The appearances of common dental diseases on radionuclide bone images of the jaws

Radionuclide images of hospital patients were examined for abnormal areas within the jaws. Fourteen of 25 subjects studied showed one or more abnormal image areas, most of which were attributable to common dental lesions revealed by oral examinations. The lesions detectable on images included healing bone sites, periodontal and pulpal disease, residual osteitis and irritations caused by ill-fitting dentures.

[Headaches of dental origin (author's transl)]

Headaches are frequent symptoms. Their etiology is due to multiple disturbances of various origins : vascular, digestive, arthrosic, ophthalmologic, ORL. The origin of a headaches is not always quickly revealable to the physician, and the usual analgesics do not soothe the pain. The studied cases prove that most of the headaches are accompanied by dental functional signs, and a panoramic radiography of the jaw can guide the diagnosis. For each studied case, the stomatologic treatment leads to the complete withdrawal of the aching symptom; therefore the presence of the dental etiology in headaches is proved.

Bone scan in dental diseases

Bone images of the jaws and related dental structures were obtained in 25 patients undergoing skeletal surveys. The upper and lower jaws were divided into eight quadrants to facilitate comparisons between scintigraphic image findings and the results of dental examination. Fourteen of these 25 patients had at least one jaw quadrant with a positive image. The areas of positive uptake correlated well with dental examination findings, which included healing extraction sites and common dental diseases, such as pulpal and periodontal infections and irritations from ill-fitting dentures. The potential usefulness of bone imaging as an adjunct in dental diagnosis is discussed.

Role of the dentist in trigeminal neuralgia

It is well known that people with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia sometimes have teeth unnecessarily extracted. It is less well known that pain which seems to be due to idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia is occasionally due to dental causes. For this reason it is suggested that such cases should be given very careful dental and oral examination before the commencement of drug therapy or surgery. Such an examination must be meticulous and may be tedious as well as time consuming. It should therefore be done by a dentist who is specially interested in pain and who is preferably associated with a centre for pain relief. A few cases may then have their pain relieved by such procedures as fillings, extractions or occlusal adjustment. In all cases the neurologist or neurosurgeon will face his responsibility more secure in the knowledge that all possible peripheral causes have been eliminated. Moreover, patients with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia may have difficulty maintaining a satisfactory standard of oral hygiene, both before and after treatment. They should therefore have careful attention paid to this as soon as possible.

[Odontological-surgical pathology in an Oslo population]

The present report deals with an investigation concerning the distribution of dental pathology in an Oslo population. The diagnoses are based on roentgenological findings in orthopantomograms from 216 individuals participating in the screening. The investigation contributes to knowledge about pathological conditions of the dentition and jawbones of a Norwegian population. Such knowledge is important for the assessment of the need of surgical intervention when programs for optimal oral health are planned.

Localization of objects in the anterior areas with a single Panorex radiograph

Impacted objects in the anterior dental region can be localized in a labial-palatal direction with a single Panorex film. Clark's rule is applied to the two views of the anterior area obtained. The technique is verified by means of a dry skull with lead markers in known positions, and two clinical cases are reported.

Assessment of the status of endodontically treated teeth in patients with cardiovascular abnormality

The accuracy of conventional methods of assessing the periradicular tissues, especially important in the case of a patient with cardiovascular abnormality, is questioned. The results of histological assessment in 81 teeth are reported. The ideal of a biological obturation of the root canal is emphasized.

[Dental and mandibular studies on mummies. Contribution of a stomatologist]

This is the sequence to an investigation on a mummy, 1965. Two further mummies could be examined: the first, a woman about 34 years old, from the 1st to 3rd century, shows similar advanced destruction of the teeth as the mummy investigated in 1965, caused by sand in the hand milled bread flour. This caused an early loss of molars by exaggerated abrasion, exposure of the pulps and periodontal bone loss. There was no evidence of occlusal caries. The second mummy was a 18-year-old young woman, 800-700 b. C. From the inscriptions on the sarcophagus name, family and living circumstances could be found. The same damages were found here, there was only a gradual difference owing to age difference. An interesting special finding was the absence of lip closure and the postmortal damage to the front teeth which may have been caused by the ritual of mouth opening.

Radiographic manifestations of a chronic apical rarefying osteitis with an unusual fistulous tract

A case of chronic apical rarefying osteitis in which radiographic examination revealed a circular osteolytic defect extending through the mandible is reported. The defect was well delineated and surrounded by corticated bone, and may have been the result of anatomic or histologic variations of the mandible.