Effect of tongue reduction on the orthodontic and surgical treatment of dysgnathia.

The results of reduction of tongue size in connection with orthodontic and surgical correction of prognathic anomalies of the jaws are presented. It is shown that reduction of the tongue size combined with orthodontic treatment arrests of tendency to prognathic growth when it is performed early. The results further indicate that the effect of prophylactic reduction of tongue size to check relapse following surgical correction of prognathism or open bite can only be confirmed in cases of genuine macroglossia. Since there was only one relapse in our cases without reduction of tongue size, the indication for preoperative prophylactic reduction of the tongue is limited. Personal results and experience have been compared with the findings published in the current literature.     

A removable oral prosthetic appliance for Bell's palsy: report of case.

An intra-extraoral removable prosthetic appliance permitted the patient, a victim of Bell's palsy, to carry on daily activities with a minimum of facial distortion, pain, speech difficulty, and emotional trauma. Perhaps thousands of other victims of Bell's palsy and strokes would benefit from such a device.     

Inhibition of dental caries in school children by topically applied vancomycin.

A one-year clinical trial was conducted in which, at the outset, 268 children aged 9–11 years were randomly assigned to the treatment or control group. At baseline a clinical and radiographic assessment of dental caries was performed. Thereafter, every morning in school, treated subjects self-applied, for 5 minutes, pre-trimmed plastic trays containing a sponge rubber insert and filled with a 3 per cent vancomycin gel. Participants were monitored every 4–6 weeks for their level of Streptococcus mutans on specific surfaces. After 12 months, the overall caries increment in treated subjects averaged one less DF surface than in the controls (4.42 DFS vs. 3.43 DFS, p = 0.032). The reductions in caries were significant in fissures but not on the smooth or approximal surfaces; also in newly erupting teeth but not in teeth present at baseline.     

Results from a study of the normal values in the vertical, sagittal and transversal plane of early mixed dentitions]

168 (21.7%) of 776 pupils from primary classes in Jena had normal tooth position and occlusion. 94 of them were selected for a longitudinal study. Up to now, they have been examined at the ages of 7 and 8 years. The evaluation of the results obtained showed differences with regard to age and sex. The data reported and the deviations observed may be considered reference values. They concrete the assessment of the growth and development in the orofacial system, facilitate the recognition of dysgnathias which must be treated and optimize the planning and performance of orthodontic treatment.     

Changes in occlusal face height with removable partial prostheses

If the occlusal face height is increased with removable partial dentures for patients in whom no evidence of overclosure exists, then the stomatognathic system will be adversely affected. The reaction to this increase depends on the degree of adaptation shown by the patient. If adaptation is poor, discomfort or pain in the temporomandibular joint and its associated structures may occur. If adaptation is good, then changes occur which tend to restore the original interocclusal distance. In the first patient, adaptation occurred by depression of the posterior teeth and wear of the occlusal surfaces of the opposing teeth. When there is evidence of mandibular overclosure, this condition may be corrected so that the interocclusal distance is restored to its original value. The second patient illustrated this condition. Even though the changes which lead to mandibular overclosure occur gradually over many years, patients' responses to a sudden restoration to the correct occlusal face height can vary widely. If such changes are contemplated, the patient's response to them must be tested before permanent prostheses are constructed.     

Differences in pH fall, phosphorus content and dissolution of enamel in layers of the oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans deposited in vitro on bovine enamel granules with and without fluoride varnish

Bovine enamel granules were treated with fluoride varnish for 24 h. Samples of F-treated and untreated control enamel were covered with maleic-acid-NaOH buffer (pH 5.8) previously saturated with enamel salts and containing a standard amount of fresh Strep, mutons cells plus KCl and MgCl₂ (6 and 1 mM, respectively). The cells were centrifuged on the enamel; sucrose was added to the test and to control systems with fluoridated and non-fluoridated enamel; distilled water was added to non-fermenting controls. After incubation at 37 °C for intervals up to 2 h, fluoridation of the enamel had reduced the drop in pH of Strep, mutans plaque by 0.7 pH unit and reduced the release of Ca and P from enamel. Bacterial P levels were also significantly reduced in plaque in contact with fluoridated enamel. Magnesium concentrations outside the enamel were not altered.     

Electron immunoperoxidase stainings in sections of unfixed pure cultures of Streptococcus mutans

Unfixed as well as glutaraldehyde-fixed pelleted cells from pure cultures of Streptococcus mutans subspecies sobrinus (B13) were embedded in glycolmethacrylate. Ultrathin were sections immunoperoxidase labelled with rabbit anti-S. mutans sobrinus gamma-globulin. It was found that unfixed specimens became labelled as precisely and as distinctly as did the fixed specimens. All controls were negative.