The endodontic treatment need of this Belgian subpopulation was great and the technical standard of root canal treatment disappointing. The findings indicate that there is still a substantial need for postgraduate endodontic education in Belgium and a need for specialists in endodontology.

It has been claimed that agenesis of permanent teeth has increased over the years. The present study tested this hypothesis in Caucasians. Published data on the prevalence of children with one or more congenitally missing permanent teeth were selected on the basis of strictly imposed criteria. Using a meta-analysis, the data were evaluated and presented chronologically. Furthermore, the selected publications were checked for differences in the prevalence of agenesis between the male and female populations. Finally, information on the occurrence of upper and lower premolars as well as upper incisor agenesis was collected and calculated as a percentage of the total number of congenitally missing teeth. From 42 studies on this subject, 19 were selected based upon six stringently applied criteria. Chronological classification of the percentage of children with congenital absence of one or more permanent teeth revealed relatively higher percentages since 1957. Fourteen out of the selected studies presented data on sex distribution. In all but one publication girls tended to have a slightly higher occurrence of missing teeth compared with boys of the same age. The second lower premolars were most often agenetic, whereas missing upper laterals occurred almost equally as agenesis of the upper second premolars. The considered period of time is too short and the available data too limited to describe a possible trend in the human dentition. However, this meta-analysis seems to confirm that hypodontia has been diagnosed more often in recent studies.

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BackgroundAs the rate of Caesarean sections (CS) continues to rise in Western countries, it is important to analyze the reasons for this trend and to unravel the underlying motives to perform CS. This research aims to assess the incidence and trend of CS in a population-based birth register in order to identify patient groups with an increasing risk for CS.MethodsData from the Flemish birth register 'Study Centre for Perinatal Epidemiology' (SPE) were used for this historic control comparison. Caesarean sections (CS) from the year 2000 (N = 10540) were compared with those from the year 2008 (N = 14016). By means of the Robson classification, births by Caesarean section were ordered in 10 groups according to mother - and delivery characteristics.ResultsOver a period of eight years, the CS rise is most prominent in women with previous sections and in nulliparous women with a term cephalic in spontaneous labor. The proportion of inductions of labor decreases in favor of elective CS, while the ongoing inductions of labor more often end in non-elective CS.ConclusionsIn order to turn back the current CS trend, we should focus on low-risk primiparae. Avoiding unnecessary abdominal deliveries in this group will also have a long-term effect, in that the number of repeat CS will be reduced in the future. For the purpose of self-evaluation, peer discussion on the necessity of CS, as well as accurate registration of the main indication for CS are recommended.

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