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Objective: To assess the plotting reproducibility of landmarks on 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) images through use of the 95% confidence ellipse in order to propose sufficiently stable coordinate systems for 3D-CT measurements. Materials and Methods: Six dentists plotted 19 landmarks twice on 3D-CT images. Scatterplots and the 95% ellipses were produced 3-dimensionally, and the areas of the ellipses were calculated for evaluating the reproducibility of landmarks. [Or], and true porion [Po]) that are frequently used as reference points on cephalograms, Ba showed the smallest areas for all three coordinate axes, indicating high reproducibility. The coronoid process (CP) and the tooth-related landmarks showed relatively high reproducibility. Conclusion: Sufficiently stable coordinate axes could be proposed for different treatments and studies.

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Objective: To report the occurrence of taurodontism in a clinical sample of Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) and describe its association with hypodontia and cleft type. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study was carried out on chart reviews and radiographs of 13 persons with VWS. Mean age was 10 years 11 months Ϯ 1 year 5 months. Panoramic radiographs were used to confirm the presence or absence of teeth and to measure crown body and root lengths of mandibular first molars. Three-dimensional cone beam computed tomography (CT) scans were available on two persons with VWS. Both volumetric and linear measurements were obtained. Results:The occurrence of taurodontism of the mandibular first molar was 35%: 27% hypodont and 8% mesodont. Of the 13 subjects with VWS, 6 (4 males and 2 females) had at least one tooth identified with taurodontism. Half of the cases were unilateral and half were bilateral, and all of the unilateral cases were on the left side. Five of the six subjects with taurodontism had missing incisors and premolars. Taurodontism was two times more frequent in those who were missing their second premolars than in those who had their second premolars. There was no correlation between cleft type and presence of taurodontism. The cone beam CT pilot study on two persons showed very abnormal morphology of both crown and roots, which was not apparent on the standard panoramic radiograph. Both the volumetric and linear measurements of the ratio of crown body to root were highly indicative of taurodontism. Further genetic studies are needed. Conclusion: There is a likely association between VWS and taurodontism.

Objective: To compare the reproducibility of landmark identification on three-dimensional (3D) conebeam computed tomography (CBCT) images between procedures based on traditional cephalometric definitions (procedure 1) and those tentatively proposed for 3D images (procedure 2). Materials and Methods: A phantom with embedded dried human skull was scanned using CBCT. The acquired volume data were transferred to a personal computer, and 3D images were reconstructed. Eighteen dentists plotted nine landmarks related to the jaws and teeth four times: menton (Me), pogonion (Po), upper-1 (U1), lower-1 (L1), left upper-6 (U6), left lower-6 (L6), gonion (Go), condyle (Cd), and coronoid process (Cp). The plotting reliabilities of the two procedures were compared by calculating standard deviations (SDs) in three components (x, y, and z) of coordinates and volumes of 95% confidence ellipsoid. Results: All 27 SDs for procedure 2 were less than 1 mm, and only five of them exceeded 0.5 mm. The variations were significantly different between the two procedures, and the SDs of procedure 2 were smaller than those of procedure 1 in 21 components of coordinates. The ellipsoid volumes were also smaller for procedure 2 than procedure 1, although a significant difference was not found. Conclusions: Definitions determined strictly on each three sectional images, such as for procedure 2, were required for sufficient reliability in identifying the landmark related to the jaws and teeth. (Angle Orthod. 2011;81:843-849.)