Purpose: A recent 3-month randomized, open-label controlled trial found that the intra-articular hyaluronic acid injection (GO-ON®) given as a single dose of 5 mL is as effective and safe as three repeated doses of 2.5 mL in patients with knee osteoarthritis. However, the information on the long-term efficacy and economic implications of the single dose regimen is still limited. Hence, this follow-up study was designed to compare the effectiveness and costs of the two regimens 12 months following the treatment. Methods: All the 127 patients, who received either three repeated doses (n ¼ 64) or a single dose (n ¼ 63) of GO-ON in the previous trial, were followed up in month 12 following the treatment. The effectiveness of both the regimens was assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the mean WOMAC scores were compared with those recorded at the baseline and in month 3. Additionally, the total treatment costs of the two regimens, taking account of both direct and indirect costs, were computed and compared. Results: A total of 125 patients (98.4%) completed the assessment. Despite the reduction of the overall mean WOMAC score from 39.24 to 19.93 (p < 0.001) in the first 3 months following the treatment with GO-ON, no further changes were observed up to month 12 (p > 0.95). In the meantime, the two regimens did not differ in the mean WOMAC scores (p ¼ 0.749) and in the subscale scores for pain (p ¼ 0.970), stiffness (p ¼ 0.526), and physical functioning (p ¼ 0.667) in month 12. The cost for single-dose injection was found to be approximately 30% lower compared to the repeated doses. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the single larger dose of GO-ON is as effective as the repeated doses over 12 months, and yet the total treatment cost is lowered.

Objective: This study aim to analyse the prevalence, clinical pattern and management of orofacial Infection in Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim (HSAH), Kedah, Malaysia. We also investigate any associations between demographic factors, diabetic status, smoking status, and number of space involvement towards the length of hospital stay. Material and methods: All adult patients with orofacial infections who attended the Oral and Maxillofacial Department in HSAH from January 2015 to January 2019 were included. Descriptive statistical analysis was done for all variables. For cases requiring hospitalization, logistics regression analysis was performed using dichotomous dependent variable on length of stay(LOS), namely short stay group (LOS ≤ 5 days) and long stay group (LOS > 5 days). Simple logistic regression was performed to determine which factors are associated with prolonged hospital stay. Results: A total of 207 patients (133 male, 74 female) were included in this study with mean age of 33.85 ± 19.36 years. The most common aetiology of orofacial infection was odontogenic (71.0 %). Most of the orofacial spaces involved were single (89.9 %), with the mean number of 1.04 ± 1.391. For inpatient cases, three factors were significantly associated with increased risk of prolonged hospital stay, namely multiple spaced involved (OR 3.492, 95 % 1.132–10.77), presence of diabetes (OR 3.694, 95 % 1.314–10.389), and active smoker (OR 5.029, 95 % 1.894–13.349). Conclusion: Our study showed a relatively high prevalence of orofacial infection in this region. Factors such as smoking, diabetes and involvement of multiple spaces are associated with prolonged hospital stay during the treatment of orofacial infection.