The effectiveness of Class II, division 1 treatment.

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment in terms of two outcome variables, namely, the percentage change in a valid and reliable occlusal index, the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) score, and the duration of treatment. Data were collected from the records of 250 patients with Class II, Division 1 malocclusions who were treated in the Orthodontic Department of the University of Pittsburgh between 1977 and 1989. The relationships between the outcome and the treatment variables were analyzed with multiple regression techniques. Those variables significantly associated with the duration of treatment (p < 0.01) were (1) the pretreatment PAR score, (2) the number of treatment stages, (3) the percentage of appointments attended, (4) the number of appliance repairs, and (5) whether the patient was treated with or without extractions. The only variable that influenced the percentage change in PAR was the pretreatment PAR score (p < 0.01).

The dentofacial morphology of bruxers versus non-bruxers.

The dentofacial morphology of 35 bruxers was compared with that of 28 non-bruxers. Direct head and facial measurements were made using anthropometric spreading calipers. Cephalic (head width vs. head length), facial (face height vs. face width), and "gonial" (gonial width vs. zygomatic width) indices were calculated, then headform and facial type were determined for all subjects. The findings demonstrated no difference in the dentofacial morphology between bruxers and non-bruxers (Chi square, P < or = 0.05). The predominant craniofacial type and dental morphology of both bruxers and non-bruxers were: dolichocephalic headform, euryprosopic facial type, and Angle Class I dental occlusion.

The influence of perennial allergic rhinitis on facial type and a pilot study of the effect of allergy management on facial growth patterns.

Perennial rhinitis with an allergic component (PRAC) in association with chronic mouthbreathing has been thought to cause skeletal open-bite facial type and narrow transverse facial dimensions. The object of this study was to supply data for this theory and to determine if allergy management would alter the course of facial growth. When a group of children, aged 5 to 10 years, with PRAC was compared with a matched control sample, a significantly larger palatomandibular angle and lower anterior facial height were found for the PRAC group. Transverse cephalometric measurements showed significantly narrower bilateral orbital breadth, bizygomatic, and binasal dimensions (narrower face) of the PRAC patients compared with the control sample. A pilot study of twelve PRAC patients who received 2 1/2 years of allergy management revealed no significant dento-facial dimensional change. This study suggests that PRAC with chronic mouthbreathing can alter the development of the midface. Whether allergy therapy can prevent or change this is as yet uncertain.

Cephalometric study of American black children with sickle-cell disease.

The effects of sickle-cell disease on skeletal maturation are well documented. The objective of this study was to investigate the possible effects of sickle-cell disease on the growth of the dentofacial complex. The results of this study indicated that: The sickle-cell group seems to have a more protrusive maxilla and a more forward growth tendency of the mandible. The group also exhibited significantly retruded maxillary and mandibular incisors.