Minimal invasiveness in the alveolar ridge preservation,with or without concomitant implant placement

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the benefit of ridge preservation (RP) with minimally invasive (MI) approaches with or without concomitant implant placement on morbidity, esthetics, and patient-related outcomes. Three Internet sources were used to search for appropriate papers. The search strategy was designed to include any clinical study published on RP with MI approaches such as flapless surgery, socket shield and socket sealing techniques and, use of biological agents. Characteristics of the individual studies, regarding methodological aspects, quantitative and qualitative data were extracted. The potential risk of bias was estimated, and the acquired evidence was graded. Independent screening of 860 reports resulted in 26 included original articles. Nine publications evaluated MI approaches for RP without concomitant implant placement. Eleven studies evaluated interventions for RP with immediate implant placement (IIP). Six studies compared RP with IIP vs RP without IIP. This systematic review found that MI approaches in most of the studies failed to improve clinical variables regarding morbidity, esthetics, and patient-related outcomes. Based on the limited number of studies analyzed and the methodological discrepancies observed, it is not possible to confirm that MI approaches promote a significant benefit when applied to RP procedures.     

Pain,Anxiety, and Quality of Life of COVID-19 Survivors with Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A cross sectional study

BackgroundPeople who have survived COVID-19 may develop chronic pain.AimsTo investigate the difference in pain level, anxiety, functional status, and quality of life in COVID-19 survivors with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) in the trapezius muscle compared with MPS patients without COVID-19.DesignCross-sectional observational study.SettingsPhysical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinics of a single tertiary-care hospital.Participants/SubjectsEighty patients (40 patients with MPS and 40 patients with MPS + COVID) who were diagnosed with chronic MPS in the trapezius muscle were evaluated.MethodsPain level of the patients was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS), the functional status with the Neck Pain and Disability scale, the psychosocial effects of the pain with the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the quality of life with the Nottingham Health Profile tests, and the two groups (MPS and MPS + COVID) were compared.ResultsA significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of pain, anxiety, and disability (p < .001). MPS + COVID group showed significantly greater pain intensity on VAS and higher mean total scores on Nottingham Health Profile, Beck Anxiety Inventory, all Nottingham Health Profile subdomains (pain, emotional reactions, sleep, social isolation, physical mobility, energy) compared with the MPS group (p < .001).ConclusionsAfter recovering from COVID-19, patients with MPS showed increased pain, anxiety, disability, and decreased quality of life.