Anxiety and Pain After Wisdom Teeth Surgery

An interesting article titled “RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TYPES OF INFORMATION, DENTAL ANXIETY AND POST-OPERATIVE PAIN FOLLOWING THIRD MOLAR SURGERY, A RANDOMISED STUDY” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Ayodele Gbenga Akomolafe and et. al. (published online Nov. 1 2022). The article sought to determine the relationship between information types, dental anxiety and post-operative pain after lower wisdom teeth removal. In the article the researchers recruited 90 patients between the ages of 18 and 35 who had wisdom teeth extracted with local anesthesia. The patients were randomly divided online using a randomization software into to groups based on the method of information they received about the extraction: verbal or audiovisual. The information given included details about the surgery, information about surgical site closure with suture material and possible complications of extraction. Those in the verbal group were given … Read more

Laser therapy can reduce pain after wisdom teeth removal

An interesting article titled “Extraoral low-level laser therapy can decrease pain but not edema and trismus after surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial,” appearing in BMC Oral Health is written by Ehsan Momeni and et. al. (September 20, 2022, Vol. 22, 417). The article seeks to explore the impact of using a low-level diode laser on pain, swelling (edema), and jaw opening (trismus) following surgery to remove impacted lower wisdom teeth. This topic has been covered before on this site see for example the articles Laser Therapy to Reduce Pain and Improve Healing After Tooth Removal and Using Laser Therapy after Tooth Extraction to Improve Wound Healing. In the article the authors explore laser therapy as a possible alternative to techniques such as medication, cryotherapy, and surgical closure techniques to minizime complications, pain, and … Read more

Using the sedative Remimazolam for oral surgery

An interesting article titled “Can Remimazolam Be a New Sedative Option for Outpatients Undergoing Ambulatory Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery?” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Zijian Guo and et. al. (Available online 16 September 2022). The article discusses the sedative remimazolam and its possibility to sedate in oral surgery as effectively as midazolam. In the article the authors discuss how patients can receive dental treatment with more comfort using sedation. Midazolam is widely used in oral and maxillofacial surgery but has side effects of increased accumulation and respiratory depression. Remimazolam has similar pharmacological effects to midazolam but has rapid onset, fast metabolism, less potential adverse effects. Remimazolam has a a mean half-life of between 0.5 and two minutes and a terminal half-life in plasma of 37 to 53 minutes.  The authors conducted the first ever … Read more

Political Campaign Preferences for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in the United States

An interesting article titled “Political Campaign Contributions of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Between 2013-2022 – A Decade of Data,” written by Jack A. Harris and et. al. (The Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Volume 80, Issue 9, Supplement, September 2022, Pages S43-S44). The article opens by discussing how oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the U.S. tend to donate to Republican-affiliated candidates and campaigns. This is no surpise to those who understand the inner workings of what certain political parties in the U.S. tend to support and is not ideal, see for example the articles Big Media Monopoly and How to Protect Yourself from Abusive Doctors. In the article, the authors set to determine the magnitude and geographic differences in political contributions made by oral and maxillofacial surgeons between 2013 and 2022 with regards to determining the the total number and … Read more

Woman in Singapore Dies After Wisdom Tooth Removal

A 24 year old woman in Singapore died after having four wisdom teeth extracted in 2019. The woman had visited the National Dental Centre Singapore first in August 2018. At another visit in April 2019 she complained of severe pain in the upper and lower right side of her mouth. While at the appointment, it was determined that the pain could be due to her four impacted wisdom teeth. The woman decided to have wisdom teeth surgery under general anaesthesia. The woman had no known drug allergies and had previously been given general anaesthesia without any side effects. In May 2019, the woman was admitted to a hospital where she was given a pre-anaesthetic assessment where nothing out of the ordinary was noted. However it was noted the woman was obsese and had a skin condition known as hidradenitis suppurativa. … Read more