Assessment of Dental Arch Changes and Buccal Bone Thickness in Patients treated with Self-ligating Brackets.

Aims: To evaluate changes in transverse dimensions of upper arch and thickness of the buccal bone plate in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment during the leveling phase.

Materials And Methods: Sixteen patients aged between 11 and 30 years, presenting with class I and II malocclusion, with minimum of 2 mm crowding treated without extraction, were divided into two groups: GI (n = 8), self-ligating brackets (Easyclip Aditek), and GII (n = 8), conventional preadjusted brackets (3M Unitek). The intercanines, interpremolar, and intermolar widths were measured in dental casts using a digital caliper, before (T1) and after 6 months of treatment (T2).

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of low-level laser therapy on the postoperative healing process.

[Purpose] This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of intraoral application of low-level laser therapy (660 nm) to control pain, swelling and interincisal opening following the extraction of mandibular third molars. [Subjects and Methods] Ten patients underwent removal of lower third molars using the same surgical protocol and pharmacological approach. In the postoperative period, all patients received four consecutive daily sessions of low-level laser therapy, beginning 24 hours after the surgery.

The impact of healing time before loading on orthodontic mini-implant stability: a histomorphometric study in minipigs.

Objective: To evaluate healing time before loading, areas compression and tension and location of insertion on mini-implant stability.

Design: Six minipigs were used. Each animal received 3 mini-implants in each quadrant: 1 mini-implant was used as an unloaded control (G1, n=24); the other 2 were loaded with 150g-force at three time intervals (G2: immediate loading, G3: after 15 days and G4: after 30 days), with 16 mini-implant in each experimental group.

Radiographic techniques for medical-dental research with minipigs.

Techniques were developed to obtain standardised intra- and extra-oral radiographs in minipigs for use in medical-dental research. Twelve male minipigs (BR-1 Minipigs) were chosen at random. Two animals each at 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 and 15 months of age were anaesthetised and subjected to radiographic examinations to assess six techniques.

Dental and skeletal characterization of the BR-1 minipig.

This study was designed to characterize the development of oral structures in the BR-1 minipig and to compare these data with literature reports on domestic swine and other minipig lineages. Twelve male minipigs were anesthetized and given physical and radiographic examinations. The presence and chronology of tooth eruption from 3 to 15 months of age were assessed, and the radiographic results were interpreted by two certified researchers, who obtained a high index of agreement (kappa>0.