Vol 27, No 2 (2023)

BACKGROUND: The number of children and adolescents with temporomandibular joint pain dysfunction syndrome (TMJ SPD) is increasing annually. One of the causes of this disease is dental pathology, particularly dental anomalies.

AIM: To study the prevalence of TMJ SPD in children and adolescents and the role of orthodontic and neuroorthopedic pathology in its occurrence.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey of 622 students from state educational institutions was carried out. The students were divided into two age groups according to the main period of dental formation and the age periodization scheme of human ontogenesis. The students were divided into two groups with and without orthodontic pathology, and four subgroups: subgroup 1 was children without dentofacial abnormalities (n=92); subgroup 2 was children with dentofacial anomalies (n=66); subgroup 3 was teenagers without dentofacial anomalies (n=313), and subgroup 4 was teenagers with dentofacial anomalies (n=151).

RESULTS: An increase in the prevalence of TMJ SPD was found in adolescents (weak reliable relationship, r=0.10, p <0.05). In the two age groups, correlation analysis revealed a weak reliable relationship between dental anomalies and TMJ SPD (r=0.212 for children and r=0.161 for adolescents, p <0.01); as well as a weak significant association between distal bite (r=0.131, p <0.010), and an excessively deep vertical bite with TMJ SPD (r=0.152, p <0.010) in adolescents. A significant association was detected between scoliosis and TMJ SPD (r=0.340, p <0.010) in both age groups.

CONCLUSION: An increase in the prevalence of TMJ SPD was found in adolescents. Dental anomalies that occur during adolescence may be a cause of TMJ SPD; however, the main role is played by cervical vertebral dystrophic syndrome, scoliosis, and (or) postural disorders. In all cases, TMJ SPD was diagnosed with signs of cervical vertebral dystrophic syndrome, scoliosis, and (or) postural disorders, the clinical manifestations of which depended on the age of the student. Thus, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive multidisciplinary examination on all patients with TMJ SPD and include dentists, neurologists, pediatricians, and, if necessary, orthodontists.

BACKGROUND: Treating patients with a jaw bone defect requires eliminating the defect, restoring dentition, and providing long-term support for the functional state of the dental system. However, dental damage reduces the reparative capabilities of the jaw bone tissue. Therefore, when developing ways to repair such defects, the proportion of soft tissue in the bone defect must be determined.

AIM: To study the effect of soft-tissue elements on the reparative abilities of jaw bone tissue.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 98 people with acquired combined jaw bone defects. The material was taken during a surgical intervention to study the tissue environment and the characteristics of the transformation of the tissues surrounding the defect. The samples were sent for histological examination.

RESULTS: Microscopic examination of the histological sections obtained from the area of the jaw bone defects revealed the proliferation of a multilayer flat non-corneating epithelium with “creeping” and massive ingrowth of the epithelium into the area of the bone defect. The epithelium had advanced into the underlying bone, which led to atrophy and destruction of the bone over the entire area of the defect, increasing the volume of the defect. An epithelial-connective tissue complex lined the bone surface of the defect, replacing the periosteum.

CONCLUSIONS: The morphology of the tissues surrounding the area of a bone defect suggests a decrease in cambial bone elements. Treating jaws with bone defects requires eliminating the soft tissue that fills the bone defect, followed by guided bone regeneration using a granular osteoconductive graft and a resorbable collagen membrane.

The occlusal plane is formed at the point of contact of the occlusal surfaces of the upper and lower teeth. The position of the occlusal plane determines the location of dentition in the facial skeleton. Many patients have a change in the vertical dimension of their jaws due to tooth loss, pathological tooth abrasion, or restorations without functional anatomy, which changes the occlusal plane.

Rehabilitating such patients is associated with the difficulties of restoring the physiological height of the vertical dimension. Determining the constructive position of the mandible, which depends on the correct positioning of the height dimension and the position of the jaw in the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes affects function and aesthetics, such as the occlusal plane.

The level, direction, and curvature of the occlusal plane are important criteria for planning and implementing restorative dental treatment.

This review presents definitions of the occlusal plane and methods for finding and constructing the occlusal plane during dental orthopedic treatment.

BACKGROUND: The year 2023 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of a prominent Russian maxillofacial surgeon, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, and Major-General of the Medical Service, Nikita Mikhailovich Aleksandrov.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to highlight the scientific, clinical, pedagogical, and social activities of this prominent maxillofacial surgeon, as well as his services to military dentistry.

N.M. Aleksandrov was a pioneer in the development and introduction of endotracheal anesthesia in the USSR during surgical interventions of the face and neck. He is the author of several reconstructive methods, such as resection of the upper jaw with primary plastic surgery, otoplasty using Filatov stem tissues and local tissues, and lower lip plasty due to two symmetrical flaps of the upper lip. These methods were developed and implemented in clinical practice under his scientific supervision.