Residual need in orthodontically untreated 16-20-year-olds from areas with different treatment rates. (17/688)

Knowledge concerning residual orthodontic need among individuals who have passed the age at which orthodontic treatment is normally provided, is important in the discussion of guidelines for the provision of care. The purpose of the present study was to examine and compare orthodontic need (objective and subjective) in cohorts of orthodontically untreated individuals from areas with various treatment rates. A total of 250 individuals, aged 16-20 years, comprised four samples representing cohorts from areas in Norway with low, medium, and high treatment rates. The occlusion was assessed according to a treatment need index (NOTI) from clinical and radiographic records, and dental cast measurements. Attitudes were assessed from questionnaires addressing satisfaction with dental arrangement, desire for treatment, and value placed upon well-aligned teeth. A significant decrease in occurrence of normative need (P < 0.001) and reported dissatisfaction (P < 0.05) was observed in samples representing increasing treatment rates. Dissatisfaction was completely eliminated among individuals from the high treatment rate area. Although a significant association between severity of malocclusion and desire for treatment existed within samples, this was not reflected in a corresponding trend for a decrease in desire across the samples. Well-aligned teeth seemed to be taken for granted among individuals from the area with a high treatment rate. From the present observations, a 'correct' level of treatment provision could not be identified.  (+info)

Predicting the outcome of twin block functional appliance treatment: a prospective study. (18/688)

A prospective study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between various measured pre-treatment parameters and the reduction in overjet achieved when using a twin block functional appliance. Forty-three subjects were fitted with a twin block functional appliance, and a number of pre-treatment clinical and radiographic morphological features were recorded. The functional appliance wear was monitored for 6 months and any individual who did not co-operate with wear was excluded from the subsequent analysis. Multiple regression analysis with stepwise inclusion was used to relate the percentage reduction in overjet achieved by functional appliance wear to any of the pre-treatment parameters. The data from 22 individuals was included in the final analysis. The overbite and SNB angle were the most strongly related variables to percentage reduction in overjet. These were then used to construct a predictive equation for the expected percentage reduction in overjet: Percentage reduction in overjet in 6 months = 132 + 4.9x1 - 1.4x2, where x1 = overbite and x2 = SNB. The pre-treatment overbite was, in isolation, the most influential feature in predicting the percentage of overjet reduction.  (+info)

Supernumerary teeth--an overview of classification, diagnosis and management. (19/688)

Most supernumerary teeth are located in the anterior maxillary region. They are classified according to their form and location. Their presence may give rise to a variety of clinical problems. Detection of supernumerary teeth is best achieved by thorough clinical and radiographic examination. Their management should form part of a comprehensive treatment plan. This article presents an overview of the clinical problems associated with supernumerary teeth and includes a discussion of the classification, diagnosis and management of this difficult clinical entity.  (+info)

The effect of a maxillary lip bumper on tooth positions. (20/688)

The effect of the use of a lip bumper with anterior vestibular shields on the maxilla was studied in twenty-two 9-14-year-old children with a space deficiency in the maxillary dental arch. The lip bumper was used for 1 year. The effect of the treatment was evaluated from dental casts and profile cephalograms made before and after treatment. Both the width of the maxillary dental arch at the premolars and the length of the arch increased significantly by about 2 mm. The effect of the treatment on the antero-posterior position of the first molars was small. In one subject the molar was distalized 2.8 mm. The average effect was, however, a reduction in the anterior movement of the molar within the face by about 0.5 mm, i.e. the maxilla moved anteriorly 1 mm, but the molar only 0.4 mm. No skeletal effects were found when the group of subjects treated with a lip bumper was compared with a reference sample of untreated individuals. The main effects of a maxillary lip bumper thus seem to be a widening of the dental arch across the premolars, a moderate increase in arch length due to eruption and slight proclination of the incisors, and moderate distal tipping of the first molars.  (+info)

The retraction of upper incisors with the PG retraction system. (21/688)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect on the dentoalveolar structures of the application of PG springs for retraction of upper incisors and to compare the outcome with the effect of a closed coil spring retraction system. Thirty-six subjects with Angle Class I or Class II malocclusions were selected for the study. Each subject had the two upper first premolars extracted and presented a symmetrical extraction space of at least 3 mm distal to the lateral incisors after canine retraction. The subjects were divided into two groups, the PG group with 17 subjects and the coil group with 19 patients. One group had the incisors retracted by PG universal retraction springs, whereas in the other a closed coil spring system was used. The average chronological ages were 18 years 4 months for the PG group, and 18 years 7 months for the coil group. In both groups the springs were activated to produce an initial force of 150 g per side. To examine the type of movement of the anterior and posterior teeth, and the time and rate of space closure, 20 parameters were measured and evaluated statistically with Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U-tests. In both groups the incisor retraction was accompanied by mesial movement of the buccal segments. Distal movement of the root apex of the incisors was observed in both groups, although more pronounced in the PG group (P < 0.01). A significant incisor intrusion resulting in a decrease in overbite was found in the PG group, whereas the deep bite increased significantly in the coil spring group. The PG spring produced a three-dimensional control in the movement of the upper incisors, so that application of additional intrusive mechanics after completion of the incisor retraction became unnecessary.  (+info)

Long-term follow-up of clinical symptoms in TMD patients who underwent occlusal reconstruction by orthodontic treatment. (22/688)

Fifty-eight patients (mean age 18.4 years) who had received splint therapy for internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were examined retrospectively to investigate the efficacy of occlusal reconstruction by orthodontic treatment. The subjects were divided into three groups: 18 patients (mean age 18.6 years) who underwent orthodontic treatment combined with the use of splints (ST group); 27 patients (mean age 18.2 years) who underwent orthodontic treatment without the use of splints (NST group); and 13 patients (mean age 17.9 years) who received only splint therapy for temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD; control group). TMJ sound, pain on movement and restriction of mandibular movement were examined at the initial examination (T1), at the end of the splint therapy for TMD or beginning of orthodontic treatment (T2), at the end of orthodontic treatment (T3), and at recall or 1 year after orthodontic treatment (T4). The following results were found. (1) The percentage of patients with no joint sound at T2 was 20-30 per cent. The percentage of such patients in both the ST and NST groups increased to over 50 per cent at T3, but slightly decreased to 39-50 per cent at T4. There were no significant inter-group differences at any time point. (2) The number of patients who had no pain on movement at T2 was 60-80 per cent. The percentage of such patients in both the ST and NST groups increased to over 90 per cent at T3, but then slightly decreased to 80 per cent at T4. There were no significant inter-group differences at any time point. (3) None of the patients showed restriction of movement of the TMJ at T2 or T4. One patient in the ST group was found to have restriction at T3. There were no significant inter-group differences at any time point. (4) The most frequent type of malocclusion in both ST and NST groups was anterior open bite. These results suggest that TMD symptoms that have been eliminated by splint therapy are not likely to recur due to subsequent orthodontic treatment, but it cannot be concluded that orthodontic treatment itself had a positive effect on TMD symptoms. The results also indicate that there is a relationship between anterior open bite and TMD.  (+info)

Overbite depth and anteroposterior dysplasia indicators: the relationship between occlusal and skeletal patterns using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. (23/688)

This study was carried out to investigate the validity of the overbite depth indicator (ODI) and the anteroposterior dysplasia indicator (APDI), based on the cephalometric analysis of 122 Caucasians selected at random for assessment of vertical and sagittal relationships. Considering the occlusion, the sample was divided into three classifications in the sagittal component: 36 cases of neutrocclusion, 54 cases of distocclusion, and 34 cases of mesiocclusion. The sample was also categorized according to the overbite relationship: 54 cases of normal overbite, 34 cases of open bite, and 34 cases of deep overbite. In the sagittal component analysis, the APDI measurement resulted in significant differences between the neutrocclusion, distocclusion, and mesiocclusion groups. In the vertical component analysis, the ODI significantly distinguished between the normal and deep overbite groups, and the open bite and deep overbite groups, but not between the normal overbite and the open bite groups. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the APDI matched the anteroposterior molar relationship in 88 per cent, and the ODI matched the amount of incisor overbite in 81 per cent.  (+info)

Development of a new high-speed measuring system to analyze the dental cast form. (24/688)

A new non-contact measurement system employing of a line laser and CCD camera was developed to rapidly measure maloccluded dental casts with large depth and high accuracy. In this system, the measuring interval along the line laser and the model scanning direction perpendicular to the line laser were both 0.2 mm. By averaging the raw data through repetitious input and smoothing by local filtering, the noise was effectively decreased. Sub-pixel processing, which calculates the pixel position with the largest brightness within one pixel, improved the accuracy in the measurement to 22 microns compared with 65 microns before sub-pixel processing. Dental casts with malocclusion were measured with this system. The time and the depth for the measurement were about 10 minutes and 60 mm, respectively. This was a vast improvement compared with our previous system employing a point laser. In the CG of the measured dental casts, smooth and detailed surface morphology were sufficiently reproduced, and recognition of the characteristic points in the cast could be accomplished with the accuracy of 30 microns. This measurement system will be helpful to analyze the dental cast form with malocclusion in progress.  (+info)