• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.41
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• pp.61.1-61.8
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• 2019

Background: The prognosis of recovery following microneurosurgery for injured lingual nerves varies among individual cases. This study aimed to investigate if recovery ratios of sensory and taste functions are improved by the microneurosurgery within 6 months after lingual nerve injury. Methods: We retrospectively assessed 70 patients who underwent microneurosurgery at the Wakayama Medical University Hospital for lingual nerve injuries between July 2004 and December 2016. Sensory and taste functions in lingual nerves were preoperatively evaluated using a static two-point discrimination test, an intact superficial pain/tactile sensation test, and a taste discrimination test. They were evaluated again at 12 and at 24 months postoperatively. The abundance ratio of Schwann cells in the excised traumatic neuromas was analyzed with ImageJ software following immunohistochemistry with anti S-100β antibody. Results: In early cases (microneurosurgery within 6 months after the injury), recovery ratios of sensory and taste functions were not significantly different at 24 months after microneurosurgery compared with later cases (microneurosurgery more than 6 months after the injury). Meanwhile, the ratio of patients with taste recovery within 12 months after microneurosurgery was significantly decreased in late cases compared with early cases. The abundance ratio of Schwann cells in traumatic neuroma was also significantly lower in later cases. Conclusion: Microneurosurgery more than 6 months after lingual nerve injury did not lead to decreased recovery ratio of sensory and taste functions, but it did lead to prolonged recovery of taste. This delay may be associated with a decrease in the abundance ratio of Schwann cells in traumatic neuromas.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.41
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• pp.60.1-60.6
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• 2019

Background: The lingual nerve plays an important role in multiple functions, including gustatory sensation and contact sensitivity and thermosensitivity. Misdiagnosed conservative treatments for serious lingual nerve (LN) injuries can induce the patient to serious mental disability. After continuous observation and critical diagnosis of the injury, in cases involving significant disruption of lingual nerve function, microneurosurgical reconstruction of the nerve is recommended. Direct anastomosis of the torn nerve ends without tension is the recommended approach. However, in cases that present significant gaps between the injured nerve ends, nerve grafts or conduits (tubes of various materials) are employed. Recently, various reconstruction materials for peripheral nerves were commercially offered especially in the USA, but the best method and material is still unclear in the world. There currently exists no conventional protocol for managing LN neurosensory deficiency in regard to optimal methods and the timing for surgical repair. In Japan, the allograft collagen nerve for peripheral nerves reconstruction was permitted in 2017, and we tried to use this allograft nerve and got a recommendable result. Case presentation: This report is a long-term abandoned torn LN reconstructed with allograft nerve induced by the lower third molar extraction. Conclusions: In early sick period, with the exact diagnosis, the LN disturbance should be managed. In a serious condition, the reconstruction with allograft nerve is one of the recommendable methods.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.379-388
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• 1995

This study was based on a series of 369 patients with Oral and Maxillofacial injuries treated at Kumi Hospital, College of Medicine, Soon-Chun-Hyang University from Jan. 1992 to Dec. 1994. The results obtained were as follows : 1. The number of male patient was 310 and that of female was 59, leading to 5.3 : 1 of male-female ratio, and the 3rd decade was the highest age group in incidence. 2. Weekly incidence was the highest in Sun. & Sat. and monthly incidence was the highest in Nov.& Oct. 3. Causes as follows : traffic accident 41.9%, slip& fall down 25.4%, human trouble 16.5%, industrial accident 7.5%, sports 6.7%, etc. 4. Site distribution as follows : mandible fracture 32.3%, maxilla fracture 4.8%, zygoma fracture 21.4%, nasal bone fracture 34.1%, orbital& ethmoidal fracture 4.6%. 5. The most common site of mandible was symphysis & angle, and the ratio of OR & CR was 1.3 : 1. 6. The most common site of maxilla was Le Fort 1, 2, and the ratio of OR & CR was 3 : 1. 7. The most common site of zygoma was body, the ratio of OR & CR was 3.3 : 1. 8 . The mean period of intermaxillary fixation was 4.33weeks. 9. Combined injury in facial fracture was 35.8% : The facial fracture were most frequently combind with head & neck(47.0%), upper extremities and abdomen(9.8%). 10. The mean elapsed time from injury to hospital was 1.9days, and that to operation was 5.1days. 11. The mean number of combined teeth injury was 0.6, and percent of combined soft tissue injury of face was 51.3%. 12. Post-operative complication occurred in 4 out of 323 cases. all of that was infection.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.174-182
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• 2020

Objectives: Joint injuries frequently lead to progressive joint degeneration that causes articular disc derangement, joint inflammation, and osteoarthritis. Such arthropathies that arise after trauma are defined as post-traumatic arthritis (PTA). Although PTA is well recognized in knee and elbow joints, PTA in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) has not been clearly defined. Interestingly, patients experiencing head and neck trauma without direct jaw fracture have displayed TMJ disease symptoms; however, definitive diagnosis and treatment options are not available. This study will analyze clinical aspects of PTA in TMJ and their treatment outcomes after joint arthrocentesis and lavage. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with history of trauma to the head and neck especially without jaw fracture were retrospectively studied. Those patients developed TMJ disease symptoms and were diagnosed by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. To decrease TMJ discomfort, arthrocentesis and lavage with or without conservative therapy were applied, and efficacy was evaluated by amount of mouth opening and pain scale. Statistical differences between pre- and post-treatment values were evaluated by Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Patient age varied widely between 20 and 80 years, and causes of trauma were diverse. Duration of disease onset was measured as 508 post-trauma days, and 85% of the patients sought clinic visit within 2 years after trauma. In addition, 85% of the patients showed TMJ disc derangement without reduction, and osteoarthritis was accompanied at the traumatized side or at both sides in 40% of the patients. After arthrocentesis or lavage, maximal mouth opening was significantly increased (28-44 mm on average, P<0.001) and pain scale was dramatically decreased (7.8-3.5 of 10, P<0.001); however, concomitant conservative therapy showed no difference in treatment outcome. Conclusion: The results of this study clarify the disease identity of PTA in TMJ and suggest early diagnosis and treatment options to manage PTA in TMJ.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.388-397
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• 2008

The present study was performed to evaluate the function of the mandible according to the pattern of fracture and treatment methods of condylar fractures of the mandible and help operators in making a treatment plan. Sixty patients (average follow-up period was $7.8{\pm}9.4$ months) who were treated for condylar fracture from June, 2002 to May, 2006 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, Chonnam National University Hospital were reviewed. The common causes of the condylar fracture were traffic accident and fall-down (35.0%). In concomitant injuries, laceration was 46.7% and the fracture of the mandibular symphysis was highest incidence (60.0%). The common site of the fracture was the condylar head (47.8%), followed by subcondyle (36.2%) and condylar neck (15.9%). Under 15 years old patients, the closed reduction was performed in 87.5% out of the patients. All of the condylar fragments were fixed to the mandible with titanium miniplates in cases of open reduction. The mean period of intermaxillary fixation (IMF) was $14.2{\pm}6.5$ days in closed reduction and $10.0{\pm}4.2$ days in open reduction. The old patient with bilateral condylar head fractures, who were treated by closed reduction with IMF for 3 weeks, showed the limitation of mandibular movements. But, there was no significant different results between open reduction and closed reduction with the respect of the Helkimo's mandibular mobility index and clinical dysfunction index (DI). Complications, such as fibrous ankylosis and resorption of the mandibular condyle, were not observed in all patients. These results suggest that the good results can be obtained by closed reduction with proper IMF periods and functional exercise in most condylar fractures of the mandible except severely displaced extracapsular fractures.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.464-473
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate relationship between the inferior alveolar nerve injury and the findings of panoramic and tomographic images for preventing inferior alveolar nerve injury after the 3rd molar extraction. Material and Method: From April, 2005 to June, 2005, The 190 patients who visited in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacia Surgery, Chonnam National University Hospital and the panoramic radiographies were taken for extraction of the mandibular third molar, was selected. Among 215 mandibular third molars, Scanora tomographic imagings were taken in the 90 teeth which were overlaped to the mandibular canal in the panoramic imagies. In panoramic radiographies, the angulation, the level, the root morphology, and the superimposition sign of the mandibular third molars with the mandibular canal were evaluated. In the tomographic radiographies, the location and distance of the mandibular third molar from the canal were also evaluated. The relationships between these findings and the inferior alveolar nerve injury were examined. Results: In the panoramic findings, the inferior alveolar nerve injuries were occurred in the darkened roots (5 molars, 7%), the uncontinuous radiopaque image (3 molars, 7%), and the depositioned mandibular canal (2 molars, 10%). In the tomographic findings of 90 molars, 20 molars also had the superimposition imagies. Five molars in those molars (25%) had the inferior alveolar nerve injury after extraction. There were 10 patients who had the inferior alveolar nerve injury. The sensory was began to be recovered in 9 patients, except 1 patient, within 2 weeks, then fully recovered within 3 months. Conclusion: These results indicate that the depth mandibular third molar and the superimposition sign may be related with the risk of the inferior alveolar nerve injury after extraction.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.58-64
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• 2012

Purpose: Dental emergencies vary from toothaches to oral and maxillofacial traumas. Because the number of dental emergency cases has increased recently, we analyzed characteristics of patients seen during the last 2 years, in an effort to find a trend. Methods: This study was carried out with emergency room patients visiting the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from 2009 to 2010. Results: The total number of patients studied was 1,162; the ratio of males to females was 1.73:1. The most frequent age group was 0 to 9 years, followed by 20 to 29 years. Trauma (58.7%) was the most frequent cause followed by acute toothache, oral hemorrhage, infection, and temporomandibular (TMJ) disorder. In the trauma group, injuries of soft tissue and alveolus were prevalent. The most common causes of soft tissue injury were falls, safety violations and assault. The highest incidence of emergencies was seen in patients 0 to 9 years old (41.8%). The most common causes of jaw fracture were falls, assaults, and traffic accidents in that order. In the acute toothache group, most patients had pulpitis (41.2%). In the infection group, most had buccal space abscesses (40.0%). In the hemorrhage group, post-operative bleeding cases (80.5%) were the majority, and hemostasis was obtained mostly by pressure dressings. For the TMJ disorder group, masticatory muscle disorder (65.4%) was more common than TMJ dislocation. Conclusion: In this study, trauma was the most frequent reason for patients who visited the emergency room. However, acute toothache, hemorrhage, infection and TMJ disorders were also seen frequently. Dental emergency patients could be better treated by understanding patterns of dental emergencies and performing proper diagnoses.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.565-569
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the presence and impacted state of the mandibular third molars on the incidence of mandibular condyle fracture. A retrospective study was designed for patients presenting to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital and Tae-gu Fatima Hospital for treatment of mandibular fractures from January 2003 to January 2006. The independent variables in this study were the presence, degree of impaction of third molars, and the outcome variables were the incidence of mandibular condyle fractures. Hospital charts and panoramic radiographs were used to determine and classify these variables. The demographic data included age, sex, mechanisms of injuries and number of mandibular condyle fractures. The study sample comprised 136 mandibular condyle fractures in 105 patients. Result of this study demonstrated a statistically significant difference in ipsilateral condyle fractures and mandibular third molar absence(P=0.032) and bilateral condyle fractures without another fracture and mandibular third molar absence(P=0.028).

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.96-107
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• 1995

The purpose of this experimental study was to examine and compare the regeneration capacity between crushed nerve & transected nerve. For this study, 20 Sprague-Dawley female albino rats were used as experimental animals and divided into two groups. In group 1, the sciatic nerves were crushed 6mm. in length for 1 min. using maximum force with a needle holder. In group 2, the sciatic nerves were resected 6mm. in length and the gaps were encased by inserting the proximal and distal stumps into each end of silicone tubes. The animals were sacrificed 1 month & 2 months after the experiment. All specimens were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde and 1% Osmium tetroxide solution then embedded in epon 812 and were cross-sectioned at $1{\mu}m.$ After these procedures, specimens were observed under Light microscope. The results obtained were as follows. 1. Group 1 showed greter diameters of regenerating nerves than group 2. 2. Group 1 showed greater number of axons than group 2.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.43-54
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• 2013

In an attempt to regain function and aesthetics in the craniofacial region, different biomaterials, including titanium, hydroxyapatite, biodegradable polymers and composites, have been widely used as a result of the loss of craniofacial bone. Although these materials presented favorable success rates, osseointegration and antibacterial properties are often hard to achieve. Although bone-implant interactions are highly dependent on the implant's surface characteristics, infections following traumatic craniofacial injuries are common. As such, poor osseointegration and infections are two of the many causes of implant failure. Further, as increasingly complex dental repairs are attempted, the likelihood of infection in these implants has also been on the rise. For these reasons, the treatment of craniofacial bone defects and dental repairs for long-term success remains a challenge. Various approaches to reduce the rate of infection and improve osseointegration have been investigated. Furthermore, recent and planned tissue engineering developments are aimed at improving the implants' physical and biological properties by improving their surfaces in order to develop craniofacial bone substitutes that will restore, maintain and improve tissue function. In this review, the commonly used biomaterials for craniofacial bone restoration and dental repair, as well as surface modification techniques, antibacterial surfaces and coatings are discussed.