Probiotic yogurt in the elderly with intestinal bacterial overgrowth: endotoxaemia and innate immune functions.

A study was conducted in healthy elderly living independently in senior housing to assess the impact of a probiotic yoghurt supplement on small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Twenty-three participants with positive and thirteen participants with negative hydrogen breath test were studied before and after a period of 4 weeks of probiotic yoghurt administration. Intestinal permeability, plasma endotoxin levels, phagocytic activity of leucocytes, cytokine production by monocytes and free radical response of neutrophils were determined.

Putative golden proportions as predictors of facial esthetics in adolescents.

Introduction: In orthodontics, facial esthetics is assumed to be related to golden proportions apparent in the ideal human face. The aim of the study was to analyze the putative relationship between facial esthetics and golden proportions in white adolescents.

Methods: Seventy-six adult laypeople evaluated sets of photographs of 64 adolescents on a visual analog scale (VAS) from 0 to 100.

Presurgical orthopedics and satisfaction in motherhood: a randomized clinical trial (Dutchcleft).

Objective: To study the effect of infant orthopedics on satisfaction in motherhood.

Design: Prospective two-arm randomized controlled trial in parallel with three participating academic cleft palate centers. Treatment allocation was concealed and was performed by means of a computerized balanced allocation method.

Panel perception of change in facial aesthetics following orthodontic treatment in adolescents.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the characteristics of panel members, the effects of gender and Angle Class of adolescent patients on their change in facial aesthetics following orthodontic treatment, and to assess the optimal panel size for epidemiological studies on changes in facial aesthetics after orthodontic treatment. A panel of 74 adult laymen (35 males and 39 females) and a panel of 87 orthodontists (37 males and 50 females) evaluated sets of three post-treatment standardized photographs (one frontal, one three-quarter smiling, and one lateral) of 64 adolescent orthodontic patients in relation to the pre-treatment sets of the same patient on a five-point scale. The main effects of professional background, age, gender, and geographic region of the panel members on the aesthetic scores, as well as their first order interactions were evaluated by multilevel models.

Facial esthetics in adolescents and its relationship to "ideal" ratios and angles.

Introduction: Many guidelines, norms, and ideal ratios and angles for attractive faces have been proposed in the literature. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that facial attractiveness in adolescents is related to ideal angles and ratios, as indicated in the literature.

Methods: Seventy-six laypeople viewed sets of photographs of 64 adolescents and rated them on a visual analog scale (VAS) from 0 to 100.

Identification of cephalometric landmarks in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients: are there alternatives for point A, ANS, and PNS?

Objective: To test the reliability of some cephalometric measurements in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients. Measurements with A, ANS, and PNS, were compared to measurements performed with alternatives for point A, ANS, and PNS: A1, A2, ANS1, ANS2, and PNS1.

Patients: One hundred sixty-four children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), with a lateral head film taken at age 4 to 6 years.

Caries preventive measures used in orthodontic practices: an evidence-based decision?

Introduction: Although it is well known that treatment with fixed appliances increases the risk of enamel demineralization, little information is available about preventive measures that orthodontists actually use. This study was executed to survey measures used in orthodontic practices to prevent decalcifications during fixed appliance treatment, and to compare these measures with the available evidence-based information.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all privately practicing orthodontists in the Netherlands who were affiliated with the Dutch Dental Association.

Caries preventive effect of occlusal sealant extension to ART restorations compared with non-extended amalgam restorations.

Purpose: To estimate the survival of retention of sealant extension to occlusal ART restorations over 6.3 years; and to test the null-hypothesis that there is no difference in dentine caries lesion development in sealant extension to ART restorations in comparison with sealant free extensions to amalgam restorations in occlusal surfaces over 6.3 years.

The atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach for managing dental caries: a meta-analysis.

The number of publications reporting on the survival of ART sealants and ART restorations has increased considerably in recent years. A systematic investigation of their longevity is therefore warranted. Based on three exclusion criteria, a literature search in the electronic libraries Pubmed and Medline revealed 28 eligible publications for inclusion in a meta-analysis.

Chlorhexidine varnish for preventing dental caries in children, adolescents and young adults: a systematic review.

This systematic review aimed to determine the caries-inhibiting effect of chlorhexidine (CHX) varnishes on the permanent dentition of children, adolescents and young adults, and to explore two possibly related factors, namely application frequency and the time between evaluation and the last application. The literature search identified 14 publications of randomized controlled trials or controlled clinical trials where the effect of CHX varnish was compared with placebo controls or controls that received no preventive treatment. To obtain uniform outcome effects, the prevented fraction and 95% confidence intervals of caries increment were calculated.

Infant orthopedics and facial appearance: a randomized clinical trial (Dutchcleft).

Objective: To study the effect of infant orthopedics on facial appearance.

Design: Prospective two-arm randomized controlled trial in parallel with three participating academic cleft palate centers. Treatment allocation was concealed and performed by means of a computerized balanced allocation method.

Infant orthopedics has no effect on maxillary arch dimensions in the deciduous dentition of children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (Dutchcleft).

Objective: Evaluation of the effect of infant orthopedics on maxillary arch dimensions in the deciduous dentition in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Design: Prospective two-arm randomized controlled clinical trial with three participating cleft palate centers.

Setting: Cleft palate centers of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Academic Center of Dentistry Amsterdam, and University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Dental maturation in short and long facial types. Is there a difference?

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to study the relationship between vertical skeletal growth pattern and dental maturation in children with long or short anterior facial height.

Materials And Methods: The sample consisted of the records of 312 Dutch children (153 boys and 159 girls, aged 9-12.9 years, with a mean chronological age of 11.

Dental age in children with a complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Objective: To assess dental age in children with a complete unilateral cleft lip and palate and to compare this with a noncleft control group.

Design: Two-group, mixed-longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Cleft group from an academic center for cleft lip and palate treatment.

Treatment outcome in unilateral cleft lip and palate evaluated with the GOSLON yardstick: a meta-analysis of 1236 patients.

Background: The goal of this study was to assess determinants for treatment outcome in unilateral cleft lip and palate, evaluated according to the Great Ormond Street London and Oslo (GOSLON) Yardstick and 5-year-index ratings by means of a meta-analysis.

Methods: Multiple databases were searched for publications in which patient groups were evaluated by GOSLON ranking or the GOSLON-like 5-year index. From the 15 selected publications, the following background variables could be extracted and were evaluated as determinants for treatment outcome in unilateral cleft lip and palate: year of birth, average age of the patient at the time of GOSLON classification, racial background, presence of Simonart's band, infant orthopedics, palatal closure before the age of 3 versus palatal closure at a later age, bone graft, and number of surgeons.

Treatment outcome after two-stage palatal closure in unilateral cleft lip and palate: a comparison with Eurocleft.

Objective: To evaluate dental arch relationships of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) treated with a two-stage palatal closure and to compare them with the six centers from the Eurocleft study that used various treatment protocols.

Design: Repeated-measures study.

Setting: Cleft Palate Craniofacial Unit of Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Infant orthopedics in UCLP: effect on feeding, weight, and length: a randomized clinical trial (Dutchcleft).

Objective: To study the effects of infant orthopedics (IO) on feeding, weight, and length.

Design: Prospective two-arm randomized controlled trial in three academic Cleft Palate Centers. Treatment allocation was concealed and performed by means of a computerized balanced allocation method.

Photographs of study casts: an alternative medium for rating dental arch relationships in unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Objective: To investigate the reliability of using photographs of study casts as an alternative to casts for rating dental arch relationships.

Design: Repeated-measures study.

Setting: Cleft Palate Center of the University Medical Center Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

The effect of infant orthopedics on the occlusion of the deciduous dentition in children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (Dutchcleft).

Objective: Evaluation of the effect of infant orthopedics (IO) on the occlusion of the deciduous dentition in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP).

Design: Prospective, two-arm, randomized, controlled clinical trial with three participating cleft palate centers (Dutchcleft).

Setting: Cleft Palate Centers of the University Medical Center Nijmegen, Academic Center of Dentistry Amsterdam, and Dijkzigt University Hospital Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

A controlled clinical trial of implant-retained mandibular overdentures: 10 years' results of clinical aspects and aftercare of IMZ implants and Brånemark implants.

The aim of this prospective randomized controlled clinical trial was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and prosthetic aftercare of edentulous patients with a mandibular overdenture retained by two IMZ implants or two Brånemark implants during a 10-year period. Patients were allocated to the IMZ group (n=29) or the Brånemark group (n=32) by a computerized balancing method. In the IMZ group, four implants were lost during the 10-year follow-up (survival rate: 93%).

Occlusal characteristics during different emergence stages of the permanent dentition in Tanzanian Bantu and finnish children.

Occlusal characteristics and anomalies were studied among 869 (428 boys, 441 girls) Tanzanian Bantu children aged 3.5-16 years and 706 (319 boys, 387 girls) Finnish children aged 5-11 years during different emergence stages of the permanent dentition. Various occlusal variables were registered according to described criteria.

A meta-analysis of the prevalence of dental agenesis of permanent teeth.

Objective: To gain more insight into the prevalence of dental agenesis.

Methods: Data from Caucasian populations in North America, Australia and Europe were included in a meta-analysis. For the prevalence of African American, Chinese and Arab groups only indications could be reported because of a limited number of studies.

Swallowing thresholds of mandibular implant-retained overdentures with variable portion sizes.

We analysed the effect of three portion sizes Optocal Plus (small, medium and large) on swallowing thresholds in subjects with either conventional complete dentures or mandibular implant-retained overdentures (transmandibular and permucosal cylindric implants). Tests were carried out in 52 women and 15 men (mean age 59 years) 4 years after treatment in a randomised controlled clinical trial. The results indicated that the degree of mucosal support for the mandibular denture did not affect the number of chewing strokes, time till swallowing or swallowed particle size.

Decayed/missing/filled teeth and shortened dental arches in Tanzanian adults.

Purpose: This study assessed decayed/missing/filled teeth (DMFT), presence of occlusal units, and prevalence of shortened dental arches in a Tanzanian adult population.

Materials And Methods: The dental state of samples of the Tanzanian population was studied. Oral examinations were conducted on 5,532 adults from rural and urban cluster samples.

Perceptions of dental attractiveness and orthodontic treatment need among Tanzanian children.

The aim of this study was to assess the opinions of Tanzanian children on dental attractiveness and their perceptions of orthodontic treatment need in relation to their own dental attractiveness as measured by the aesthetic component (AC) of the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN). In a random sample of 386 school children (48% boys, 52% girls), aged 9 to 18 years, the subjective need was assessed by using a prestructured questionnaire, and attractiveness was scored by using 18 intraoral frontal photographs. Orthodontic treatment need was measured with the IOTN, and 11% of the children definitely needed orthodontic treatment (grades 8-10 of the AC with 4-5 of the dental health component [DHC]).