Objective: To determine three-dimensional (3D) effects of three different rapid maxillary expansion (RME) appliances on facial soft tissues. Materials and Methods: Forty-two children (18 boys, 24 girls) who required RME treatment were included in this study. Patients were randomly divided into three equal groups: banded RME, acrylic splint RME, and modified acrylic splint RME. For each patient, 3D images were obtained before treatment (T1) and at the end of the 3-month retention (T2) with the 3dMD system. Results: When three RME appliances were compared in terms of the effects on the facial soft tissues, there were no significant differences among them. The mouth and nasal width showed a significant increase in all groups. Although the effect of the acrylic splint RME appliances on total face height was less than that of the banded RME, there was no significant difference between the appliances. The effect of the modified acrylic splint appliance on the upper lip was significant according to the volumetric measurements (P , .01). Conclusions: There were no significant differences among three RME appliances on the facial soft tissues. The modified acrylic splint RME produced a more protrusive effect on the upper lip. (Angle Orthod. 2016;86:590-598.)

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OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of anatomical variation in nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses by comparing a unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) group with a non-syndromic control group using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study included 24 UCLP patients in the UCLP group and 24 non-syndromic patients in the control group. Coronal CBCT images were taken in all patients and were evaluated for anatomical variation. The measurements obtained in this study were analysed using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests to compare the two groups statistically. RESULTS: In the UCLP group, there were statistically lower frequencies of pterygoid process pneumatisation (p <0.05), higher wing pneumatisation (p < 0.05), and sphenoid sinus over pneumatisation (p < 0.05), and statistically higher frequencies of anterior nasal septal deviation (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: A higher incidence of anterior nasal septal deviation was found in UCLP patients compared to the patients in the control group. It is likely that for this reason, UCLP patients might be predisposed to sinusitis. In UCLP patients, the incidence of neurovascular structures in the sphenoid sinus was lower than that in non-syndromic control patients (Tab. 1, Fig. 6, Ref. 33). Text in PDF www.elis.sk.

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The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of cephalometric analysis using 3 different digital analysis programs. Methods: For this study, a dry human skull with the entire mandible, maxilla, and teeth was used. Fifteen lateral and 15 posteroanterior cephalometric digital images were taken by rotating the skull from 08 to 6148 at 28 intervals to obtain different images. Two researchers located the landmarks on the digital images independently using 3 computer-assisted analysis programs, Dolphin Image Software (Dolphin Imaging and Management Solutions), Quick Ceph Image (Quick Ceph Systems Inc), and Vistadent OC (GAC Int Inc). Following the first measurements (T1), all landmarks were relocated within a 2-week interval (T2) by each examiner. A paired and the independent Student t tests were used for intraexaminer and interexaminer measurements, and Pearson correlations were obtained. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to determine intraexaminer repeatability. Results: For the repeated measurements, mean differences were statistically insignificant, and high correlations for the repeated measurements were found, and the intraexaminer correlations were significant for each examiner (p,.001). When the interexaminer correlations of 3 analyses were compared, interexaminer correlations showed high consistency and the lowest Pearson r value was the same angular measurement (S ant-n-ss) (p,.001). ICC values demonstrated high intraexaminer repeatability. The highest value of ICC was the mandibular body length (go-me) for both examiners (p,.001). Conclusion: The 3 tested analysis programs may be accepted as reliable for clinical use.