Our study shows gender to exert a significant influence upon the anatomical dimensions of the anterior maxilla and incisor canal. Given the anatomical variability characterizing the nasopalatine canal, we recommend CBCT evaluation prior to any type of surgery of the anterior maxillary zone.

Backgound: Cancer of the oral cavity is a public health problem and many cases are not diagnosed until the disease has reached an advanced stage. The aim of this study was to initiate an educational programme in self-examination for patients at risk from oral cancer. Methods: This quasi-experimental study set out to initiate an educational programme in self-examination for patients at risk from oral cancer, assessing the outcomes after three months. In individual 15-minute face-to-face sessions, patients were given information and training in oral cancer risk factors and then verbal instructions as how to carry out oral self-examination. Three months later, patients were interviewed by telephone and asked if they had carried out selfexamination independently at home. The programme was evaluated by means of a health belief model questionnaire on perceived susceptibility (3 items), severity (8 items), benefits (4 items), barriers (8 items) and efficacy (6 items). Results: Eighty-six patients (37 females [43.1%] and 49 males [56.9%]) with a mean age of 58.60 AE 10.7 completed the oral self-examination programme. Logistic regression analysis indicated that patients who felt themselves subject to susceptibility (OR: 0.03 95% CI: 0.0-0.86; p < 0.04), severity (OR 0.23 95% 0.08-0.68; p < 0.008) and benefits (OR 0.11 95% 0.02-0.63; p < 0.013) were more likely to perform self-examination. Conclusions: Training programmes in oral self-examination are needed to decrease morbidity and mortality from oral cancer.

El síndrome de boca ardiente es un cuadro clínico complejo en el que el paciente manifiesta una sensación de escozor o ardor intrabucal sin que aparezcan lesiones clínicas objetivables. Objetivo: Valorar la eficacia mediante la aplicación de un gel de capsaicina a una concentración de 0.025 mg., en pacientes con síndrome de boca ardiente. Pacientes y método: Se estudiaron a un grupo de 29 pacientes a los que se les realiza un protocolo de recogida de datos que incluye anamnesis, historia médica, exploración bucal y pruebas complementarias. A 15 de dichos pacientes se les prescribe un gel de capsaicina y se les realiza un seguimiento durante varias semanas. Resultados: La eficacia de la capsaicina es relativamente baja, solo un 13% de los pacientes refiere una mejoría importante (con una disminución de mas de 3 puntos en las escalas analógico-visuales) y un 6% mejoría parcial (disminución menor de 3 puntos) con este tratamiento. Discusión: La estomatodinia es un cuadro clínico multifactorial que precisa de una mayor investigación tanto de su etiología como de su manejo terapéutico. Es de suma importancia realizar un correcto diagnóstico y explicar este al paciente para poder mantener unas metas realistas sobre las posibilidades de éxito. Palabras clave: Síndrome de boca ardiente, capsaicina tópica, tratamiento.

No abstract

Objectives To investigate sleep quality, anxiety/depression and quality-of-life in patients with xerostomia. Materials and methods This prospective, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted among a group of xerostomia patients (n = 30) compared with 30 matched control subjects. The following evaluation scales were used to assess the psychological profile of each patient: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), the Xerostomia Inventory, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Results The PSQI obtained 5.3 3 ± 1.78 for patients with xerostomia compared with 4.26 ± 1.01 for control subjects (p = 0.006); ESS obtained 5.7 ± 2.1 for test patients vs 4.4 0 ± 1 for control subjects (p = 0.010). Statistical regression analysis showed that xerostomia was significantly associated with depression (p = 0.027). Conclusions Patients with xerostomia exhibited significant decreases in sleep quality compared with control subjects.

cluding the liver, spleen, sinuses, and the diploic spaces of the skull. Oral health problems in patients with thalassemias are mostly related to a varied degree of facial deformities, malocclusions, and/or dental arch dimensions. We present a case with a 69-year-old man, diagnosed with homozygous α thalassemia that came to the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Murcia for a dental treatment. His medical history was notable for recurrent episodes of bleeding since childhood. Panoramic radiography revealed changes in the mandible, with widening of medullary spaces, coarsening of the trabeculae and thinning of cortical bone because of a compensatory extramedullary hematopoiesis Here, a brief review of the clinical, radiographic, laboratory, and dental implications of these hemoglobin disorders are presented. The patient required several dental extractions and two blood transfusions were administered the same day of the intervention. Thereafter, additional transfusions were planned only depending on the degree of bleeding.

No abstract

To analyze Mg, Ca, and Zn levels in saliva, comparing patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a control group of healthy subjects. This transversal, observational, clinical study included a total sample of 147 patients, 74 with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a control group of 73 healthy subjects. Socio-demographic, anthropometric, diabetological, and metabolic variables were registered. Trace elements in non-stimulated basal saliva were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS): Mg, Ca, and Zn. Concentrations of zinc, calcium, and magnesium were significantly higher in the diabetic group than the control group (p < 0.001). A relation was observed between waist circumference and high cardiovascular risk in men (based on two categories: waist circumference < 102 cm; waist circumference ≥ 102 cm), and magnesium levels in saliva (p = 0.003). Magnesium, zinc, and calcium levels in saliva could be useful markers for differentiating patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus from non-diabetics. The salivary magnesium could be used as a marker of high cardiovascular risk when associated with abdominal obesity represented by a waist circumference ≥ 102 cm in men. The present results do suggest that salivary zinc levels could act as a good marker of type 2 diabetes mellitus, in light of zinc's well-known role as a co-marker of insulin and its relationship to carbohydrate metabolism.