layer of the oral mucosa. Especially larger, aggressive lesions require a more radical surgical approach resulting in large jaw defects. This paper discusses our experiences in the management of ameloblastoma tumor in 20 such patients. Materials and Methods: A review of 20 cases of ameloblastoma (6 in the maxillary and 14 in the mandibular region) is presented. The lesions were between 4 and 8 cm in diameter. The methods of treatment consisted of radical surgery (i.e., segmental resection) and conservative treatments (i.e., enucleation with bone curettage). Half the cases were treated conservatively and others surgically. Results: Enucleation with curettage was done in 10 cases, out of which six (60%) showed recurrence, whereas one (10%) case in the surgical group showed recurrence. Relatively higher tendencies of recurrence were observed in the cases treated conservatively. The aesthetic and functional outcomes were satisfying in all patients. Conclusion: According to our opinion, radical surgical resection of ameloblastoma is the treatment of choice, followed by the reconstruction of the defects, allowing good functional and aesthetic outcome.

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Treatment of head and neck cancers (HNCs) involves radiotherapy. Patients undergoing radiotherapy for HNCs are prone to dental complications. Radiotherapy to the head and neck region causes xerostomia and salivary gland dysfunction which dramatically increases the risk of dental caries and its sequelae. Radiation therapy (RT) also affects the dental hard tissues increasing their susceptibility to demineralization following RT. Postradiation caries is a rapidly progressing and highly destructive type of dental caries. Radiation-related caries and other dental hard tissue changes can appear within the first 3 months following RT. Hence, every effort should be focused on prevention to manage patients with severe caries. This can be accomplished through good preoperative dental treatment, frequent dental evaluation and treatment after RT (with the exception of extractions), and consistent home care that includes self-applied fluoride. Restorative management of radiation caries can be challenging. The restorative dentist must consider the altered dental substrate and a hostile oral environment when selecting restorative materials. Radiation-induced changes in enamel and dentine may compromise bonding of adhesive materials. Consequently, glass ionomer cements have proved to be a better alternative to composite resins in irradiated patients. Counseling of patients before and after radiotherapy can be done to make them aware of the complications of radiotherapy and thus can help in preventing them.

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Life-threatening infections of odontogenic or upper airway origin may extend to potential spaces formed by fascial planes of the lower head and upper cervical area. Complications include airway obstruction, mediastinitis, necrotizing fascitis, cavernous sinus thrombosis, sepsis, thoracic empyema, Lemierre's syndrome, cerebral abscess, orbital abscess, and osteomyelitis. The incidence of these “space infections” has been greatly reduced by modern antibiotic therapy. However, serious morbidity and even fatalities continue to occur. This study reviews complications of odontogenic infections. The search done was based on PubMed and Google Scholar, and an extensive published work search was undertaken. Advanced MEDLINE search was performed using the terms “odontogenic infections,” “complications,” and “risk factors.”

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Introduction: The high prevalence of dry socket or alveolar osteitis (AO) is of concern in surgical removal of third molars. The aim of the present study was to assess the preventive effect of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) on AO and also its effect on pain management and healing acceleration in third molar extraction sockets of high-risk patients. Materials and Methods : This split-mouth, double-blind clinical trial included 40 bilateral third molar extractions (80 sockets) with at least one identified risk factor for AO. PRGF was obtained from patient's own blood, based on manufacturer's instruction, and blindly placed in one of the two bilateral sockets (PRGF group; n = 20) of each patient. The contralateral socket was treated with a placebo (control group; n = 20). Samples were evaluated for AO and pain incidence on days 2, 3 and 4 and healing and infection on days 3 and 7. Data were analyzed in SPSS v16 using Wilcoxon test. Results: There was a significant difference in dry socket and pain incidence and healing rate between the two groups. Intensity of pain and occurrence of dry socket in the study group was lower than the controls. Also the healing rate was higher (P < 0.05) for the PRGF group. No sign of infection was seen in either group. Conclusion: The application of PRGF may significantly reduce the incidence of AO or its associated pain and may accelerate healing. The prophylactic use of PRGF following third molar extraction may be suggested especially in the patients at risk of AO.

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Aim: To study expression of p53 protein and ki-67 antigen in normal, non-dysplastic, dysplastic, premalignant and malignant lesions of the oral mucosa. Materials and Methods: The standard immunohistochemical method along with MIB-1 and DO-7; DAKO antibodies was used to study the expression of p53 and ki-67 in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. Results: All samples studied showed positive staining for p53 and ki-67. Only one case each from leukoplakia and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) groups showed negative staining for ki-67. The staining was confined to basal layer in most of the cases except OSCC in which it was seen in all layers. The intensity of staining was moderate to intense. The percentage of p53-positive cells in normal mucosa was 15-25% which was increased to 95% in malignant mucosa. Statistical analysis revealed that the expression of p53 and ki-67 increases as normal oral mucosa becomes dysplastic and undergoes malignant transformation. Conclusion: These results emphasize the potential use of p53 protein and ki-67 antigen as markers of malignant transformation and carcinogenesis in oral premalignant lesions, conditions and OSCC, respectively; and in future they may serve as prognostic tools in the early detection of malignant transformation in oral premalignant lesions and conditions.

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and etiology of maxillofacial fractures and also to evaluate different treatment modalities. Study design: The sample consisted of 1,038 patients, with maxillofacial injuries treated at our center from June 2006 to June 2011. Cause, type, site of injury, gender, age and treatment given to them, all these parameter are evaluated. Conclusion: The results of this study exhibit that road traffic accidents is the main reason for maxilla facial injuries followed by fall from height.Maxillofacial injuries are more frequent in male than in female. The mandible was most frequently involved facial bone. The miniplate osteosynthesis was the most widespread of the fixation technique but conservative management of the fractured bone also has a significance importance in treatment modalities.

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Head and neck cancer is a major health problem. Oral cancer is increasing in Indian subcontinent mainly due to lack of hygiene, tobacco use, chewing tobacco, smoking, and many other factors. Radiation therapy is the most common form of treatment along with surgery and chemotherapy. There are 2 types of complication that occurs during and after radiotherapy, that occur because of effects on normal tissue. Radiotherapy-induced effects occur on the oral mucosa salivary glands, bone, teeth, and musculature of face and neck. These complications needs special attention for their prevention and treatment, Preradiotherapy evaluation and disease stabilization are necessary in every patient, counseling of patients before during and after radiotherapy is important to help them become aware of several oral complications and their prevention.

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Context: The surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molar is associated with minor but expected complications like pain, swelling, bruising and trismus. The lingual nerve damage sometimes occurs after the removal of mandibular third molar producing impaired sensation or permanent sensory loss. This complication is usually unexpected and unacceptable for the patients particularly if no prior warning has been given. Aims : The aim of the present clinical prospective study was to determine the clinical incidence of lingual nerve injury following mandibular third molar removal and to analyze possible factors for the lingual nerve injury. Settings and Design: Clinical prospective study in the Department of Oral Surgery, Punjab Government Dental College and Hospital, Amritsar. Materials and Methods: Ninety patients were selected randomly, amongst the patients, who reported to our department from January 2009 to December 2009 for the surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molar. To minimize the risk of lingual nerve injury, the standard terence wards incision was made in all cases and only buccal flap was raised. Statistical Analysis: The small number of paraesthesia precluded statistical analysis. Results: Out of 90 patients, six patients were diagnosed with lingual nerve paraesthesia. The overall incidence rate of lingual nerve injury was 6.6%. Conclusions : It can be concluded that lingual nerve paraesthesia can occur with or without reflection of lingual flap in spite of all the measures taken to protect it. It may be contributed to the fact of anatomical variations of lingual nerve.

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Given the increasing popularity of dental implants, the number of failures due to late implant fracture is also expected to increase. Hence, the scope for prevention and management needs to be emphasized. The objective of this review article is to analyze the various causes of failure of dental implants due to implant fixture/abutment screw fractures and also to enumerate the management and the preventive options for these failures, thereby aiming to help the clinicians to properly plan the implant-supported prosthesis treatment by considering the important biomechanical aspects of this type of rehabilitation. The present review emphasizes the causes and management of technical complications and not the incidence of such complications.

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Odontogenic myxoma (OM) is a rare and locally invasive benign neoplasm (comprising of 3-6% of all odontogenic tumors) found exclusively in the jaws. OM commonly occurs in the second and third decades, and the mandible is involved more commonly than the maxilla. The lesion often grows without symptoms and presents as a painless swelling. The radiographic features are variable, and the diagnosis is therefore not easy. This article presents a rare case of OM occurring in the maxilla of a 37-year-old female patient with a brief review of the pathogenesis, clinical, radiological, histopathological, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical characteristics of OM.

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Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are a group of neoplasms that originate from the cells of the lymphoreticular system. Forty percent of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas arise from extra nodal sites. Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas detected primarily in the bone are quite rare, but among jaw lesions, they are more frequently present in the maxilla than in the mandible. There are no classical characteristic clinical features of lymphomas involving the jaw bones. Swelling, ulcer or discomfort may be present in the region of the lymphoma, or it may mimic a periapical pathology or a benign condition. Extranodal non-Hodgkins lymphoma of the maxilla could present as one of the early manifestation of detrimental diseases. Clinically these types of lymphoma can mimic an inflammatory endo-periodontal lesion with symptoms of pain and local discomfort. The greater the delay in diagnosis subsequently worsens the prognosis. A case of maxillary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with an unusual presentation is discussed.

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Background: There are different techniques for the sinus augmentation; the factors that contribute to the survival rate of sinus augmentation and dental implant placement are still the subject of discussion. So we compare the two different ways of sinus floor elevation: a) Lateral antrostomy as a one or two step procedure as direct method. b) Osteotome technique with a crestal approach as indirect method. Materials and Methods: A total of twenty partially edentulous patients in maxillary posterior region who opted for implant retained prosthesis but had a low sinus and deficient alveolar ridge within the age group of 20-55 years were taken up, 25 implants were placed in combination with bone grafting material for sinus augmentation. The final bone height was measured from Orthopantomogram. Post-operative Clinical Evaluation was based on pain, gingival inflammation status, stability, swelling and bone height. Statistical analysis was done by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 15.0) (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The gain in bone height was significantly greater in direct procedure through lateral antrostomy (mean 8.5 mm) than in indirect method through crestal approach by osteotome technique (mean 4.4 mm). Conclusions: Osteotome technique can be recommended when more than 6 mm of residual bone height is present and an increase of 3-4 mm is expected. In case of more advanced resorption direct method through lateral antrostomy has to be performed. Both sinus elevation techniques did not seem to affect the implant success rate.

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Introduction : Closure of wounds to achieve an esthetically pleasing result has always been a challenge. Since time immemorial, surgeons have strived to produce "invisible scars". This, however, has always been elusive. The introduction of tissue adhesives heralded the era of suture free closures which led to better results. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of octyl- 2-cyanoacrylate with that of the conventional sutures, in facial skin closure. Results and Conclusion: The use of octyl-2-cyanoacrylate offers many advantages such as rapidity and ease of application and superior results.

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Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic mucocutaneous disease of uncertain etiopathogenesis. Several factors including stress, genetics, systemic diseases, viruses, dental restorative materials and drugs have been implicated as causative agents. The disease seems to be mediated by an antigen specific mechanism, activating cytotoxic T cells, and non specific mechanisms like mast cell degranulation and matrix metalloproteinase activation. Further clarity on the pathogenesis will aid in modifying therapeutic interventions, thus significantly reducing the morbidity of OLP patients.

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Platelet-rich growth factor is an innovative regenerative therapy used to promote hard and soft tissue healing. It involves the application of autologous platelet-leukocyte-rich plasma containing growth factors and thrombin directly to the site of treatment. It is the intrinsic growth factors released by activated platelets which are concentrated in a topical gel formula. Clinically, it is an affordable treatment with potentially broad spectrum of applications in maxillofacial surgery especially in the treatment of complex or refractory wounds. The present article reviews its various applications not only in the specialization of oral and maxillofacial surgery but also in regenerative medicine.

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Although local anesthesia remains the backbone of pain control in dentistry, researches are going to seek new and better means of managing the pain. Most of the researches are focused on improvement in the area of anesthetic agents, delivery devices and technique involved. Newer technologies have been developed that can assist the dentist in providing enhanced pain relief with reduced injection pain and fewer adverse effects. This overview will enlighten the practicing dentists regarding newer devices and methods of rendering pain control comparing these with the earlier used ones on the basis of research and clinical studies available.

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The buccinator-based myomucosal flaps are axial pattern flaps that are suitable in reconstruction of medium sized oral soft tissue defects; they are rich in blood supply, have appropriate thickness and considerable mucosal paddle, and they can secrete saliva. The present study describes surgical anatomy and blood supply of these flaps and demonstrates all possible modifications of these flaps (9 modifications). Many terms (> 10) have been used to refer to buccinator-based myomucosal flaps in the literatures. This report introduces a new classification system mainly based on the remaining attachments of buccinator muscle after flap elevation in pedicle variants and axial blood supply orientation in island variants.

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Objective: With sporadic reporting of BPs related osteonecrosis of jaw and in absence of definitive guidelines regarding the management of such patients, the dentists and the oral and maxillofacial surgeons need to be updated about this issue. The objective of this article was to produce an updated bibliographic review of BPs related ONJ. This paper reviews the literature regarding the same for better understanding of the problem and its management. Background: Bisphosphonates (BPs) are potent inhibitors of bone resorption and are widely used in the treatment of osteoporosis and other diseases that cause bone mass loss, such as Paget's disease, bone metastases, and multiple myeloma, to prevent pathological fractures. With increasing use, evidence is emerging that patients taking BP drugs are at risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaws (ONJs), sometimes occurring spontaneously, but more commonly following dental extractions or oral bone surgery. Materials and Methods: A bibliographic search was carried out using PubMed, Medline, and search engines ending in April, 2013. The search terms used were: Oral BPs, dental implants, and osteonecrosis. Conclusion: On the basis of available literature, the management of patients on bisphosphonates requiring dental treatment is classified according to the duration of BPs treatment, method of administration of BPs etc. Dental treatments when planned carefully in such patients have a fair to good prognosis.

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A dentigerous cyst is an odontogenic cyst, thought to be of developmental origin. It is associated with the crown of an unerupted (or partially erupted) tooth. The cyst cavity is lined by epithelial cells derived from the reduced enamel epithelium of the tooth forming organ. Most dentigerous cysts are solitary. Multiple/bilateral cysts are usually found in association with a number of syndromes including cleidocranial dysplasia, Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome and Gorlin--Goltz syndrome (multiple OKCs). In the absence of these syndromes, the occurrence of multiple dentigerous cysts is rare. Here, we report the unusual occurrence of non-syndromic multiple dentigerous cysts.

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Odontogenic tumors represents a broad spectrum of lesions ranging from benign to malignant to dental hamartomas all arising from odontogenic residues, that is, the odontogenic epithelium, ectomesenchyme with variable amounts of dental hard tissues formed in the same sequence as in normal tooth development. We report two cases of myxoma, which were misdiagnosed initially and latter, reported as odontogenic myxoma; and were treated by conservative surgical excision in one case and radical resection with hemimandibulectomy in the other case.

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Aims and Objectives: Platelet rich fibrin is widely used in stimulation and acceleration of soft tissue and bone healing because of local and continuous delivery of growth factors and proteins, mimicking the needs of the physiological wound healing and reparative tissue processes. This article will serve to introduce a second generation platelet concentrate, platelet-rich fibrin (PRF). Materials and Methods: Fifteen cases are presented in which conventional endodontic therapy failed to resolve the problem and periapical root-end surgery was required. Results: At the end of six months, all patients showed complete bone regeneration. Conclusion: Production of a dense, cross-linked, physically robust PRF made of intact platelets and fibrin by high-speed centrifugation in the absence of exogenous thrombin, yields an ideal scaffold for use in tissue repair.

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Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the post operative healing, using primary versus second closure techniques after impacted mandibular third molar removal. Materials and Methods: The study consisted of twelve patients, Seven males and five females under 30 years of age were divided into two groups as Group A and Group B in the randomized fashion. In the Group A, closure was done by primary intention and in the Group B, by secondary closure. A comparison between both groups was done with a follow-up period of 6 h to 6 days with regards to postoperative pain and swelling. Results: The statistical analysis (analysis of variance for repeated measures, P < 0.05) showed that pain was greater in Group A, although it decreased over time similarly in the two groups. Pain and swelling was less severe with secondary healing than with primary healing. Conclusion: The outcome of this study suggested that secondary closure technique is better than primary closure technique for removal of impacted mandibular third molar with regards to postoperative pain and swelling.

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Rising population of diabetic individuals across the world has become a big concern to the society. The persistent hyperglycemia may affect each and every tissue and consequently results in morbidity and eventually mortality in diabetic patients. A direct negative response of diabetes has been observed on oral tissues with few contradictions however, little are known about effect of diabetes on dental implant treatment and the consequent results. Many studies concerned with osteointegration and prognosis of dental implant in diabetic patients have been conducted and published since 1994. These studies have been critically reviewed to understand the impact of diabetes on the success of dental implant and the factors to improve osseointegration and consequently survival of dental implant in diabetic patients. Theoretical literatures and studies in diabetic animals substantiate high failure rate of implants but most of clinical studies indicated statistically insignificant failure of dental implants even in moderately uncontrolled diabetic patients. Success of dental implant in well and fairly controlled diabetic patients with proper treatment planning, prophylactic remedies and adequate postsurgical maintenance appears as good as normal individuals.

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