The feeling of coexisting with and treating a highly prevalent disease of which origin is unknown is unsettling. It reminds us of when heavy drugs were used to treat cancer of which association with Genetics was still unknown — in fact, nothing was known about the fact that the origin of cancer was right there, in the nucleus of the cell, in the DNA. And this logically resulted in a waste of time and lives. However, when the time came for oncologists and geneticists — cloistered in...

PROTRACTION OF THE MAXILLA MAY BE ACHIEVED WITH FACE MASK WITHOUT PREVIOUS PALATAL EXPANSION Class III malocclusion treatment is a daunting challenge for Orthodontics. In growing patients, the treatment procedure chosen for this malocclusion is maxillary expansion followed by reverse traction performed by means of a face mask. According to the literature, the ideal age range for patients undergoing this type of treatment is between 7 and 8 years old. At this age, it is possible to achieve...

The functional demand imposed on bone promotes changes in the spatial properties of osteocytes as well as in their extensions uniformly distributed throughout the mineralized surface. Once spatial deformation is established, osteocytes create the need for structural adaptations that result in bone formation and resorption that happen to meet the functional demands. The endosteum and the periosteum are the effectors responsible for stimulating adaptive osteocytes in the inner and outer...

Statistical analysis is, in fact, an error analysis. A statistical test does not guarantee reliable results, it only quantifies the probability of error of a given conclusion.1 While reading the articles of this journal, you will find a p-value. For instance, the article by Garib et al2 describes the p-values for a given variable at two different moments: this p-value, also known as false-positive rate,1 demonstrates the probability of error when asserting that there is a difference...

It is a great honor to conduct an interview with Professor Mark G. Hans, after following his outstanding work ahead of the Bolton-Brush Growth Study Center and the Department of Orthodontics at the prestigious Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine(CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio. Born in Berea, Ohio, Professor Mark Hans attended Yale University in New Haven, CT, and earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. Upon graduation, Dr. Hans received his DDS and Masters Degree of...

Objective: This study aimed at evaluating buccal and lingual bone plate changes caused by rapid maxillary expansion (RME) in the mixed dentition by means of computed tomography (CT). Methods: The sample comprised spiral CT exams taken from 22 mixed dentition patients from 6 to 9 years of age (mean age of 8.1 years) presenting constricted maxillary arch treated with Haas-type expanders. Patients were submitted to spiral CT scan before expansion and after the screw activation period with...

Objective: The aim of this study was to cephalometrically assess the skeletal and dentoalveolar effects of Class II malocclusion treatment performed with the Jones Jig appliance followed by fixed appliances. Methods: The sample comprised 25 patients with Class II malocclusion treated with the Jones Jig appliance followed by fixed appliances, at a mean initial age of 12.90 years old. The mean time of the entire orthodontic treatment was 3.89 years. The distalization phase lasted for 0.85...

Objective: This preliminary study aimed to propose a new analysis of digital panoramic radiographs for a differential diagnosis between functional and morphological mandibular asymmetry in children with and without unilateral posterior crossbite. Methods: Analysis is based on linear and angular measurements taken from nine anatomic points, demarcated in sequence directly on digital images. A specific plugin was developed as part of a larger public domain image processing software (ImageJ)...

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association among gingival enlargement (GE), periodontal conditions and socio-demographic characteristics in subjects undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Methods: A sample of 330 patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment for at least 6 months were examined by a single calibrated examiner for plaque and gingival indexes, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment loss and gingival enlargement. Socio-economic background,...

Objective: This article aimed at identifying the expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the tension and pressure areas of rat periodontal ligament, in different periods of experimental orthodontic tooth movement. Methods: An orthodontic force of 0.5 N was applied to the upper right first molar of 18 male Wistar rats for periods of 3 (group I), 7 (group II) and 14 days (group III). The counter-side first molar was used as a...

Objective: To assess skeletal and dental changes immediately after rapid maxillary expansion (RME) in Class II Division 1 malocclusion patients and after a retention period, using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging. Methods: Seventeen children with Class II, Division 1 malocclusion and maxillary skeletal transverse deficiency underwent RME following the Haas protocol. CBCT were taken before treatment (T1), at the end of the active expansion phase (T2) and after a retention...

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the friction between three bracket models: conventional stainless steel (Ovation, Dentsply GAC), self-ligating ceramic (In-Ovation, Denstply GAC) and self-ligating stainless steel brackets (In-Ovation R, Dentsply GAC). Methods: Five brackets were used for each model. They were bonded to an aluminum prototype that allowed the simulation of four misalignment situations (n = 10). Three of these situations occured at the initial phase (in which...

Objective: To investigate the determinant factors of discomfort attributed to the use of fixed orthodontic appliance and the effect on the quality of life of adolescents. Material and Methods: Two hundred and seventy-two individuals aged between 9 and 18 years old, enrolled in public and private schools and undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed appliance participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants were randomly selected from a sample comprising 62,496 individuals of...

Introduction: Non-nutritive sucking habits (NNSHs) can cause occlusal alterations, including anterior open bite (AOB). However, not all patients develop this malocclusion. Therefore, the emergence of AOB does not depend on deleterious habits, only. Objective: Investigate a potential association between non-nutritive sucking habits (NNSHs), anterior open bite (AOB) and facial morphology (FM). Methods: 176 children in the primary dentition stage were selected. Intra and extraoral clinical...

Objective: To compare the frictional resistance between self-ligating and conventional brackets tied to different types of wire. Material and Methods: Abzil Kirium Capelozza (Pattern I) and Easy Clip (Roth prescription) incisor brackets were used. An elastomeric ligature or a ligating wire 0.10-in was used to ligate the wire to the Abzil bracket. Three types of orthodontic archwire alloys were assessed: 0.016-in NiTi wire, 0.016 x 0.021-in NiTi wire and 0.019 x 0.025-in steel wire. Ten...

Objective: This study aims at assessing the normative need for orthodontic treatment and the factors that determine the subjective impact of malocclusion on 12-year-old Brazilian school children. Methods: A total of 451 subjects (215 males and 236 females) were randomly selected from private and public schools of Juiz de Fora, Brazil. The collected data included sociodemographic information and occlusal conditions. The esthetic subjective impact of malocclusion was assessed by means of...

Angle Class I malocclusion with bimaxillary protrusion is characterized by severe buccal tipping of incisors, which causes upper and lower lip protrusion. First premolars extraction is recommended to reduce facial convexity as a result of anterior teeth retraction, which keeps canines and first molars in key to occlusion. In order to yield orthodontic results that are compatible with ideal esthetic and cephalometric outcomes, the space closure phase needs to be carried out with...

Introduction: Orthodontics, just as any other science, has undergone advances in technology that aim at improving treatment efficacy with a view to reducing treatment time, providing patients with comfort, and achieving the expected, yet hardly attained long-term stability. The current advances in orthodontic technology seem to represent a period of transition between conventional brackets (with elastic ligatures) and self-ligating brackets systems. Scientific evidence does not always...