A dental myth bites the dust--no observable relation between the incidence of dental abscess and the weather and lunar phase: an ecological study.

Background: Anecdotal reports assert a relationship between weather and lunar activity and the odontogenic abscess (OA) incidence, but this relationship has not been validated. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between oral pain caused by OA and a variety of meteorological parameters and cyclic lunar activity.

Methods: The records of all dental emergency patients treated at the AllDent Zahnzentrum Emergency Unit in Munich, Germany during 2012 were retrospectively reviewed.

Does regular zoledronic acid change the bone turnover of the jaw in men with metastatic prostate cancer: a possible clue to the pathogenesis of bisphosphonate related osteonecrosis of the jaw?

Purpose: To find out whether the most popular pathogenesis hypothesis of the bisphosphonate (BP) related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is comprehensible: (1) is there a higher bone remodeling in the jaw compared with other skeletal sites? (2) Is the bone turnover (BT) of the jaw overly altered after BP intake? (3) Are there gender- or entity-specific differences in BT before and after BP intake?

Methods: Bone scintigraphies of 42 patients with prostate cancer were retrospectively analyzed (n = 21 with BP intake; n = 21 no BP). All patients received bone scintigraphy prior to the therapy and in the course of the treatment (after 12 and 24 months). Data were quantitatively analyzed using six predetermined regions of interest and compared with a breast cancer cohort.