Cancer of the oral cavity is one of the most common cancers all over the world. Oral cancer and its treatment impacts on patients’ Quality of Life (QOL). The purpose of the present study was to assess oral cancer patients’ QOL after the completion of surgical therapy, and to investigate factors affecting it. This was a prospective cohort study, conducted at the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, of a large general public hospital in Northern Greece. The sample consisted of 135 consecutive eligible cancer patients. Three distinct questionnaires were used. The first one included questions regarding the participants’ demographic characteristics and relevant clinical information. The second comprised the European Organization for Research and Treatment core module (EORTC QLQ-C30) and its head and neck module EORTC QLQ-H&N35. The third was the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General (FACT-G) assessment of quality of life. We also included the physician-completed Karnofsky scale to assess the functional status of the participants. We found that location of the tumor affects QOL and specifically social contact (H = 17.89, p = 0.001), on the first assessment, and nutritional supplements (H = 22.49, p = 0.000), on the fourth assessment. QOL in patients deteriorates immediately after treatment but significantly improves over time. Health care professionals should take into account these results and arrange care plans in order to find ways to increase patients’ QOL.

Background: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) encompass a group of conditions characterized by anatomical, histological, and/or functional abnormalities that affect the muscular and/or articular components of the temporomandibular joint. Prolotherapy is an injectable treatment modality for chronic musculoskeletal pain that involves dextrose solution administration in the joint. Aims: To summarize, the aims involve considering the existing quality of clinical evidence on the efficacy of prolotherapy versus placebo and other active comparators, such as autologous blood products or botulinum toxin, in improving the outcomes of TMDs. Methods: A literature search in MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane databases was performed, following the PRISMA statement guidelines, to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of patients with TMDs receiving prolotherapy. The maximal incisor opening (MIO), visual analogue score (VAS) for pain, and frequency of dislocations were analyzed as the outcomes. The weighted mean difference was used to pool outcomes. The risk of bias was recorded for the included studies. Results: Six studies comparing prolotherapy to placebo were identified. Prolotherapy is uniformly more efficient in reducing the VAS for pain when compared to the placebo (mean difference = 1.20, 95%CI: 0.56–1.84, p < 0.001). Perceived jaw mobility was improved among prolotherapy patients, (mean difference = 0.47, 95%CI: 0.05–0.90, p = 0.003) when compared to the placebo. A beneficial effect for prolotherapy with regard to MIO (mean difference = 0.84, 95%CI: −2.12–3.80, p = 0.58) was not confirmed. Prolotherapy appears to be more efficient than autologous blood products in reducing VAS for pain (mean difference = 0.49, 95%CI: 0.11–0.87, p = 0.01). Prolotherapy was found to be more effective in reducing pain, MIO, and clicking when compared to an occlusal splint in a single study. Conclusions: Prolotherapy is also a promising modality for TMDs, despite the limited number of randomized clinical trials. Existing evidence supports its use to reduce TMD-related pain, even against other modalities. Further research is needed to better describe the benefit of prolotherapy for other outcomes.

Facial penetrating injuries can cause retention of foreign bodies in the frontal sinus. This rare condition can remain underdiagnosed for years, since non-specific symptoms, such as headaches and nasal obstruction, can be developed. So far, removal by an endoscopic approach is the most preferred treatment option because it is less invasive with a short recovery time. However, removal by an open surgical approach remains the method of choice for large foreign bodies, especially in cases of coexistent non-reducible fractures of the anterior table of the frontal bone. We present a case where a combined approach - open and endoscopic - was necessary to successfully remove a retained foreign body from a frontal sinus. With the assistance of a transnasal endoscope, the retained stone was mobilized and removed from the open frontal sinus followed by osteosynthesis of the anterior table. Therefore, in special circumstances, a combination of both techniques should be considered for the optimal outcome.

The project assessed the quality of life in post-operative patients with tongue cancer at three-month intervals in the first year after the operation. A longitudinal prospective cohort study was conducted in the oral and maxillofacial department of a large public general hospital in northern Greece. Fifty-six patients out of a total of 156 with oral cancer were chosen for the study, who completed distinct quality-of-life surveys (EORTC QLQ-C30, and QLQ Head & Neck Module FACT-G). Tumor size correlated negatively with various EORTC QLQ-C30 scores, such as role functioning (p = 0.004) and cognitive functioning (p = 0.007), in the third evaluation. Tumor size correlated positively with subscale problems such as social eating (p = 0.001) and weight loss (p = 0.004) in the QLQ Head & Neck Module. The role functioning subscale (p = 0.003), the pain subscale (p = 0.001), and the speech issues QLQ Head & Neck module subscale (p = 0.003) adversely correlated with cancer stage. Patients who received flap reconstruction significantly differed from those who did not, on the EORTC QLQ-C30 cognitive functioning (U = 139.0, p = 0.006), dyspnea (U = 391.5, p = 0.006), and diarrhea (U = 425.0, p = 0.007) subscales during the third evaluation. Differences were also found in the QLQ-H&N35 subscale of sticky saliva (U = 391.0, p = 0.006). Patients with flap reconstruction did not significantly differ from those with immediate closure after one year. Differences concerned the EORTC QLQ-C30 subscales of cognitive functioning, dyspnea, and diarrhea, and the QLQ Head & Neck Module subscale of sticky saliva on the third assessment. No statistically significant correlations were observed between tumor size and cancer stage in the fourth assessment, but the grade of cancer positively correlated with the EORTC QLQ-C30 subscale of constipation (p = 0.000). Our study suggests that quality of life is impaired in patients with tongue cancer who have undergone surgical interventions, particularly within the first month post-operation. However, quality of life is fully restored one year after the surgical excision. Future studies should explore early interventions to help healthcare providers better treat this unique group of patients.

Inferior alveolar nerve injury is one of the most serious complications of mandibular molar surgery and may lead to litigation for mal-practice. Entrapment of the inferior alveolar nerve to roots of an impacted mandibular molars is extremely rare. The aim of this case report is to stress the importance of tooth multi-sectioning with the use of magnification for the safe removal of a deeply impacted second molar with entrapment of the inferior alveolar nerve in its proximal root.