Sjögren’s syndrome of the oral cavity. Review and update

Sjögren´s syndrome is one of the most frequent autoimmune diseases. It is a chronic and systemic disorder predominantly found in women, and is characterized by the appearance of a lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate, with dryness of the oral cavity and eyes, secondary to involvement of the salivary and lacrimal glands. The underlying causal mechanism involves a number of factors and has not been clearly established, though an autoimmune response is known to be triggered, with the accumulation of immune complexes in the gland acini that interfere with gland function. In the oral cavity, xerostomia or hyposialia is the most disabling manifestation for patients, and is accompanied by rapidly p…

Utility of imaging techniques in the diagnosis of oral cancer.

Abstract Purpose Imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET) are often used to complement the clinical exploration and staging of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Which of these techniques is best in establishing correct staging and treatment planning is not clear, however. This study aims to determine which technique is most appropriate for diagnosing the primary tumor and for detecting bone invasion and neck metastases. Material and methods A Medline literature search was made over the last 10 years. In each selected study, we recorded the sample size and sensitivity, specificity and precision. Strengths…

Dental management of patients with endocrine disorders

Introduction: The endocrine system is responsible for hormonal secretion and is closely related to the central nervous system, as it diversifies its functions through the hypothalamus and pituitary glands. It controls physiological processes and maintains homeostasis. The neuroendocrine system is responsible for adaptation to environmental changes. Therefore, in dentistry, it is important to be aware of the risks and difficulties that may arise during the dental management of patients with endocrine disorders, and that visits to the dental clinics often represent a stressful situation. Objectives: To review the literature on oral manifestations and dental management in patients with endocri…

Dental management in transplant patients

Introduction: Transplant is the replacement with therapeutic purposes, of organs, tissues or cellular material for others, from a donor who is usually a human, alive or dead. In recent years, transplant organs have been developed by the advances that have occurred with immunosuppressive drugs and medical-surgical technology. Due to the frequency of transplants that are performed today, it is common to find these patients in dental clinics. Objectives: To review the literature on oral manifestations in transplant patients and general dental management and according to transplant organs (heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas and bone marrow). Material and Methods: For the literature review, we…

Dental considerations in patients with respiratory problems.

Many respiratory disorders can compromise routine dental care and require special treatment for the affected patients. Patients often visit the dental clinic with respiratory problems already diagnosed by other specialists. The dental professional therefore must provide correct dental care in the context of such a diagnosis. The present study offers a literature review of those respiratory disorders which can have implications for dental care. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma require special measures, such as working with the patient in the vertical position, since some of these subjects do not tolerate decubitus. On the other hand, patients with COPD can suffer infec…

Cardiovascular diseases in dental practice : Practical considerations

Coronary heart disease is the principal cause of death in the industrialized world. Its most serious expression, acute myocardial infarction, causes 7.2 million deaths each year worldwide, and it is estimated that 20% of all people will suffer heart failure in the course of their lifetime. The control of risk cardiovascular factors, including arterial hypertension, obesity and diabetes mellitus is the best way to prevent such diseases. The most frequent and serious cardiovascular emergencies that can manifest during dental treatment are chest pain (as a symptom of underlying disease) and acute lung edema. Due to the high prevalence and seriousness of these problems, the dental surgeon must …

Palatal perforations secondary to inhaled cocaine abuse: presentation of five cases

The estimated incidence of complications associated with cocaine abuse is 4.8%. Palatal perforation is a very infrequent condition within the range of complications associated with cocaine abuse. No epidemiological cha- racteristics relating to patient age or gender have been established, and the diagnosis of the disorder requires a detailed clinical history, including antecedents of cocaine abuse. The clinical and radiological studies show palatal bone erosion and perforation of the soft or hard palate. The present study describes five cases of palatal perforation secondary to inhaled cocaine abuse. As a result of the increase in cocaine use in recent years, particularly among young adults…

Lichen sclerosus of the oral mucosa : a case report

Lichen sclerosus or lichen sclerosus et atrophicus is a chronic inflammatory disease predominantly affecting the genital mucosa and skin. Clinically, it is characterized by white atrophic plaques in the anogenital region. The lesions are generally asymptomatic, but may cause discomfort with itching and pain. Extragenital mucosal involvement is very unusual, and lesions limited to the oral mucosa are even less frequent. Knowledge of such lesions is important in order to establish a differential diagnosis with other white oral lesions, and histological confirmation is required. We present the case of a 31-year-old woman with a well delimited, pearly white lesion located in the upper gingival …

Drug-induced oral lichenoid reactions: a literature review

The terms oral lichenoid reactions or oral lichenoid lesions refer to lesions histologically and clinically similar to oral lichen planus, though with the particularity that in these cases the underlying cause is identifiable. In addition, these lesions are described according to the causal factor involved, including alterations resulting from direct contact with dental restoration materials, drug-related lesions, and lesions associated to graft-versus-host disease. Drug-induced oral lichenoid reactions or oral lichenoid lesions were first cited in 1971 by Almeyda and Levantine. Since then, many drug substances have been associated with such lesions. The most common agents are nonsteroidal …

Bacteremia originating in the oral cavity. A review

In patients at risk because of heart disease, bacteremias induced by invasive dental treatments have been reported as a cause of bacterial endocarditis (BE) - a serious disorder that continues to involve a high mortality. As a result, different scientific societies have supported recommendations for the administration of antibiotics prior to invasive dental treatments, in order to neutralize bacteremia. In this context, the recommendations of the American Heart Association (AHA) are the most widely used in our setting. Advances in our knowledge of the etiopathogenesis of bacterial endocarditis have placed increasingly less importance on invasive dental treatments as a causal factor (the AHA…

Estudio clínico del carcinoma oral de células escamosas y su relación con la expresión de los linfocitos T reguladores infiltrantes en el tejido tumoral

Oral manifestations and dental management of patient with leukocyte alterations

Leukocytes are the main cellular elements of inflammatory and immune reactions of the organism. Leukocyte alterations are the consequence of an imbalance between the formation of leukocytes in the bone marrow and its elimination by the mononuclear phagocytic system. Factors that can modify leukopoyesis are varied and can lead to an alteration in the number of leukocytes or tumoral alterations of white cells (leukemias, lymphomas and plasma cell tumors). There is also a wide range of clinical manifestations that can derive from them: from very slight symptoms to life-threatening conditions. In some cases oral manifestations will be the first signs and it will be the dentist’s responsibility …

Dental management in patients with hemostasis alteration

Haemostasis is a mechanism that, through different interdependent biologic processes, has the purpose of ensuring the integrity and permeability of the circulatory system. Hemostasis term means prevention the loss of blood. Interventions or treatments in the oral cavity, in particular those with a possibility of bleeding, represent a risk for patients with disorders of hemostasis. Prevention is the key to avoid bleeding complications after oral surgical procedures and therefore it is essential a detailed medical history of the patient. The appropriate diagnosis and treatment in patients with disorders of hemostasis, depends directly in the understanding of hemostasis standard mechanisms. Em…

A review of temporomandibular joint disease (TMJD). Part II : clinical and radiological semiology. Morbidity processes

The clinical signs and symptoms of greatest semiologic value in temporomandibular joint disease (TMJD) are muscle pain, joint pain, limitations in mandibular movement, and joint sounds. Imaging studies of the joint are very useful for establishing the diagnosis and for discarding other disease processes, though in many cases diagnostic error results from the detection of a large proportion of patients with alterations in the imaging studies but with no associated clinical manifestations. Panoramic X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging are the most commonly used complementary techniques for diagnosing TMJD. MRI may be regarded as the imaging technique of choice, particularly when studying th…

Dental treatment considerations in the chemotherapy patient

Cancer patients can suffer oral toxic effects secondary to antineoplastic therapy in the form of radiotherapy and/ or chemotherapy. This risk is conditioned by a range of factors, including the high cell turnover rate of the oral mucosa, the diversity and complexity of the oral microflora, and soft tissue trauma during normal oral function. The present study offers a literature review of the main oral complications secondary to chemotherapy, and describes the different options for dental treatment before, during and after oncological treatment, published in the scientific literature. To this effect a PubMed-Medline® search was made using the following keywords: chemotherapy, cancer therapy,…

Prevention and treatment of oral mucositis in patients receiving chemotherapy

Oral mucositis is one of the most common side effects of cancer treatment (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy). It is an inflammatory process that affects the mucosa of the oral cavity, giving rise to erythematous areas in combination with ulcers that can reach a large size. The true importance of oral mucositis is the complications it causes ' fundamentally intense pain associated to the oral ulcers, and the risk of overinfection. This in turn may require reduction or even suspension of the antineoplastic treatment, with the risk of seriously worsening the patient prognosis. This points to the importance of establishing therapeutic tools of use in the prevention and/or treatment of mucositis…

Pediatric dental care in a tertiary public hospital. Four years of experience in the Service of Stomatology of Valencia University General Hospital (Valencia, Spain)

A study is made of the experience gained with the Child Oral Care Program (Plan de Atención Dental Infantil, PADI) in the Service of Stomatology of Valencia University General Hospital (Valencia, Spain) after four years in operation (July 2003 - July 2007). Study design: The sample comprised 2626 children between 5-14 years of age, pertaining to department 9 of the Valencian public health system. A clinical history was compiled in each case, a radiological study was made, and a treatment plan was elaborated including fillings, extractions, and control visits. Results: Of the 2626 designated children, 2369 visited our Service - mostly referred from the Preventive Dental Care Units. A total o…

Graft-versus-host disease affecting oral cavity: a review

Graft versus host disease (GVHD) is one of the most frequent and serious complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and is regarded as the leading cause of late mortality unrelated to the underlying malignant disease. GVHD is an autoimmune and alloimmune disorder that usually affects multiple organs and tissues, and exhibits a variable clinical course. It can manifest in either acute or chronic form. The acute presentation of GVHD is potentially fatal and typically affects the skin, gastrointestinal tract and liver. The chronic form is characterized by the involvement of a number of organs, including the oral cavity. Indeed, the oral cavity may be the only affected location i…

An update on the management of anticoagulated patients programmed for dental extractions and surgery

Oral anticoagulants (OACs) antagonizing vitamin K - fundamentally sodium warfarin and acenocoumarol - are widely used for preventing arterial thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation and/or heart valve prostheses, and for the treatment and prevention of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. The handling of these drugs requires correct monitorization and dose adjustment to obtain the desired therapeutic effect while minimizing the adverse effects associated both with excessive anticoagulation (which leads to bleeding) and with insufficient antithrombotic action (which can produce thrombosis). This is particularly important when patients must be subjected to surgical proc…

Dental considerations in patients with liver disease

Introduction: Liver diseases are very common, and the main underlying causes are viral infections, alcohol abuse and lipid and carbohydrate metabolic disorders. The liver has a broad range of functions in maintaining homeostasis and health, and moreover metabolizes many drug substances. Objective: An update is provided on the oral manifestations seen in patients with viral hepatitis, alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, and on the dental management of such patients. Material and methods: A Medline-PubMed search was conducted of the literature over the last 15 years using the keywords: “hepatitis”, “alcoholic hepatitis”, “fatty liver”, “cirrhosis…

Dental considerations in pregnancy and menopause

The present study offers a literature review of the main oral complications observed in women during pregnancy and menopause, and describes the different dental management protocols used during these periods and during lactation, according to the scientific literature. To this effect, a PubMed-Medline search was made, using the following key word combinations: “pregnant and dentistry”, “lactation and dentistry”, “postmenopausal and dentistry”, “menopausal and dentistry” and “oral bisphosphonates and dentistry”. The search was limited to reviews, metaanalyses and clinical guides in dental journals published over the last 10 years in English and Spanish. A total of 38 publications were evalua…