Social robots appear to have the potential to improve the well-being of older adults, but conclusions are limited due to the lack of high-quality studies. More RCTs are recommended with larger sample sizes and rigorous study designs.

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Background: Interacting with social robots, such as the robotic seal PARO, has been shown to improve mood and acute pain for people with dementia. Little attention has been paid to the effect of PARO on people with dementia and chronic pain. Objective: To explore how people with mild to moderate dementia and chronic pain perceive PARO as an alternative intervention to manage their pain and mood. Design: A descriptive qualitative approach nested within a pilot randomised controlled trial. Methods: Participants with dementia and chronic pain were recruited from three residential aged care facilities. They interacted with PARO for 30 minutes, five days a week over a sixweek period. A sample of 11 participants completed individual semi-structured interviews at 2 the end of the intervention. Data were collected from January 2018 to January 2019. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken. Reporting of findings followed the COREQ checklist. Results: Four themes emerged from the data: (1) Perceptions of PARO; (2) Therapeutic effects of PARO; (3) Limitations of PARO; and (4) Program improvement. Residents with dementia expressed positive attitudes towards the use of PARO and acknowledged the therapeutic benefits of PARO on mood improvement and relaxation for pain relief but also mentioned the limitations of its weight, voice and characteristics. Residents' responses could also fluctuate during the intervention process, and individual preferences need to be considered. Conclusions: The PARO intervention is a promising intervention to improve positive emotion and there is some anecdotal evidence that pain may be decreased from the perspectives of people living with chronic pain and dementia. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Long-term care staff may incorporate PARO therapy into daily dementia care. Understanding of individual's preferences may enhance the implementation of PARO for pain management in this group.

People with dementia living in RACFs are largely inactive and often have sleep disturbances.• A non-facilitated individual PARO intervention had some effect on sleep duration.• There was no evidence that PARO had an effect on motor activity.• Using wearable actigraphy for research in people with dementia is challenging.

Objective To measure the palatal thickness of both hard and soft tissues and to determine safe regions for the placement of mini-implants. The influences of sex and age on palatal thickness were also examined. Materials and Methods Cone-beam computed tomography images of 30 patients (12 males, 18 females), including 15 adults and 15 adolescents, were used in this study. The thicknesses of palatal hard tissue, soft tissue, and hard+soft tissues were measured at the coronal planes of first premolars, second premolars, first molars, and second molars (P1, P2, M1, and M2 planes, respectively). Results The hard tissue was thickest at the P1 plane, followed by at the P2, M1, and M2 planes, while the thickness of soft tissue was similar among the four planes. The trends in the changes of palatal thickness from midline to the lateral sides (V-pattern) were similar for the four planes. Palatal thickness was influenced by sex, age, and their interaction. Mapping of recommended and optimal sites for palatal mini-implants was accomplished. Conclusions Sex and age factors could influence palatal thickness. Therefore, the findings might be helpful for clinicians in guiding them to choose the optimal sites for palatal mini-implants.