Spectrum of dentofacial deformities: a retrospective survey. (41/289)

INTRODUCTION: This retrospective study investigates the spectrum of dentofacial deformities, demographic profile, management and surgical outcomes of orthognathic patients treated in the University Hospital in Malaysia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a period of 10 years (1989 to 1999), 34 patients with dentofacial deformities who had orthognathic surgery were reviewed; patients with cleft lip and palate or syndromes were excluded. RESULTS: The mean age (range, 17 to 35 years) of the patients was 24.3 years and the ratio of female to male was 2.4:1. The predominant ethnic group was Chinese, with females (47.1%) forming the largest group. The main reason for seeking surgery was aesthetic improvement (41%). The majority of the patients had skeletal class III pattern (91%) and bilateral sagittal split osteotomy was the most common surgery done (82%). Postoperative complications were mainly paraesthesia/numbness (56%) and infection (15%). In long-term review, 2 (6%) patients had persistent numbness of the inferior alveolar nerve. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the majority of the patients are young adult female students with skeletal class III pattern and treated for mandibular prognathism. The complication of persistent numbness and higher rate of postoperative infection indicate that longterm reviews and good antibiotic prophylaxis/therapy are necessary.  (+info)

Complications of ambulatory oral surgery in patients over 65 years of age. (42/289)

Serious systemic disorders such as hypertension, cerebrovascular or heart disease, diabetes and psychiatric problems are common in elderly patients, and lead to the prescription of different drugs. This may in turn influence oral health, and the dentist should be familiarized with these situations when providing dental treatment in elderly patients. A retrospective study was made of 196 patients over age 65 years to evaluate the type of ambulatory surgery performed under locoregional anesthesia, taking into account the presence of background systemic pathology, multiple drug therapy, oral and dental health, the cause of consultation and the type of anesthesia used, relating these parameters to the development of intra- or postoperative systemic and/or local complications. Some systemic disease was documented in 88% of the patents-- hypertension being the most frequent disorder (in 45% of subjects with systemic disease). On the other hand, 78% of the patients used some medication, and 77% presented for hard-tissue treatment (tooth extractions, bone remodeling, etc.); 61% of all treatments comprised the removal of root fragments (54% of all hard-tissue interventions), symptomatic third molars (15%) or other dental inclusions. Only mild or moderate complications were recorded (13%) -- either local (n = 25) or systemic (n = 1). No significant relation was observed between the development of intra- or postoperative complications and the type of treatment provided or the medication used by these patients. Only diabetes was associated with a significant increase in intra- and postoperative local complications (p<0.003).  (+info)

Cardiovascular changes following insertion of oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways. (43/289)

BACKGROUND: The cardiovascular responses following the insertion of oropharyngeal airways in anaesthetized patients have been found to be of little consequence. However, those following the insertion of nasopharyngeal airways have not been studied. The aim of this investigation was to compare the cardiovascular responses to the insertion of oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways in anaesthetized patients. METHODS: Twenty-four ASA I or II patients aged 16-65 yr, requiring nasotracheal intubation as part of their anaesthetic management, received a standardized general anaesthetic and were randomly allocated to receive either a nasopharyngeal or an oropharyngeal airway. RESULTS: The two groups were similar with respect to age, weight and gender. There was a significant decrease in systolic pressure following the induction of anaesthesia in both groups. Following nasopharyngeal airway insertion, there was a significant rise in systolic pressure above pre-insertion levels (P< or =0.001), though not above pre-induction levels (P=0.808). There was no significant change in the oropharyngeal airway insertion group (P=0.619). At 1 min post-insertion, the mean (sd) systolic pressure in the nasopharyngeal insertion group, 122 (21.6) mm Hg, was significantly greater than that in the oropharyngeal insertion group, 103 (15.3) mm Hg (P=0.017). Diastolic pressure followed a similar pattern. In both groups, heart rate fell after induction and fell further after insertion, and at 4 min post-insertion was significantly lower than pre-induction and pre-insertion levels. There was no significant difference in heart rates between the two groups (P=0.372). CONCLUSIONS: The pressor response following the insertion of nasopharyngeal airways in anaesthetized patients is significantly greater than that following the insertion of oropharyngeal airways. However, the mean rise in arterial pressure does not exceed pre-induction level, and thus the response is less severe than that likely to be associated with orotracheal or nasotracheal intubation.  (+info)

How predictable is orthognathic surgery? (44/289)

There are a number of increasingly sophisticated techniques available for orthognathic treatment planning. All are based on the determination of the skeletal pattern and the position of the dentition. However, they all suffer from difficulties associated with predicting the soft tissue profile. The aim of this retrospective cephalometric investigation was, therefore, to compare the ability to predict accurately the outcome of orthognathic treatment using the 'hand planning' technique and the orthognathic planning and analysis (OPAL) computer program, with an emphasis on the soft tissue profile. Seventy adult subjects were divided into two groups not specific for gender or age: the Class III patients had undergone bimaxillary surgery and the Class II patients sagittal split mandibular advancement. In each group, the pre-treatment and post-debond lateral cephalograms were utilized to calculate the actual orthodontic and surgical movements. These values were then used to produce a prediction using both the hand planning technique and the OPAL program. The resultant predictions were digitized using a customized computer program and compared with the actual outcome. The results show that there was marked individual variation when planning by hand and using the OPAL program. In the mandibular surgery group, hand planning and OPAL were of similar accuracy and few points differed significantly between prediction and outcome. However, for the bimaxillary group, a number of points showed bias and the hand planning technique appeared to be more accurate than the OPAL program, particularly in the region of the lips. Although the usefulness of predictions is acknowledged, these results suggest that they should be used with a certain amount of caution.  (+info)

Management of detachment of pilot balloon during intraoral repositioning of the submental endotracheal tube. (45/289)

Submental endotracheal intubation for surgery was used as an alternative to nasotracheal intubation in patients with craniomaxillofacial injury. Generally extubation was performed in the operation room by pulling the tube through the submental incision site. When extubation is not indicated, intraoral indwelling is preferred to submental intubation. We report a case of a 35-year-old male patient with multiple facial bone fractures. At the end of the surgery, we noticed the oropharyngeal edema, and so the submental intubation was converted into a standard orotracheal intubation. During that procedure, the pilot balloon was accidentally detached from the endotracheal tube. The situation was managed by cutting a pilot tube from a new, unused endotracheal tube and connecting it to the intubated tube using a needle connector.  (+info)

The feasibility of bispectral index monitoring for intravenous sedation during dental treatment. (46/289)

Intravenous sedation during dental treatment is primarily used in outpatient clinics. Maintenance of a level of sedation sufficient to allow treatment while using the minimum dose possible and to induce faster waking is very important. The benefits of bispectral index monitoring have recently been reported for many applications, and it is expected to prove useful in intravenous sedation during dental treatment. However, because the sensor is attached to the forehead, which may be close to the site of operation, and because no neuromuscular blocking drugs are used, monitoring may be excessively interrupted by artifacts such as electromyographic input. Thus, we investigated the usefulness of bispectral index monitoring for patients under intravenous sedation during dental treatment. The incidence of "good" electroencephalograms, for which the electromyogram was less than 50 dB, signal quality index was more than 25%, and impedance was less than 10 kOhms, was 82.4% +/- 9.2%. These findings suggest that bispectral index monitoring will prove effective for intravenous sedation during dental treatment.  (+info)

Which factors influence willingness-to-pay for orthognathic treatment? (47/289)

The aims of this interview-based questionnaire study were to establish which factors influence willingness-to-pay (WTP) for orthognathic treatment and to compare WTP values, from both members of the general public and orthognathic patients, with the actual cost of treatment, the hypothesis being that the more highly valued the intervention, the higher the WTP value. Data were collected from 88 orthognathic patients and a convenience sample of 100 adults using the so-called 'payment card' method. Demographic data were recorded, as well as ability to pay, incisor relationship, occupation, and level of education. In addition, the resources used in orthognathic treatment were estimated for five patients who participated in the study. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the mean WTP values for the public and patient groups. Patients were prepared to pay [see symbol in tex]2750 more than members of the general public. In addition, a significant relationship was found between WTP and incisor relationship in the patient group, with Class II division 1 patients prepared to pay [see symbol in text]3130 more than those with Class III malocclusions. Ability to pay did not significantly affect WTP. The mean total costs estimated for orthognathic treatment were lower than the mean patient WTP value and similar to the mean WTP value for the public group. In terms of cost-benefit, it appears that orthognathic treatment provides 'good value for money'. This study also showed that both patients and the general public were prepared to place a monetary value on the correction of dentofacial deformity and that this form of economic evaluation is a useful tool in monitoring health care in the UK.  (+info)

The routine use of pediatric airway exchange catheter after extubation of adult patients who have undergone maxillofacial or major neck surgery: a clinical observational study. (48/289)

INTRODUCTION: We conducted the present study to determine the usefulness of routinely inserting a pediatric airway exchange catheter (PAEC) before tracheal extubation of adult patients who had undergone maxillofacial or major neck surgery and have risk factors for difficult reintubation. METHODS: A prospective, observational and clinical study was performed in the 25-bed general intensive care unit of a university hospital. Thirty-six adult patients who underwent maxillofacial or major neck surgery and had risk factors for difficult reintubation were extubated after insertion of the PAEC. RESULTS: Four of 36 (11.1%) patients required emergency reintubation after 2, 4, 6 and 18 hours after tracheal extubation, respectively. Reintubation of these patients, which was thought to be nearly impossible by direct laryngoscopy, was easily achieved over the PAEC. CONCLUSION: The PAEC can be a life-saving device during reintubation of patients with risk factors for difficult reintubation such as laryngeo-pharyngeal oedema due to surgical manipulation or airway obstruction resulting from haematoma and anatomic changes. We therefore suggest the routine use of the PAEC in patients undergoing major maxillofacial or major neck surgery.  (+info)