[Are extraoral forces justified in the early treatment of Class II malocclusions?]

[Somatic dysfunctions of the cervical spine and fixed orthodontic treatment: a 145 subjects-cross sectional study]

Objectives : The aim of this blind cross-sectional study is to evaluate the influence of a fixed orthodontic appliance on the cervical spine.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 Number and severity of somatic dysfunctions (i.e. alteration of the function of an element constituting the somatic system or SD) of the cervical spine have been searched on patients sorted out in three groups: subjects without orthodontic treatment (group 1), subjects wearing fixed orthodontic appliance (group 2) and subjects in a retention period after removal of the fixed orthodontic appliance (group 3) and were compared thanks to khi² test.

RESULTS

 A total of 145 patients from 6 to 17 years old was included. There are more SD in the second group (p = 0.006) than in the first group. There is no difference between the 1^st and the 3^rd group (p = 0.2), between the 2^nd and the 3^rd group (p = 0.4) and between the three groups (p = 0.6) concerning the severity of SD.

CONCLUSION

 Cervical disorders should not be attributed to long-term multi-attachment treatment since once the active orthodontic treatment is finished, the SD are not significantly increased compared to the control group. These results may encourage to make a study to evaluate benefits of cervical osteopathic follow-up for patients at risk after the setting of the fixed appliance.

[The pendulis appliance: a palatal miniscrew supported molar distalization device]

The maxillary molar distalization is a valuable therapeutic option in some clinical cases. Its biomechanics is challenging and difficult to obtain. Historically, various devices have been described offering successful solutions to this problem such as the Hilgers Pendulum Appliance (1992) and variants linked to mini screws which recently have shown interesting clinical potential. This article presents a new Pendulum variant using a miniscrew, the "pendulis". It follows the original concept (titanium-molybdenum alloy distalization springs and polymethyl-methacrylate pellet) but dental support is replaced by a single palatal miniscrew (median adults, para-median in children) to which the device is fixed by means of a metal welded cap easily positioned and removable by the practitioner. This allows for better control of the oral hygiene and completely controlled extraoral activation. Fabrication steps are described and instruction of use is illustrated with clinical documentation.

[Dento-facial orthopedics and osteopathy]

Osteopathy has grown rapidly. Given their common action on children and adolescents, the collaboration between dentofacial orthopedics and osteopathy is increasingly common. It therefore becomes necessary and urgent to investigate whether, based on data acquired from science, there is evidence of possible interrelations between the two disciplines. After reviewing the literature, very few scientific publications demonstrate the utility of osteopathy and its relationships with other disciplines. However, the relationship between occlusion and posture seem relatively proven, especially in the sagittal direction. On the other hand, although the mobility of the cranial bones is established, the primary respiratory motion is still subject to controversy, even among osteopaths. This, even as orthodontics has long been accused of countering the primary respiratory motion of cranial bones (PRM). Today osteopaths do not reject orthodontics anymore, because the return to a physiological bite situation is considered beneficial. According to expert opinion (without proof, however), some orthodontic devices (like headgears) which block the sutures are still to be avoided and require appropriate monitoring osteopathy. The controversy over the adverse effects of orthodontic treatment is becoming more nuanced by osteopaths, and modern orthodontics claiming a «global» approach of patient, collaboration may be possible in future year.