The use of miniscrews for orthodontic anchorage.

The incorporation of miniscrews into orthodontic treatment planning has allowed for predictable control of anchorage and has increased the ability to correct severe skeletal discrepancy with nonsurgical orthodontics. It is the goal of this article to review the terminology, design, placement, and activation of miniscrews, as well as the advantages and complications associated with their use so that the multidisciplinary team will become familiar and comfortable with this novel treatment modality.

Salivary IgA in response to periodontal treatment.

There is evidence that the quantity of antigen load is crucial for the activation of IgA immune responses. In order to investigate the relevance of these findings in aggressive periodontitis, salivary antibody responses were measured during non-surgical and antibiotic treatment. Twenty-one patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis were monitored for total salivary IgA and IgA reactive to Porphyromonas gingivalis in resting and stimulated whole saliva.