is a protractive factor of chronic oral ulcers among usual outpatients.

Although many oral ulcers have similar clinical appearances, their etiologies can range from reactive to neoplastic to oral manifestations of dermatological diseases. In patients with an HIV infection, fungal diseases may cause ulceration in the oral cavity; however, there have been few studies of oral ulcerative lesions associated with in patients without an HIV infection. Nevertheless, we encountered chronic oral ulcer associated with among our frequent outpatients without an HIV infection.

Nicorandil-induced tongue ulceration with or without fungal infection.

Oral ulceration is one of the common adverse effects of nicorandil in European countries. In Japan, however, only 9 cases of nicorandil-induced oral ulceration have been reported. Here, we report 3 cases of nicorandil-induced oral ulceration, one of which exhibited a unique clinical course associated with Candida infection.

Glossodynia from Candida-associated lesions, burning mouth syndrome, or mixed causes.

Objective: Candida-associated lesions (CALs) and burning mouth syndrome (BMS) may induce glossodynia without objective manifestations. We investigated patients with glossodynia to examine the relationship between CAL and BMS.

Patients And Methods: A visual analog scale was used to divide 95 patients with glossodynia into three groups according to intensity of pain at rest and when eating.

Usefulness of culture test and direct examination for the diagnosis of oral atrophic candidiasis.

Background: Culture test and direct microscopy, which are currently used in the diagnosis of oral candidiasis, can yield false-negative results.

Methods: Forty patients with atrophic candidiasis of the tongue were evaluated. The diagnosis was confirmed by a favorable outcome consisting of tongue pain improvement and regeneration of filiform papilla after antifungal treatment in all patients.

Atrophic tongue associated with Candida.

Background: Traditionally, total atrophic tongue has been due to nutritional deficiencies, such as vitamin B12, folic acid, or iron deficiencies, and partial atrophic tongue has been well known as median rhomboid glossitis or geographic tongue. The other cause of atrophic tongue is oral candidiasis.

Methods: Forty patients with atrophic change of the tongue were examined on a relation to candidiasis.

Evaluation of speech intelligibility after a secondary dehiscence operation using an artificial graft in patients with speech disorders after partial glossectomy.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate speech intelligibility after a dehiscence operation using artificial grafts for patients with speech disorders after partial glossectomy that were caused by scars resulting from the primary operation. The subjects were six men and three women, who had had a partial glossectomy for tongue cancer followed by direct closure without reconstruction. They were operated on a second time operation to mobilise the residual tongue by dividing the cicatrix.

Closed treatment of condylar fractures by intermaxillary fixation with thermoforming plates.

We report a new intermaxillary fixation (IMF) method for condylar fractures using a thermoforming plate. Fifteen cases of condylar fracture were selected and thermoforming plates were applied. The patient's recover was uneventful in all 15 cases, and the period of IMF ranged from 7 to 17 days, (mean 12) for the following 7 days IMF was used only at night together with functional jaw training during the day.