Journal of Dental Medicine

Background and Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of short implants (<8 mm length) as an alternative to sinus lift surgery and placement of standard-length implants (10-12 mm length) for rehabilitation of atrophic posterior maxilla.
Materials and Methods: In this prospective clinical trial, 26 patients with 6-7 mm of residual alveolar bone height in their atrophic posterior maxilla were randomly divided into two groups (n=13). The test group received short implants without sinus lift surgery while the control group received standard-length implants after maxillary sinus floor augmentation. The bone loss was evaluated at 1 to 2 years after loading of implants on radiographies and the comparison between the two groups was done using chi-square test.
Results: At 1 year, two patients (15.4%) in the short implant and one patient (7.7%) in the standard implant group experienced bone loss (P=0.5). At 2 years, four patients (30.8%) in the short implant and two patients (15.4%) in the standard implant group showed bone loss (P=0.4).
Conclusion: At 2 years after loading, the bone loss was not significantly different around short and standard-length implants. Short implants appeared to be a suitable alternative to sinus lift surgery and placement of standard-length implants for rehabilitation of atrophic posterior maxilla. However, further studies with longer follow ups are still required to cast a final judgment in this respect.

Background and Aims: Atypical facial pain (AFP) is a chronic disease associated with local pain in the craniofacial area. A wide range of treatments including drug therapy, psychiatric methods and open surgery are used for its treatment. Opiorphin is a pentapeptide that can block pain and also has proven antidepressant effects. The aim of this study was conducted to investigate the opiorphin concentration in AFP patients and to compare it with healthy people.
Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 30 AFP patients and 40 healthy individuals. Unstimulated saliva was collected from both groups by spitting method. HAD-A (Hamilton Anxiety Test) and HAD-D (Hamilton Depression Test) questionnaires were completed for all patients and controls. Psychological interview with the patients and psychological analysis were performed to determine anxiety and depression scores. Data analysis was done using SPSS (ver.24) statistical software
Results: The subjects of two groups were homogeneous in terms of age and sex. The mean salivary opiorphin concentrations in the case and control groups were 1.8050±0.2923 and 1.8032±0.3682 ng/ml, respectively. According to the results of t-Test, no significant difference was observed in the mean opiorphin concentration between the AFP group and control group (P=1.000). According to the Pearson's test, no significant relationship was found between the opiorphin levels and the age, sex, and anxiety or depression score in the patient and control groups (P>0.05). Also, there was no remarkable correlation between initial VAS, duration of pain and previous treatments with opiorphin levels in the AFP patients (P>0.05). No significant correlation was found between the opiorphin concentration and menopausal period in the case and control women (P>0.05).
Conclusion: The results showed that most AFP patients had some degree of anxiety and depression. However, salivary opiorphin concentration did not significantly increase in the AFP patients.