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Introduction: Third molar surgery can cause post-operative complications to the patient due to the presence of a wound from the incision. This study aimed to compare marginal flap with para-marginal flap on postoperative complications by the measurements on pre and post-surgical plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BoP), maximum opening of the mouth (MOM), pain perception (PP) and post-surgical tumefaction (PT). Methods: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, 40 patients were recruited and randomly allocated in two groups. In Group 1, third molar extraction was carried out after a marginal flap design was performed, while in Group 2 a para-marginal flap was performed. Plaque index, bleeding on probing, maximum mouth opening, and distal probing were assessed right before and one week after surgery, while post-operative pain perception and post-operative swelling were accounted one week following surgery. Results: Statistically significant differences were reported between treatment groups, as the para-marginal flap led to better outcomes for all the measured indexes. Conclusions: The para-marginal flap design may decrease the occurrence of post-operative complications and discomforts after mandibular third molar surgery, compared to marginal flap design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oral mucositis (OM) is one of the most debilitating side effects of chemotherapy. Among the current methods used in OM management, the feasibility of high power laser therapy (HPLT) has been proposed but not fully evaluated. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of HPLT in the treatment of OM in paediatric patients. Design: Fourteen oncohematological paediatric patients treated with chemotherapy and/or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and affected by OM at different grades were enrolled in this study. All patients were treated with a class IV laser device in four sessions for four consecutive days, OM was evaluated with the WHO‐OTS scale. The perception of pain was assessed by the visual analog scale. Photographs of and information about lesions and patient questionnaires were taken and collected, respectively. Descriptive analyses and the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test (nonparametric test) were used, with a statistical significance of α =.05. Results: After a week into the treatment, 57% of patients were completely healed, whereas the whole cohort experienced a drastic decrease in pain, from an average value of 5.8–1.1 (p =.0016). The average number of injuries per patient decreased from 7.4 to 3.1 (p =.008). Conclusion: High power laser therapy appears to be a safe and efficacious method for managing OM. It reduces pain and severity of oral cavity injuries. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal parameters useful in OM treatment and to evaluate the relative effectiveness of HPLT to other treatments like LLLT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss the role of periodontal health on some systemic conditions such as infertility. Topics mentioned include the impact of hormonal therapies administered before the execution of in vitro fertilization on the maternal periodontium, the influence of periodontal disease on the reproductive sphere and the ability of female conception, and pelvic inflammation caused by Fusobacterium nucleatum.