Singapore Dental Journal最新文献

Objective: Lack of awareness of signs and symptoms and risk factors of oral cancer can lead to late presentation of the disease that contributes to poor survival of patients who contract it. This study aims to determine the level of awareness regarding oral cancer in adult patients attending School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which face-to-face interview of 108 subjects aged 20-65 was conducted. The questionnaire consisted of personnel details and questions regarding awareness of risk factors, complications, signs and symptoms, and prevention of oral cancer. Each response was assigned scores where one (1) mark was given for a correct answer and one (1) mark was subtracted for every wrong answer. The scores were added up to obtain total individual score.

Results: Majority of the patients interviewed were from the age range of 20-29. Most of the respondents were Malays with females having a higher percentage (52.8%) than males (47.2%). Majority of the patients (89.9%) were aware regarding the presence of the oral cancer. However, there was no significant association of age range and gender (p > 0.05). 96.7% of subjects who have had higher education were significantly more aware about the presence of oral cancer when compared to those without any schooling (p < 0.05). There was a high awareness of the link between smoking, tobacco chewing, betel nut chewing, and alcohol (93.5%, 85.2%, 75.9%, and 68.5%, respectively) with oral cancer. Almost three-fourth (73%) scored between 10 and 19 out of the maximum of 23 with the mean score of 13.4 (standard deviation, 4.37). All our subjects agreed that early detection of oral cancer could improve chances of successfully treating them.

Conclusion: There was a moderate level of awareness regarding oral cancer towards its risk factors, complications, signs and symptoms, and prevention of oral cancer.

Head and neck cancer is becoming a more recognizable pathology to the general population and dentists. The modes of treatment include surgery and/or radiation therapy. Where possible, pretreatment dental assessment shall be provided for these patients before they undergo radiation therapy. There are occasions, however, whereby head and neck cancer patients are not prepared optimally for radiation therapy. Because of this, they succumb to complicated oral complications after radiation therapy. The management of xerostomia has been reviewed in Part I of this series. In this article, the management of dental caries, a sequalae of xerostomia following radiation therapy is reviewed.

Prosthodontic rehabilitation for mandibulectomy patients is seldom covered in the undergraduate dental curriculum. The complexity of mandibular resections, surgical considerations, and prosthodontic implications are rarely explored in depth even in postgraduate prosthodontic training. Understanding the nature of the surgical treatment and prosthodontic limitations is crucial for clinical care of these patients. Various aspects of this unique group of patients and the associated prosthodontic issues are discussed.

Head and neck cancer is becoming a more recognizable pathology to the general population and dentists. The modes of treatment include surgery and/or radiation therapy. Where possible, pretreatment dental assessment shall be provided for these patients before they receive radiation therapy. There are occasions, however, whereby head and neck cancer patients are not prepared optimally for radiation therapy. Because of this, they succumb to complicated oral adverse effects after radiation therapy. Part I of this series reviews the management of xerostomia. The management of the effect of xerostomia to the dentition/oral cavity is discussed in Part II.

Head and neck cancer is becoming a more recognizable pathology to the general population and dentists. The modes of treatment include surgery and/or radiation therapy. Where possible, pretreatment dental assessment shall be provided for these patients before they undergo radiation therapy. There are occasions, however, whereby head and neck cancer patients are not prepared optimally for radiation therapy. Because of this, they succumb to complicated oral adverse effects after radiation therapy. The last part of this series reviews the opportunistic infections that can occur to the perioral structure. Their management is briefly discussed.

Prosthetic rehabilitation of partial mandibulectomy defects without bony reconstruction is rarely presented. An in-depth understanding of the surgical and conventional prosthodontic principles is essential for prosthetic rehabilitation in this unique group of patients. Often, the application of modified prosthodontic principles is needed and success is not always possible. A clinical report is presented in this article.

Minimum intervention dentistry (MI) can be defined as a philosophy of professional care concerned with the first occurrence, early detection, and earliest possible cure of disease on micro levels, followed by minimally invasive, patient-friendly treatment to repair irreversible damage caused by such disease. The benefit for patients from MI lies in better oral health through disease healing and not merely on symptom relief. Furthermore, minimally invasive treatment assists in reducing widespread patient dental anxieties. MI has the potential for dentists to apply a more conservative approach to caries treatment and simultaneously offer patients less invasive, health-oriented treatment options.

Minor oral surgery in warfarinized patients can be performed without stopping or altering the dose of the drug. Thirty patients underwent various types of oral surgical procedures without interruption of their anticoagulant therapy and their therapeutic international normalized ratio maintained. Local measures such as pressure, packing the sockets with oxidized regenerated cellulose, and suturing were applied. In some patients, tranexamic acid mouthwashes were prescribed to further enhance haemostasis. Four patients had minimal postoperative bleeding in the form of bloodstained saliva, which lasted for 24 hours. This study highlights the importance of local measures in controlling postoperative bleeding in warfarinized patients undergoing minor oral surgical procedures.

Objective: The aims of this retrospective study were to evaluate patient satisfaction with fixed partial dentures (FPDs) 5-8 years following placement and to assess their awareness of oral health and oral hygiene practices using a survey questionnaire.

Methods: The questionnaire consisted of 15 statements on patients' subjective perception of treatment with FPDs. Patients' perceptions of clinical outcome in terms of aesthetics, masticatory efficiency, speech, and comfort of the FPD were scored on a 4-point ordinal scale. Another group of questions looked into patients' attitudes regarding oral hygiene measures; these responses were measured on a binary scale. A third group of questions determined patients' awareness of bleeding gingivae, and the final group of questions assessed if patients' expectations had been met, willingness to undergo the same treatment again and recommend it to others.

Results: Eighty-five patients with 99 FPDs, treated between 5 and 8 years previously (mean, 6.1 years; median, 6.2 years), participated in the study. Mean follow-up time was 6.1 years. There were 87.9% of FPDs that were 3-4 units in design and 44% included anterior teeth. The 5-year survival of the FPDs was 92.3%. Patient satisfaction with the functional aspects of the FPDs was generally very high; 95% were definitely or somewhat satisfied with the aesthetic appearance, 96% with chewing comfort, and 100% with the ability to speak normally. Ninety-one percent found the costs to be definitely or somewhat reasonable. Ninety-nine percent felt that the treatment had definitely or somewhat turned out as they had expected, 95% would definitely or somewhat be willing to recommend the same treatment to friends, and 92% would undergo the same treatment again. Fifty-six percent of patients reported using some form of interdental aid and 86% reported being able to clean their prostheses without problems. However, 35% reported some bleeding around their prostheses during cleaning, and 74-78% of patients felt that bleeding around natural teeth and bridges during cleaning was only a minor problem or not a problem.

Conclusion: More than 90% of patients were satisfied with having missing teeth replaced with FPDs from a functional and aesthetic point of view. Costs were considered to be reasonable by the majority of patients and most would undergo the same treatment again and also recommend the treatment to others. Only about half of patients used some form of interdental cleaning and most were unaware of the significance of bleeding around the gingiva of natural teeth and FPDs.