Splinting--when and how?

The prognosis of a tooth following trauma is critical. This depends on various factors, including the type of splint used for immobilization and the immobilization period. This article discusses the above factors with an added note on splint removal. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This article is relevant for clinicians who treat traumatic injuries as it should help them to decide on the type of splint to be used and the period of immobilization.     

Hypnosis and dentistry: water and fire?

At first sight a combination of hypnosis and dentistry may very well appear not to be evident at all. Nevertheless, it works quite well in the everyday dental practice. In this article the author provides an overview of indications in which hypnosis can be used. Anxiety and pain are among the most common indications. Hypnotic techniques in dental practice can be explained at two levels: as a general way of communication between the dentist and his or her patient. Or as an advanced technique in the treatment of severe anxiety. The author discusses the several stages related to the latter technique: the intake interview, the induction, the deepening, the therapeutic stage and the deduction. The author also briefly mentions the disadvantages of hypnosis, but on the other hand encourages every dentist to become a hypnodontist. Not only for the benefit of his patient but also, and not the least, for his or her own well-being. All the more because hypnosis has become a scientific issue involving serious research at many renowned universities, including in Belgium.     

Are standards and evidence sufficient?

The origins of standards and guidelines in medicine are traced from work in the 1970s showing that treatment variations could not be accounted for by objective differences in the disease or other conditions of patients. Guidelines based on evidence can be effective in reducing such variation and in reducing costs. However, population disparities in disease and access, as well as dramatically rising insurance costs, pose challenges. Standards based entirely on efficacy of procedures will leave unanswered important questions about diagnosis and effective allocation of resources throughout population groups.     

What's in toothpaste and why?

This article reviews the ingredients of toothpastes and their role in providing medicinal and cosmetic benefits to the consumer.     

Relation between mercury and Alzheimer's disease?

Mercury from dental silver amalgam has been suggested to be linked with Alzheimer's disease. The percentage in the population (formerly) possessing amalgam restorations exceeds that of Alzheimer patients. Therefore, low levels of mercury in the brain are unlikely to cause the disease. However, studies indicating increased levels of mercury in Alzheimer brains compared to controls have been criticised. In contrast, it has been proven that an inherited trait accounts for a minor proportion of Alzheimer's patients. Moreover, education--or related psychosocial factors--instead of amalgam has been found to be associated with the disease. Therefore, it does not seem warranted as yet to conclude that mercury is an etiological factor in Alzheimer's disease.     

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis—and now?

Aim

To conduct a systematic literature review on the impact of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) on craniofacial morphology.

Materials and methods

Several electronic databases (PubMed, Medpilot, Web of Science, DIMDI) were systematically searched for studies that were published up to and including May 2011. In addition, a manual search of the orthodontic and rheumatologic literature was conducted, and reference lists of the selected articles were checked for relevant publications. The identified articles were independently assessed by two investigators and selected according to a three-step process (title/abstract/full text).

Results

After completion of the selection procedure, 19?articles were identified possessing great heterogeneity. In most of them, no differentiated analysis of the various JIA subtypes was performed, and type-specific analyses according to mandibular joint effects were seldom. Additional factors such as patient age, disease duration, medication, previous orthodontic treatment as well as the inclusion of a control group were also highly inhomogeneous, which made a meta-analysis of the data impossible. Nevertheless, it appears as if JIA patients tend to develop a hyperdivergent vertical jaw base relationship and a skeletal Class?II pattern.

Conclusion

Due to the heterogeneous patient samples, it is currently not possible to draw a differentiated conclusion on the influence of various types of JIA on craniofacial morphology.     

Are temporomandibular disorders and tinnitus associated?

The current study aimed to research the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in patients with subjective tinnitus, as compared to controls, and the association between symptoms of TMD, tinnitus, and chronic pain. Two hundred patients were divided into two groups, according to the presence (experimental) or not (control) of subjective tinnitus. The subgroups were determined according to the RDC/TMD criteria. The Pain Pressure Threshold (PPT) values of the masseter and temporalis muscles were recorded bilaterally, and a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to address subjective pain. The most prevalent TMD subgroups in the tinnitus patients (p < 0.05) were myofascial pain with limited opening (39.0%), disc displacement with reduction (44.33%), and arthralgia (53.54%). The severity of tinnitus was significantly associated with the severity of chronic pain (p = .000). The PPT values were lower (p > 0.05), while the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was statistically higher (p = .000) for the tinnitus patients. These results suggest that an association exists between TMD and subjective tinnitus.