The British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Jun 2017
Long-term therapeutic effects of dextrose prolotherapy in patients with hypermobility of the temporomandibular joint: a single-arm study with 1-4 years' follow up.
The aim was to analyse the short-term and long-term therapeutic efficacy of dextrose prolotherapy for dislocation or subluxation (hypermobility) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Sixty-one patients with symptomatic hypermobility of the TMJ were included in this single-arm prospective study, in which they were each given four sessions of intra-articular and pericapsular injections six weeks apart. Each injection comprised 10% dextrose/mepivacaine solution 3ml. ⋯ The pain scores (p<0.001) and clicking (p<0.001) had decreased significantly by T3. Linear tomograms of each joint at T1 and T4 showed no alteration in the morphology of the bony components of the joint, and at T4, tomographic open views of all joints showed condylar hypertranslation. Dextrose prolotherapy provided significant and sustained reduction of pain and recovery of constitutional symptoms associated with symptomatic hypermobility of the TMJ without changing either the position of the condyle or the morphology of the bony components of the joint.
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Apr 2017
Tattoos: could they be used to advantage as a medical alert in oral and maxillofacial surgery?
Many publications have addressed the medical complications of tattoos, but to our knowledge there are no reports of their use to alert people in our field of potentially dangerous conditions. We present a new way to inform oral and maxillofacial colleagues about patients with a history of malignant hyperthermia (or any other life-threatening medical problem) and discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of medical alert tattoos.
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Feb 2017
Optimising ballistic facial coverage from military fragmenting munitions: a consensus statement.
VIRTUS is the first United Kingdom (UK) military personal armour system to provide components that are capable of protecting the whole face from low velocity ballistic projectiles. Protection is modular, using a helmet worn with ballistic eyewear, a visor, and a mandibular guard. When all four components are worn together the face is completely covered, but the heat, discomfort, and weight may not be optimal in all types of combat. ⋯ Essential cover of the brain and eyes is achieved from all directions using a combination of helmet and visor. Nasal cover currently requires the mandibular guard unless the visor can be modified to cover it as well. Any such prototype would need extensive ergonomics and assessment of integration, as any changes would have to be acceptable to the people who wear them in the long term.
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The NHS in England has identified several adverse incidents that involve patients, including operations done at the wrong site, as "never" events. We examined published data from the period April 2012 to October 2015 and found that "wrong tooth/teeth removed" is the most common "wrong site" event, and accounted for between 20% and 25% of wrong site surgery never events, and 6% - 9% of all "never" events. All "wrong tooth/teeth removed" events seem to have been reported only by hospitals or Community Trusts. It is important to find out how these events are recorded and to find ways to prevent them.