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In the present investigation the frequency of oral ulcers and pain in 161 orthodontic patients was recorded. Of all patients, 95% had experienced pain, but 84.5% said that the pain lasted a few days only. About 11% maintained that the treatment was constantly painful. Significantly more patients coming from private clinics complained of pain than those attending treatment at the Department of Orthodontics. About 50% said that activating or changing archwire was most annoying, whereas 28.7% said ulceration and 21% said headgear was the most annoying part of the treatment. According to 75% of the patients, sleeping habits were not influenced. Only eight patients reported truancy, and seven of these had done this only once. Of all patients, 6.2% had requested interim visits. Small wounds caused by the fixed appliance were reported by 75.8% of the patients, and 2.5% had suffered badly from ulceration caused by the fixed appliances. More girls than boys reported ulceration. There was a significant sex difference as regards recurrent aphthous ulceration (RAU). Increase in the frequency of RAU was reported by 23.1% of the girls and 9.6% of the boys while they had fixed appliances.

This study describes the long-term effects of surgical ablation of the pineal gland on the spine of 3-yr-old Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) with a mean weight of 3.2 kg. Radiographic examinations showed that 82% of the pinealectomized fish developed marked lateral (scoliosis) and dorso-ventral spinal curvatures. The proportions of the individual vertebral bodies and their mechanical properties were also altered. The stiffness, yield limit and resilience of the vertebral bodies, as measured by compression in the cranio-caudal direction, were significantly lower in the pinealectomized than in the sham-pinealectomized group. Calcium, phosphorous and total mineral content of the vertebral bodies were also significantly lower in the pinealectomized fish, while these parameters were similar in scales in the two groups. Alterations of the spinal curve accompanied by changes in the proportions, mechanical strength and mineral content of the vertebral bodies of the pinealectomized salmon indicate that melatonin has several functions related to vertebral bone growth. As the lesions found in salmon are similar to the spinal malformations observed in avian species and mammals after pinealectomy, this study strengthens the hypothesis of a phylogenetically conserved function of the pineal gland related to skeletal development.