This prospective study examined the adult patient's perception of recovery after insertion of three types of orthodontic appliances: Buccal, Lingual and Invisalign.

Objective: To test the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between infraocclusion and the occurrence of other dental anomalies in subjects selected for clear-cut infraocclusion of one or more deciduous molars. Materials and Methods: The experimental sample consisted of 99 orthodontic patients (43 from Boston, Mass, United States; 56 from Jerusalem, Israel) with at least one deciduous molar in infraocclusion greater than 1 mm vertical discrepancy, measured from the mesial marginal ridge of the first permanent molar. Panoramic radiographs and dental casts were used to determine the presence of other dental anomalies, including agenesis of permanent teeth, microdontia of maxillary lateral incisors, palatally displaced canines (PDC), and distal angulation of the mandibular second premolars (MnP2-DA). Comparative prevalence reference values were utilized and statistical testing was performed using the chi-square test (P < .05) and odds ratio. Results: The studied dental anomalies showed two to seven times greater prevalence in the infraocclusion samples, compared with reported prevalence in reference samples. In most cases, the infraoccluded deciduous molar exfoliated eventually and the underlying premolar erupted spontaneously. In some severe phenotypes (10%), the infraoccluded deciduous molar was extracted and space was regained to allow uncomplicated eruption of the associated premolar. Conclusion: Statistically significant associations were observed between the presence of infraocclusion and the occurrence of tooth agenesis, microdontia of maxillary lateral incisors, PDC, and MnP2-DA. These associations support a hypothesis favoring shared causal genetic factors. Clinically, infraocclusion may be considered an early marker for the development of later appearing dental anomalies, such as tooth agenesis and PDC.

The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence of dental features that indicate a need for early orthodontic treatment (EOT). A group of schoolchildren in the mixed dentition stage (7–11 years old) (n = 432) was clinically screened for indications for EOT. Over 1/3 of the youngsters (34.7 per cent) presented at least one of the indications for EOT: anterior and posterior crossbites (including edge to edge occlusion) were found in 9.5 and 23.3 per cent, respectively; Angle Class III was found in 3 per cent; increased overjet (≥7 mm) prevailed in 3.7 per cent and was significantly related to risk for dental trauma (P = 0.001); while oral habits were practiced by 10.9 per cent, open bite was found only in 6.5 per cent, both predominantly among girls (P = 0.006 and P = 0.012, respectively); impinging overbite was present in 5.2 per cent, mainly in boys (P = 0.006); crowding >5 mm was found in 6.9 per cent for the maxilla and in 6 per cent for the mandible. Loss of tooth material affecting tooth position was found in 15.3 per cent. Normal occlusal relationships were found in 10.9 per cent only. The findings indicate that almost 1/3 of the examined children in the mixed dentition stage require EOT. Sexual dimorphism was demonstrated for several occlusal features.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of psychological traits on patients' choice of orthodontic appliances and their adjustability to orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 68 adult patients divided into three groups (28 buccal, 19 lingual, and 21 clear aligners). Prior to treatment participants filled out the Brief Symptom Inventory to assess symptoms of mental distress and the Narcissistic Vulnerability Scale to assess narcissistic personality traits. During the first week after appliance delivery and on day 14, patients completed a Health-Related Quality of Life questionnaire to assess their perception of pain and four areas of dysfunction. The correlation between personality traits and patients' reaction to treatment was evaluated. Results: Somatization was the only trait that affected the choice of lingual and clear aligner appliance. Reduced self-esteem regulation was associated with increased pain in all patients, while exploitation was associated with pain in lingual patients. Narcissistic vulnerability slightly influenced patients' adaptability to orthodontic appliances. Although adjustability to lingual appliances was the most difficult, only two parameters were affected by personality features. In the buccal group, adjustability was affected by numerous parameters. Adaptation to the clear aligner appliance was relatively uneventful and least affected by psychological features. Conclusion: Anxious individuals tend to prefer lingual and clear aligner appliances. The selection of lingual and clear aligner appliances governs the patient's response and recovery process, leaving little room for the effect of psychological features. On the other hand, the buccal appliance allows for greater impact of personality traits on adjustability.

Background: Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Candida albicans (C. albicans) are two major contributors to dental caries. They have a symbiotic relationship, allowing them to create an enhanced biofilm. Our goal was to examine whether two natural polyphenols (Padma hepaten (PH) and a polyphenol extraction from green tea (PPFGT)) could inhibit the caries-inducing properties of S. mutans and C. albicans. Methods: Co-species biofilms of S. mutans and C. albicans were grown in the presence of PH and PPFGT. Biofilm formation was tested spectrophotometrically. Exopolysaccharides (EPS) secretion was quantified using confocal scanning laser microscopy. Biofilm development was also tested on orthodontic surfaces (Essix) to assess biofilm inhibition ability on such an orthodontic appliance. Results: PPFGT and PH dose-dependently inhibited biofilm formation without affecting the planktonic growth. We found a significant reduction in biofilm total biomass using 0.625 mg/mL PPFGT and 0.16 mg/mL PH. A concentration of 0.31 mg/mL PPFGT and 0.16 mg/mL PH inhibited the total cell growth by 54% and EPS secretion by 81%. A reduction in biofilm formation and EPS secretion was also observed on orthodontic PVC surfaces. Conclusions: The polyphenolic extractions PPFGT and PH have an inhibitory effect on S. mutans and C. albicans biofilm formation and EPS secretion.

Dental caries is caused by biofilm-forming acidogenic bacteria, especially Streptococcus mutans, and is still one of the most prevalent human bacterial diseases. The potential use of cannabidiol (CBD) in anti-bacterial therapies has recently emerged. Here we have studied the anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm activity of CBD against S. mutans. We measured minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC). The bacterial growth and changes in pH values were measured in a kinetic study. The biofilm biomass was assessed by Crystal Violet staining and 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) metabolic assay. Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy (SDCM) was used to assess biofilm structure, bacterial viability and extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production. CBD inhibited S. mutans planktonic growth and biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner, with similar MIC and MBIC values (5 µg/mL). CBD prevented the bacteria-mediated reduction in pH values that correlated with bacterial growth inhibition. SDCM showed a decrease of 50-fold in live bacteria and EPS production. CBD significantly reduced the viability of preformed biofilms at 7.5 µg/mL with an 80 ± 3.1% reduction of metabolic activity. At concentrations above 20 µg/mL, there was almost no bacterial recovery in the CBD-treated preformed biofilms even 48 h after drug withdrawal. Notably, precoating of the culture plate surfaces with CBD prior to incubation with bacteria inhibited biofilm development. Additionally, CBD was found to induce membrane hyperpolarization in S. mutans. Thus, CBD affects multiple processes in S. mutans including its cariogenic properties. In conclusion, we show that CBD has a strong inhibitory effect against cariogenic bacteria, suggesting that it is a potential drug adjuvant for reducing oral pathogenic bacterial load as well as protecting against dental caries.