Bisphosphonates are compounds widely used in the treatment of various metabolic and malignant bone disease. Recently, an association between bisphosphonate use and a rare dental condition termed 'osteonecrosis of the jaw(ONJ)' has been reported. Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw(BRONJ) is rare, but serious, side effect of bisphosphonate therapy in affected patients. It is characterized by poor wound healing and spontaneous intra-oral soft tissue break down, which lead to exposure of necrotic maxillary and mandibular bone. We reviewed 11 patients of BRONJ visited Ajou University Hospital Dental clinic from May 2007 to November 2008. The management of the patients included cessation of bisphosphonate therapy and various surgical restorative procedures and conservative care there after. Aggressive debridement is contraindicated. A new complication of bisphosphonate therapy administration, osteonecrosis of jaws, seems to be developing. The improved results after cessation of the medication should make clinicians reconsider the merits of the rampant use of bisphosphonates, while further investigation is needed to completely elucidate this complication.
Bone Diseases ; Debridement ; Dental Clinics ; Diphosphonates ; Humans ; Jaw ; Maxilla ; Osteonecrosis ; Osteoporosis ; Wound Healing

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors of relapse in orthodontic treatment of skeletal Class III malocclusion in growing patients. A total of 55 patients were studied and all subjects were divided into two groups according to their stability in the post-treatment stage. Of the sample, 33 patients were included in the stable group and the remaining 22 were assigned to the relapse group. Cephalometric data of the pre-treatment stage was taken and compared between the stable and relapse group. The following results were obtained through t-test: 1. This study presented statistical evidence to show that the major skeletal determinant of prognosis in Class III orthodontic treatment was not anteroposterior discrepancy but vertical discrepancy, especially within the AB-maxillo-mandibular triangle. Vertical angular measurements that showed statistically significant differences were AB-MP and ODI(P<0.01) and the vertical ratio measurements were MP-P/AL and PP-P/AL(P<0.05). 2. Relapse tendency increased with the steep occlusal plane, especially the steep lower occlusal plane. As to occlusal plane, there were statistically significant differences in OP(L)-PP, OP-PP, AB-OP(L) and Wits appraisal(P<0.05). This study claimed that anteroposterior discrepancy was not necessarily the proper criteria to predict relapse. Vertical discrepancy had a significant effect on post-treatment stability.
Adolescent* ; Dental Occlusion ; Humans ; Malocclusion* ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

The purpose of this retrospective study was to estimate the pretreatment characteristics of growing patients with Class II malocclusion, who had been treated with maxillary second molar extractions. The sample comprised of 51 subjects; 18 subjects were classified into the molar extraction group, and 33 subjects were treated without extraction and classified into the nonextraction group. Pretreatment lateral cephalograms were calculated and analyzed by independent t-test and stepwise discriminant analysis. In measurements for skeletal pattern, no anteroposterior measurements and proportions of various vertical dimensions were significantly different, and only some measurements such as AB-MP (degree), Na-Me (mm), AVD (mm) were significantly different between the two treatment groups (p < 0.05). In measurements for dentoalveolar pattern, some measurements, which were related to the position and angulation of the upper and lower permanent first molars, and the angulation of the upper third molars, were significantly different between the two treatment groups. In particular, the maxillary second molar extraction group exhibited more mesial angulation of maxillary first molar to the occlusal plane.
Adolescent* ; Dental Occlusion ; Discriminant Analysis ; Humans ; Malocclusion* ; Molar* ; Molar, Third ; Retrospective Studies ; Vertical Dimension