There is no consensus about the surgical treatment of odontogenic myxoma. The aim of the current study was to present our experience and discuss the surgical management and outcome in 10 patients diagnosed with odontogenic myxoma. A retrospective review of charts of patients who were surgically treated for odontogenic myxoma was performed. Patients were recalled, and eventual recurrences were investigated. Eight lesions were mandibular, whereas 2 were maxillary. In 3 patients, enucleation and curettage was performed. Instead, in the remaining 7 patients, segmental resection and immediate reconstruction were decided. At follow-up, no patient showed recurrence of the lesion. Our protocol is to perform conservative surgery by enucleation and curettage when lesions were smaller than 3 cm, whereas a segmental resection with immediate reconstruction is preferred in patients affected by bigger tumors. Long-term follow-up is required, in particular when conservative surgery is preferred.

By analyzing sports-related maxillofacial fractures, we sought to describe preventive measures and recovery times until sporting activities could be resumed. Between January 2001 and December 2006, 1241 patients were hospitalized as a result of maxillofacial fractures. The patients with sports-related maxillofacial fractures were analyzed based on age, sex, type of sport, injury mechanism, trauma site, presence of associated fractures, hospitalization, treatment method, and recovery time until the resumption of sporting activities. One hundred thirty-eight patients (11.4%) sustained sports-related maxillofacial fractures: 121 males and 17 females (ratio 8:1), aged between 11 and 72 years. The sport producing the greatest number of injuries was soccer (62.3%), followed by skiing (14.5%), and horseback riding (6.5%). The injuries involved mainly the middle third of the face (71.6%), and the mandible was the most affected site (27.2%), followed by the maxillary-zygomatic-orbital complex (25.9%). Treatment was surgery in 93.5% of the patients, with an average hospitalization period of 3.5 days. The protocol created to manage the follow-up of maxillofacial injury patients advised resuming sports activities at least 40 days after the trauma, except in the case of combat sports, when a period of 3 months was required. Although the results of this study indicate a reduction in the total incidence of sports-related maxillofacial injuries, they also show an alarming secondary increase in trauma resulting from the most popular sport in Italy-soccer. Therefore, stricter regulations are needed to discourage violent play, rather than relying on the use of protective equipment. Moreover, patients should be advised when they can resume sports activities, particularly in the case of professionals and semiprofessionals.

Interest in the psychiatric consequences of trauma and the subsequent surgical intervention has been increasing steadily; therefore, the authors assessed the prevalence of acute symptoms of stress in patients who experienced a craniomaxillofacial injury. Fifty patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years were evaluated and assigned a score using the Injury Severity Scale (ISS). Within 48 hours of surgery (T0) and at 3 months after surgery (T1), the authors administered the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS) to assess post-traumatic symptoms, Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess symptoms of anxiety, and Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) to assess depressive symptoms. Of the subjects, 44% (22 patients at T0) had acute symptoms of stress, and 26% (13 patients at T1) had post-traumatic stress symptoms. The statistical association between demographic variables was significant only for gender, especially for women. There was a significant correlation between the psychopathologic variables and trauma-specific symptoms at both T0 and T1; the same was true for the ISS at T0. Eight of the 13 patients with positive DTS results at 3 months had aesthetic and functional sequelae that might have served as reminders of the traumatic event. It is not only necessary to restitutio ad integrum the anatomy and function, but also to provide psychiatric support for patients experiencing psychiatric symptoms caused by traumatic events.

This study aimed to analyze and discuss the demographic, clinical, and surgical aspects of 53 surgically treated odontomas and to review the literature. A retrospective review was performed on all cases of treated odontomas in our center. A review of the recent literature about demographic aspects of odontomas was performed. A total of 53 odontomas with a mean age of 35 years were surgically treated during the study period: 32 complex odontomas, 20 compound odontomas, and 1 immature odontoma. Compound odontomas occurred more often at the mandible with a predilection for the anterior region, whereas complex odontomas showed up more often in the posterior regions of the mandible. Odontomas most commonly occurred in patients in the second decade of life. The main presenting sign was the eruption failure of permanent teeth (44 cases), whereas 1 patient referred pain as the presenting symptom. Odontomas are hamartomas not rarely encountered by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Odontomas usually determine delayed eruption; thus, in case of any dentition anomaly or jaw deformation in children and adolescents, it is very important to investigate the presence of possible odontomas with radiographs.