Morphologic Evaluation of Dentoalveolar Structures after Corticotomy-Assisted Orthodontic Treatment in Romanian Adult Patients.

Background and Objectives: Corticotomy-facilitated orthodontics is an approach that can be useful in treating complex orthodontic cases and that could enhance the rate of tooth movement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes that occurred in the buccal cortical bone and at the root level after an orthodontic treatment when corticotomy was used, in Romanian patients. Materials and Methods: After dividing the subjects into two groups (maxillary and mandibular corticotomy), based on CBCT, measurements were made of the thickness of the cortical buccal bone at the cervical, median and apical level, and of the root length at T0 (before corticotomy) and T1 (6 months after surgery). Several tests were used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: In the maxillary arch, the bone thickness measured after corticotomy in males was 0.64 mm at the cervical level, 0.53 mm at the medial level and 0.30 mm in the apical area. In females, the values were 0.46 mm (cervical), 0.37 mm (medial) and 0.36 mm (apical). In the lower arch, the values obtained for these three regions were 0.37 mm, 0.30 mm and 0.37 mm for males and 0.58 mm, 0.32 mm and 0.43 mm for female subjects. All values were statistically significant. The root length for the lower teeth at T0 was 11.98 ± 2.24 mm at T0 and 11.97 ± 2.24 mm at T1. For the upper teeth, the root length at T0 was 13.83 ± 2.28 mm and 13.81 ± 2.28 mm. Conclusions: Comparing the measurements, it was observed that the biggest changes in the cortical bone were at the cervical level. In the maxillary arch, the most significant modifications were registered at the canines and the level of the first premolars, and in the lower arch at the incisors level. The measured root resorption of the teeth was considered to be statistically insignificant.

Evaluation of the influence of patient positioning on the reliability of lateral cephalometry.

Two-dimensional cephalometry is widely used for monitoring orthodontic treatments and for quantifying the outcome of maxillofacial surgery. Despite careful use of a cephalostat, successive radiographs might differ due to slight differences in patient posture. This study evaluates the reliability of lateral cephalometric measurements and estimates the impact of patient positioning on this reliability. We studied cephalograms of 104 patients; 31 of them had two radiographs because the first was deemed unsuitable for cephalometric analysis. Using AudaxCeph 3.0 (Audax, Ljubljana, Slovenia), two observers traced each cephalogram twice, one month apart. We evaluated intra- and interobserver agreement via Bland-Altman analysis, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement, and smallest detectable difference (SDD). First, we studied the reliability of the hard tissue part of the Tweed-Merrifield analysis for 73 single cephalograms and for the better ones of patients with two exposures. Then, we studied 31 unsatisfactory cephalograms, and the ones recorded at improved patient posture. Although intraobserver bias was less than 0.5° or 0.3 mm, interobserver bias was significant for most measurements. Intraobserver reliability was high (ICC > 0.9), whereas interobserver reliability was good (ICC > 0.83) except for FMPA, FMIA and OP. Head rotations and inclinations had little impact on reliability (e.g., interobserver SDD decreased for 3 of 11 measurements). We conclude that averaging the positions of bilateral structures enables a reliable cephalometric analysis in spite of imprecise patient posture. Retaking cephalograms is ethically questionable in such cases.

Comparative Evaluation of Dental Enamel Microhardness Following Various Methods of Interproximal Reduction: A Vickers Hardness Tester Investigation.

Interproximal enamel reduction, also known as stripping, is a common orthodontic procedure that reduces the mesiodistal diameter of teeth, allowing for a balance of available space in dental arches. The aim of this study was to assess the enamel surface microhardness resulting from the application of currently available methods for interproximal reduction. Forty-two extracted human permanent teeth were divided into six different groups, each subjected to a therapeutic stripping procedure using various methods (i.e., diamond burs, abrasive strips of 90 µm, 60 µm, 40 µm, and 15 µm, and abrasive discs). Stripping was performed by a single individual in accordance with the manufacturers' recommendations for the various systems used. One of the proximal faces of the tooth underwent IPR, while the other side remained untreated for control. The hardness of the enamel surface was measured using a Vickers hardness tester. The control group achieved the hardest enamel surface (354.4 ± 41.02 HV1), while the lowest was observed for enamel surfaces treated with 90 µm abrasive strips (213.7 ± 118.6). The only statistically significant difference was identified in comparisons between the values measured for the control group and those obtained after stripping with diamond burs (p = 0.0159). Enamel microhardness varied depending on the stripping instrument used, but no statistically significant differences were found (p > 0.05). Optimal microhardness values, close to those of healthy enamel, were achieved after mechanical treatment with 15 µm abrasive strips and abrasive discs. Dental stripping is a safe therapeutic procedure that has a relatively minor influence on the microhardness of surface enamel.