• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.73-77
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• 2014

Objective : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of implant removal of percutaneous short segment fixation after vertebral fracture consolidation in terms of motion preservation. Methods : Between May 2007 and January 2011, 44 patients underwent percutaneous short segment screw fixation due to a thoracolumbar burst fracture. Sixteen of these patients, who underwent implant removal 12 months after screw fixation, were enrolled in this study. Motor power was intact in all patients, despite significant vertebral height loss and canal compromise. The patients were divided into two groups by degree of osteoporosis : Group A (n=8), the non-osteoporotic group, and Group B (n=8), the osteoporotic group. Imaging and clinical findings including vertebral height loss, kyphotic angle, range of motion (ROM), and complications were analyzed. Results : Significant pain relief was achieved in both groups at final follow-up versus preoperative values. In terms of vertebral height loss, both groups showed significant improvement at 12 months after screw fixation and restored vertebral height was maintained to final follow-up in spite of some correction loss. ROM (measured using Cobb's method) in flexion and extension in Group A was $10.5^{\circ}$ ($19.5/9.0^{\circ}$) at last follow-up, and in Group B was $10.2^{\circ}$ ($18.8/8.6^{\circ}$) at last follow-up. Both groups showed marked improvement in ROM as compared with the screw fixation state, which was considered motionless. Conclusion : Removal of percutaneous implants after vertebral fracture consolidation can be an effective treatment to preserve motion regardless of osteoporosis for thoracolumbar burst fractures.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.332-338
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• 2022

Background Postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) is allegedly associated with a higher risk of complications of combined nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy and subpectoral direct-to-implant immediate breast reconstruction ([N]SSM/SDTI-IBR). For this reason, this combination is usually advised against or, even, refused in women who need to undergo PMRT. Because this advice has never been justified, we assessed the short-term complications that may potentially be associated with PMRT after [N]SSM/SDTI-IBR. Methods We compared the complications requiring reintervention and implant loss occurring after 273 [N]SSM/SDTI-IBR that were exposed to PMRT within the first 16 postoperative weeks (interventional group) to those occurring in 739 similarly operated breasts that were not (control group). Additionally, we compared the fraction of complications requiring reintervention occurring after the onset of radiotherapy in the interventional group to that occurring after a comparable postoperative period in the control group. Results The fraction of breasts requiring unscheduled surgical reinterventions for complications and the loss of implants did not differ significantly between both groups but significantly more reinterventions were needed among the controls (p = 0.00). The fraction of events after the onset of radiotherapy in the interventional group was higher than the fraction of events after 6.2 weeks in the control group, but not significantly so. Conclusion We found no prove for the alleged increase of short-term complications of adjuvant radiotherapy. Therefore, we advise that these should not be considered valid arguments to advice against [N]SSM/SDTI-IBR.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.205-209
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• 2015

Purpose: Dental implants present several advantages over other tooth replacement options. However, there has been little research on masticatory function in relation to implant treatment. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the improvement of masticatory function two weeks after implant restoration. Methods: Masticatory ability was evaluated with the subjective food intake ability (FIA) and objective mixing ability index (MAI) methods. Fifty-four subjects with first and second missing molars completed the study. The subjects were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire about 30 different food items, and to chew wax samples 10 times both before and two weeks after implant restoration. A total of 108 waxes were analyzed with an image analysis program. Results: Dental implant restoration for lost molar teeth on one side increased the FIA score by 9.0% (P<0.0001). The MAI score also increased, by 14.3% after implant restoration (P<0.0001). Comparison between the good and poor mastication groups, which were subdivided based on the median MAI score before implant restoration, showed that the FIA score of the poor group was enhanced 1.1-fold while its MAI score was enhanced 2.0-fold two weeks after an implant surgery. Conclusions: Using the FIA and MAI assessment methods, this study showed that masticatory function was improved two weeks after implant restoration. In particular, the enhancement of masticatory function by implant restoration was greater in patients with relatively poor initial mastication than in those with good initial mastication.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.19-26
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• 2020

This paper analyses the feasibility of using implantable antennas to detect and monitor tumors. We analyze this setting according to the wireless propagation loss and signal fading produced by human bodies and their environment in an indoor scenario. The study is based on the ITU-R propagation recommendations and prediction models for the planning of indoor radio communication systems and radio local area networks in the frequency range of 300 MHz to 100 GHz. We conduct primary estimations on 915 MHz and 2.4 GHz operating frequencies. The path loss presented in most short-range wireless implant devices does not take into account the human body as a channel itself, which causes additional losses to wireless designs. In this paper, we examine the propagation through the human body, including losses taken from bones, muscles, fat, and clothes, which results in a more accurate characterization and estimation of the channel. The results obtained from our simulation indicates a variation of the return loss of the spiral antenna when a tumor is located near the implant. This knowledge can be applied in medical detection, and monitoring of early tumors, by analyzing the electromagnetic field behavior of the implant. The tumor was modeled under CST Microwave Studio, using Wisconsin Diagnosis Breast Cancer Dataset. Features like the radius, texture, perimeter, area, and smoothness of the tumor are included along with their label data to determine whether the external shape has malignant or benign physiognomies. An explanation of the feasibility of the system deployment and technical recommendations to avoid interference is also described.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.87-95
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• 2017

This case study was to report the possible increase in the denture retention and psychological relief using the implant-supported fixed prostheses in a completely edentulous patient. The implants were placed in the anterior portion of the mandible in a patient who had completely edentulous state following the extraction of residual abutment teeth, and consequently a distal extension removable partial denture was fabricated. The patient's adaptation and satisfaction to the new prosthesis was monitored and confirmed in terms of masticatory function and esthetics, by restoring the oral condition similar to initial status before the residual teeth extraction. After 6 months, radiographic examination confirmed that both the abutment teeth and the implants were stable and well maintained. Considering the relatively short clinical follow-up period, however, continuous long-term monitoring was required.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.12 no.5 s.52
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• pp.325-331
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• 2005

Implant prototypes with various porosities were fabricated by electro-discharge-sintering of atomized spherical Ti-6Al-4V powders. Single pulse of 0.75 to 2.0 kJ/0.7 g-powder, using 150, 300, and $450{\mu}F$ capacitors was applied to produce a fully porous and porous surfaced implant compact. The solid core formed in the center of the compact after discharge was composed of acicular ${\alpha}+{\beta}$ grains and porous layer consisted of particles connected in three dimensions by necks. The solid core and neck sizes increased with an increase in input energy and capacitance. On the other hand, pore volume decreased with increased capacitance and input energy due to the formation of solid core. Capacitance and input energy are the only controllable discharge parameters even though the heat generated during a discharge is the unique parameter that determines the porosity of compact. It is known that electro-discharge-sintering of spherical Ti-6Al-4V powders can efficiently produce fully-porous and porous surfaced Ti-6Al-4V implants with various porosities in a short time less then 400 isec by manipulating the discharging condition such as input energy and capacitance including powder size.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.415-421
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• 2018

PURPOSE. This study investigated the effects of abutment screw lengths on screw loosening and removal torque in external connection implants after oblique cyclic loading. MATERIALS AND METHODS. External connection implants were secured with abutment screws to straight abutments. The abutment-implant assemblies were classified into seven groups based on the abutment screw length, with each group consisting of five assemblies. A cyclic load of 300 N was applied at a $30^{\circ}$ angle to the loading axis until one million cycles were achieved. Removal torque values (RTVs) before and after loading, and RTV differences were evaluated. The measured values were analyzed using repeated measures of analysis of variance with the Student-Newman-Keuls multiple comparisons. RESULTS. All assemblies survived the oblique cyclic loading test without screw loosening. There was a significant decrease in the RTVs throughout the observed abutment screw lengths when the abutment-implant assemblies were loaded repeatedly (P<.001). However, the abutment screw length did not show significant difference on the RTVs before and after the experiment when the abutment screw length ranged from 1.4 to 3.8 mm (P=.647). CONCLUSION. Within the limit of this experiment, our results indicate that the abutment screw length did not significantly affect RTV differences after oblique cyclic loading when a minimum length of 1.4 mm (3.5 threads) was engaged. These findings suggest that short abutment screws may yield stable clinical outcomes comparable to long screws in terms of load resistance.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.199-207
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• 2023

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of an artificial intelligence (AI) program in identifying dental conditions using panoramic radiographs(PRs), as well as to assess the appropriateness of its treatment recommendations. Materials and Methods: PRs from 100 patients(representing 4497 teeth) with known clinical examination findings were randomly selected from a university database. Three dentomaxillofacial radiologists and the Diagnocat AI software evaluated these PRs. The evaluations were focused on various dental conditions and treatments, including canal filling, caries, cast post and core, dental calculus, fillings, furcation lesions, implants, lack of interproximal tooth contact, open margins, overhangs, periapical lesions, periodontal bone loss, short fillings, voids in root fillings, overfillings, pontics, root fragments, impacted teeth, artificial crowns, missing teeth, and healthy teeth. Results: The AI demonstrated almost perfect agreement (exceeding 0.81) in most of the assessments when compared to the ground truth. The sensitivity was very high (above 0.8) for the evaluation of healthy teeth, artificial crowns, dental calculus, missing teeth, fillings, lack of interproximal contact, periodontal bone loss, and implants. However, the sensitivity was low for the assessment of caries, periapical lesions, pontic voids in the root canal, and overhangs. Conclusion: Despite the limitations of this study, the synthesized data suggest that AI-based decision support systems can serve as a valuable tool in detecting dental conditions, when used with PR for clinical dental applications.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.347-353
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• 2023

This case report presents inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) repositioning as a viable approach for implant placement in the mandibular molar region, where challenges of severe alveolar bone width and height deficiencies can exist. Two patients requiring implant placement in the right mandibular molar region underwent nerve transposition and lateralization. In both cases, inadequate alveolar bone height above the IAN precluded the use of short implants. The first patient exhibited an overall low alveolar ridge from the anterior to posterior regions, with a complex relationship with adjacent implant bone level and the mental nerve, complicating vertical augmentation. In the second case, although vertical bone resorption was not severe, the high positioning of the IAN within the alveolar bone due to orthognathic surgery raised concerns regarding adequate height of the implant prosthesis. Therefore, instead of onlay bone grafting, nerve transposition and lateralization were employed for implant placement. In both cases, the follow-up results demonstrated successful osseointegration of all implants and complete recovery of postoperative numbness in the lower lip and mentum area. IAN repositioning is a valuable surgical technique that allows implant placement in severely compromised posterior mandibular regions, promoting patient comfort and successful implant placement without permanent IAN damage.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.38
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• pp.42.1-42.7
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• 2016

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinical utility of an implant with a sandblasted, large-grit, acid-etched (SLA) surface and internal connection. Methods: Six patients who received dental implants in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chonnam National University Dental Hospital, were analyzed by factors influencing the success rate and marginal bone loss. Factors included patient's age, sex, implant installation site, whether bone graft was done, type of bone graft materials, approaching method if sinus lift was done, and the size of the fixture. In addition, the marginal bone loss was analyzed by using a radiograph. Results: All implants were successful, and the cumulative survival rate was 100 %. Average marginal bone loss of 6 months after the installation was 0.52 mm and 20 months after the functional loading was 1.06 mm. Total marginal bone resorption was 1.58 mm on average. There was no statistically significant difference in mesial and distal marginal bone loss. Conclusions: The short-term clinical success rate of the implant with an SLA surface and internal connection was satisfactory. Moreover, the marginal bone loss was also consistent with the implant success criteria.