Innovations in technology have contributed to rapid changes in the way that modern biomedical research is carried out. Researchers are increasingly required to endorse adaptive and flexible approaches to accommodate these innovations and comply with ethical, legal and regulatory requirements. This paper explores how Dynamic Consent may provide solutions to address challenges encountered when researchers invite individuals to participate in research and follow them up over time in a continuously changing environment. An interdisciplinary workshop jointly organised by the University of Oxford and the COST Action CHIP ME gathered clinicians, researchers, ethicists, lawyers, research participants and patient representatives to discuss experiences of using Dynamic Consent, and how such use may facilitate the conduct of specific research tasks. The data collected during the workshop were analysed using a content analysis approach. Dynamic Consent can provide practical, sustainable and future-proof solutions to challenges related to participant recruitment, the attainment of informed consent, participant retention and consent management, and may bring economic efficiencies. Dynamic Consent offers opportunities for ongoing communication between researchers and research participants that can positively impact research. Dynamic Consent supports inter-sector, cross-border approaches and large scale data-sharing. Whilst it is relatively easy to set up and maintain, its implementation will require that researchers re-consider their relationship with research participants and adopt new procedures.

Objective: To analyze the effect of various coating formulations on the mechanical and corrosion properties of nickel-titanium (NiTi) orthodontic wires. Materials and Methods: Uncoated, rhodium-coated, and nitrified NiTi wires were observed with a three-point-bend test, surface roughness ( Ra ) measurement, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and electrochemical testing (open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic polarization scan). Differences in the properties of tested wire types were analyzed with analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc test. Results: Uncoated and nitrified NiTi wires showed similar mechanical and anticorrosive properties, while rhodium-coated NiTi wires showed the highest Ra and significantly higher modulus of elasticity, yield strength, and delivery of forces during loading but not in unloading. Rhodium-coated NiTi wires also had the highest corrosion current density and corrosion potential, lowest impedance modulus, and two time constants on Bode plot, one related to the Rh/Au coating and the other to underlying NiTi. Conclusion: Working properties of NiTi wires were unaffected by various coatings in unloading. Nitrification improved corrosion resistance. Rhodium coating reduced corrosion resistance and pronounced susceptibility to pitting corrosion in artificial saliva because of galvanic coupling between the noble coating and the base alloy.

The purpose was to compare the treatment effects of functional appliances activator-headgear (AH) and Twin Block (TB) on skeletal, dental, and soft-tissue structures in class II division 1 malocclusion with normal growth changes in untreated subjects. The sample included 50 subjects (56% females) aged 8–13 years with class II division 1 malocclusion treated with either AH (n=25) or TB (n=25) appliances. Pre- and posttreatment lateral cephalograms were evaluated and compared to 50 untreated class II division 1 cases matched by age, gender, ANB angle, and skeletal maturity. A paired sample, independent samples tests and discriminant analysis were performed for intra- and intergroup analysis. Treatment with both appliances resulted in significant reduction of skeletal and soft-tissue facial convexity, the overjet, and the prominence of the upper lip in comparison to untreated individuals (p<0.001). Retroclination of maxillary incisors and proclination of mandibular incisors were seen, the latter being significantly more evident in the TB group (p<0.05). Increase of effective mandibular length was more pronounced in the TB group. In conclusion, both AH and TB appliances contributed successfully to the correction of class II division 1 malocclusion when compared to the untreated subjects with predominantly dentoalveolar changes.

Katić V, et al. Korean J Orthod. 2014 Jul;44(4):177-183. http://dx.doi.org/10.4041/kjod.2014.44.4.177

Background: There is growing consensus that individual genetic research results that are scientifically robust, analytically valid, and clinically actionable should be offered to research participants. However, the general practice in European research projects is that results are usually not provided to research participants for many reasons. This article reports on the views of European experts and scholars who are members of the European COST Action CHIP ME IS1303 (Citizen's Health through public-private Initiatives: Public health, Market and Ethical perspectives) regarding challenges to the feedback of individual genetic results to research participants in Europe and potential strategies to address these challenges. Materials and Methods: A consultation of the COST Action members was conducted through an email survey and a workshop. The results from the consultation were analyzed following a conventional content analysis approach. Results: Legal frameworks, professional guidelines, and financial, organizational, and human resources to support the feedback of results are largely missing in Europe. Necessary steps to facilitate the feedback process include clarifying legal requirements to the feedback of results, developing harmonized European best practices, promoting interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration, designing educational programs and cost-efficient IT-based platforms, involving research ethics committees, and documenting the health benefits and risks of the feedback process. Conclusions: Coordinated efforts at pan-European level are needed to enable equitable, scientifically sound, and socially robust feedback of results to research participants.

The inspection of patients’ soft tissues and the effects of various dental procedures on their facial physiognomy are quite challenging. To minimise discomfort and simplify the process of manual measuring, we performed facial scanning and computer measurement of experimentally determined demarcation lines. Images were acquired using a low-cost 3D scanner. Two consecutive scans were obtained from 39 participants, to test the scanner repeatability. An additional ten persons were scanned before and after forward movement of the mandible (predicted treatment outcome). Sensor technology that combines red, green, and blue (RGB) data with depth information (RGBD) integration was used for merging frames into a 3D object. For proper comparison, the resulting images were registered together, which was performed with ICP (Iterative Closest Point)-based techniques. Measurements on 3D images were performed using the exact distance algorithm. One operator measured the same demarcation lines directly on participants; repeatability was tested (intra-class correlations). The results showed that the 3D face scans were reproducible with high accuracy (mean difference between repeated scans <1%); the actual measurements were repeatable to some extent (excellent only for the tragus-pogonion demarcation line); computational measurements were accurate, repeatable, and comparable to the actual measurements. Three dimensional (3D) facial scans can be used as a faster, more comfortable for patients, and more accurate technique to detect and quantify changes in facial soft tissue resulting from various dental procedures.