Introduction A limited amount of systematic literature reviews on the association between malocclusions and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) summarize inconclusive results. Therefore, we conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the association of malocclusions with OHRQOL in children. Methods Relevant studies were identified in Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, Google Scholar and other databases. All studies with data on malocclusions or orthodontic treatment need and OHRQOL in children were included. Methodological quality of the studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Random effects models were used to estimate summary effect measures for the association between malocclusion and OHRQOL in a continuous and a categorical data analysis. Tests for heterogeneity, publication bias and sensitivity of results were performed. Results In total, 40 cross-sectional studies were included in the meta-analyses. Summary measures of the continuous data show that OHRQOL was significantly lowered in children with malocclusions (standardized mean difference (95 % CI] = 0.29 (0.19–0.38)). The summary odds ratio for having an impact on OHRQOL was 1.74 times higher in children with malocclusion than in children without malocclusions. Heterogeneity among studies was partly explained by malocclusion assessment, age of the children and country of study conduction. Conclusion Our results provide evidence for a clear inverse association of malocclusion with OHRQOL. We also showed that the strength of the association differed depending on the age of the children and their cultural environment. Clinical relevance Dentists benefit from understanding the patient differences regarding the impact of malocclusions.

The aim of this study was to compare the reproducibility of longitudinal cephalometric measurements between analogue and digital methods using two different resolutions. Cephalometric radiographs of 20 patients were selected at the start (T1) and end (T2) of treatment: 24 cephalometric variables were calculated at T1 and T2, and their increments (T2 – T1) were also evaluated. All measurements were performed twice by two observers. Quality of methods [analogue, digital: 300 and 600 dots per inch (DPI) resolution] was evaluated by comparing the reliability coefficients and the total error between the digital and analogue methods. The inter‐observer agreement was good. The 300 DPI was comparable to the analogue method. The reproducibility for the variables was comparable, but mandibular incisor increments tended to show better results with the 300 DPI method, whereas skeletal jaw relationship increments were not reliable with either method. Maxillary incisor increments, however, were reliable with both methods. The 300 and 600 DPI resolutions were found to be comparable. Scanning of cephalometric radiographs at a resolution of 300 DPI is sufficient for clinical purposes and comparable to analogue cephalometrics. However, all methods were found to be poor in assessing skeletal jaw relationships longitudinally.

Objective: To evaluate longitudinally the effect of infant orthopedics (IO) on dentofacial cephalometric variables in unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients from 4 to 6 years of age. Design: Prospective two-arm randomized controlled clinical trial in three cleft palate centers in The Netherlands (Dutchcleft trial). Patients: Fifty-four children with complete UCLP. Interventions: Patients were divided randomly into two groups. Half of the patients (IO+) had IO until surgical closure of the soft palate at the age of ±52 weeks; the other half (IO−) received no intervention. Mean Outcome Measures: Cephalometric values representing soft tissue, hard tissue, and dental structures, measured on lateral headfilms made at 4 and 6 years of age. Results: In the IO+ group, 21 patients were analyzed; in the IO− group, 20 patients were analyzed at age 4 and 22 at age 6. No differences were found between IO+ and IO−, except for two measurements: The interincisal angle was larger and the mentolabial angle was smaller in the IO+ group. Conclusions: For infants with UCLP whose surgical management included soft palate repair at 12 months and delayed hard palate closure, cephalometric outcomes at ages 4 and 6 provide no indication for the type of IO used in this study.

Objectives: Recent literature suggested that higher vitamin D concentrations in childhood are associated with a lower prevalence of molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH). As tooth development already starts in utero, we aimed to study whether vitamin D status during foetal, postnatal and childhood periods is associated with the presence of hypomineralized second primary molars (HSPMs) and/or MIH at the age of six.Methods: Our study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a population‐based, prospective cohort from foetal life onwards in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. HSPMs and MIH were scored from intraoral photographs of the children at their age of six. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were measured at three points in time, which resulted in three different samples; mid‐gestational in mothers’ blood (n = 4750), in umbilical cord blood (n = 3406) and in children's blood at the age of 6 years (n = 3983).Results: The children had a mean (±SD) age of 6.2 (±0.5) years at the moment of taking the intraoral photographs. After adjustment for confounders, no association was found between foetal 25(OH)D concentrations and the presence of HSPMs (OR 1.02 per 10 nmol/L higher 25(OH)D, 95% CI: 0.98‐1.07) or MIH (OR 1.05 per 10 nmol/L increase, 95% CI: 0.98‐1.12) in 6‐year‐olds. A higher 25(OH)D concentration in umbilical cord blood resulted in neither lower odds of having HSPM (OR 1.05, 95% CI: 0.98‐1.13) nor lower odds of having MIH (OR 0.95, 95% CI: 0.84‐1.07) by the age of six. Finally, we did not find higher 25(OH)D concentrations at the age of six to be associated with a significant change in the odds of having HSPM (OR 0.97, 95% CI: 0.92‐1.02) or MIH (OR 1.07, 95% CI: 0.98‐1.16).Conclusions: 25(OH)D concentrations in prenatal, early postnatal and later postnatal life are not associated with the presence of HPSMs or with MIH at the age of six. Future observational research is required to replicate our findings. Furthermore, it is encouraged to focus on identifying other modifiable risk factors, because prevention of hypomineralization is possible only if the causes are known.