Simplifying placement of bonded retainers.

The placement of bonded retainers can be daunting to the inexperienced clinician. The aim of the present article was to share a simple means of using everyday intermaxillay elastics to effortlessly secure the wire, allowing the clinician to easily complete placement of the bonded retainer. The challenge of manipulating the wire, etch, bond and composite simultaneously is thus alleviated! A step-by-step explanation is provided.

An unexpected finding from a submental mass.

This case describes a fit and well 17-year-old male who underwent surgical resection of a longstanding, painless, right lateral neck swelling. Believed to be either a vascular malformation, ranula or enlarged sublingual gland from pre-operative MR studies, histopathological examination of the mass revealed it as normal thyroid tissue. Post-operative imaging confirmed the absence of any remaining thyroid tissue.

Assessing confidence in the understanding and management of oral cancer among medical and dental undergraduates at a UK university.

Introduction Oral cancer is the eighth most common cancer in the world and associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Appropriate and early diagnosis of the condition is associated with improved patient outcomes, and an improvement in five-year survival rates.Aims We aim to ascertain if dental and medical students have similar amounts of self-confidence in the understanding and management of oral cancer within a large UK university.