Context: Children sustaining maxillofacial trauma may undergo computed tomographic (CT) examination to exclude potential complications, which pave way for spread of infection into the meningeal region. Following treatment, these children report for management of their dental injuries as out-patients for which a separate conventional radiographic examination is usually done. The usefulness of the initial maxillofacial CT scan in evaluating dental injuries needs to be assessed so as to possibly avoid children from being subjected to a separate radiographic examination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContamination and subsequent retention of foreign bodies within wound surfaces may negatively influence healing following maxillofacial injuries. Larger foreign bodies that produce embedded or impalement injuries of soft tissues are easily detected. However, smaller contaminants, such as sand, gravel, food particles, wood splinters, and glass fibers, may not be easily identified in the initial examination, and their remnants may remain within the injury site even after debridement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The purpose of this 3-staged, in vivo, crossover study was to comparatively evaluate the accuracy of radiograph-based and apex locator-based measurements of working length in primary molars with physiological root resorption.
Methods: Endodontic access cavity preparations were performed on 13 primary molars in 10 cooperative pediatric dental outpatients who met the selection criteria. Calibrated investigators estimated the root canal length in a total of 30 canals in these 13 primary molars using both apex locators and radiographs.
Traumatic ulceration of the ventral surface of the tongue is a rare condition observed in neonates with natal or neonatal teeth. These lesions are initiated and exacerbated by the continuous contact between the tongue and natal/neonatal teeth during physiologic activities such as suckling and swallowing, which in turn may interfere with proper feeding, putting the neonate at risk for nutritional deficiencies. Sublingual traumatic ulcers may also be the presenting sign of an underlying developmental or neurologic disorder.
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