The incidence of impacted and transmigrant mandibular canines in the mandible is not as high as that in the maxilla; consequently, it is more difficult to find clinical guidelines derived from sound studies based on large patient samples. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize currently available data pertaining to the incidence and aetiology of impacted and transmigrant mandibular canines and the success rates of different treatment strategies. This review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42014006175) and was conducted using PRISMA and CRD (Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York) statement. A computerized search of studies published up to February 2016 was conducted using the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical trials, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Scopus. To identify any relevant publications not included in this list, we manually searched the references lists of the selected articles. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale quality assessment tool was utilized to classify the included articles. In total, 630 articles were identified after the removal of duplicates. A total of 13 studies published between 2001 and 2015 met all the eligibility criteria and were included for the final analysis. The sample size in these studies ranged from 14 to 112873 teeth, while their methodological quality ranged from low to medium. According to the findings from our review, the incidence of canine impaction in the mandible ranges from 0.92 to 5.1 per cent, while that of canine transmigration ranges from 0.1 to 0.31 per cent. Various etiologies may play a role, including odontomes (up to 20 per cent) and lateral incisor anomalies (16 per cent). Surgical extraction (89 per cent in some studies) and orthodontic traction (20–32 per cent) are the most commonly used treatment strategies, with the latter showing a failure rate of 17 per cent in two studies.

Background: Plaque increase is a troubling side-effect of fixed orthodontic therapy. This generally arise as a consequence of long-term difficulty in maintaining adequate oral hygiene while wearing multibracket appliances. Demineralization, also known as white spot, causes particular concern as it spoils the aesthetic outcome of the treatment itself, not to mention the integrity of the enamel. Objectives: To collate the existing literature by evaluating the efficacy of dental hygienist intervention on plaque increase in fixed orthodontics patients. Materials and methods: A targeted search of the Medline database (Entrez PubMed), EMBASE, and CENTRAL using relevant Medical Subject Headings was performed. The articles selected were all published before June 2013 and comprised randomized clinical trials, prospective longitudinal controlled clinical trials, and before/after studies onto the plaque increase of fixed appliances. Results: The search strategy yielded 630 articles. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 articles qualified for the final review. Conclusion: The quality of the retrieved researches ranged from low (one study) to high (one study). Six controlled trials were considered at unknown risk of bias. Data showed that regular patient motivation sessions and mechanical tooth cleaning by a professional dental hygienist help maintaining good oral hygiene during fixed orthodontics.

Use of hyaluronic acid-based products has become a valuable alternative to drug-based approaches in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). The presented study aimed to investigate the effect of a barrier forming hyaluronic acid containing mouth wash or a topical gel formulation on the healing of RAS and patient’s quality of life. For this single-center retrospective study, medical records of the Dental School of the University of Brescia were screened for adult and systemically health patients suffering from minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and treated with either a barrier forming, hyaluronic acid containing mouth wash (GUM® AftaClear® rinse) or a topical gel (GUM® AftaClear® gel) in 2015. All patients fulfilling the in−/exclusion criteria and presenting full data sets on lesion diameter, lesion color, as well as pain perception for baseline (day 0) and 4 and 7 days after treatment were enrolled into the presented study. Out of 60 screened patients, a total of 20 patients treated with the Rinse formulation and 25 treated with the Gel formulation were eligible for the enrollment into this study. Both groups showed equal distribution in patient’s age, sex and presented a similar mean lesion size (3.0 ± 1.0 mm), lesion color distribution as well as pain perception at baseline. All patients showed significant normalization of lesion color, reduction of pain, and lesion dimension within the course of their treatment. After 7 days, the mean percentage of lesion reduction was highly significant for both groups attaining 77.4 ± 30.1% in the Rinse group and 81.2 ± 23.1% in the Gel group with a complete lesion closure obtained in 60 and 56% of the cases, respectively. However, a significant (p < 0.05) higher percentage of lesions in the Gel group (72%) compared to the Rinse group (40%) showed an improvement in lesion size already after 3 days. Within the limitation of retrospective design, it can be concluded that both the barrier forming hyaluronic acid containing mouth rinse as well as the topical gel formulation are effective in the treatment of minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), with a trend for an earlier healing onset for the topical Gel formulation.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthritis on the functional disability and quality of life in patients affected by juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Sixty-two consecutive patients with JIA with or without TMJ arthritis and 35 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. The demographic data, disease activity and clinical characteristics were obtained from all patients. The functional disability was assessed using the Italian version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (C-HAQ). The oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) was assessed using the Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ11-14). Possible determining factors of TMJ arthritis comprised demographic, disease characteristics and scores derived from questionnaires that were assessed by a uni and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Compared with patients without TMJs arthritis, JIA patients with TMJ arthritis presented higher functional disability. The multivariable logistic regression analysis performed showed that female subjects (OR = 1.5, P = 0.041), with a JIA duration over 3.9 years (OR = 2.7, P = 0.033) and presenting higher C-HAQ and CPQ11-14 scores (OR = 2.7, P = 0.012 and OR = 2.9, P = 0.015, respectively) were the greatest determining factors for TMJ arthritis. JIA patients with TMJ arthritis presented higher functional disability and lower OHRQoL scores compared with JIA patients without TMJ arthritis. TMJ arthritis was strongly associated with JIA duration and activity, especially in female patients.