Short- and long-term dental arch spatial changes following premature loss of primary molars: A systematic review.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the dental arch spatial changes in maxillary and mandibular arches after premature loss of primary molars. Introduction: Primary teeth must be maintained during the change from primary to mixed and then permanent dentition, to preserve and maintain the dental arch. When this normal process is disturbed, usually due to severe decay requiring extraction before normal exfoliation, it can result in migration of adjacent teeth toward the missing space resulting in decreased arch length and malocclusion in the permanent dentition. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted using electronic databases such as PubMed Central, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Google Scholar, LILACS, and ScienceDirect. The title and abstract were screened to find relevant articles, which were then reviewed in full to see if they were worthy of inclusion. All longitudinal and observational studies that looked at space changes after the loss of primary first or second molars were included. Quality assessment of the studies was done based on the Newcastle-Ottawa scale as all the included studies were non-randomized studies. Results: Four thousand five hundred and seventy-eight articles were identified by screening electronic database and assessed for eligibility, 12 full-text articles were assessed, and 4 full-text articles were excluded as they did not match the inclusion criteria. Thus, eight articles were included in this systematic review. Short term and long term space changes and loss of maxillary and mandibular molars were studied individually. In the short term changes, the distal migration of the primary cuspid towards the missing space within 1 month was attributable to early space changes after premature loss of the mandibular first molar, and the greatest space loss was recorded in the first 3 months after premature loss. After the premature loss of the maxillary first molar, immediate space loss of 1mm was documented due to distal migration of the primary canine. Studies found that space loss was caused by the distal migration of primary canines in the case of mandibular primary first molar loss, and that space loss was larger in the mandibular arch after premature loss of second primary molars. Conclusion: The greatest repercussions occurred during the first 3 months after the deciduous molars were extracted, and a space maintainer was recommended in the majority of cases, mainly when there is premature loss of mandibular second primary molar as it leads to mesial displacement of the first permanent molar.

Evaluation of requirement of taking panoramic radiographs in children less than 6 years of age - A retrospective study.

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of prescribing panoramic radiographs in children less than 6 years of age. Materials and Methods: The retrospective study was conducted in a dental institution in Chennai between December 2019 and January 2021. Details of all the children less than 6 years subjected to panoramic radiographs were collected. The reason for taking panoramic radiographs was also recorded. Chi-square tests were done to statistically analyze the data, and the significance level was set at 0.05. Results: Out of 2,847 children less than 6 years of age visiting the dental institution, 1.08% (31 children) were advised to take an orthopantomagram (OPG) during the study period. Early childhood caries (75% in males and 66.7% in females) was found to be the most common reason for taking panoramic radiographs followed by developmental disturbances (12.5% in males and 13.3% in females). Chi-square test showed statistical significance between males and females (P- value = 0.003 and 0.002) for the reasons for taking panoramic radiographs in children. Conclusion: Usage of radiographic techniques, especially panoramic radiographs should be limited for children under 6 years of age unless absolutely necessary.

Oral health status for primary dentition - A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Formulating an oral health status which will include oral hygiene index (OHI) exclusively for children, deft index, and the incidence of white spot lesions (WSL) will make it easier for the examiner to assess the current oral health status of a child and help in planning preventive strategies. This index will provide a comprehensive yet quick way to assess the oral health status of children as it includes past caries experience, present oral hygiene status, and future prediction of caries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred children (100 male, 100 female) aged 3-5 years (primary dentition) were included in this study. OHI, recorded index tooth wise and segment wise, deft index, and the WSLs classification were recorded in all the children. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the accuracy of recording OHI in children index tooth wise and segment wise. RESULTS: All the three indices were recorded for the 200 subjects, and based on the area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics, it was found that the OHI for primary dentition can be recorded tooth wise or segment wise. Index teeth chosen for primary dentition were labial surfaces of 54, 61, and 64, lingual surfaces of 82, 75, and 85. CONCLUSION: It includes the past caries experience, present hygiene status, and the future prediction of caries, making it a wholesome index. This cumulative index can be widely used in studies of epidemiology and ensure quicker evaluation during dental health programs in public school systems.

Cardiac magnetic resonance derived atrial function in patients with a Fontan circulation.

To assess atrial function in Fontan patients using cardiac MRI (CMR) and determine the relationships between atrial function, hemodynamics, and clinical outcomes. Two center chart review identified all Fontan patients with technically adequate CMR to assess atrial function within 1 year of cardiac catheterization and age-matched controls with CMR. Atrial reservoir, conduit, and pump global longitudinal strain and strain rate measurements were determined by CMR. Univariate and stepwise multivariable analysis were conducted to detect associations of atrial function measures with ventricular end diastolic pressure (EDP), cardiac index (CI), exercise capacity, liver stiffness and a composite outcome of heart transplantation, ventricular assist device or death. The study cohort was comprised of 33 Fontan patients and 30 age-matched controls. Fontan patients had lower atrial reservoir and conduit strain, and lower reservoir, conduit, and pump strain rate compared to age-matched controls. Atrial conduit strain was negatively associated with EDP and lower atrial pump-to-conduit strain ratio was associated with lower cardiac index in multivariable analysis. Lower atrial pump strain was associated with lower exercise capacity (per 1% increase: ß = 2.3 ± 0.9, p = 0.03) and higher liver stiffness (per 1% increase: ß = - 0.12 ± 0.03, p = 0.002). Higher atrial pump strain (HR per 1% increase = 0.53 [95% confidence interval 0.22, 0.83], p = 0.002) and ventricular ejection fraction (HR per 1% increase = 0.90 [95% confidence interval 0.80, 0.98], p = 0.02) were associated with lower risk for the composite adverse outcome. Atrial function is impaired in Fontan patients and is associated with worse CI, EDP, exercise performance, liver stiffness, and a higher risk for adverse outcomes.

Left Ventricular Magnetic Resonance Imaging Strain Predicts the Onset of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-Associated Cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction before the onset of overt Duchenne muscular dystrophy-associated cardiomyopathy (DMDAC) may direct clinical management to slow onset of dysfunction. We aimed to assess whether LV strain will predict those who develop DMDAC. METHODS: We performed a single center retrospective case control study of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who underwent serial cardiac magnetic resonance between 2006 and 2019. Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy with an LV ejection fraction ≥55% on ≥1 cardiac magnetic resonance were identified and grouped into age-matched +DMDAC and -DMDAC. Within 3 years, +DMDAC had a subsequent cardiac magnetic resonance with a decline in LV ejection fraction ≥10% and absolute LV ejection fraction ≤50%. -DMDAC maintained an LV ejection fraction ≥55% on serial cardiac magnetic resonances. Two-dimensional and 3-dimensional global radial strain, global circumferential strain (GCS), and global longitudinal strain were measured using tissue tracking software and their ability to predict DMDAC onset was assessed. Multivariable analysis adjusted for late gadolinium enhancement. RESULTS: Thirty +DMDAC and 30 age-matched -DMDAC patients were included with a total of 164 studies analyzed. Before DMDAC onset, 2-dimensional global radial strain and GCS were significantly worse in +DMDAC compared with -DMDAC (25.1±6.0 versus 29.0±6.3, P=0.011; -15.4%±2.4 versus -17.3%±2.6, P=0.003). Three-dimensional GCS and global radial strain had similar findings. Among strain measures, 3-dimensional GCS had the highest area under the curve to predict DMDAC in our cohort. These findings persisted after adjusting for the presence of late gadolinium enhancement. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced global radial strain and GCS may predict those at risk for developing DMDAC before onset of LV dysfunction and its clinical utility warrants further exploration.

Thromboembolic Events Are Independently Associated with Liver Stiffness in Patients with Fontan Circulation.

Background: Thromboembolism (TE) and Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) are common and lead to significant morbidity in Fontan circulations. Risk factors for TE and the potential link between TE and FALD are not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between TE and the severity of FALD based on radiologic liver stiffness. Methods: Using a retrospective cohort study design, 85 Fontan patients (aged 27.7 ± 8.2 years) who had liver stiffness measurement were included. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine independent associations with TE. Results: Sixteen patients (19%) had a history of TE after the Fontan procedure at a mean age of 21.4 ± 15.0 years. Patients with TE were significantly older at the time of the last evaluation (33.8 ± 11.7 vs. 26.3 ± 6.5 years, p = 0.03). Liver stiffness by MRI and ultrasound was higher in the TE group (5.1 ± 1.4 vs. 4.3 ± 1.2 kPa, p = 0.04 and 2.8 ± 0.4 vs. 2.4 ± 0.5 m/s, p = 0.04, respectively). On multivariable analysis, higher liver stiffness (odds ratio (OR): 2.12, p = 0.03) and older age (OR: 1.11, p = 0.03) were associated with TE. Conclusions: This study found an association between TE, age, and radiologic liver stiffness.