Malocclusions have a continuously increasing prevalence from one generation to another as a result of climate change, soil, atmosphere, and water pollution. All of these aspects have unfavorable consequences for the nutritional scheme. Thus, nutrition, together with other etiopathogenic factors, contributes to complex alterations in the somatic development of the entire organism and, implicitly, of the cephalic extremity. The study group included 4147 children from randomly selected schools from Vâlcea County, Romania. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of malocclusions in schoolchildren in Vâlcea County, Romania, according to the three main classes of malocclusions (according to Angle’s classification), age groups (from 6 to 10 years old and from 11 to 14 years old), gender (male and female), and place of origin (rural and urban). For Angle class I malocclusions, we recorded the highest prevalence (48.78% of the total number of schoolchildren with malocclusions), followed by Angle class II malocclusions (45.85% of the total number of schoolchildren with malocclusions), and for Angle class III malocclusions we found the lowest prevalence (5.37% of the total number of schoolchildren with malocclusions). According to gender, we found the highest prevalence in the female gender (29.90% of the total number of female subjects), while in the male gender, we recorded a prevalence of 27.70% of the total number of male subjects. Regarding the place of origin, there is a higher prevalence of malocclusions in urban areas (29.16%). The study subgroup included 140 children randomly selected from the total number of subjects in the study group. They were included in a more advanced study. The aim is to find potential associations between the presence of malocclusions and various oral variables. Categorical variables were expressed as numerical values and percentages, and their association was evaluated with either the Chi-square test of association or homogeneity, or the Fisher Exact test. The acquired data were incorporated into a binomial logistic regression model to assess the likelihood of developing malocclusions in relation to the following variables: defective phonation, bruxism, frequency of teeth brushing, onychophagia, oral respiration, infantile deglutition, placing objects between the maxillaries, thumb sucking, and salivary aspects. It is also aimed at comparing the results obtained with similar ones from the specialized literature.

Temporary anchorage devices (TADs) are orthodontic mini-implants with remarkable characteristics that, once inserted, present mechanical retention (primary stability) without the process of bone osseointegration. However, interaction with the biological environment may cause changes in the morphology of the external surface of dental TADs. In this study, we used 17 TADs made of aluminum–vanadium titanium alloy, produced by two companies, which were analyzed through optical microscopy after being removed from the patients during orthodontic treatment. We evaluated the changes that appeared on the TADs’ surfaces after their use in the biological environment, depending on the morphological area in which they were inserted. In our study, we found changes in the morphology of the implant surface, and especially deposits of biological material in all study groups. On all samples examined after clinical use, regardless of the period of use, corrosion surfaces in different locations were observed. Our obtained results support the idea that the biological environment is aggressive for mini-implant structures, always producing changes to their surface during their clinical use.

Malocclusions have a continuously increasing prevalence from a generation to another as a result of climate changes, soil, atmosphere and water pollution. All of these aspects have unfavorable consequences on the nutritional scheme. Thus, nutrition together with other etiopathogenic factors contribute to complex alterations in the somatic development of the entire organism and, implicitly, of the cephalic extremity. The study group included 4147 children from randomly selected schools from Vâlcea County, Romania. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of malocclusions in schoolchildren from Vâlcea County, Romania, according to the three main classes of malocclusions (according to Angle’s classification), age groups (from 6 to 10 years old and from 11 to 14 years old), gender (male and female) and place of origin (rural and urban). For Angle class I malocclusions we recorded the highest prevalence (48,78% from the total number of schoolchildren with malocclusions), followed by Angle class II malocclusions (45,85% from the total number of schoolchildren with malocclusions) and for Angle class III malocclusions we found the lowest prevalence (5,37% from the total number of schoolchildren with malocclusions).According to gender, we found the highest prevalence in female gender (29,90% from the total number of female subjects), while in male gender we recorded a prevalence of 27,70% from the total number of male subjects. Regarding the place of origin, there is a higher prevalence of malocclusions in the urban areas (29,16%). The study subgroup included 140 children randomly selected from the total number of subjects from the study group. They were included in a more advanced study. The aim is to find potential associations between the presence of malocclusions and various oral variables. Categorical variables were expressed as numerical values and percentages, and their association was evaluated with either the Chi-square test of association or homogeneity, or the Fisher Exact test. The acquired data were incorporated into a binomial logistic regression model to assess the likelihood of developing malocclusions in relation to the following variables: defective phonation, bruxism, frequency of teeth brushing, onychophagia, oral respiration, infantile deglutition, placing objects between the maxillaries, thumb sucking and salivary aspects. It is also aimed to compare the results obtained with similar ones from the specialized literature.

Orthodontic mini-implants are well-known anchorage devices and stand out as a particularly effective tool for ensuring maximum anchorage without relying on patient compliance. Therefore, it is necessary to understand what levels of torque strains remain in the physiological limits and can guarantee the stability of these mini-implants. The aim of this study was to investigate and measure the initial and final torque values of orthodontic mini-implants when placed perpendicular to the maxillary and mandibular bone surfaces. In our study, orthodontic mini-implants from different companies were inserted perpendicularly using different insertion torques on the plate of both maxillary and mandibular bones from pig specimens. The torque values were then analyzed. The results of this study highlight the need for continued research to analyze the ideal insertion torque of different types of mini-implants depending on the insertion area, in order to achieve clinical success of mini-implants.

Background/Objectives: The performance of the adhesive system used for bonding fundamentally influences the success of fixed orthodontic treatment. To withstand masticatory forces and prevent bracket debonding, it is critical to achieve optimal shear bond strength (SBS), improving treatment time. The aim of this study was to compare the shear bond strength and adhesive remnant index (ARI) of orthodontic brackets bonded using LED light-curing units with intensities of 3200 mW/cm² at two different exposure times, evaluated after 24 h and 14 days. Methods: Eighty extracted permanent premolars were randomly divided into four experimental groups. Brackets were bonded using Transbond XT adhesive and cured with a VALO™ Ortho Cordless unit (3200 mW/cm²) for 3 or 6 s. SBS was measured using a universal testing machine, and the ARI was assessed under a stereomicroscope at 40× magnification. Results: Increased light intensity and longer curing time significantly improved SBS values. The highest bond strengths were observed in groups cured with 3200 mW/cm² for 6 s, after 14 days. ARI scores showed that longer curing reduced adhesive remnants on the enamel. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences among groups. Conclusions: Therefore, clinicians may achieve better bonding performance and easier enamel clean-up by using high-intensity lights with adequate curing duration.