• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.159-165
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to detect the anterior loop of the mental nerve and the mandibular incisive canal in panoramic radiographs (PAN) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images, as well as to determine the anterior/mesial extension of these structures in panoramic and cross-sectional reconstructions using PAN and CBCT images. Materials and Methods: Images (both PAN and CBCT) from 90 patients were evaluated by 2 independent observers. Detection of the anterior loop and the incisive canal were compared between PAN and CBCT. The anterior/mesial extension of these structures was compared between PAN and both cross-sectional and panoramic CBCT reconstructions. Results: In CBCT, the anterior loop and the incisive canal were observed in 7.7% and 24.4% of the hemimandibles, respectively. In PAN, the anterior loop and the incisive canal were detected in 15% and 5.5% of cases, respectively. PAN presented more difficulties in the visualization of structures. The anterior/mesial extensions ranged from 0.0 mm to 19.0 mm on CBCT. PAN underestimated the measurements by approximately 2.0 mm. Conclusion: CBCT appears to be a more reliable imaging modality than PAN for preoperative workups of the anterior mandible. Individual variations in the anterior/mesial extensions of the anterior loop of the mental nerve and the mandibular incisive canal mean that is not prudent to rely on a general safe zone for implant placement or bone surgery in the interforaminal region.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.186-190
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• 2017

A surgical approach involving the retromolar trigone, posterolateral maxilla, and pterygoid region is the most challenging in the field of maxillofacial surgery. The upper cheek flap (Weber-Ferguson incision) with subciliary extension and the maxillary swing approach have been considered as alternatives; however, neither approach provides sufficient exposure of the pterygoid region and the anterior portion of the mandibular ramus. In this report, we describe two cases in which a lower cheek flap approach was used for complete tumor resection in the retromolar trigone and the anterior mandibular ramus. This approach allows full exposure of the posterolateral maxilla and the pterygoid region as well as the retromolar trigone without causing major sensory disturbances to the lower lip. A mental nerve anastomosis after tumor resection was performed in one patient and resulted in approximately 90% sensory recovery in the lower lip. The lower cheek flap approach provides adequate exposure of the posterolateral maxilla, including the pterygoid, retromolar trigone, and mandibular ramus areas. If the mental nerve can be anastomosed during flap approximation, postoperative sensory disturbances to the lower lip can be minimized.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.82-88
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• 2014

Background: The chin shape and position is important in determining the general shape of the face, and augmentation genioplasty is performed alone or in combination with other aesthetic procedures. However, augmentation genioplasty using osteotomy is an invasive and complex procedure with the potential to damage mentalis muscle and mental nerve, to affect chin growth, and prolonged recovery. Our aim was to present our experience with a modified augmentation genioplasty procedure for hypoplastic chins using a Gore-Tex implant. Methods: Two vertical slit incisions were made at the canine level to create a supra-periosteal pocket between the incisions, preserving the periosteum and mentalis muscle. Minimal sub-periosteal dissection was performed lateral to the incisions along the mandibular border. The both wings of implant were inserted under the periosteum to achieve a stable dual plane implantation. Results: In total, 47 patients underwent dual plane chin augmentation using a Gore- Tex implant between January 2008 and May 2013. The mean age at operation was 25.77 years (range, 15-55 years). There were 3 cases of infection; one patient was treated with antibiotics, the others underwent implant removal. Additionally, two patients complained of postoperative parasthesia that spontaneously improved without any additional treatment. Most patients were satisfied with the postoperative outcomes, and no chin growth problems were observed among the younger patients. Conclusion: Dual plane Gore-Tex chin augmentation is a minimally-invasive operation that is simple and safe. All implants yielded satisfactory results with no significant complications such as mental nerve injury, lower lip incompetence, or chin growth limitation.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.1075-1083
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• 2018

Objective: Facial nerve palsy is caused by damage to the seventh cranial nerve. It is the main symptom of facial muscle paralysis on the affected side. If the patient cannot receive proper treatment, severe permanent impairments, both physical and mental, may result, so this disease must be treated appropriately. In this study, a patient with facial nerve palsy was admitted to a Korean medicine hospital for treatment. This case study reports on the patient's progress and the effects of the treatment. Methods: We treated the patient with herbal medicines, acupuncture, herbal acupuncture therapy, and physical therapy. The House-Brackmann Grading System and a weighted regional grading system were used to assess symptom changes. Results: The patient with facial nerve palsy was hospitalized for 50 days and recovered from symptoms without significant problems in the face or to motor function. Conclusion: This case report demonstrates the possibility of treating facial nerve palsy using Korean medicine.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.39-44
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• 2013

Most of the dental treatments have been routinely performed under the local anesthesia and the effectiveness has also been proved safe. However, even not frequently dentists face some complications associated with the local anesthesia. In this report, the experience of the paresthesia after mental nerve block anesthesia for an implant placement of the mandibular premolar was presented to raise awareness of the complications related with local anesthetic procedure and to discuss about the causes, the proper treatments and the preventive approach of the paresthesia.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.164-167
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• 1995

Stellate ganglion block(SGB) is a widely used sympathetic block to diagnose or treat various painful conditions. We experienced a rare case who exhihited a contralateral Horner's syndrome following SGB. A 64-year-old female patient suffering from postherpetic neuralgia on mandibular branch of trigeminal nerve visited our pain clinic. She complained of severe burning and shooting pain on right side lower lip, ear and temporal area. We modified her previous medications and performed repeated right SGB daily, in combination with mandibular or mental and auriculotemporal nerve blocks twice a week. Her symptoms were progressively improved. A contralateral Horner's syndrome occured after the thirteenth SGB, which was performed under several attempts in the same manner and the same physician. She had no evidence of subarachnoid or brachial plexus blocks. She did not need any special treatment and returned home 2 hours later. Subsquent blocks were followed on ipsilateral Horner's syndromes.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.27.1-27.9
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• 2020

Apical surgery for a mandibular molar is still challenging for many reasons. This report describes the applications of computer-guided cortical 'bone-window technique' using piezoelectric saws that prevented any nerve damage in performing endodontic microsurgery of a mandibular molar. A 49-year-old woman presented with gumboil on tooth #36 (previously endodontically treated tooth) and was diagnosed with chronic apical abscess. Periapical lesions were confirmed using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Endodontic microsurgery for the mesial and distal roots of tooth #36 was planned. Following the transfer of data of the CBCT images and the scanned cast to an implant surgical planning program, data from both devices were merged. A surgical stent was designed, on the superimposed three-dimensional model, to guide the preparation of a cortical window on the buccal side of tooth #36. Endodontic microsurgery was performed with a printed surgical template. Minimal osteotomy was required and preservation of the buccal cortical plate rendered this endodontic surgery less traumatic. No postoperative complications such as mental nerve damage were reported. Window technique guided by a computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture based surgical template can be considerably useful in endodontic microsurgery in complicated cases.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 1980

The mandibular canal must be considered carefully during the surgical treatment, especially surgical extraction of the impacted tooth and intraosseous implant, because it contains the important inferior alveolar nerve and vessels. The author investigated the curvature of the mandibular canal and its relation to the mandibular molars and positional realtion between the mental foramen and the mandibular premelors in orthopantomogram. The materials consisted of 441 orthopantomograms divided four groups; Group Ⅰ consisted of 56 males and 44 females from 1 to 6 years of age, Group Ⅱ consisted of 58 males and 45 females from 7 to 12 years of age, Group Ⅲ consisted of 65 males and 33 females from 13 to 18 years of age, Group Ⅳ consisted of 86 males and 54 females over 19 years of age. The results were as followings; 1. The curvature of mandibular canal was 144.50° in Group Ⅰ, 144. 29° in Group Ⅱ, 148.11° in Group Ⅲ, 147.33° in Group Ⅳ. 2. The curvature of mandibular canal was located most frequently on the area between mandibular 1st molar and mandibular 2nd molar in Group Ⅰ (42%) and on the mandibular 2nd molar area in Group Ⅱ (54%), Group Ⅲ (59%), Group Ⅳ (53%). 3. The position of mental foramen was most frequently below the mandibular 1st premolar in Group Ⅰ (58%), between the mandibular 1st premolar and the 2nd premolar in Group Ⅱ (62%), Group Ⅲ (47%), and below the mandibular 2nd premolar in Group Ⅳ (58%).

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.210-215
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• 2019

Background: This study was undertaken to evaluate early clinical outcomes of ultrasound-guided suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) using a proximal approach, as compared with subacromial steroid injection (SA). Methods: This retrospective study included a consecutive series of 40 patients of SSNB and 20 patients receiving SA, from August 2017 to August 2018. The visual analogue scale (VAS), American Shoulder Elbow Surgeon's score (ASES), University of California, Los Angeles score (UCLA), the 36 health survey questionnaire mental component summary (SF36-MCS), physical component summary (PCS), and range of motion (forward elevation, external rotation, and internal rotation) were assessed for clinical evaluations. Results: Compared with the baseline, VAS, and ranges of motion in the SSNB group significantly improved at the 4-week follow-up (VAS scores improved from $6.7{\pm}1.6$ to $4.3{\pm}2.4$, p<0.001; all ranges of motion p<0.05), while other variables showed no statistically significant differences. All clinical variables were significantly improved in the SA group (p<0.05). However, all clinical scores at the 4-week follow-up showed no significant difference between groups. Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided SSNB using proximal approach provides significant pain relief at 4-weeks after treatment, with statistically significant difference when compared with SA, suggesting that SSNB using proximal approach is a potentially useful option in managing shoulder pain. However, in the current study, it was less effective in improving shoulder function and health-related quality of life, compared with SA.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.317-326
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• 2011

The mental foramen and anterior loop of the mandibular canal are important landmarks for mandibular surgical procedures. The purpose of this study was to analyze the shape and position of the mental foramen and anterior loop of the mandibular canal on the computed tomography (CT) images, and apply the results clinically. CT images of 96 patients (33 male, 36 female, age range 17~43 years, mean $24.6{\pm}4.99$ years) were enrolled. The horizontal and vertical position of the mental foramen, as well as the distance from the root apices were measured. The distance of the anterior loop of the mandibular canal to the root apices, and the buccal angle were measured. The mental foramen was found mostly below the second premolar observed in 81 cases (46.0%), between the first and second premolars in 67 cases (38.0%), and between the second premolar and first molar in 19 cases (10.2%). The mean distance between the mental foramen and the lower border of the mandible was $12.20{\pm}1.77$ mm, the mean distance between the mental foramen and root apex was $5.16{\pm}0.98$ mm. The mean distance of the anterior loop of the mandibular canal was $5.80{\pm}2.00$ mm. The buccal angle measured at $47.7{\pm}9.07^{\circ}$. The distance between the root apex and mental foramen measured as $5.16{\pm}0.98$ mm on panoramic radiography, and $6.2{\pm}3.07$ mm on CT. The mean distance between the mental foramen and mandibular canal was $5.39{\pm}1.62$ mm. When performing surgical procedures such as installing dental implants, it is important to minimize surgical trauma, especially the risk of damage to the mental nerve. To optimize the surgical outcome, a careful assessment of the shape and position of the mental foramen and the anterior loop of the mandibular canal must be made. CT images are useful for finding such anatomic structures.