PURPOSEThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the patients' knowledge on dental implants in a Turkish subpopulation.MATERIALS AND METHODSFive hundred twenty seven Turkish adults referred to Yeditepe University Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul, Turkey, were presented with a questionnaire including 20 questions regarding the level of information and awareness about the dental implants. The data were collected and statistical analyses were performed with Chi square test to compare the descriptive data.RESULTSAmong 527 subjects, 54% were female and 46% were male with a mean age of 42.2 years. The rate of patients' implant awareness was 27.7%. When the patients were questioned about the treatment options for rehabilitation of tooth missing, 60.9% of patients were informed about fixed partial denture, followed by conventional complete denture (32.5%) and removable partial denture (24.9%). Six percent reported that they were very well informed about the dental implants whereas 48.2% were poorly informed. The information sources of the implants were from the dentist (44.5%), printed media (31.6%) and friends and acquaintances (17.3%), respectively. Sixteen percent of the population believed that their implants would last forever.CONCLUSIONThe dentists should give more detailed information to the patients about dental implants and tooth-supported fixed partial dentures in the future.

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CO(2) laser is an effective instrument for soft tissue excisional biopsies with minimal intraoperative and postoperative complications and good pain control. CO(2) laser applications are suggested as an alternative method to conventional surgery on oral soft tissues.

Purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate different surgical treatment methods for keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOTs) and the outcome of those treatments over a 9-year period. Patients and Methods. A retrospective review was performed on 43 KCOTs in 39 patients. In radiographic evaluations for diagnosis, follow ups and before and after treatment, panoramic, 3D CT and MR images were used. The three groups of different surgical treatment were (1) enucleation for small unilocular lesions without certainty of histology; (2) enucleation with Carnoy's solution, for small unilocular lesions after previous histological confirmation of KOCT; (3) marsupialization followed by enucleation with Carnoy's solution implemented for large often multilocular KCOTs with intact or destruction of cortical bone without infiltration of neighbouring tissue. Results. 43 KCOT cases were mostly localized in mandible (76.7%), radiologically unilocular (72%), and parakeratocysts (88.4%). Inflammation and satellite cysts (daughter cysts) were detected histopathologically in 14 (32.5%) and 7 (16.3%), respectively. Among the 43 cysts, 20 (46.5%) were associated with the impacted third molar and of 21 (48.8%) was in tooth bearing area, and 5 (11, 6%) located on edentulous areas. It was located mostly in the anterior region of maxilla (90%) and in mandibular molar and ramus (62.8%). The treatments of KCOTs were 18 (41.9%) for group 1, and 10 (23.3%) group 2, and 15 (34.8%) group 3. A statistically significant relationship was found between the radiographic appearance and treatment methods (P = 0.00). No recurrence was found on 40.54 ± 23.02 months follow up. Conclusion. We concluded that successful treatment methods were enucleation and Carnoy's solution in small lesions and marsupialization in lesions that have reached a very large size, but because KCOT was observed in second decade mostly, long-term follows up are suggested.

ObjectiveLocal anesthetic solutions with vasoconstrictors are not contraindicated in hypertensive patients, but due to their hemodynamic effects, local anesthetics without vasoconstrictors are mainly preferred by the clinicians. The aim of this study was to compare hemodynamic effects of three different local anesthetics without vasoconstrictors during tooth extraction in hypertensive patients.Material and MethodsSixty-five mandibular molars and premolars were extracted in 60 hypertensive patients (29 females and 31 males; mean age: 66.95 ± 10.87 years; range: 38 to 86 years old). Inferior alveolar and buccal nerve blocks were performed with 2% lidocaine hydrochloride (HCl), 2% prilocaine HCl or 3% mepivacaine HCl without vasoconstrictor. Hemodynamic parameters namely systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), saturation rate (SR), rate pressure product (RPP) and pressure rate quotient (PRQ) were investigated before and at different intervals after anesthetic injection.ResultsThe hemodynamic effects of the three agents were similar to each other, although some significance was observed for DBP, MAP, RPP and PRQ values in the lidocaine, prilocaine and mepivacaine groups.ConclusionLidocaine, prilocaine and mepivacaine solutions without vasoconstrictor can be safely used in hypertensive patients. It is advisable that dental practitioners select anesthetic solutions for hypertensive patients considering their cardiovascular effects in order to provide patient comfort and safety.

Although odontomas are considered to be a common type of odontogenic tumor, they rarely occur solely in the primary dentition. This case report presents an eight and a half-year-old-child with a compound odontoma located in the mandible, which caused the impaction of both primary and permanent canines.

The aim of this study was to evaluate differences with regard to local anesthesia education in Turkish dental schools. Questionnaires designed to collect information about local anesthesia education were sent to the heads of the Departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of seventeen Turkish dental schools. Eleven returned the completed survey for a response rate of 64 percent. It was determined that dental schools begin the theoretical part of their local anesthesia (LA) curricula during the irst half of the third year. Most dental schools start teaching the practical aspects during the second half of the third year on average-half a year after the beginning of the theoretical background. The irst injection in humans, usually a fellow student (82 percent), is mostly supervised by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. The number of injections under supervision usually depends upon the individual capabilities of the student. None of the schools said they required permission of a medical ethics committee for injections on fellow students. Seventy-three percent of the schools said they were satisied with their current LA teaching and were not planning to make any changes. Overall, LA teaching programs showed minor variations across the surveyed Turkish dental schools.