The combination of increased labial thickness and labial inserts of varying stiffness and eventually an air space offers the best protection capacities for hard, small object collisions.

No abstract

Despite inherent errors, cephalometric superimpositions are currently the most widely used means for assessing sagittal and vertical tooth movements. The purpose of this study was to compare three-dimensional (3D) digital model superimposition with cephalometric superimposition. The material was collected from initial and final maxillary casts and lateral cephalometric radiographs of 30 patients (6 males, 24 females, mean age 17.7 years) who underwent orthodontic treatment with extraction of permanent teeth. Each pair of cephalograms was traced and superimposed according to Ricketts' four-step method. 3D scanning of the maxillary dental casts was performed using INUS dental scanning solution(R), which consists of a 3D scanner, an autoscan system, and 3D reverse modelling software. The 3D superimposition was carried out using the surface-to-surface matching (best-fit method) function of the autoscan system. The antero-posterior movement of the maxillary first molar and central incisor was evaluated cephalometrically and on 3D digital models. To determine whether any difference existed between the two measuring techniques, paired t-tests and correlation analysis were undertaken. The results revealed no statistical differences between the mean incisor and molar movements as assessed cephalometrically or by 3D model superimposition. These findings suggest that the 3D digital orthodontic model superimposition technique used in this study is clinically as reliable as cephalometric superimposition for assessing orthodontic tooth movements.

The placement of orthodontic appliances affects the subgingival microbial composition even during the early period of orthodontic treatment, increasing the prevalence of periodontopathogens, especially in the molar region.

The present study shows that patients with AS have a significantly higher risk of PD, strongly suggesting the need for close collaboration between rheumatologists, periodontists and dental hygienists when treating patients with AS.