International journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery
-
Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Dec 2012
ReviewEfficacy of antidepressants on orofacial pain: a systematic review.
Orofacial pain is a common complaint with multiple diagnoses. There is controversy about the effectiveness of antidepressants for the management of orofacial pain disorders. In order to be able to make a best evidence choice between available antidepressants for the treatment of orofacial pain, a systematic review was conducted of existing randomized controlled trials of antidepressants. ⋯ All six trials were of high quality according to the 15-item criteria. Nevertheless there was limited evidence to support the effectiveness of antidepressants in orofacial pain disorders, because of the heterogeneity of treatment modalities and the low number of randomized controlled trials per diagnose. More randomized controlled trials are needed to come to a firm conclusion for the use of antidepressants for orofacial pain disorders.
-
Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Dec 2012
Evaluation of trigeminal nerve injuries in relation to third molar surgery in a prospective patient cohort. Recommendations for prevention.
Trigeminal nerve injury is the most problematic consequence of dental surgical procedures with major medico-legal implications. This study reports the signs and symptoms that are the features of trigeminal nerve injuries caused by mandibular third molar (M3M) surgery. 120 patients with nerve injury following M3M surgery were assessed. All data were analysed using the SPSS statistical programme and Microsoft Excel. 53 (44.2%) inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) injury cases and 67 (55.8%) lingual nerve injury (LNI) cases were caused by third molar surgery (TMS). ⋯ Speech and eating were significantly more problematic for patients with LNIs. In conclusion, chronic pain is often a symptom after TMS-related nerve injury, resulting in significant functional problems. Better dissemination of good practice in TMS will significantly minimize these complex nerve injuries and prevent unnecessary suffering.