There is a growing request for esthetic orthodontic appliances and by the effect of this request, most of the companies produced new esthetic appliances. These new appliances combine both acceptable esthetics and adequate technical performance. Recently, coated metallic and fiber-reinforced wires have beenintroduced to solve esthetic appearance problem. In the literature, there are some studies mostly researching on mechanical, color, and roughness properties. They are clinically acceptable but so many properties must be studied and must be developed for better results.

The use of miniscrews for anchorage control during orthodontic treatment has the potential to improve the treatment of certain types of malocclusions. However, miniscrew failures will greatly influence the efficiency and efficacy of treatment. Having a better understanding of the healing process that occurs around miniscrew implants will provide valuable information that could enhance the predictability of their use. There are several methods to evaluate the stability. These fall into two main groups, which are invasive techniques and non-invasive techniques. The non-invasive measurement technique, resonance frequency analysis, holds great promise for the clinical evaluation of miniscrew implant stability. It may be used to evaluate the transition from primary to secondary stability, producing a better understanding of the time periods that are high risk for screw failure. The technique also provides a method to determine the effect that a modification of the placement protocol of miniscrew implants might have on the transition from primary to secondary stability. On that basis, this review will cover the methods to evaluate miniscrew implant stability longitudinally, both in vitro and in vivo.

Background: Skeletal age assessment by hand-wrist radiographs has been found to correlate significantly with the growth status of an individual, but has a known drawback in the form of extra-radiograph and high dose of radiation exposure in comparison to periapical X-rays used commonly in dentistry. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of the study was to assess skeletal age using hand-wrist radiographs and to find the correlation amongst the skeletal, dental, and chronological ages. Materials and Methods : Ninety Indian healthy children in the age group 9-13 years, comprising equal number of males and females, were included in the study. The children were radiographed for hand-wrist of the right hand and intraoral periapical X-ray for right permanent maxillary and mandibular canine. Results: There was high correlation between skeletal maturation indicator and canine calcification stages for both male and female children (0.635, 0.891). Conclusion: Females were more advanced in skeletal maturation than males. Chronological age showed inconsistent correlation with dental and skeletal ages. It was concluded that canine calcification stages can also be used for assessing skeletal maturity.

Objective: The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate histomorphometrically the effects of isoflavones on bone formation in response to expansion of the inter-premaxillary suture in male rats. Materials and Methods: Twenty male, 50-60 days old Wistar rats were divided into two equal groups (control and experimental). Both groups were subjected to expansion for 5 days, and 50 cN of force was applied to the maxillary incisors with helical spring. In experimental group, 10 μg/g isoflavones (IF) were administrated orally. After expansion period, the springs were removed and replaced with short lengths of rectangular retaining wire for retention period in 10 days. Bone formation in the sutural area was histomorphometrically evaluated including the amount of new bone formation (μm ² ), number of osteoblasts, number of osteoclasts, and number of vessels. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for statistical evaluation at P < 0.05 level. Results: New bone formation area (P = 0.003; 2.26-fold) and number of osteoclasts (P = 0.001; 1.87-fold) showed statistically significant lower values in experimental group than the control. No significant differences were found in number of osteoblast and number of vessel values between the groups. Conclusion: Isoflavones affects bone formation in the orthopedically expanded inter-premaxillary suture negatively, and main affect of Isoflavones were on osteoclasts in bone metabolism.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of maxillary expansion rate on nasopharyngeal airway in the mixed dentition period. Materials and Methods: Three groups of the patients were individually treated with semi-rapid maxillary expansion (SRME), rapid maxillary expansion (RME), and removable appliance without expansion (control group). Mean age values were 8.63 ΁ 1.09 years for the SRME group (18 patients: 11 girls and 7 boys), 8.78 ΁ 1.21 years for the RME group (17 patients: 11 girls and 6 boys), and 10.5 ΁ 1.01 years for the control group (16 patients: 6 girls and 10 boys). Screw activation was conducted two-quarter turns per day during the treatment in RME group. Same activation order was used for SRME group for the first week, followed by one-quarter turn every 2 days. Intragroup comparisons were evaluated by paired samples t-test and intergroup changes were analyzed with an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Post-hoc multiple comparisons were done by Tukey's Honestly Significance Difference (HSD) test. Results: For both SRME and RME groups, changes in aerial and total airway measurements were statistically significant when compared to the control group (SRME vs. control: P = 0.049 in aerial, P = 0.038 total airway; RME vs. control: P = 0.048 in aerial, P = 0.011 total airway). When both treatment groups were compared, no statistically significant differences were found in any of the measurements. Conclusions: SRME and RME had significant effects on craniofacial airway dimensions when compared to initial values or untreated control values. Changes in airway dimension were similar in the SRME and RME groups.

Objectives: (1) To evaluate the impact of maxillary incisor inclination on the aesthetics of the profile view of a smile, (2) to determine the most aesthetic inclination in the profile view of a smile and correlate it with facial features and (3) to determine whether dentists, orthodontists and laypeople appreciate differently the incisor inclination in smile aesthetics. Materials and Methods: A smiling photograph of a female subject (23 years of age) who fulfilled the criteria of soft tissue normative values and a balanced smile was obtained. The photograph was manipulated to simulate six lingual and labial inclinations at 5-degree increments to a maximum of 15 degrees. The seven photographs were randomly distributed in a binder to three groups of raters (20 dentists, 20 orthodontists and 20 laypeople) who scored the attractiveness of the photographic variations using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Comparisons of the mean scores were carried out by repeated analysis of variance, univariate tests and multiple Bonferroni comparisons. Results: The results showed a statistically significant interaction between the rater's profession and the aesthetic preference of incisor inclination. The profile smile corresponding to an increase in a labial direction had the highest score among all professions and among male and female raters. Conclusions: Orthodontists preferred the labial crown torque; dentists preferred the lingual crown torque; and laypeople appreciated the mild to moderate incisor inclination in both the lingual and the labial directions. The most preferred smile matched with a maxillary incisor inclined 98° to the horizontal line and +8° to the lower third of the face.

Background: Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a three-dimensional radiographic imaging technique that is commonly being used in diagnosis and treatment planning in various fields of dentistry. Incidental findings on CBCT images are frequently reported in the literature and are important to assess before treatment planning. Aims: To record types and prevalence of incidental findings in the maxillofacial region, identified on CBCT scans and described in radiologist's consultation reports. Settings and Design: A total of 147 CBCT scan reports on 59 males and 88 females between June 2007 and February 2012 at University of California, San Francisco, were analyzed retrospectively. Methods and Material: 147 patient reports by Board certified oral radiologists on CBCT scans taken with the Hitachi CB MercuRay. The incidental findings were categorized and analysed using descriptive statistics. Statistical Analysis Used: Logistic regression analysis was used to compare the rate of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathologies between females and males. Results: The overall rate of incidental findings was 40.1%. The age range of patients was from 8 years to 80 years. The highest rate of incidental findings was in the sinus region (51.7%), followed by dento-alveolar region (34.01%), TMJ region (26.53%), osseous region (15.64%), calcification of ligaments, pineal gland, and carotid artery (12.92%), dental anomalies (10.88%), nasal region (8.84%), and airway region (5.44%). According to logistic regression analysis, females were 2.58 times more likely to exhibit TMJ pathology compared to males (P value = 0.02). Conclusions: CBCT scans are beneficial in revealing incidental abnormalities in the head and neck region outside the scope of interest. Careful review of the entire CBCT image is essential to avoid under- or overestimation of potential complications in providing comprehensive health care.