Background: s: Pain management is one of the most important factors affecting the success of pediatric dentistry. Therefore, new needle- and pain-free local anesthesia techniques have been developed in parallel with technological advancements. The purpose of this study is to compare the pain perception and dental anxiety levels associated with a needle-free injection system (Comfort-in TM ) and the classic needle method during treatment-required infiltration anesthesia in children. Methods: This randomized controlled crossover split-mouth clinical study included 94 children who required dental treatment with local anesthesia using a dental needle or needle-free injection system for the bilateral primary molars. The Wong-Baker Scale (WBS) was used to measure pain perception at different times, and the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDAS) was used to measure the anxiety level of the child. A statistical software package was used to process the data. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: There was no significant difference between the needle-free injection system and dental needle method during the induction stage for filling and pulpotomy (P > 0.05). “Pain on postoperative 1st day” was similar in both types of anesthesia (P = 0.750). Conclusions The needle-free injection system was as effective as the dental needle method. The Comfort-in TM system was an acceptable alternative for patients during the postoperative period. Understanding how pain management may be provided during local anesthesia administration and a child’s fear and anxiety regarding the dentist may lead to better dental compliance.

No abstract available.
Coronary Vessels* ; Dilatation, Pathologic* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: In dentistry, pain is a factor that negatively affects treatments and drug use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlations of the postoperative analgesic use with pain catastrophizing and anxiety in patients who underwent removal of an impacted mandibular third molar.METHODS: We recruited 92 patients who underwent the extraction of impacted mandibular third molar. In this study, the Pederson index was used to preoperatively determine the difficulty of surgical extraction. Patients were asked to note the number of analgesics used for 7 postoperative days. Patients were divided into two groups based on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale: low and high score groups. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-trait and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-state questionnaires were used to determine the anxiety levels of the patients. The obtained data were examined to evaluate the correlations of pain catastrophizing and anxiety with the postoperative analgesic use.RESULTS: In this study, 92 patients, including 60 women and 32 men, were recruited. The analgesic use was higher in women than in men but with no significant difference (P > 0.05). Pain Catastrophizing Scale scores were higher in women than in men but with no significant difference (P > 0.05). The analgesic use was higher in patients with high pain catastrophizing than in those with low pain catastrophizing but with no significant difference (P > 0.05). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-trait scores were higher in women than in men but with no significant difference. However, state-Trait Anxiety Inventory-state scores were significantly higher in women than in men (P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: The postoperative analgesic use may be higher in patients who catastrophize pain than in others. Knowing the patient's catastrophic characteristics preoperatively would contribute to successful pain management and appropriate drug selection.
Analgesics ; Anxiety ; Catastrophization ; Dental Anxiety ; Dentistry ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Molar, Third ; Pain Management ; Tooth, Impacted

Purpose: Obesity is defined as the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat over acceptable limits. Leptin is a metabolic hormone present in the circulation in amounts proportional to fat mass. Leptin reduces food intake and increases energy expenditure, thus regulating body weight and homeostasis. Various polymorphisms are present in the leptin gene and its receptor. These polymorphisms may be associated with obesity. This study aimed to show the association of leptin (+19) AG, leptin (2548) GA, and Gln223Arg leptin receptor polymorphisms with obesity and metabolic syndrome in Turkish children aged 6–17 years, and to conduct further investigations regarding the genetic etiology of obesity. Methods: A total of 174 patients diagnosed with obesity and 150 healthy children who were treated at Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa Medical School Hospital between September 2014 and March 2015 were included in this study. The ages of the children were between 6 and 17 years, and anthropometric and laboratory results were recorded. Genotyping of leptin (+19) AG, leptin (2548) GA, and leptin receptor Gln223Arg polymorphisms was performed by polymerase chain reaction. Results: An association between leptin receptor Gln223Arg gene polymorphism and obesity was detected. Conclusion Further studies are needed to determine the role of genetic etiologies and to indicate the role of leptin signal transmission impairment in the pathogenesis of obesity. We hope that gene therapy can soon provide a solution for obesity.

Purpose: Obesity is defined as the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat over acceptable limits. Leptin is a metabolic hormone present in the circulation in amounts proportional to fat mass. Leptin reduces food intake and increases energy expenditure, thus regulating body weight and homeostasis. Various polymorphisms are present in the leptin gene and its receptor. These polymorphisms may be associated with obesity. This study aimed to show the association of leptin (+19) AG, leptin (2548) GA, and Gln223Arg leptin receptor polymorphisms with obesity and metabolic syndrome in Turkish children aged 6–17 years, and to conduct further investigations regarding the genetic etiology of obesity. Methods: A total of 174 patients diagnosed with obesity and 150 healthy children who were treated at Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa Medical School Hospital between September 2014 and March 2015 were included in this study. The ages of the children were between 6 and 17 years, and anthropometric and laboratory results were recorded. Genotyping of leptin (+19) AG, leptin (2548) GA, and leptin receptor Gln223Arg polymorphisms was performed by polymerase chain reaction. Results: An association between leptin receptor Gln223Arg gene polymorphism and obesity was detected. Conclusion Further studies are needed to determine the role of genetic etiologies and to indicate the role of leptin signal transmission impairment in the pathogenesis of obesity. We hope that gene therapy can soon provide a solution for obesity.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of locally applied insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) on the recovery of facial nerve functions after crush injury in a rabbit model. METHODS: The rabbits were randomly assigned into three groups. Group 1 consisted of the rabbits with crush injury alone; group 2, the animals applied saline solution onto the crushed facial nerve and group 3, IGF-1 implemented to the nerve in the same manner. Facial nerve injury was first electrophysiologically studied on 10th and 42nd days of the procedure. The damage to the facial nerves was then investigated histopathologically, after sacrification of the animals. RESULTS: In the electrophysiological study, compound muscle action potential amplitudes of the crushed nerves in the second group were decreased. In pathological specimens of the first and second groups, the orders of axons were distorted; demyelination and proliferation of Schwann cells were observed. However, in IGF-1 treated group axonal order and myelin were preserved, and Schwann cell proliferation was close to normal (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Local application of IGF-1 in a slow releasing gel was found efficacious in the recovery of the facial nerve crush injury in rabbits. IGF-1 was considered worthy of being tried in clinical studies in facial nerve injury cases.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Axons ; Cell Proliferation ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Facial Nerve Injuries ; Facial Nerve* ; Insulin* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Models, Animal ; Myelin Sheath ; Rabbits ; Schwann Cells ; Sodium Chloride

BACKGROUND: Ganglion impar blockade is a reliable and effective treatment option used in patients with coccydynia. Our primary objective was to specify the role of corticosteroids in impar blockade. We compared applications of local anesthetic with the local anesthetic + corticosteroid combination in terms of treatment efficiency in patients with chronic coccydynia. METHODS: Our study was a prospective randomize double-blind study. The patients were divided into 2 groups after randomization. The first group (group SL) was made up of patients where a corticosteroid + local anesthetic were used during ganglion impar blockade. In the second group (group L) we used only local anesthetic. We evaluated numeric rating scale (NRS) and Beck depression scale, which were employed before the procedure and in 1st and 3rd months after the procedure. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients were included in the final analysis. We detected a significantly greater decrease in NRS values in the 1st month in group SL than in group L (P = 0.001). In the same way, NRS values in the 3rd month were significantly lower in the group with steroids (P = 0.0001). During the evaluation of the Beck test, we detected significantly greater decreases in the 1st month (P = 0.017) and 3rd month (P = 0.021) in the SL group than in the L group. CONCLUSIONS: Ganglion impar blockade decreases pain in the treatment of chronic coccydynia and improve depression. Addition of steroids in a ganglion impar blockade is required for treatment response that should accumulate over a long period of time.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Anesthetics, Local ; Depression ; Double-Blind Method ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Random Allocation ; Steroids