Amalgam has been widely used in dentistry and its components may cause some oral mucosal changes (OMC), commonly presenting as oral lichenoid lesions (OLLs), acute or generalized sensitivity reaction or amalgam tattoo. Our objective was to determine the demographic and clinical profile of patients with and without OMC adjacent to their amalgam restorations (AR) and to evaluate the prevalence and types of AR-related OMC and associated clinical parameters. Materials and methods: In this retrospective crosssectional study, 83 outpatients attending the Primary Dental Care Unit at the Faculty of Dentistry, University Malaya were examined for the presence of AR-related OMC. The study period was from early to mid July 2016. Firstly, patients’ personal details (age, gender, medical status, social habits) were analyzed and history of AR (the age, condition and number of restorations) was determined. Clinical examination of patient’s oral cavity was carried out to detect any AR-related OMC. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS 12.0.1 Result: Approximately 14.6 % patients had OMC. OLLs and amalgam tattoo made up 1.2% and 13.4% respectively. Females (8.4%) had higher predilection and Chinese were more commonly affected (8.4%). Social habits were not associated with OMC. Certain systemic diseases, age (p=0.005) and duration of amalgam (p=0.007) in the oral cavity were significant risk factors for OMC. Conclusions: Present findings suggest that AR-related OMC is uncommon. Three key parameters namely systemic diseases, patient’s age and duration of AR were identified as significant risk factors predisposing to the development of OMCs.
Sjörgren’s syndrome is an uncommon chronic autoimmune disorder that affects exocrine glands.
Sialolithiasis is an obstructive salivary gland disease which is also uncommon in the parotid salivary gland.
The existing literature has documented the occurrence of multiple calcifications within the parenchyma of
the parotid glands in patients with Sjörgren’s syndrome. This report describes the first case of right parotid
duct solitary sialolith formation in a 64 year old female patient with Sjörgren’s syndrome. Whether the
salivary stone encountered in this case represents an oral manifestation of Sjörgren’s syndrome or is just
a co-incidental finding was discussed.
Conventional oral squamous cell carcinomas are readily
recognized histopathologically but the presence of
additional atypical features may be challenging from
a diagnostic point of view. We present a case of a welldifferentiated
oral squamous cell carcinoma with pseudoglandular
differentiation and discuss the possible differential
diagnoses on a histopathological basis. Accurate diagnosis
is imperative for timely and appropriate intervention and
denotes distinctive prognostic implications. The presence
of perivascular and perineural infiltrations as observed in
this case would indicate the need for further post-operative
therapeutic decision-making aimed at controlling local
spread as well as distant metastases
Differential diagnosis of orofacial pain is crucial, as the course of each process and its clinical management varies markedly. A case is illustrated here of trigeminal neuralgia in a 49-year-old Indian female whose complaint was initially diagnosed as dental pain leading to sequential extractions of her right mandibular and maxillary molars but with no pain abatement. Subsequent neurological assessment diagnosed her complaint as trigeminal neuralgia but pain remained poorly controlled even with high doses of carbamazepine and gabapentin. A dental referral and orthopantomographic examination revealed multifocal sclerotic masses in her jaws, suggestive of florid cemento-osseous dysplasia (FCOD). Right mandibular incisional biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. A decision was made to curette the right mandibular masses and lateralised the right inferior dental nerve. Follow-up disclosed considerable pain reduction. This case raises the issue as to whether the sclerotic bone masses in FCOD may have caused nerve compression which
aggravated her neuralgic pain.
Diagnosis by histopathology remams as one of the most important investigative methods used to establish a definitive diagnosis of a lesion or disease state. The provision of oral tissue diagnostic services is therefore an essential function of an Oral Pathology unit. A review of the English language literature disclosed that much of the documented information on the patterns of oral diagnostic services were from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. This paper provides an overview of such surveys carried out in these countries.