Transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy (THI) is a primary immunodeficiency caused by a temporary decline in serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels greater than two standard deviations below the mean age-specific reference values in infants between 5 and 24 months of age. Preterm infants are particularly susceptible to THI, as IgG is only transferred across the placenta from mother to infant during the third trimester of pregnancy. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of the diagnostic criteria for transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy. Systematic review: Three electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar) were manually searched from September 2021 to April 2022. Abstracts were screened to assess their fit to the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted from the selected studies using an adapted extraction tool (Cochrane). The studies were then assessed for bias using an assessment tool adapted from Cochrane. Of the 215 identified articles, 16 were eligible for examining the diagnostic criteria of THI. These studies were also assessed for bias in the six domains. A total of five studies (31%) had a low risk of bias, while four studies (25%) had a high risk of bias, and bias in the case of seven studies (44%) was unclear. We conclude that THI is only definitively diagnosed after abnormal IgG levels normalise. Hence, THI is not a benign condition, and monitoring for subsequent recurrent infections must be conducted. The diagnostic criteria should also include vaccine and isohaemagglutinin responses to differentiate THI from other immunological disorders in infants.

The aim of this study is to establish for the first time cephalometric norms for bimaxillary protrusion in Trinidad and Tobago population and to compare findings to previously published norms for other bimaxillary protrusion groups. Materials and Methods In total, 109 standardized lateral cephalometric radiographs were taken by one investigator of bimaxillary protrusion patients prior to receiving orthodontic treatment. The sample consisted of 52 boys and 57 girls aged 10-17 years. The cephalograms were traced using 48 hard and soft tissue and 25 linear and angular cephalometric measurements. Independent sample t-test was used to assess inter-gender differences, norms were calculated. The results were then compared to the norms for other bimaxillary protrusion populations. Results The mean values and standard deviations obtained were: SNA, 85.9 degrees (+/- 4.9 degrees); SNB, 78.7 degrees(+/- 4.5 degrees); ANB, 7.2 degrees(+/- 2.5 degrees); MMPA, 32.3 degrees(+/- 5.1 degrees); UI-LI,109.7 degrees (+/- 8.2 degrees); UI-Max, 118.7 degrees (+/- 6.1 degrees); LI-Man, 101.4 degrees (+/- 5.9 degrees); LI-Apo, 3.8 degrees (+/- 2.6 degrees); Upper lip to E-plane 2.0 mm (+/- 3) and Lower Lip to E-plane 5.6 mm (+/- 3.2).The independent t-test showed sexual dimorphism with SNA and upper and lower lip to E-plane being higher in males compared to females. The maxilla and mandible were more anteriorly placed in this sample as compared to Caucasian norms. ANB, MMPA, UI-Max, LI-Man, LI-Apo, upper lip and lower lip to E-plane, were all higher in this population compared to other bimaxillary protrusion populations. Conclusions There are some fundamental differences in the cephalometric norms for the bimaxillary protrusion population in Trinidad and Tobago and in the context of orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning these cephalometric norms should be the yardstick.

Dental anomalies entail an extensive range of disorders. This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of several anomalies detectable on orthopantomograms and determine associations with ethnicity ...

Background: Transient Hypogammaglobulinemia of Infancy (THI) is a primary immunodeficiency caused by a temporary decline of serum levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) greater than 2 standard deviations below the mean age-specific reference values in an infant between 5 and 24 months of age. Preterm infants are particularly susceptible to THI, as, in the third trimester of pregnancy, IgG is transferred across the placenta from mother to infant.Objective: To systematically review the diagnostic criteria of Transient Hypogammaglobulinemia of infants.Design & Methods: Systematic Review. Manual searching of 3 electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, & Google Scholar) from September 2021 – April 2022. Abstracts were screened to assess fit to the inclusion criteria. Data was extracted from the selected studies by using an adapted extraction tool from Cochrane.org. Studies were then assessed for bias by using an assessment tool also adapted from Cochrane.org.Results: Of the 215 articles identified, 16 were eligible for examining the diagnostic criteria of THI. These studies were also assessed for bias in 6 domains. 5 studies (31%) had a low risk of bias, while 4 studies (25%) had a high risk of bias, & 7 studies (44%) were unclear for bias.Conclusion: We can conclude that THI is only definitively diagnosed after the abnormal IgG levels have normalized, hence THI is mostly a benign condition, but must be monitored for subsequent recurrent infections. The diagnostic criterion also includes vaccine & isohaemagglutinin responses to differentiate against other immunological disorders in infants.

Aim This systematic review aimed to identify the most effective anchorage methods producing better skeletal, dental, aesthetic and patient experience outcomes in the treatment of bimaxillary protrusion. Methods Electronic databases (Pubmed, Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane library) were searched without language restrictions. Unpublished studies were searched for on clinicaltrials.gov. Search terms included bimaxillary proclination, bimaxillary dentoalveolar protrusion, biprotrusion, bimaxillary prognathism, bimaxillary protrusion, and bidental. Treatment studies on patients with bimaxillary protrusion were included. Relevant articles were assessed for quality according to Cochrane guidelines and the data extracted for statistical analysis. Using predefined forms two authors assessed eligibility for inclusion in the study and any disagreement was discussed. Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used for quality assessment and GRADE was used to assess the quality of the evidence. Results Four studies met the inclusion criteria, while 32 were excluded based on study design and/or no outcome of interest reported. Only three studies were included in the random-effects meta-analysis. There was some evidence to suggest that the use of TADs resulted in less anchorage loss than traditional anchorage techniques (mean difference 2.38 mm; 95% CI, −3.89 to −0.88; P = 0.002). There was a significant difference in treatment duration with use of TADs (mean difference 0.92 months; 95% CI −1.64 to- 0.21; P = 0.01). Conclusion There is very low-quality evidence to suggest TADs provide better anchorage and shorter treatment duration in the orthodontic treatment of bimaxillary protrusion.