A 3-Dimensional Evaluation of the Effects of Unilateral Vertical Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis on Airway Volume Among Patients With Hemifacial Microsomia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the volumetric airway changes using three-dimensional images following unilateral vertical mandibular distraction osteogenesis (uVMD) among patients with hemifacial microsomia (HFM). DESIGN: This retrospective study analyzed cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of patients with HFM at three different timepoints; pretreatment (T0), posttreatment (T1), and at least 6 months post-distraction (T2). The individuals underwent uVMD between December 2018-Januaray 2021. The nasopharyngeal (NP) volume, oropharyngeal (OP) volume, and the area of maximum constriction (MC) were measured. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the airway volumes between T0-T1, T1-T2, and T0-T2. RESULTS: Five patients met the inclusion criteria (mean age = 10.4 years; 1 female, 4 males). Intraclass correlation analysis showed excellent interrater reliability (r > .86, P < .001). Posttreatment, the OP airway volume exhibited a significant mean increase of 56% (P = .043) from T0 to T1, but decreased from T1-T2 by 13%. Likewise, the total airway volume presented with a significant mean increase of 48% between T0-T1 (P = .044), and a decrease of 7% from T1-T2. The changes in the NP airway volume and area of MC were not statistically significant (P > .05), but an increase in the mean values were observed. CONCLUSION: Surgical intervention with uVMD may significantly increase the OP airway volume and the total airway volume among patients with HFM immediately after distraction. However, the statistical significance diminished after six months post-consolidation, but the mean percent change may remain of clinical significance. The NP volume did not seem to show significant changes in response to uVMD.

Bias in a blink: Shedding light on implicit attitudes toward patients with a cleft lip.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have shown that patients with cleft lip and/or palate may be stigmatized in society. The objective of this study was to use an implicit association test to evaluate the subconscious biases of non-health care providers and orthodontists against patients with a repaired cleft lip (CL). METHODS: Respondents participated in an implicit association test. Pictures of patients with CL and controls were shown to participants, along with terms representing positive and negative attributes. Participants were prompted to match pictures to the attributes. The software algorithm detected whether the participants were more likely to associate CL with positive or negative terms than controls. Demographic information was collected to measure the association between some sociodemographic factors and implicit biases. RESULTS: Of 130 valid participants, 52 were orthodontists and 78 were non-health care providers. The entire sample displayed a significant implicit bias against CL (P <0.001). Overall, orthodontists tended to exhibit slightly higher levels of implicit biases against CL than non-health care providers, but the difference was not significant when controlling for sociodemographic factors (P = 0.34). Females showed significantly lower implicit biases against CL than males (P = 0.046). Spearman correlations showed that older people and those who reported a more conservative political affiliation tended to show slightly higher levels of implicit biases against CL (P <0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Orthodontists and non-health care providers showed moderate but significant levels of implicit biases against patients with clefts. Males, older age groups, and patients with a more conservative political affiliation tended to exhibit slightly higher levels of biases than females, younger people, and those with a more liberal political affiliation.

When convenience trumps quality of care: A population-based survey on direct to consumer orthodontics.

INTRODUCTION: Since the introduction of direct to consumer orthodontic (DTCO) products in the last decade, these products have been increasing in popularity among orthodontic patients. The purpose of the current article was to assess the populations' perception of DTCOs and to examine various factors that may influence their decision in choosing treatment with DTCO products. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted in the United States. The 35-question survey was disseminated through Amazon Mechanical Turk (Amazon.com, Inc, Seattle, Wash), and participants were asked questions about their demographics, their perceptions of DTCOs, orthodontists, and factors that may influence their decision should they decide to pursue orthodontic treatment. Pearson's correlations were conducted to assess the association between various factors and the participants' likelihood to choose DTCO products. RESULTS: A total of 1441 subjects participated in the study. More than 83% of the participants have considered pursuing orthodontic treatment to some extent. Twenty-three percent reported that they would highly likely choose DTCO products. The majority of participants reported convenience to be the greatest benefit of DTCOs, followed by cost. The majority of responses seemed to favor DTCOs. Forty-seven percent reported that the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic did not affect their preference, whereas 26.6% reported to be more likely to pursue DTCOs because of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of participants seemed to perceive DTCOs as a viable alternative for seeking orthodontic care. Although participants had concerns about the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, results showed that the pandemic might not significantly affect the preferences. Orthodontists and their constituent organizations may consider more robust awareness and advocacy campaigns to educate the population about orthodontic treatment and the benefits of pursuing treatment with a trained orthodontist.

Examining the variability of bone and soft tissue morphology in Hemifacial Microsomia: A case series of 8 patients.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Patients with Hemifacial Microsomia (HFM) exhibit highly variable skeletal and soft tissue asymmetries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate soft tissue discrepancies in patients with HFM and correlate them to the skeletal discrepancy. Eight patients were selected and studied retrospectively using 3-dimensional (3D) superimposition and color mapping of the soft and hard tissues. The skeletal and soft tissue facial structures were segmented and mirrored, resulting in a perfectly symmetric skull and face. Original and mirrored 3D models were superimposed. Differences between the affected and normal side were assessed in seven areas: frontal, endocanthion, exocanthion, malar, maxillary frontal, mandibular frontal and gonion area. The correlations between the skeletal and soft tissue asymmetry were evaluated by Pearson correlations. Hard tissue asymmetry ranged from 1.4 mm (Endocanthion) to 5.5 mm (Gonion), while soft tissue asymmetry ranged from 1.5 mm (Endocanthion) to 5.6 mm (Malar). Correlation between skeletal and soft tissue deficiency were highly variable, with the highest correlation at gonion and the lowest at exocanthion. Bone and soft tissue hypoplasia were highly correlated at the gonion and the malar area, while the remaining evaluated areas demonstrated poor correlation between skeletal and soft tissue asymmetries. Future studies will determine if target treatment can reliably improve bone and soft tissue hypoplasia in this area.

A novel method for fabricating nasoalveolar molding appliances for infants with cleft lip and palate using 3-dimensional workflow and clear aligners.

INTRODUCTION: Nasoalveolar molding (NAM) was introduced over 20 years ago as adjunctive therapy for the correction of cleft lip and palate. In the current study, we propose a new approach using a digital workflow and 3-dimensional printing to fabricate clear aligner NAM devices. METHODS: A polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) impression of an infant with a unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCLP) is acquired and poured, and the stone model is scanned with an intraoral scanner. The stereolithography file is digitized, and the alveolar segments are digitally segmented and moved to the desired final position. The total distance moved is divided into a sequence of 1-1.5 mm increments, creating a series of digital models. The models are 3-dimensionally printed along with button templates to allow free form positioning of the button on each model. A Vacuform machine (Taglus, Mumbai, India) was used to fabricate a 0.040-in aligner for each stage. RESULTS: We present 1 case that was treated successfully with this approach. Appointments for the NAM adjustments were primarily to monitor progress and counseling with less time spent adjusting the appliance. The appointment length was reduced by over 30 minutes. Benefits of the aligner are improved fit, more precise increments of activation, reduced chairside time, and potentially minimized number of visits. CONCLUSIONS: NAM custom aligners may provide similar benefits to the traditional approach while reducing the burden of care by reducing the number of visits and appointment duration. Further studies with a sample and longitudinal observations are needed to investigate the benefits of the proposed digital approach.

Comparison of the Pharyngeal Airway Volume Between Patients With Ectodermal Dysplasia and Unaffected Controls: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Study.

PURPOSE: Ectodermal dysplasias (EDs) are a diverse set of hereditary conditions in which 2 or more ectodermal structures develop abnormally. The purpose of this study was to use cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans to measure the pharyngeal airway volume and minimum cross-sectional area (MC) among patients with ED and compare them with healthy controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The pretreatment CBCT scans of 9 individuals with ED and 61 controls were analyzed. Lateral cephalograms were created from the CBCT volumes and then traced and compared between the 2 groups. Airway volumes were evaluated by Dolphin 3D software (Dolphin Imaging, Chatsworth, CA) to compare the total pharyngeal volume, nasopharyngeal volume, oropharyngeal volume, hypopharyngeal volume, and MC. The mean airway volumes of the 2 groups were compared, and the odds ratio and relative risk of having an MC of less than 100 mm2 in the ED group were calculated. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation analysis showed excellent inter-rater reliability. All cephalometric features of controls were within the norms of patients with ideal skeletal-dental relationships. Patients with ED displayed significantly lower values for SNA (angle between sella-nasion and nasion-A point) (P = .018), ANB (angle between nasion-A point and nasion-B point) (P = .002), L1-MP (angle between long axis of mandibular incisor and gonion-menton plane) (P = .013), and L1-NB (distance between mandibular incisor and perpendicular line between nasion and B point) (P < .001). Although the ED group exhibited slightly smaller airway volumes for all subregions, the differences were not statistically significant for total pharyngeal volume, nasopharyngeal volume, oropharyngeal volume, hypopharyngeal volume, or MC (P > .05). The odds of having an MC of less than 100 mm2 were almost 3 times greater among ED patients, and the relative risk of an MC of less than 100 mm2 among ED patients was double that of controls. CONCLUSIONS: Although the craniofacial structures of individuals with ED are characterized by maxillary and midface deficiency, the airway volumes among affected individuals may not be significantly different from those of unaffected controls. However, patients with ED displayed a higher risk of having an MC of less than 100 mm2, which may be of clinical significance and warrants further investigations with larger samples.

Psychosocial Adjustments Among Adolescents With Craniofacial Conditions and the Influence of Social Factors: A Multi-Informant Study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have investigated psychosocial adjustments among adolescents with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P), but our understanding of other craniofacial conditions remains limited. The objective of this study is to compare psychosocial adjustments among 3 groups of adolescents: craniofacial conditions other than cleft lip and/or palate (craniofacial anomaly [CFA]), CL/P, and controls (CON). Our secondary objective is to examine how social factors may predict the adjustments levels. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, multi-informant, controlled survey study. PARTICIPANTS: Aged 11- to 17-year olds. Craniofacial anomaly (n = 49), isolated CL/P (n = 42), and 55 CON. Total = 146. OUTCOME MEASURES: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (self-report, parent report, and teacher report). RESULTS: All 3 informant groups displayed similar patterns, where CFA reported the highest difficulties, followed by CL/P, while CON scored the lowest. Parent reports demonstrated significant differences among the 3 groups for most subscales and were emphasized for peer problems. Self-reports showed significant differences between CFA and CON for total scores and peer problems, while teacher reports showed significant differences for peer problems only. Craniofacial anomaly displayed the highest frequency of abnormal psychosocial adjustments, followed by CL/P. Experiencing bullying or teasing predicted increased difficulties, while having a good friend predicted decreased difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with CFA, and to a lesser extent CL/P, may be at a higher risk of having psychosocial problems. Peer problems may constitute the biggest challenge that CFA and CL/P confront. Social factors, especially being bullied or having a good friend, may predict the psychosocial well-being of adolescents with craniofacial conditions.

Effects of Case Western Reserve University's transverse analysis on the quality of orthodontic treatment.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of using the transverse analysis developed at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio. The hypotheses were based on the following: (1) Does following CWRU's transverse analysis improve the orthodontic results? (2) Does following CWRU's transverse analysis minimize the active treatment duration? METHODS: A retrospective cohort research study was conducted on a randomly selected sample of 100 subjects. The sample had CWRU's analysis performed retrospectively, and the sample was divided according to whether the subjects followed what CWRU's transverse analysis would have suggested. The American Board of Orthodontics discrepancy index was used to assess the pretreatment records, and quality of the result was evaluated using the American Board of Orthodontics cast/radiograph evaluation. The Mann-Whitney test was used for the comparison. RESULTS: CWRU's transverse analysis significantly improved the total cast/radiograph evaluation scores (P = 0.041), especially the buccolingual inclination component (P = 0.001). However, it did not significantly affect treatment duration (P = 0.106). CONCLUSIONS: CWRU's transverse analysis significantly improves the orthodontic results but does not have significant effects on treatment duration.