Masticatory movements are studied for decades in odontology; a better understanding of them could improve dental treatments. The aim of this study was to describe an innovative, accurate, and systematic method of analyzing masticatory cycles, generating comparable quantitative data. The masticatory cycles of 5 volunteers (Class I, 19 ± 1.7 years) without articular or dental occlusion problems were evaluated using 3D electromagnetic articulography supported by MATLAB software. The method allows the trajectory morphology of the set of chewing cycles to be analyzed from different views and angles. It was also possible to individualize the trajectory of each cycle providing accurate quantitative data, such as number of cycles, cycle areas in frontal view, and the ratio between each cycle area and the frontal mandibular border movement area. There was a moderate negative correlation (−0.61) between the area and the number of cycles: the greater the cycle area, the smaller the number of repetitions. Finally it was possible to evaluate the area of the cycles through time, which did not reveal a standardized behavior. The proposed method provided reproducible, intelligible, and accurate quantitative and graphical data, suggesting that it is promising and may be applied in different clinical situations and treatments.

Cyanoacrylate adhesives have been used in medicine and dentistry with some controversial opinions. The aim of this review was to summarize the relevant literature regarding the use of cyanoacrylate adhesives for oral wounds during dental and surgical procedures, with focus on the applications, indications, advantages, and disadvantages. In conclusion, in vivo and clinical studies have demonstrated in the last few years convincing results regarding the safety, efficacy, ease of application, and feasibility of all types of cyanoacrylate adhesives used in intra- and extraoral procedures.

The aim of this study was to analyze the general, geometric, and kinematic characteristics of the masticatory cycle's movements in a tridimensional way, using a method developed by our study group to provide a new insight into the analysis of mandibular movements due to advancement in the potential of computational analysis. Ten individuals (20.1 ± 2.69 years), molar class I, without mandibular movement problems participated in this study. The movements of the masticatory cycles, frontal and sagittal mandibular border movements, were recorded using 3D electromagnetic articulography and processed with computational scripts developed by our research group. The number of chewing cycles, frequency (cycles/s), chewing cycle areas/mandibular border movements areas ratios, and the mouth opening and closing speeds on the 3D trajectory of the chewing cycle were compared. The cycles were divided and analyzed in thirds. The masticatory cycles showed high variation among the individuals (21.6 ± 9.4 cycles); the frequency (1.46 ± 0.21 cycles/s) revealed a moderate positive correlation (R = 0.52) with the number of cycles. The frontal area ratios between the cycle area and the mandibular border movement presented higher values in the first third (6.65%) of the masticatory cycles, and the ratios of sagittal areas were higher and more variable (first, 7.67%; second, 8.06%; and third, 10.04%) than the frontal view. The opening and closing mouth speeds were greater in the second third of the masticatory cycles (OS, 57.82 mm/s; CS, 58.34 mm/s) without a significant difference between the opening and closing movements when the same thirds were evaluated. Further studies are necessary to improve the understanding of the masticatory cycles regarding the standardization of parameters and their values.

Odontogenic myxoma (OM) is a benign intraosseous tumor, but locally invasive, having a high rate of recurrence. It preferably locates in posterior mandibular regions, followed by the incisors, maxillary and; exceptionally, the mandibular condyle. Odontogenic myxoma can be found most often in young adults aged 25-35 years although lesions may occur over a lifetime, reporting the lowest prevalence in childhood with a predilection for permanent dentition. This paper presents a case of a three-year-old boy who visits the dentist because some mandibular teeth have not erupted. Panoramic radiograph and CBCT exams were performed. The tumor was radiological and histologically diagnosed as odontogenic myxoma. It was decided to do conservative surgery and it has been controlled for 4 years with favorable results and without imaging signs of relapse. This case demonstrates the unpredictability of a pathological maxillo-facial lesion, and leads to suggesting early control of the dental development process in pediatric patients.

RESUMEN:El objetivo del estudio fue realizar una modelación 3D con la características morfológicas de un primer premolar superior a partir de su morfometría. Teniendo como referencia un diagrama anatómico de un primer premolar superior y sus variables morfométricas, se realizó el trazado de su contorno (software Catya) considerando al menos tres cortes transversales de la figura: vista oclusal, mesio-distal (AP) y uno vestíbulo-palatino (L). El modelo 2d obtenido se completó mediante extrapolación para obtener una imagen tridimensional en malla que, posteriormente, se transforma a elementos triangulares, quedando el modelo de premolar listo para ser importado al software de análisis de elementos finitos (Ansys). Aquí, estos elementos son transformados a su vez en elementos placa, unidos por haces, lo que le confiere un comportamiento lineal e isométrico. A éstos, se ingresan los valores de las propiedades mecánicas correspondiente a cada tejido para proceder al análisis. La figura así obtenida, permite reproducir la morfología del premolar y las relaciones entre sus componentes. Además, la linealidad e isometría conferida permite estudiar el comportamiento mecánico en cualquier sección del modelo. El diseño computacional de estructuras anatómicas, a partir de un dibujo de contorno en base a su morfología y morfometría con la técnica descrita, resulta un alternativa complementaria para estudiar la morfología y realizar análisis mecánicos de dientes u otras estructuras anatómicas.PALABRAS CLAVE: Morfología, Morfometría, Analisis de Elementos Finito, rasgos morfológicos. INTRODUCCIÓNEs un hecho conocido que el desarrollo de distintos softwares de modelación asistida por computador (CAM) permiten la generación de imágenes de distintas estructuras en 2D y 3D notables, con una excelente reproductibilidad de detalles. De igual manera, se sabe que el costo de estas herramientas computacionales es elevadísimo, sin embargo, la mayor dificultad estriba en el conocimiento y entrenamiento necesarios para su manejo y utilización en un área específica (Vasudeva, 2009), lo que de alguna manera ha llevado a una subutilización de ellas en distintas áreas del conocimiento.Para la morfología, como parte de la biología, que estudia la forma de los seres orgánicos y de las modificaciones o transformaciones que experimenta, resulta especialmente interesante disponer de elementos capaces de realizar modelaciones 2 y 3D. De igual forma lo es para la Odontoscopía o morfología dental cuyo objeto es observar, registrar, analizar y comprender el comportamiento de la expresión (frecuencia y variabilidad) de la morfología coronal y radicular de los dientes humanos (Rodríguez, 2005). La morfología de los dientes está determinada por una serie de rasgos morfológicos dentales coronales y radiculares, como resultado de la expresión fenotípica del genoma de un individuo o una población (Girón, 2009). Estos rasgos se caracterizan por su frecuencia, variabilidad, bilateralidad, dimorfismo sexual, correspondencia y valor taxonómico, cuyo registro, ob...