In recent years, clear aligners have diversified and evolved in their primary characteristics (material, gingival margin design, attachments, divots, auxiliaries), increasing their indications and efficiency. We overviewed the brands of aligners used in Italy and reviewed the literature on the evolution of clear aligners based on their characteristics mentioned above by consulting the main scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library). Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established. The data were collected on a purpose-made data collection form and analyzed descriptively. From the initial 580 records, 527 were excluded because they were not related to the subject of the review or because they did not meet the eligibility criteria. The remaining 31 studies were deemed comprehensive for the purpose of the review, although the “gingival margin design” feature and “auxiliaries” tool are not well represented in the more recent literature. Current knowledge on invisible aligners allows us to have a much clearer idea of the basic characteristics of aligner systems. There remains a need to deepen the use of systems other than Invisalign™ to give greater evidence to aligners that are very different based on the characteristics analyzed here and that are very widespread on the market.

Background. The aim of this study was to compare retrospectively the effect of three different treatment protocols on the healing outcome in patients with established medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). Methods. A total of 34 MRONJ patients were recruited from the Department database and were divided according to the treatment protocols in a study group (G1) and two control groups (G2 and G3). G1 was treated with antibiotic therapy, surgery, leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF), and photobiomodulation; G2 was treated with antibiotic therapy and surgery; G3 was treated with antibiotic therapy and photobiomodulation. Various clinical variables and treatment protocols were analyzed to determine their correlation with the healing outcome at three and six months of follow-up. Results. There was a significant association between the different treatment protocols and the outcomes at both three and six months follow-up (p = 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). No significant association was observed between the outcomes and MRONJ localization, MRONJ stage, duration of drug treatment, gender, diabetes, corticosteroid therapy, smoking habits, underlying disease, and history of chemotherapy at both three and six months follow-up. Conclusions. Our results show that the combination of antibiotic therapy, surgery, L-PRF, and photobiomodulation may effectively contribute to MRONJ management.

Background: To evaluate the relationship between gender, ethnicity/citizenship, clinical phenotype, total prevalence, and the various congenital malformations associated with oral clefts (OC) in Italy across the period 2001–2014.Methods: A retrospective analysis (2001–2014) was conducted based on the National Congenital Malformation Registries network of Italy (Emilia-Romagna Registry of Birth Defects [IMER] and Registro Toscano Difetti Congeniti [RTDC]), which were analyzed to investigate time trends, geographical/ethnic clusters, topography, sex ratio, and associated congenital anomalies of OC phenotypes.Results: Among 739 registered cases, 29.8% were syndromic or had multi-malformed associated anomalies, compared with 70.2% having isolated orofacial cleft. Cleft lip (CL) was observed in 22%, cleft palate (CP) in 40%, and cleft lip and palate (CLP) in 38% of live births, stillbirths, and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly cases. Other associated conditions were major anomalies of cardiovascular defects (39%), followed by defects of the limbs (28%), neuroectodermal defects (23%), and urogenital malformations (10%).Male-to-female sex ratio was 1:1.14 in CP, 1.22:1 in CL, and 1.9:1 in CLP. Foreigners were represented by 29% from Southeast Asia, 25% from Balkans, 25% from North-Central Africa, 9% from the East, 7% from Western Europe, and 5% from South America. Total prevalence of OC cases ranged from 0.9 (RTDC) to 1.1 (IMER) of 1000 births.Conclusions: This retrospective study provides a population-based, clinical-epidemiological description of the orofacial cleft phenomenon. As a relatively frequent congenital malformation, its social and economic impact is worthy of further study. These abnormalities can cause significant problems that may be solved or minimized by early diagnosis and treatment.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficacy and accuracy of maxillary arch transverse expansion using the Invisalign^® clear aligner system without auxiliaries other than Invisalign attachments. Knowing the accuracy of a movement through a clear aligner system allows the clinician to plan the treatment with greater precision and to achieve the expected result faster. The study group included 28 patients with a mean age of 17 ± 3.2 years. The treatment protocol for all the selected patients included the application of the Invisalign^® clear aligner system without auxiliaries, except for the Invisalign^® attachments; in no case were tooth extraction or interproximal enamel reduction (IPR) performed. Linear measurements of the expansion were assessed before treatment (T0), at the end of treatment (T1), and on final virtual models by ClinCheck^® (TC). A paired t-test was used to compare T0-T1 and T1-TC differences. A paired t-test was applied, and one normality was validated with the Shapiro–Wilks test. If normality was not met, the nonparametric test (Mann–Whitney U test) was applied. The level of significance was set at 5%. Statistically significant differences were found for all measurements at T0-T1. The results showed an average accuracy of efficacy of 70.88%. The differences in predictability between the various vestibular measurements (intercanine, inter-premolar, and intermolar) were not statistically significant, while they were for gingival measurements. The overall accuracy of the expansion treatment was 70%, regardless of tooth type.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) on the acceleration of orthodontic movements, deriving from its biostimulating and regenerative capacity on soft tissues, consequent to the increase in differentiation, proliferation, and activity of cells that are involved with alveolar bone remodeling. The present randomized controlled trial was conducted on six patients who required extractive orthodontic therapy because their ectopic canines had erupted. A total of eight canines were analyzed, four of which received laser irradiation (i.e., experimental group). Two weeks after the extractions, all canines of the experimental and placebo groups were distalized simultaneously and symmetrically with the laceback retraction technique. The PBMT protocol consisted of four cycles of laser applications, one each on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 of the study, with session treatment durations of 2–4 min. The results of the descriptive analysis on the distal displacement speed of the canines after 1 month of follow-up indicate an average displacement of 1.35 mm for the non-irradiated group and 1.98 mm for the irradiated group. Through inferential analysis, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between the average speed of the irradiated canines and the control canines. The low energy density laser used in this study, with the parameters set, was found to be a tool capable of statistically significantly accelerating the distal displacement of canines.