Foreign body ingestion/aspiration episodes are potential complications in all branches of dentistry. The handling of small orthodontic components requires particular care, especially where the patient is supine or semi-recumbent. Three cases of foreign body ingestion are presented, involving patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Once the foreign bodies had been located, all instances were treated using a combination of serial radiography and 'watchful waiting'. All patients remained asymptomatic during this period, although none of the foreign bodies were retrieved. No active intervention was deemed necessary, and the patients were able to resume their orthodontic treatment. The potential complications of ingestion/aspiration episodes are discussed and a management regime suggested.

Antiphospholipid syndrome is a thrombophilic disorder in which the presence of serum autoantibodies to phospholipid causes disruption of the protein C antithrombotic pathway. Deposition of these autoantibodies in small blood vessels can lead to intimal hyperplasia and acute thromboses. The associated hypercoagulopathy is problematic in dentistry since, if proper haemostasis is not achieved prior to discharge of exodontia patients, excessive haematoma formation may result. This case report and review of the literature discusses the condition in the context of hypercoagulation with reference to a patient undergoing a simple extraction, and suffering post-operative complications amounting to a large haematoma requiring evacuation. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Post-operative bleeding is one of the most common complications of exodontia. This case report and review of the literature provides the reader with a concise summary of the clotting cascade in parallel with an unusual case of post-operative bleeding.

IntroductionAnimal studies have shown Zoledronic Acid (ZA) may diminish pleural fluid accumulation and tumour bulk in malignant pleural disease (MPD). We performed a pilot study to evaluate its effects in humans.MethodsWe undertook a single centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with MPD. Patients were randomised (1:1) to receive 2 doses of intravenous ZA or placebo, 3 weeks apart and were followed-up for 6 weeks. The co-primary outcomes were change in Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score measured breathlessness during trial follow-up and change in the initial area under the curve (iAUC) on thoracic Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) from randomisation to week 5. Multiple secondary endpoints were also evaluated.ResultsBetween January 2010 and May 2013, 30 patients were enrolled, 24 randomised and 4 withdrew after randomisation (1 withdrew consent; 3 had a clinical decline). At baseline, the ZA group were more breathless, had more advanced disease on radiology and worse quality of life than the placebo group. There was no significant difference between the groups with regards change in breathlessness (Adjusted mean difference (AMD) 4.16 (95%CI −4.7 to 13.0)) or change in DCE-MRI iAUC (AMD −15.4 (95%CI −58.1 to 27.3). Two of nine (22%) in the ZA arm had a >10% improvement by modified RECIST (vs 0/11 who received placebo). There was no significant difference in quality of life measured by the QLQ-C30 score (global QOL: AMD -4.1 (-13.0 to 4.9)), side effects or serious adverse event rates.ConclusionsThis is the first human study to evaluate ZA in MPD. The study is limited by small numbers and imbalanced baseline characteristics. Although no convincing treatment effect was identified, potential benefits for specific subgroups of patients cannot be excluded. This study provides important information regarding the feasibility of future trials to evaluate the effects of ZA further.Trial RegistrationUK Clinical Research Network ID 8877 ISRCTN17030426 www.isrctn.com

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