The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network adult anterior open bite study: A description of the practitioners and patients.

OBJECTIVES:: To describe the demographic and practice characteristics of the clinicians enrolled in a large, prospective cohort study examining recommendations and treatment for adult anterior open bite (AOB) and the relationship between these characteristics and practitioners' self-reported treatment preferences. The characteristics of the AOB patients recruited were also described. MATERIALS AND METHODS:: Practitioners were recruited from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Participants in the study consisted of practitioners and their adult AOB patients in active treatment. Upon enrollment, practitioners completed questionnaires enquiring about demographics, treatment preferences for adult AOB patients, and treatment recommendations for each patient. Patients completed questionnaires on demographics and factors related to treatment. RESULTS:: Ninety-one practitioners and 347 patients were recruited. Demographic characteristics of recruited orthodontists were similar to those of American Association of Orthodontists members. The great majority of practitioners reported using fixed appliances and elastics frequently for adult AOB patients. Only a third of practitioners reported using aligners frequently for adult AOB patients, and 10% to 13% frequently recommended temporary anchorage devices (TADs) or orthognathic surgery. Seventy-four percent of the patients were female, and the mean age was 31.4 years. The mean pretreatment overbite was -2.4 mm, and the mean mandibular plane angle was 38.8°. Almost 40% of patients had undergone orthodontic treatment previously. CONCLUSIONS:: This article presents the demographic data for 91 doctors and 347 adult AOB patients, as well as the practitioners' self-reported treatment preferences.

Is Centric Relation Always the Position of Choice for TMDs? Case Report of How TMD and Airway Dimension May Be Associated.

Centric occlusion (CO) and centric relation (CR) have been controversial topics in dentistry for almost 100 years. The concept of CR emerged due to the search for a reproducible mandibular position that would enable the prosthodontic rehabilitation of patients needing denture treatment. The following case study is unique because of 2 questions. Which mandibular treatment splint position (CR or CO) was appropriate for the initial and eventual final treatment of this patient for her temporomandibular disorder/myofascial pain and dysfunction? Also, how might the mandibular position of CR and CO affect the size and shape of the airway? The airway's size and shape is important as it relates to sleep-disordered breathing and potentially leading to obstructive sleep apnea later in life. The authors believe this is the first case report describing how mandibular position of CR and CO may affect not only TMJ position but also the airway shape and size in three dimensions.

ADA initiates development of orthodontic informatics standards.

Standards are the key to interoperability across systems. The American Dental Association (ADA) has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a standards-developing organization. The ADA sponsors standards programs for all areas of dentistry, including dental materials and products and dental informatics. ANSI/ADA Specification No. 1000, Standard Clinical Data Architecture for the Structure and Content of an Electronic Health Record, is the first ANSI standard that defines the fundamental data structures used to make patient health records. The standard promotes the sharing of like data between dentists, physicians, and hospitals.

Comparison between traditional 2-dimensional cephalometry and a 3-dimensional approach on human dry skulls.

The cephalogram is the standard used by orthodontists to assess skeletal, dental, and soft tissue relationships. This approach, however, is based on 2-dimensional (2D) views used to analyze 3-dimensional (3D) objects. The purpose of this project was to evaluate and compare a 3D imaging system and traditional 2D cephalometry for accuracy in recording the anatomical truth as defined by physical measurements with a calibrated caliper. Thirteen skeletal landmarks were located by both radiographic methods on 9 dry human skulls. Intraclass correlation (0.995), variance (0.054 mm(2)), and standard deviation (SD) (0.237 mm) were averaged over 76 measurements and derived from precision calipers to establish these physical measurements as a reliable gold standard to make comparisons of the 2D and 3D radiographic methods. The results showed great variability of the 2D from the gold standard, with the range varying from -17.68 mm (underestimation of Gn-Zyg R) to +15.52 mm (overestimation of Zyg L-Zyg R). In contrast, the 3D method (Sculptor, Glendora, Calif) indicated a range of the SD from -3.99 (underestimation) mm to +2.96 mm (overestimation). The 3D evaluation was much more precise, within approximately 1 mm of the gold standard. These results indicate that, when the actual distance is measured on a human skull in its true dimensions of 3D space, the Sculptor program, by using a 3D method, is more precise and 4 to 5 times more accurate than the 2D approach. Evaluating distances in 3D space with a 2D image grossly exaggerates the true measure and offers a distorted view of craniofacial growth. There is an inherent problem of representing a linear measure occupying a 3D space with a 2D image.