Repair of an oroantral communication by a human amniotic membrane: a novel technique

Comparative evaluation of the efficacy of wound healing with and without dehydrated human amniotic/chorionic membrane in alveoloplasty: a pilot study

Objectives

Wound healing is an integral part of any surgical procedure. Appropriate wound closure is critical to any successful surgical procedure, especially intraoral procedures. Various factors aid in wound healing, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological. Dehydrated human amniotic/chorionic membrane (dHACM) is an emerging bioinert material that contains anti-inflammatory properties, angiogenetic properties, osteogenic potential, and various growth factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of wound healing properties of dHACM in bilateral alveoloplasty patients.

Materials and Methods

A prospective split-mouth study was conducted on 10 patients. Site A received sutures with dHACM and site B was sutured without dHACM. Wound healing was assessed with the Landry, Turnbull, and Howley Index.

Results

Sites A and site B were compared. A P<0.05 and a test value of 22 was obtained, indicating a statistical difference between the two sites.

Conclusion

Our study showed better healing with dHACM than without.

Mapping of the Human Placenta: Experimental Evidence of Amniotic Epithelial Cell Heterogeneity

The human placenta is an important source of stem cells that can be easily collected without ethical concerns since it is usually discarded after childbirth. In this study, we analyzed the amniotic membrane (AM) from the human placenta with the aim of mapping different regions with respect to their morpho-functional features and regenerative potential. AMs were obtained from 24 healthy women, undergoing a caesarean section, and mapped into 4 different regions according to their position in relation to the umbilical cord: the central, intermediate, peripheral, and reflected areas. We carried out a multiparametric analysis focusing our attention on amniotic epithelial cells (AECs). Our results revealed that AECs, isolated from the different areas, are a heterogeneous cell population with different pluripotency and proliferation marker expression (octamer-binding transcription factor 4 [OCT-4], tyrosine-protein kinase KIT [c-KIT], sex determining region Y-box 2 [SOX-2], α-fetoprotein, cyclic AMP response element binding [CREB] protein, and phosphorylated active form of CREB [p-CREB]), proliferative ability, and osteogenic potential. Our investigation discloses interesting findings that could be useful for increasing the efficiency of AM isolation and application for therapeutic purposes.