Faculty Bibliography

The oral mucosal calcified nodule (OMCN) is a rare soft tissue lesion with only 7 cases reported in the English literature. It typically presents in the pediatric population as an asymptomatic submucosal nodule of less than 2 cm size affecting the maxillary ridge or palate, though other sites are reported. The histopathology displays stratified squamous epithelium overlying fibrous connective tissue with embedded calcified aggregates bordered by variable numbers of multinucleated giant cells. Surgical excision is curative. In this report, we present a new case of OMCN, outline the characteristic histopathologic features and review the cases reported in the English literature.

Oral leiomyomatous hamartoma (OLH) is a rare lesion, with only 40 cases reported in the literature. It typically presents early in life as a nodule on the anterior maxillary alveolar tissues or the tongue. Its growth potential is limited, with few cases reaching dimensions >2.0 cm, and its microscopic composition includes an intact surface mucosa with an underlying fibrovascular stroma possessing an unencapsulated proliferation of smooth muscle fascicles. Excision is considered the definitive treatment. Here we describe the clinical, microscopic, histochemical, and immunohistochemical features and management of 3 cases of OLH and review the literature. The findings we present here can assist in performing differential diagnosis, particularly in discriminating between OLH and similar yet non-hamartomatous processes and in selecting appropriate management.

Data sourcesPubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, Scielo and Lilacs databases were searched from 1980 to March 2016. Literature reviews were explored in order to retrieve any other relevant papers.Study selectionRandomised controlled studies (RCTs), prospective and before and after studies that applied botulinum toxin (BoNT-A) to the masseter and/or temporalis muscles assessing objective and subjective parameters of bruxism published in English were included.Data extraction and synthesisThree reviewers independently assessed for eligibility. Disagreement was solved by discussion and when reaching consensus between at least two. Standard data items were extracted. Quality assessment was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool and the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) tool. Before-After Study Checklist was used for the nonrandomised studies. Results were presented as a narrative review.ResultsFive studies were included in the review, of those three were RCTs and two before and after. A total of 188 subjects were included. Regimen was unique in each study and the follow-up ranged from two to 24 weeks. The risk of bias of the RCTs was assessed as low to unclear, while the before and after studies were assessed as of moderate risk of bias.ConclusionsThe authors concluded that botulinum toxin represents a possible option for the management of sleep bruxism (SB), minimising symptoms and reducing the intensity of contractions rather than for SB itself.