Objectives: This clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the stability and failure rate of surface-treated orthodontic mini-implants and determine whether they differ from those of non-surface-treated orthodontic mini-implants. Trial Design: Randomized clinical trial with a split-mouth study design. Setting: Department of Orthodontics, SRM Dental College, Chennai. Participants: Patients who required orthodontic mini-implants for anterior retraction in both arches. Methods: Self-drilling, tapered, titanium orthodontic mini-implants with and without surface treatment were placed in each patient following a split-mouth design. The maximum insertion and removal torques were measured for each implant using a digital torque driver. The failure rates were calculated for each type of mini-implant. Results: The mean maximum insertion torque was 17.9 ± 5.6 Ncm for surface-treated mini-implants and 16.4 ± 9.0 Ncm for non-surface-treated mini-implants. The mean maximum removal torque was 8.1 ± 2.9 Ncm for surface-treated mini-implants and 3.3 ± 1.9 Ncm for non-surface-treated mini-implants. Among the failed implants, 71.4% were non-surface-treated mini-implants and 28.6% were surface-treated mini-implants. Conclusion: The insertion torque and failure rate did not differ significantly between the groups, whereas the removal torque was significantly higher in the surface-treated group. Thus, surface treatment using sandblasting and acid etching may improve the secondary stability of self-drilling orthodontic mini-implants. Trial registration: The trial was registered in the Clinical Trials Registry, India (ICMR NIMS). Registration number: CTRI/2019/10/021718

Introduction: Midline diastema is one of the most common aesthetic complaints in mixed and sometimes in permanent dentition stage. High frenal attachment is the major aetiological factor causing midline spacing. Combined frenectomy and orthodontic treatment can be done to close the midline diastema which may also increase the stability and reduce relapse. Aim: To assess the stability of midline diastema closure by using frenectomy and orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted about clinical trials showing the stability of midline diastema closure by using frenectomy and orthodontic treatment, articles were searched from 1995 to 2022. A total of 521 articles were retrieved. Among these 433 articles were screened. The risk of bias was assessed for all the studies included in this review. Results: A total of five studies were included in the systematic review which has clinical trials showing the stability of midline diastema closure in patients having midline diastema of at least 0.5 mm. Four studies using orthodontic treatment has shown some amount of relapse and one study using orthodontic treatment and frenectomy has shown prominent closure of median diastema. Conclusion: Closure of maxillary median diastema is more prominent when it is performed by using combined frenectomy and orthodontic treatment than orthodontic treatment alone and the risk of relapse is minimal. However, furthermore clinical studies are required to confirm the stability of midline diastema closure by using orthodontic treatment and frenectomy.

In orthodontics there has been a change in the treatment plan of crowding cases from extraction protocol. This was mainly due to the introduction of self-ligating bracket and temperature activated wires. Even though there are certain exceptions, the self-ligating bracket have evolved in orthodontics because of its advantages such as low friction, shorter treatment duration and increased efficacy. Damon’s self-ligating system has been in existence since 1930 but it has been well developed in the past 30 years with the introduction of newer systems. Damon’s self-ligating brackets have been designed to overcome the drawbacks of conventional bracket system and are often considered as the pinnacle of bracket technology. The main advantage of Damon’s system was low friction and shorter treatment duration. But the efficiency of the appliance is influenced by several factors such as Biomechanics, frequency of dental visits and patient comfort. The chapter will highlight the efficiency of the appliance, the various possible outcomes and its influence on the ease of orthodontic therapy.

In Orthodontics, initial classification of malocclusions was based on planar malocclusions in the anteroposterior, transverse and vertical planes that were based only on translation of the jaws in space. In 2007, Ackermann and Proffit introduced rotational components—roll, pitch, and yaw—analogous to the position of the airplane in space. These rotations can result in canting of the occlusal plane. There are no quantitative methods available in the literature for a precise estimation of the occlusal cant. Qualitative evaluation of occlusal cant is subjective and is associated with inter-individual variations. This article describes an indigenously devised simple chairside device that can quantify cant of the occlusal plane in terms of the roll and pitch in degrees. There is accurate quantification of cant, which can be used effectively in many clinical scenarios.