The influence of functional therapy on facial and dental structures. Case presentation

In the era of fixed appliances, some orthodontic practitioners seem to forget about functional therapy. Functional appliances are the only capable of orthopedically changes during the growth spurt. Activators of all types, classic or opened, are elected appliances in growing subjects with class II/1 anomalies. The appropriate case selection, along with patient compliance, lead to improved facial aesthetic and dental occlusion, at affordable prices. With this case presentation, we want to show our protocol in the management of these cases.

Three-dimensional cranial suture morphology analysis

The aim of the study was to assess the normal and synostosed coronal cranial sutures morphology at an ultrastructural level. Different operative specimens of human coronal sutures were collected. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) slices were obtained and compared with the representative histologic sections. The micro-CT scanning provides a three-dimensional view of the sutures at a microscopical level thus allowing to establish the stage of development and the bone morphology. The micro-CT has the advantage of being able to image more slices than the normal histology without any damage to the analyzed specimens. Micro-CT is a powerful tool in the craniofacial area that allows us to obtain many structure-orientated slices and in conjunction with the histologic sections provides an overall thorough quantitative analysis of all cranial sutures.

[Mesialization of upper second molars using skeletal anchorage]

Anchorage represents a great issue that challenged orthodontists all over the years. Nowadays, with the use of microimplants, it has become possible even to induce complex teeth movements.

AIM

To present a clinical case in which mesialisation of upper second molars was performed by the means of using miniimplants.

RESULTS

The present case shows how a bilateral mesialization of upper second molars using skeletal anchorage was performed by orthodontic treatment using fixed appliances and miniimplants.

CONCLUSION

The placing site of the miniimplants plays a huge role in the moments of force produced and delivered to the teeth, thus influencing tooth movement. Miniimplants increase tooth movement control, by the use of skeletal anchorage. The success of their usage depends upon its good primary stabilization and a judicious loading.

[A combined surgical-orthodontic approach of a class II/1 malocclusion. A case report]

This case report highlights the possibility of a non extraction orthodontic treatment, surgically assisted, in a Class II Division 1 malocclusions in order to reduce maxillary protrusion prior to the surgical advancement of the mandible for the correction of the skeletal deficiency. The combined orthodontic-surgical approach optimizes the profile while allowing the settling of a Angle Class I occlusion at the end of the entire treatment sequence.

[New morpho-functional rehabilitation methods in cleft lip and palate]

The interdisciplinary, complex therapeutic protocol of the cleft lip and palate patients, applied in the Clinic of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery of "I. Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, involves the morphologic reconstruction as well as the functional rehabilitation. Functional rehabilitation is the aspect, which gives the esthetics, social and familial integration of the patient, offering good quality of life.

METHOD

In the current study, a new method and concept of improving the phonetic function in the primary and secondary surgical steps, with the effect on muscle and bone, is presented. The new surgical techniques used comprise of the surgery of the levator veli palatini using the method designed by Sader, and bone distraction, during the same surgical procedure. The assessment of the phonetic results was performed using the NARSOM test.

RESULTS

Following up the results of the techniques mentioned above, we consider that they improve extremely well the morphological status, while giving a functional and physiological support to the patient.

CONCLUSION

Thus, they offer optimal conditions for the future progress of functional rehabilitation using specific speech therapy methods.

Treatment with alpha-interferon in chronic hepatitis

The treatment of chronic viral hepatitis with Interferon has been introduced in clinical practice over the past decade an represents an important step in the management of those diseases. The data existing in literature are conflicting about the dose and period of treatment with Interferon, many treatment schedules being proposed. There are also a lot of markers used or proposed to be used to determine the response to treatment, their predicting efficacy being largely studied. The response to alpha-Interferon in a standard 6 month regimen in chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C and chronic hepatitis B and C is studied; alanine-aminotransferase (ALAT) and aspartate-aminotransferase (ASAT) are the markers used to determine the response to treatment.

Pattern visual evoked potentials represent an early index for the evolution of optic chiasma syndrome of tumoral etiology

The use of visual evoked potentials in the detection of optic chiasma syndrome of tumoral etiology has been controversial in the literature. In our study the pattern visual evoked potentials (PVEP) were recorded in 22 healthy free volunteers and in 32 patients with optic chiasma syndrome (OCS) produced by tumors of the hypothalamic-pituitary area, mainly pituitary adenomas with suprasellar extension, proved by CT scan. The PVEP were recorded bilateral after monocular photic stimulation of each atropinized eye, in parallel with a complete ophthalmologic exam consisting in visual field, visual acuity and optic fundus. The main results showed that the latencies P100 recorded bilateral were correlated (p < 0.01) with the types of visual field deficiency, in each hemifield. The changes in P100 latency are more sensitive than the evolution of visual field deficiency by campimetry. The same correlation was observed between the "W" form of P wave with the visual field defect. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) of the amplitude of P100 was observed only if the visual acuity was less than 1/2. It is suggested that the PVEP is a reliable index of diagnosis and evolution for the optic chiasma syndrome aside the usual ophthalmologic exam.

Changes of serum complement and of circulating immune complexes in patients with multiple sclerosis

The changes of total hemolytic complement (CH50), of C3 and C1q components and of the circulating immune complexes (CIC) were studied in a group of 112 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and in 50 controls. The attack was taken as a basis of observation. It was observed that in MS attacks CH50, C3 and C1q were decreased owing to the activation of the complement in the classical way. The CH50 values were found well enough correlated with C3 and C1q (r = 0.535) and respectively r = 0.497) and clearly correlated with the CIC values (r = 0.907). A sharp decrease of CH50 increases the probability of the appearance of an attack with slow remission and the probability of an attack with slow remission is the greater, the greater the increase of CIC values. Low CH50, C3 and C1q values correlated with high CIC values may be considered markers of severity in MS.

[Data on the epidemiology of dental decay in children aged between 6 and 12 years in the city of Cluj]

The authors have studied two groups of children from the City of Cluj. The first lot included 1212 children aged 6-7 years, and the second one included 616 children aged 12-13 years. The study consisted in an evaluation of the status of definitive molar teeth in the period which followed the eruption. The frequency of decay was 47.62% for the first molar tooth, and of 37.12% for the second molar. The intensity index was 22.45% and 11.10% respectively. Six years after the eruption the frequency of decay in the first molar tooth was 85.23%, and the intensity was 56.58%.