Search

Swedish snus (smokeless moist tobacco) is becoming increasingly popular in Switzerland. Consumption and import of snus are permitted in Switzerland, however, sales were prohibited in 2004 by the European Court. Snus is an addictive nicotine containing product, which additionally contains carcinogenic nitrosamines. Both consumers and oral health professionals are lacking important information on the health consequences. The present paper therefore reviews the impact of snus consumption on oral health. For all snus consumers and particularly for adolescents, more detailed information should be provided by oral health professionals. Specifically with heavy snus users, more frequent follow-up is recommended to detect potential precancerous lesions or neoplasias in early stages.

The aims of surgical crown lengthening procedures are to improve prosthetic reconstructions at teeth with limited hard tissue, to prevent periodontal problems and/or to improve esthetics. When planning and performing surgical crown lengthening, it is important to consider not only periodontal and technical aspects but also the gingival profile of the neighbouring teeth. This paper presents the systematic approach starting with the diagnosis and indication to the performed treatments and the obtained results and gives clinical recommendations.

Rationale: Modern dental implantology is now 30 year old. During this period of time, concepts have evolved and triggered several paradigm shifts. The aim of the present paper is to present a case treated with an innovative unconventional protocol. The latter is aimed to avoid invasive surgery when edentulism is caused by an impacted tooth., Objectives: The implant has been placed through the impacted canine and led, in addition to the classical implant-bone interface, to several other types of implant-tissue interface., Results: Healing was uneventful; at the 1-year control, the implant was clinically integrated, the soft tissues around the final crown were satisfactory and the radiographic examination did not call any specific observation., Conclusions: Before endorsing this protocol in routine application, inclusion/exclusion criteria must be asserted and additional clinical cases with longer follow-up are warranted. Nonetheless, this unconventional protocol opens intriguing possibilities; it also suggests that there is still room to further revisit some of the leading concepts in dental implantology.

This paper presents a clinical and anatomical review of the mental foramen (MF) based on recent publications (since 1990). Usually, the MF is located below the 2nd premolar or between the two premolars, but it may also be positioned below the 1st premolar or below the mesial root of the 1st molar. At the level of the MF, lingual canals may join the mandibular canal (hence the term "crossroads"). Accessory MF are frequently described in the literature with large ethnic variations in incidence. The emergence pattern of the mental canal usually has an upward and posterior direction. The presence and extent of an "anterior loop" of the mental canal may be overestimated with panoramic radiography. Limited cone-beam computed tomography currently appears to be the most precise radiographic technique for assessment of the "anterior loop". The mental nerve exiting the MF usually has three to four branches for innervation of the soft tissues of the chin, lower lip, facial gingiva and mucosa in the anterior mandible. The clinician is advised to observe a safety distance when performing incisions and osteotomies in the vicinity of the MF.

Antiresorptive therapy is prescribed in particular for the treatment of osteoporosis as well as for the treatment of tumor-induced hypercalcemia and metastatic bone disease. As a consequence, osteopathologies such as bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) may occur. In 2008, our department reported on BRONJ in a paper that provided dental clinicians with information on diagnostics, therapy, and prevention (Dannemann et al., Schweizer Monatsschrift für Zahnmedizin, Vol. 118, 2/2008). During the last 8 years, new findings have emerged concerning potential etiologies, modes of therapy, and the use of additional antiresorptive therapies. For example, an important point for colleagues in dental practice is the now common intravenous administration of bisphosphonates in osteoporosis patients, which may lead to uncertainty when assessing risk in these patients. For this reason, this article provides an update of the above mentioned publication and gives dental clinicians an updated guideline concerning risk assessment in patients undergoing antiresorptive therapy. In this context, a risk assessment algorithm is presented. The pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy, and prevention of BRONJ and oral implantation in patients receiving antiresorptive therapy are addressed with regard to the current literature. Finally, we present two example cases.

Approximately 5% of all malignant lesions are diagnosed as malignant lymphomas, of which 2-3% are localized in the head and neck region. After the squamous cell carcinoma and neoplasms of the salivary glands, malignant lymphomas represent the third most frequent malignant lesion in that region. Malignant lymphomas can be grouped into Hodgkin- and non- Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and subdivided into nodal (lymph nodes) and extranodal lymphomas. We present the case of an extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the left mandible of a 47-year-old woman, who was referred to our department with an unclear swelling, which was supposed to be infectious. After clinical and radiological examination, a biopsy was taken and a CD20 and BCL-6 protein positive non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the large B-cell type (DLBCL) was diagnosed. The patient was treated primarily with immunochemotherapy (R-CHOP protocol) and refused to undergo a subsequent radiotherapy. The 18 months follow-up showed a complete remission of the lymphoma. In this paper, the NHL in the oral and maxillofacial region is presented as a cause of unclear swelling. Important differential diagnostic conditions are discussed.

The demographic changes cause an increasing number of ageing persons laying claim to medical and dental care. They are trying to maintain their habit of regular dental controls. Therefore, the dental care team should be able to recognize early medical and psycho-social deficiencies relevant for oral health. In this way, health status and ressources of elderly persons could be estimated better and failures in oral diagnosis as well as in treatment due to monodisciplinary case analysis could be avoided. This paper presents a systematic medical and psychosocial screening concept for oral care of elderly patients.

There are about 650,000 people with hearing problems in Switzerland, 10,000 of whom use sign language. About 100,000 people are hard of hearing. Deaf patients require special treatment in the dental office as they have specific communication needs. This community, like many other minority groups, has a sign language and a culture of its own. To prevent misunderstandings it is therefore very important to provide solutions for an enhanced communication. However, guidelines for the communication with deaf dental patients are still missing. Successful communication between deaf patients and dentist is essential for effective care. This paper is concerned with providing background information and introducing recommendations for unrestricted dentist-patient communication. The aim of this article is to improve dentists' knowledge of the appropriate communication with this patient group.

Dentistry has evolved from a genuine medical practice to a mere business. From an ethical point of view it is asked whether this evolution creates more problems than it solves. The paper elaborates four arguments against this evolution and shows that aesthetics in dentistry which works only according to market categories runs the risk of loosing the view for the real need of patients. Dentistry which comprehends itself as part of a market will be nothing else than a part of a beauty industry which has the only aim to sell something, but not the aim to help people. Such a dentistry makes profit from the ideology of a society which serves only vanity, youthfulness and personal success and which is losing the sight for real values. The real value of man cannot be reduced to his appearance and medicine as an art should feel the obligation to resist these modern ideologies and should help people to get a more authentic attitude to themselves. If modern dentistry fails to think about these implications it will lose its identity as medicine, which would be too great a loss.

The present paper deals with the double crown technique in removable prosthodontics. New ceramic materials like zirconia are increasingly used in combination with CAD/CAM technologies for framework fabrication of fixed prosthesis, tooth- or implant-supported. However, zirconia is also a newly accepted material in removable prosthodontics. It replaces gold alloys for the fabrication of primary telescopic crowns. The Galvanoforming technology is preferably used to fabricate the secondary crowns. The combination of both techniques and materials results in a prosthetic reconstruction of high quality, optimum fit and good biocompatibility.

Diagnostic and therapeutic interventions following dental injuries are not part of the routine practice in the dental office. Quite often, these patients are emergency cases who seek treatment after normal office hours. The objective of this and the future papers is to present the current treatment concepts in dental traumatology at the School of Dental Medicine, University of Berne. The fruitful cooperation in the field of dental traumatology between the Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, and the Department of Conservative Dentistry (including pediatric dentistry and endodontology) is based on the interdisciplinary approach that has been established five years ago. Following discussion and evaluation of such treated cases, and considering current clinical and experimental references, the said concepts have been worked out. The present paper describes the therapeutic concepts of crown fractures.

In a world which is shrinking at a dramatic pace the need for international communication is constantly rising. In this global setting, the English language has increasingly become the "lingua franca" in which most scientific exchange takes place among professionals worldwide. The present paper investigates the impact of the all-pervasive role of English on the language of medicine and dentistry in the German-speaking countries as well as recent efforts to overcome some of the major obstacles associated with international communication. Possible approaches how non-anglophone dental communities can participate in scientific communication worldwide without starving their own language are assessed. The authors demonstrate that there is no alternative to bilingual competence in professional contexts and emphasize the need for strategies to promote bilingualism in scientific communication. Integrating bilingual language training at dental schools and in continuing education seems indispensable. A survey of bilingual models at medical and dental schools in other countries reveals significant deficits at German-speaking universities in this field. Promising new bilingual approaches in dental journals, lexicography, and other terminology resources are discussed, particularly the so-called KWiC-Web concept, a new semi-bilingual language guide to dental English, which helps German-speaking dental professionals to acquire and master the relevant language skills.

Diagnostic and therapeutic interventions following dental injuries are not part of the routine practice in the dental office. Quite often, these patients are emergency cases who seek treatment after normal office hours. The objective of this and the future papers is to present the current treatment concepts in dental traumatology at the School of Dental Medicine, University of Berne. The fruitful cooperation in the field of dental traumatology between the Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, and the Department of Conservative Dentistry (including pediatric dentistry and endodontology), is based on the interdisciplinary approach that has been established four years ago. Following discussion and evaluation of such treated cases, and considering current clinical and experimental studies, the said concepts have been worked out. The present paper describes the therapeutic approach for root fractures.

The present paper describes the current treatment philosophy of dislocated or avulsed permanent teeth at our school. Splinting and medication (root canal treatment, systemic antibiotics, etc.) are targeted to minimize the initial inflammatory reaction and to reduce post-traumatic complications such as pulp necrosis and/ or external root resorption.

Endodontic surgery, and in particular periapical surgery, has seen a significant development in the last few years, mainly following the introduction of microsurgical principles and the use of magnification devices. The successful outcome of periapical surgery, however, is based on the quality of the root-end obturation that should prevent any reinfection originating from the root canal. Since amalgam as a root-end sealing material was abandoned many years ago, a great diversity of obturation techniques and materials have been described. Besides the standard root-end cavity preparation with microtips, the author today has a preference for the Retroplast-technique. The paper describes this technique in detail and reports the possibilities and limits of this obturation method.

Diagnostic and therapeutic interventions following dental injuries are not part of the routine practice in the dental office. Quite often, these patients are emergency cases who seek treatment after normal office hours. The objective of this and the future papers is to present the current treatment concepts in dental traumatology at the School of Dental Medicine, University of Berne. The fruitful cooperation in the field of dental traumatology between the Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, and the Department of Conservative Dentistry (including pediatric dentistry and endodontology), is based on the interdisciplinary approach that has been established four years ago. Following discussion and evaluation of such treated cases, and considering current clinical and experimental references, the said concepts have been worked out. The present paper describes the diagnostic measures following injuries to the permanent teeth. Subsequent papers will illustrate our therapeutic concepts of injuries to the periodontal and dental hard tissues of permanent teeth.

3D-CAD constructions offer the application of CAM-techniques for the fabrication of dental restorations. CNC-units are generally used for milling and grinding. However, the application of new additive working technology enables the construction of 3D-solid models. In the field of rapid prototyping (RP), the process of "three-dimensional printing" allows the fabrication of patterns for the lost-wax casting technique from materials such as wax or resin. This paper describes the use of a light-curing fluid resin in combination with a UV-light projection in means of stereolithography (SL). The presented CAM unit (Perfactory, DeltaMed, D-Friedberg) reduces processing times of large casting patterns by using CAD constructions. This concept focuses on the advancement of the common casting technique in dental technology by application of CAD/CAM technology.

The treatment of displacement injuries and fractures of permanent teeth is an important emergency therapy in the dental office. Due to new sport trends and various outdoor activities, the frequency of dental trauma of children and adolescents alike is steadily rising. The standard treatment of displacement or avulsion injuires of permanent teeth is repositioning or replantation with subsequent splinting. The dental trauma splint must be flexible to allow for the physiologic movement of the repositioned or replanted teeth in order to reduce the risk for ankylosis or external root resorption. Stabilization of a repositioned tooth with a flexible splint over a short time period optimises the rehabilitation of the periodontal tissues. In the literature various splinting techniques have been described. This paper presents a new splinting technique; the Titanium Trauma Splint (TTS), which is made of pure titanium and was specifically developed for the treatment of traumatically displaced or avulsed permanent teeth. The TTS-splint has certain advantages when compared to traditional splinting techniques. These advantages are beneficial both for the dentist and patient alike.

The great advantages of using a stereoscopic operating microscope in endodontics and especially in endodontic surgery are being increasingly advocated in postgraduate training courses and numerous publications. Widely underestimated, however, is the fact that this tool may open new horizons to almost all dental specialities and will improve ergonomics of the dental work place. Moreover, the superb images may contribute some pleasure to the daily dental work and stress. All this makes the clinical stereoscope interesting also for the general practice of dentistry. The purpose of this paper is to report about several years of practical experience with the "scope" in general dentistry. Technical aspects are discussed as well as the possibilities of use. Practical hints regarding the type of scope and the technique of its use are given in order to lower the barrier of entrance into this new era of doing dental work.

This paper is a short summary on the usefulness of two antigens (HBsAg and HBeAg), three antibodies (anti-HBc, anti-HBe and anti-HBs) and of HBV DNA, as markers for the diagnosis and the follow-up of hepatitis B. The significance of each of these markers at the various stages of disease history, a few patterns of co-existence of some of these markers and the occurrence of mutations in the core and pre-core regions of the genome are also described. The various indications for measuring HBV DNA, in addition to the classical serological markers, are also mentioned.

Any determination of gastrointestinal motility is based on two assumptions: (1) That the patient is examined in "physiological" conditions and (2) that the values measured truly reflect the parameter the investigator wishes to examine. A large array of very different drugs shares the ability to modify the digestive motility (i.e. gastrokinetics) or to alter the content of the digestive tube in such a way that it affects the outcome of some measurements (i.e. acid suppression leads to false results in ph-metry dependent methods). Therefore, it seems advisable to ask the patient whether he is taking any drug--including non prescription medications--and check if this substance or type of substances could affect the outcome of the motility measurement envisioned. In this paper, the authors present a list of the principal drugs known to affect different motility-measurement methods. The real or apparent stimulating or inhibitory effects of drugs on four main segments of the digestive tube (esophagus, stomach, small intestines and colon) are indicated in an alphabetically ordered table. In a short review, the drugs are broadly classified according to their mechanism and site of action. Besides a number of drugs used in practice because of their action on the enteric nervous system, there is a large spectrum of compounds affecting motility, whose main therapeutic application lies outside the digestive tract, such as: psychotropic drugs, antiparkinsonian drugs, bronchodilators, antitussives, antihistamines, antimigraine drugs, antihypertensive agents, etc. This second category is more likely to escape unnoticed as a potential source of false results in the measurement of digestive motility.