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Aims: To provide a snapshot of the scientific literature on orofacial pain. Methods: The authors identified 975 papers related to orofacial pain in the Current Contents Life Sciences and Clinical Medicine collections of the Thomson Scientific database that were published during 2004 and 2005 and analyzed them using bibliometric indicators. Results: Among the 54 countries involved, the United States ranks first by number of papers (293), followed by Japan (107), and the United Kingdom (90). The high volume of research activity in some Northern European countries is highlighted, along with that of the European Union (384 papers). The scientific literature on orofacial pain was published in 247 journals; 13 of the top 15 most prolific journals for articles on orofacial pain were found in the Dentistry, Oral Surgery and Medicine subdiscipline of Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, and the Journal of Orofacial Pain was the highest ranked for such articles. Conclusion: This study complements subject reviews of orofacial pain research and provides a more complete picture of the research activity in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was the investigation of the arterial blood supply to the maxillary sinus to give clinicians the basis for a better understanding of the origin of vascular complications that can derive from surgical procedures at this level. The study consisted of 30 sinuses from 15 human cadavers with an age range of 59 to 90 years. To define the complex vascularization of the maxillary sinus, the afferent vascular network was injected with liquid latex mixed with red india ink through the external carotid arteries. An intraosseous anastomosis between the dental branch of the posterior superior alveolar artery, also known as alveolar antral artery, and the infraorbital artery was found in 100% of cases. Such an anastomosis seemed to guarantee the blood supply to the sinus membrane, to the periosteal tissues, and especially to the anterior lateral wall of the sinus. Moreover, the gingival branch of the posterior superior alveolar artery was found to anastomose an extraosseous branch of the infraorbital artery in 10 sinuses. The examination of the maxillary sinus also showed a close anatomic relationship among the sinus posterior wall, the descending palatine artery, and the sphenopalatine artery in all 30 sinuses. Small branches deriving from the posterior lateral nasal arteries have been found to perforate the nasal wall laterally and reach the mucosa of the maxillary sinus. A sound knowledge of the maxillary sinus vascularization is essential to prevent vascular complications during surgical operations involving this region.

Surgical procedures carried out between the chin foramina at the anterior mandible level are usually considered free of severe neurovascular complications, due to the excellent bone density in that region and the absence of important neurovascular structures. However, the international scientific literature on this issue reports rare but severe hemorrhagic complications following implant surgery at this level. The aim of this review article is to offer the clinician, through an accurate investigation of the anatomy of the median mandibular region, the tools to carry out oral surgery operations at this level under safe conditions, reducing the possible intraoperative risks to a minimum.