Recently, medical rapid prototyping (MRP) models, fabricated with computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) techniques, have been applied to reconstructive surgery in the treatment of head and neck cancers. Here, we tested the use of preoperatively manufactured reconstruction plates, which were produced using MRP models. The clinical efficacy and esthetic outcome of using these products in mandibular reconstruction was evaluated. A series of 28 patients with malignant oral tumors underwent unilateral segmental resection of the mandible and simultaneous mandibular reconstruction. Twelve patients were treated with prebent reconstruction plates that were molded to MRP mandibular models designed with CAD/CAM techniques and fabricated on a combined powder bed and inkjet head three-dimensional printer. The remaining 16 patients were treated using conventional reconstruction methods. The surgical and esthetic outcomes of the two groups were compared by imaging analysis using post-operative panoramic tomography. The mandibular symmetry in patients receiving the MRP-model-based prebent plates was significantly better than that in patients receiving conventional reconstructive surgery. Patients with head and neck cancer undergoing reconstructive surgery using a prebent reconstruction plate fabricated according to an MRP mandibular model showed improved mandibular contour compared to patients undergoing conventional mandibular reconstruction. Thus, use of this new technology for mandibular reconstruction results in an improved esthetic outcome with the potential for improved quality of life for patients.

Background and purpose: Periodontal disease is closely related to lifestyle-related diseases and obesity. It is widely known that moderate exercise habits lead to improvement in lifestyle-related diseases and obesity. However, little research has been undertaken into how exercise habits affect periodontal disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exercise habits on periodontal diseases and metabolic pathology. Methods: We conducted a prospective intervention research for 12 weeks. The subjects were 71 obese men who participated in an exercise and/or dietary intervention program. Fifty subjects were assigned to exercise interventions (exercise intervention group) and 21 subjects were assigned to dietary interventions (dietary intervention group). This research was conducted before and after each intervention program. Results: In the exercise intervention group, the number of teeth with a probing pocket depth (PPD) ≥4 mm significantly decreased from 14.4% to 5.6% (P<0.001), and the number of teeth with bleeding on probing (BOP) significantly decreased from 39.8% to 14.4% (P<0.001). The copy counts of Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola decreased significantly (P=0.001). A positive correlation was found between the change in the copy count of T. denticola and the number of teeth with PPD ≥4 mm (P=0.003) and the number of teeth with BOP (P=0.010). A positive correlation was also found between the change in the copy count of T. denticola and body weight (P=0.008), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.049), and fasting insulin (P=0.041). However, in the dietary intervention group the copy count of T. denticola decreased significantly (P=0.007) and there was no correlation between the number of periodontal disease-causing bacteria and PPD and BOP. Conclusion: Our results are the first to show that exercise might contribute to improvements in periodontal disease.

Exercise can be hypothesized to play an important role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) treatment by changing the oral bacterial flora and in the mechanism underlying periodontal disease. We performed salivary component analysis before and after an exercise regimen, and genome analysis of the oral bacterial flora to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Obese middle-aged men with NAFLD and periodontal disease were allocated to 12-week exercise (n = 49) or dietary restriction (n = 21) groups. We collected saliva to compare the oral microflora; performed predictive analysis of metagenomic functions; and, measured the salivary immunoglobulin A, cytokine, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and lactoferrin concentrations. The exercise group showed improvements in the clinical indices of oral environment. Salivary component analysis revealed significant reductions in LPS, and lactoferrin during the exercise regimen. Diversity analysis of oral bacterial flora revealed higher alpha- and beta-diversity after the exercise regimen. Analysis of the microbial composition revealed that the numbers of Campylobacter (+83.9%), Corynebacterium (+142.3%), Actinomyces (+75.9%), and Lautropia (+172.9%) were significantly higher, and that of Prevotella (−28.3%) was significantly lower. The findings suggest that an exercise regimen improves the oral environment of NAFLD patients by increasing the diversity of the oral microflora and reducing the number of periodontal bacteria that produce LPS and its capability.

D-dimer levels are reported to relate with tumor stage, prognosis, and lymph node involvement, as well as overall survival (OS) in patients with solid tumors. The purpose of this study was to investigate association between the value of D-dimer and the prognosis of oral cancer (OC). We designed a retrospective cohort study and enrolled a sample of patients who were diagnosed with OC and treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy. The predictor was the D-dimer and outcome variable was OS. Other variables included age, neutrocyte count, neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and management. Differences in OS rate were analyzed by log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to adjust for the effects of potential confounders. Differences with a P value less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. In 88 patients with OC, D-dimer median value for the predicting OS was 0.7 µg/mL. There was a significant difference in OS when patients were stratified according to D-dimer, with an OS rate of 77.8% for patients with low D-dimer (<0.7), and 57.3% with high D-dimer (≥0.7) (p = 0.035). Univariate analyses revealed close correlations between OS and age, neutrocyte count, NLR, CRP, and D-dimer (<0.7 and ≥0.7). Cox multivariate analysis identified management (mainly surgery vs. radiotherapy) (HR 3.274, 95% CI 1.397–7.676; p = 0.006) as independent predictive factors for OS. There was a significant difference in OS when patients were stratified according to D-dimer with low (<0.7) and high D-dimer (≥0.7) (p = 0.035). Though, as a predictive factor, management was associated with OS.

Various treatments for oral vascular malformation (VM) have been reported. Polidocanol and absolute ethanol have also been reported for sclerotherapy. However, there are still few reports on the therapeutic effect and dosage of polidocanol sclerotherapy. Therefore, we examined its therapeutic effects on oral VM. There were 17 sites of VMs, with nine patients diagnosed with oral VM at the Department of Dental and Oral Surgery, Tsukuba University Hospital. The medical records were retrospectively investigated to determine the site, hemangioma volume, polidocanol injection volume, and therapeutic effect. The volume of hemangiomas was calculated using magnetic resonance images. Based on the site, oral VMs were observed in the tongue, buccal mucosa, lips, and oral floor in eight, three, five, and one patients, respectively. The average size of the site was 3071 mm³. The average injection dose of polidocanol at one site was 2.86 mL, the average number of administrations was 1.6, and the response rate was 88.2%. No adverse events were observed. The median numerical rating scale scores were 2/10 (0–6/10) and 0/10 (0–1/10) the day after surgery and 1 week after surgery, respectively. Univariate regression analysis of the total dose in successful cases provided the following formula: 1.3 + 0.00025 × volume (mm³) (mg). Polidocanol sclerotherapy is an effective treatment method for oral VM.