Dentistry and obesity: a review and current status in U.S. predoctoral dental education.

Obesity has become an epidemic and a public health concern in the United States and many other countries around the world. The impact of obesity on individuals' overall and oral health and its influence on dental treatment protocols and postoperative procedures have been well documented. It is therefore important for dentists to understand and recognize obesity, educate their patients on its associated risks, promote a healthy lifestyle for their patients, and modify any necessary dental treatments and postoperative procedures for obese patients.

The effects of environment and cyclic fatigue on the mechanical properties of an indirect composite.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the flexure strength (σ) and fracture toughness (K(IC)) of three indirect dental composites (dentin, body, and incisal) with respect to loading (static and cyclic), testing environments (air and water) and ageing (0 (controls) and 6 months in air and water).

Methods: The specimens were 3 mm × 3 mm × 25 mm bars with the fracture toughness specimens having a 0.75 mm notch machined in the midspan.

Gender equality in orthodontic literature and leadership in the United States.

The objective of this study was to evaluate gender equality in orthodontics by reviewing the authorship in three orthodontic journals in addition to the involvement of women in leadership roles within orthodontic organizations and academia in the United States. Three journals representing orthodontics were selected to analyze the author demographics for the years 1986, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2008. Inclusion criteria were at least one first or last author with a dental degree whose primary affiliation was in the United States.

Applicant selection procedures for orthodontic specialty programs in the United States: survey of program directors.

Introduction: With the recent changes in scoring of the National Board Dental Examinations and grading systems in some dental schools, ranking prospective orthodontic applicants has become a challenge.

Methods: A 31-item survey was sent to orthodontic program directors in the United States to determine admission practices of all accredited specialty orthodontic programs.

Results: Forty-four of 64 program directors responded (69%).

Differences between ADEA Annual Session poster abstracts and their corresponding full published articles.

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between abstracts of posters presented at the 79(th) (2002) and 80(th) (2003) Annual Session & Exhibition of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and the published full-length articles resulting from the same studies. The abstracts for poster presentation sessions were downloaded, and basic characteristics of the abstracts and their authors were determined. A PubMed search was then performed to identify the publication of full-length articles based on those abstracts in a peer-reviewed journal.

Phantom bite: a survey of US orthodontists.

Aim: In 1976, Marbach described the term phantom bite as a patient's perception of an irregular bite when the clinician could identify no evidence of a discrepancy. Typically, the patient presents with a history of bite-altering procedures, hyperawareness of occlusion, and a persistent complaint of an uncomfortable bite, usually with an absence of pain. Patients with phantom bite complaints often undergo lengthy, expensive, irreversible, invasive, and unnecessary treatments in search of a resolution of their symptoms.

Factors influencing publication rates of abstracts presented at the ADEA annual session & exhibition.

Factors related to the path of abstracts from presentation at a conference to publication as a full article have been analyzed in the medical field, but only a few studies have been performed in dentistry. This study investigated the rate of publication of articles based on abstracts presented at the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session & Exhibition in 2002 and 2003 and the time lag to publication. This study also aimed to characterize the abstracts and subsequent articles and determine if there were any significant factors related to expansion of an abstract into a full manuscript.

Evaluation of incisor position and dental transverse dimensional changes using the Damon system.

Objectives: To test the hypotheses that the Damon system will maintain intercanine, interpremolar, and intermolar widths. To test subsequent hypotheses that the Damon system will not produce a significant difference in maxillary and mandibular incisor position/angulation when compared with control groups treated with conventional fixed orthodontic appliances for similar malocclusion.

Materials And Methods: Subjects treated with the Damon system (N  =  27) were compared with subjects treated with a conventionally ligated edgewise bracket system (N  =  16).

Bones, teeth, and genes: a genomic homage to Harry Sicher's "Axial Movement of Teeth".

Aim: The model of the unopposed rodent molar was used to study the morphologic and genetic mechanisms of tooth eruption.

Methods: Left maxillary molar teeth of 12-day-old Swiss-Webster mice were extracted under anesthesia, and mandibular molars were allowed to supererupt. To trace areas of tissue remodeling and to determine areas of new tissue formation, mice were injected with fluorescent dyes, tetracycline, alizarin red, and calcein blue.