A split-mouth randomized controlled trial to compare the rate of canine retraction after a soft tissue procedure compared against a corticotomy procedure for accelerated tooth movement

Background and Aim

Various methods to accelerate the orthodontic tooth movement have been used, among which corticotomy is considered to be the most common one. The suggested reasoning for such acceleration was the regional acceleratory phenomenon (RAP). Since the RAP is a property of both the hard and soft tissues, we designed a soft tissue flap procedure to compare the effects with the conventional corticotomy procedure. A split-mouth study was conducted where the two procedures were assessed in a single participant.

Patients and Methods

The total sample size was calculated to be 40 with 20 participants in each group. The rate of tooth movement was the primary outcome measure, and the secondary outcomes were dentoalveolar changes, which were studied in both the conventional corticotomy and the flap-only procedure based on a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) wherein the alveolar bone density (BD) around canines, tipping, and rotational changes in canines, premolars, and molars were assessed.

Results

Corticotomy resulted in greater canine angulation, lesser canine rotation and premolar rotation, and greater molar rotation compared with flap elevation, but these differences were statistically insignificant.

Conclusion

Though the corticotomy resulted in higher BD, the differences were statistically insignificant. There was no significant difference in the rate of space closure assessed by the two techniques compared.

Assessing the Potential Association Between Microbes and Corrosion of Intra-Oral Metallic Alloy-Based Dental Appliances Through a Systematic Review of the Literature

Objective: Systematic review assessing the association between oral microorganisms and corrosion of intra-oral metallic alloy-based dental appliances.

Design: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched using keyword combinations such as microbes and oral and corrosion; microbes and dental and corrosion; microorganisms and oral and corrosion; microorganisms and dental and corrosion.

Results: Out of 141 articles, only 25 satisfied the selection criteria. Lactobacillus reuteri, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus sobrinus, Streptococcus salivarius, sulfate-reducing bacteria, sulfate oxidizing bacteria, Veilonella, Actinomyces, Candida albicans were found to have a potential association with corrosion of intraoral metallic alloys such as stainless steel, titanium, nickel, cobalt-chromium, neodymium-iron-boron magnets, zirconia, amalgam, copper aluminum, and precious metal alloys.

Conclusion: The included studies inferred an association between oral microorganisms and intra-oral metallic alloys-based dental appliances, although, it is vital to acknowledge that most studies in the review employed an in-vitro simulation of the intra-oral condition.

Is the Stability of a Standard Stable Reference Stable Enough?

The dogmatic approach of following the past principles has made many significant features of science go unnoticed and unquestioned. One such is the concept of immutability of the anterior contour of the sella turcica. For many decades, we have been using the anterior contour of sella turcica as a stable reference structure to study the growth of the craniofacial skeleton.¹ This was based on the usage by Björk and Skieller. But on analyzing the various studies on the growth and disease of the pituitary gland and its influence on the size and morphology of sella turcica, it seems that the anterior contour of the sella turcica may not be a stable parameter of reference. This article is an attempt to throw light on the intricacies of the association between pituitary gland and sella turcica.

Aligners: the Invisible Corrector-A Boon or Bane

The trend of clinical orthodontics has shown a palpable shift from conventional braces to innovative technologies like invisible aligners. Aligners are sequences of clear trays worn by patients to straighten their teeth. They were envisaged for the main purpose of esthetics, mainly directed toward self-conscious teenagers who otherwise would shy away from essential correction of malocclusion.

Parry Romberg syndrome: A case report and discussion

Parry Romberg syndrome is a rare disorder of unknown etiology, seen most commonly as an asymmetry of the face, rarely affecting the limbs. Trophic malfunction of sympathetic system has been proposed as a cause. The syndrome presents with characteristic skeletal, dental, and soft tissue changes in the affected half of the face, with or without neurological signs and symptoms. Imaging studies sometimes reveal lesions in the brain corresponding with the neurological defects. The disfiguring nature of the disease Results in psychological disturbance and communication disorders like speech defects, as also dental anomalies. The present article reports such a case of an 8-year-old girl who presented with mainly hard tissue changes, without neurological or intraoral soft tissue changes. There has to be prompt multi-disciplinary management of such cases keeping in mind development, aesthetics, speech, and masticatory function, along with symptomatic treatment of neurological deficits.