No abstract

Preoperative anxiety was moderate or high in two-thirds of patients undergoing dental implant surgeries, having a negative influence on patient satisfaction, but not affecting surgeon satisfaction. Additionally, the intravenous conscious sedation technique was considered a satisfactory technique by the surgeon to control anxiety.

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the hemodynamic and ventilatory changes during implant surgery with intravenous conscious sedation, and whether preoperative anxiety, gender or age influence these parameters. Patients and Methods: A prospective study carried out between May 2004 and February 2007, on 102 patients treated with dental implants under local anesthesia and conscious intravenous sedation. Patients completed a questionnaire prior to surgery to evaluate preoperative dental anxiety using Corah's scale. The hemodynamic and ventilatory changes were evaluated by monitoring systolic pressure (SP), diastolic pressure (DP), heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation (SaO2). These values were collected at 5 points during surgery; before commencing the operation (baseline value), during local anesthetic injection, at the moment of incision and raising of a mucoperiosteal flap, during implant placement, and finally at suturing. Intravenous conscious sedation was administered between baseline value and injection of the local anesthetic. Results: The highest SP and DP were recorded at baseline and at suturing. The highest HR was recorded at the moment of incision and raising of the mucoperiosteal flap; the lowest SaO2 was recorded at local anesthetic injection. There was no relationship between hemodynamic and ventilatory values and preoperative anxiety or gender. A greater age was associated with higher SP and lower SaO2, these differences being statistically significant. Conclusions: Most of the cardiovascular and ventilatory changes induced by the implant surgery with intravenous conscious sedation were within normal ranges. The results indicate that midazolam with fentanyl do not produce important hemodynamic and ventilatory changes, being a good association for intravenous conscious sedation in dental implant surgery.

Objectives: To determine whether there is a relationship between the total BP dose administered and the variations in serum CTX concentration. Study design: The study included 50 patients requiring dental implant surgery and treated with oral BPs, seen in an Oral Surgery and Implantology Unit between January 2007 and June 2009. The patients were divided into two groups: those in which the medication was not suspended before obtaining the laboratory test sample, and those patients referred from other dental clinics in which BPs was suspended before reporting to our Unit. The total drug dosage administered and the total dose per kilogram body weight were evaluated for comparison with serum CTX. The data obtained were correlated to the osteonecrosis risk table developed by Marx et al. in 2007. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in relation to the total administered dose and the dose in mg/kg b.w. Likewise, in both groups no relationship was observed between the serum CTX value and the total administered dose or the dose in mg/kg b.w. No differences were found between the two patient groups regarding chemical osteonecrosis risk based on the criteria of Marx et al. Conclusions: No relationship was observed between the oral BP dose administered (total dose or expressed in mg/kg b.w.) and serum CTX concentration, and suspension of the medication did not influence the serum CTX levels. Key words:Serum CTX, osteonecrosis, oral bisphosphonates.

Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) may appear following certain oral surgery procedures in patients treated with oral bisphosphonates (OB). Guidelines for the treatment of these patients were set out in the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) Position Paper on Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of The Jaws (Position Paper) and Approved by the Board of Trustees in September 2006. For the AAOMS the placement of implants in these patients is not contraindicated. In addition, the serum C-terminal telopeptide bone suppressor marker (CTX) test is available to determine the risk of ONJ. A case is presented of ONJ in a patient with 6 months of OB discontinuation (“drug holiday”) before dental implant placement (following the guidelines of the AAOMS) and with no risk of osteonecrosis according to the serum CTX value (340 pg/ml). The wound healed favorably with complete healing at 7 months. In this case, the serum CTX test must be questioned as to its predictive value of ONJ, and more reliable markers of this risk are needed. Key words:Bisphosphonates, dental implants, bone necrosis, serum CTX.