Prevalence of maxillary canine impaction in skeletal Class III malocclusions compared to Class I malocclusions

Outcomes of tongue-tie release by means of tongue and frenulum assessment tools: a scoping review on non-infants

Objective

To evaluate outcomes of the surgical and rehabilitative procedures devoted to release the tongue-tie in non-infants when implementing the most commonly used quantitative/qualitative structured tools for tongue and frenulum assessment.

Methods

A scoping review and meta-analysis were conducted following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews.

Results

The systematic search retrieved 603 (Pubmed), 893 (Scopus), and 739 (ISI Web of Science) articles from January 2011 to December 2021. A total of 50 articles were retrieved for full-text review of which 7 were selected and included based on inclusion criteria. The majority of treatment options have been found to significantly improve the anatomical limitation of the tongue with clear benefits on descending functionality.

Conclusions

The review highlights an overall improvement in terms of clinical and functional outcomes when using validated tongue assessment tools both before and after frenulum release. This highlights the need for their rigorous implementation in research and clinical practice.

Factors That Guide the Diagnosis and Treatment Planning for Impacted Canines Using Three-Dimensional Cone-Beam Computed Tomography: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective. Impacted canines are one of the significant challenges in orthodontics that should be appropriately assessed to provide the best treatment to the patients. Materials and Methods. In the present study, 57800 patients were examined over six years to investigate the prevalence, diagnostic procedures, and treatment methodologies for impacted canine cases. Prevalence and diagnosis were tested using history taking, clinical examination, and three-dimensional cone-beam radiographs. The cases were tested for impaction site, gender, age, signs, and symptoms. The groups were classified for impaction location according to Mupparapu’s classification. Result. The causative factors and the treatment methodology selected were plotted according to age and gender distribution. The total prevalence was 3.9% of canine impaction cases in relation to the total sample cases. The results showed a strong correlation between the site of impaction toward the upper arch and with distribution following Mupparapu’s classification. The pain was the most detectable complication in all age groups, while root resorption was the least. Conclusion. Most of the younger age groups were sent for exposure and orthodontic traction, while the mid-aged groups elected for observation, and follow-up as their primary concern was esthetics. However, the adult patients were into exposure and traction to improve their function.

The Efficacy of Lingual Laser Frenectomy in Pediatric OSAS: A Randomized Double-Blinded and Controlled Clinical Study

This randomized, double-blind and controlled clinical trial investigates how a diode laser lingual frenectomy can improve obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in pediatric patients. Background: Several authors have shown that a short lingual frenulum causes a reduction in incoming air flow and the relationship between OSAS and a short lingual frenulum. Methods: Thirty-two pediatric patients were equally randomly divided into a Study Group (SG) and a Control Group (CG). On each SG patient a polysomnography 1 (PSG1) and a lingual frenectomy were performed using a diode laser via Doctor Smile Wiser technology, power 7 W. After three months, a new polysomnography (PSG2) was performed to evaluate the lingual frenectomy efficacy in pediatric patients. The pain was assessed by a numerical rating scale (NRS) before and after surgery. The CG followed the same protocol without a lingual frenectomy but myofunctional and speech therapy were conducted to qualitatively and quantitatively improve the lingual functionality. In the SG, eight subjects (50%) had severe OSAS and eight had moderate (50%) while in the CG, three subjects had severe OSAS (18.8%) and thirteen had moderate (81.2%). Results: In the SG, 93.8% were classified as mild OSAS and 6.2% as moderate. In contrast, in the CG, 18.75% were classified as mild OSAS, 62.5% as moderate and 18.75% as severe. Conclusion: The study demonstrates how a lingual laser frenectomy can improve OSAS in pediatric patients.