STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: As the number of elders is growing with the advancement of medicine, partially or fully edentulous patients have increased. Medically compromised conditions are common in the older population so that it should be taken into account in prosthetic treatment planning as well as their economic conditions. In the older patients, removable prosthesis has been preferred to implant prosthesis. However, cast metal based removable partial dentures also has several limitations. PURPOSE: In this report, we present several cases of Valplast(R) flexible denture which were fabricated in patients who had medically compromised conditions or whose remaining teeth showed a relatively poor prognosis. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: This article describes an alternative treatment for a partially edentulous patient with mouth opening limitation, after cancer surgery, compromised general condition and questionable remaining teeth. In these patients, Valplast(R) flexible denture was used because of its unique characteristics and the results were all satisfactory. Patients had 1-2 check-up and there were no postoperative pain or fracture of denture up to now.
Denture, Partial, Removable ; Dentures ; Humans ; Mouth ; Pain, Postoperative ; Prognosis ; Prostheses and Implants ; Tooth

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: In spite of increasing dental treatment for the disabled, there was no collected data on prosthodontic treatment status and dentists' perceptions in Korea. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to research the dentists' perceptions about current prosthodontic treatment status for the disabled in Korea and to suggest public health policies for the disabled. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Total of 68 dentists who have regularly treated the disabled were asked to fill questionnaires regarding prosthodontic treatment for the disabled. RESULTS: 1. 45.6% of dentists felt the necessity of an esthetic prosthesis for the disabled. However, 54.3% of dentists reported the improvement of access to implant,orthodontic and esthetic treatment is needed. 2. Most (79.4%) of the dentists thought it is imperative for the government to support the disabled to maintain adequate oral health by providing at least 50% of charge in their prosthesis. CONCLUSION: Through this research, 97.1% of dentists answered that the current prosthodontic treatment status for the disabled in Korea is poor. This indicated the necessity of the financial support from the government for the disabled.
Dentists ; Fees and Charges ; Financial Support ; Humans ; Korea ; Oral Health ; Prostheses and Implants ; Prosthodontics ; Public Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Levetiracetam has not been reported to cause purpura. We report a case of purpura associated with levetiracetam. A 81-year-old man suffered from post-stroke seizure. Seizure was well controlled with valproate. Valproate was discontinued due to pancytopenia and levetiracetam was prescribed when he was admitted with pneumonia. A few days later, he recovered from pancytopenia and pneumonia. However, he was rehospitalized due to multiple variable sized-purpura on the whole body surface without thrombocytopenia. After discontinuing levetiracetam, purpura disappeared.
Aged, 80 and over ; Humans ; Pancytopenia ; Piracetam ; Pneumonia ; Purpura ; Seizures ; Thrombocytopenia ; Valproic Acid

Hemicrania continua (HC) is an indomethacin-responsive primary headache. Owing to continuous unilateral headache and clinical rarity, a great attention should be paid during the diagnosis of HC to exclude secondary causes of headache. Various pathologies have been described for HC-like headache. We describe a 64-year old man with invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis who presented continuous unilateral headache, trigeminal autonomic symptoms and response to oral indomethacin 225 mg/day. He was treated with intranasal ethmoidectomy and antifungal agent, and his headache has greatly improved.
Aspergillosis ; Diagnosis ; Headache ; Indomethacin ; Pathology ; Sphenoid Sinus ; Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias

Vertically aligned, laterally spaced nanoscale titanium nanotubes were grown on a titanium surface by anodization, and the growth of chondroprogenitors on the resulting surfaces was investigated. Surfaces bearing nanotubes of 70 to 100 nm in diameter were found to trigger the morphological transition to a cortical actin pattern and rounded cell shape (both indicative of chondrocytic differentiation), as well as the up-regulation of type II collagen and integrin beta4 protein expression through the down-regulation of Erk activity. Inhibition of Erk signaling reduced stress fiber formation and induced the transition to the cortical actin pattern in cells cultured on 30-nm-diameter nanotubes, which maintained their fibroblastoid morphologies in the absence of Erk inhibition. Collectively, these results indicate that a titanium-based nanotube surface can support chondrocytic functions among chondroprogenitors, and may therefore be useful for future cartilaginous applications.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Differentiation/*drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Chick Embryo ; Chickens ; Chondrocytes/cytology/drug effects/metabolism ; Chondrogenesis/*drug effects ; Collagen Type II/metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry ; Integrin beta4/metabolism ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/*cytology/*drug effects/metabolism ; Nanotubes/*chemistry ; Titanium/*chemistry/*pharmacology

No abstract available.
Parkinsonian Disorders*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the extent and aspect of stress to the cortical bone after application of a lateral force to a two-component orthodontic mini-implant (OMI, mini-implant) by using three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA). METHODS: The 3D-finite element models consisted of the maxilla, maxillary first molars, second premolars, and OMIs. The screw part of the OMI had a diameter of 1.8 mm and length of 8.5 mm and was placed between the roots of the upper second premolar and the first molar. The cortical bone thickness was set to 1 mm. The head part of the OMI was available in 3 sizes: 1 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm. After a 2 N lateral force was applied to the center of the head part, the stress distribution and magnitude were analyzed using FEA. RESULTS: When the head part of the OMI was friction fitted (tapped into place) into the inserted screw part, the stress was uniformly distributed over the surface where the head part was inserted. The extent of the minimum principal stress suggested that the length of the head part was proportionate with the amount of stress to the cortical bone; the stress varied between 10.84 and 15.33 MPa. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the stress level at the cortical bone around the OMI does not have a detrimental influence on physiologic bone remodeling.
Bicuspid ; Bone Remodeling ; Finite Element Analysis ; Friction ; Head ; Maxilla ; Molar ; Osseointegration

Arachidonic Acid ; Calcium ; Cell Count ; Cell Survival ; Glutamic Acid ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; N-Methylaspartate ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Regeneration