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Being the first collaborator and assistant of Professor Gheorghe Bilaşcu, the founder of Cluj and National School of Dentistry, Dr. Gheorghe Bârlea kept very close to his master in developing the Dental Medicine in Cluj and in Romania, from 1908 to 1936. From the beginning of his career, he was involved in the establishment of the new Dental Clinic in the University of Superior Dacia as well as in the compilation of the teaching curriculum at the level of the avant-garde universities at that time. He was deeply involved in the recognition of Dentistry as discipline and medical practice and in the official achievement of the law and practice of this profession in Romania. Dr. Bârlea devoted his life and wotk to the cultural and social life of the Romanians, his efforts contributing to the Great Union of Romania. Passing away at an early age, Dr. Bârlea left Romanian dental profession without an important support.

Introduction: The bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw was first referred to in 2003. Bisphosphonates action is focused on the osteoclasts. The drastic inhibition of the osteoclastic function is harmful for the jaws which are the only bones of the human skeleton in relative contact with the external environment. The adverse effects of the bisphosphonate-related therapy include the pathology for which they are prescribed, the atypical fractures in pathological bone., Method: The aim of this research was to analyze the risk factors and the treatment methods in case of osteonecrosis of the jaws. To achieve these goals, the author analyzed the observation sheets of the patients admitted to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic during the period 2010-2015. The inclusion criteria were as follows: treatment with bisphosphonates, current or previous; the lesions of the mucous gingiva of the maxillaries followed by exposed necrotic bone, older than 8 weeks, with no tendency of healing; specific radiological image showing extended osteolysis with diffuse outline or radiopacity surrounded by radio-transparence, representing the necrotic bone sequestered; no metastasis in the necrotic maxillary bone; patient with no medical background of cervical-facial radiations. The patients who met these criteria were admitted in the study after signing the informed consent. Afterwards, the information found in the notes of the observational sheet (anamnesis, general examination and the imagistic investigation, treatment, postoperative recovery, prescription, postoperative recommendations) were gathered and submitted for statistic analysis., Results: Of the 20 patients in total, 13 were women and 7 men, of ages ranging from 43 to 83. The most numerous cases were registered in the seventh age decade. All patients included in the study had lesions of the gingival maxillary mucosal areas with exposure of the subjacent necrotic bone. 60% of them were under intravenous treatment with zoledronic acid (Zometa®). A single patient was under oral treatment with bisphosphonates. 19 of these 20 patients developed osteonecrosis following a dental extraction while one case was due to the instability of the mandibular mobile prosthesis. 61% of the patients included in the study developed a necrotic process in the mandibular bone, 80% of the localizations were in the posterior area. As first intention, the choice of treatment was represented by local lavages with antiseptic solutions, general antibiotics and sequestrectomy. Of these patients, a third had relapsed and needed radical surgery treatment., Conclusions: Prevention of the bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw represents the best method of treatment. The development of bone sequesters damages the volume of the maxillary bone as such, reducing the chances for prosthetic functional rehabilitation of the dento-maxillary system. An increase in the quality of life by oral restoration of these patients may represent a challenge.

Professor Cornel Tiberiu Opris was the founder and Chair of the Clinic and University Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Cluj, after the Education Reform of 1948. The article illustrates how the founder of these institutions led a valiant struggle for obtaining and arranging a location for the newly established Faculty of Dentistry, within the Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy. Professor Cornel Tiberiu Opriş established himself as the most prodigious researcher at the Faculty for over a quarter-century, until his retirement, introducing his original conception in the therapeutic and surgical field. He created in Cluj-Napoca a specialist medical school by imposing national prestige for the institution that he led.

When speaking about Professor Gheorghe Bilaşcu (1863-1926) and his major contribution to the establishment of Romanian medical education in Cluj, he should be considered not only in terms of scientist and creator of the Dental School, but also through his commitment to the development of science and culture in Romania. A wealthy dentist in Budapest where he graduated from the Dental School, he supported a lot of Romanian students to attend schools and universities in the Budapest, thus contributing to the development of culture in his own country. Finally, he left his private practice in the Capital of Hungary to come to Cluj to support the efforts of building the Dental School and profession in Romania. This paper illustrates the contribution that Professor Gheorghe Bilaşcu made to the development of higher education in Romania, as well as his support of the local culture.

Background and Aims: Despite the fact that implants are sterilized, antiseptic techniques are applied and systemic antibiotics are routinely administered prior to and after craniofacial surgery, infection rates between 3% and 40% are still reported for alloplastic implants, urging for implant removal. The present study focuses on the development of a fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) implant for craniofacial reconstruction with antimicrobial properties., Methods: A new fiber-reinforced composite coated with gentamicin was developed and tested for bacterial adherence and antibacterial efficiency, using two of the most involved bacterial strains in the postoperative infections: Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa., Results: Bacteria were efficiently inactivated in direct contact with gentamicin coatings (p<0.05). The inhibition zone for Staphylococcus aureus ranged from 17.21 mm to 20.13 mm and for Pseudomonas aeruginosa ranged from 12.93 mm to 15.33 mm. Although no significant statistical results were found for bacterial adhesion and gentamicin concentration, (Staphylococcus aureus: β= -0.974; p=0.144>0.05 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa: β = -0.921; p=0.255>0.05), a negative relation was observed, indicating the reversed relation between the antibiotic dosage and the bacterial adherence., Conclusion: The results of the two applied microbiological protocols used in the study suggested that gentamicin eluting coating inhibited not only the bacterial growth, but also led to a lower initial bacterial adhesion to the surface of the implant. Thus, antibiotic coating of craniofacial implants may reduce the infection rate related to reconstructive surgery.

Founder of the Surgical Clinic in Cluj-Napoca and of Medical Education in Romanian, Rector of Dacia Superior University, Professor Iacob Iacobovici was one of the outstanding medical personalities in the first half of the twentieth century, in Romania. His scientific contributions have been recognized by the European great personalities of his time. A remarkable bright mind, with an overarching comprehension of things, Professor Iacob Iacobovici contributed, in an essential way, to the diversification of surgical education, stimulating the emergence of new specialties. This paper illustrates the contribution of Professor Iacob Iacobovici to the development of Education of Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Romania as well as his support for the Romanian Society of Dentistry.

Background and Aim: Bone defect reconstruction in the maxillofacial area comes as a necessity after traumatic, oncological or congenital pathology. Custom made implant manufacturing, such as selective laser melting (SLM), is very helpful when bone reconstruction is needed. In the present study we assessed the osseointegration of custom made implants made of Ti6Al7Nb with two different coatings: SiO2-TiO2 and hydroxyapatite, by comparing the bone mineral density (BMD) measured on micro-CT and the histological mineralized bone surrounding the implants., Methods: Custom made - cylindrical type - implants were produced by selective laser melting, coated with SiO2-TiO2 and hydroxyapatite and implanted in the rabbit femur. The animals (divided into 3 groups) were sacrificed at 1, 3 and 6 months and the implants were removed together with the surrounding bone. Bone mineral density and histological examination of the bone-implant surface was performed for each group., Results: BMD and histological examination of the samples determined the quantity of mineralized bone at the implant site, showing a good percentage of mineralized bone for the coated implants at 1, 3 and 6 months. The measurements for the implants without coating showed a significant lower quantity of mineralized bone at 3 months compared with the implants with coating, and a good quantity of mineralized bone at 6 months, showing a process of demineralization followed by remineralization in the last month. The measurements of BMD showed similar results with the histological examination., Conclusions: The use of micro-CT and the measurement of BMD are a reliable, minimally invasive and a quick method of osseointegration assessment.