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Tracheobronchomegaly (TBM) was diagnosed on chest radiographs as an apparent dilatation of the trachea and main bronchi in four premature infants on prolonged mechanical ventilation for respiratory distress syndrome. In a retrospective study, the parameters of assisted ventilation, the Apgar score, the presence of conatal or later infection, and hypotension were reviewed and analyzed as factors possibly contributing to the pathogenesis of TBM in these infants. The results lead to the conclusion that TBM in premature infants on prolonged ventilatory support is an acquired condition though a congenital defect cannot be excluded as a probable predisposing factor. In the etiopathogenesis of TBM, a repeated barotrauma of prolonged ventilation is a crucial factor while the severity of lung disease and the degree of prematurity, hypotension, infection, and generally poor clinical condition, all appear to be relevant in the development of TBM in a premature infant with respiratory distress syndrome.

The present survey provides a quantitative assessment of caries prevalence, covering a group of 3&ndash, 5 year-old children from an urban area generally with a high income in the province of Milan, and a comparison of the obtained results with the data presented by the W.H.O. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the period from March to September 2018 to investigate the prevalence of caries in a sample of 160 children (82 females and 78 males). The absence/presence of caries was defined as a dependent variable. Factors concerning lifestyle, diet, oral habits, oral hygiene, the presence and type of malocclusion and mouth breathing attitude were considered as risk factors. Data were analyzed by Chi-square (&chi, 2) and regression tests using SPSS (version 25.0) software. In total, 84.38% of children (135 out of 160) showed no caries. A regression analysis demonstrated that children who had already received an early first dental visit were mostly those already affected by caries. Furthermore, children who had four meals daily or more were less exposed to the risk of developing caries compared to those who had only 1&ndash, 3 meals daily. The caries prevalence of preschool children from urban areas with a high income in Milan province is relatively close to that considered acceptable by the W.H.O. in its proposed goals for the year 2020. Therefore, it can be concluded from the obtained results that there is a possibility for further improvement in preventing caries growth at its initial stage: it is necessary for the number of meals daily consumed by children to be controlled by parents, and conducting a dental visit early in childhood must not be neglected.

Summary Objectives To assess arch width, palatal surface area, and volume in surgically treated unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) in mixed dentition children in comparison with non-cleft lip and palate (NCLP) children using a 3D laser scanning. Materials and Methods 38 subjects (Caucasian origin), 5.63-11.9 years of age (mean, 9.33 ± 1.67 years), were included. 19 in each group (UCLP and NCLP). Digital dental casts were obtained using a 3 Shape R700 laser scanner. Intercanine and intermolar widths (cusp and gingival levels), palatal surface area and volume were measured. An independent sample Student's t-Test and an ANOVA were undertaken with significance level set as P < 0.05. Results Intercanine widths at the cusp (5.60 mm; P < 0.001) and at the gingival level (3.11 mm; P = 0.014), palatal area (141.5 mm 2; P = 0.009) and volume (890.7 mm 3; P = 0.029) were significantly lower in the UCLP compared to the control group. Limitations A smaller part of the subjects was in late mixed dentition phase. To overcome this limitation a matched control group was used. In seven subjects with UCLP, some teeth were missing, which might have had an influence on the dental measurements. However, these subjects could not be excluded because eliminating more severely affected subjects, would have introduced bias. Conclusions Three-dimensional evaluation of the maxillary arch and palate highlighted significant differences between UCLP and non-UCLP subjects in mixed dentition phase, suggesting that orthopaedic maxillary expansion is advisable in UCLP. Summary Objectives To assess arch width, palatal surface area, and volume in surgically treated unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) in mixed dentition children in comparison with non-cleft lip and palate (NCLP) children using a 3D laser scanning. Materials and Methods 38 subjects (Caucasian origin), 5.63-11.9 years of age (mean, 9.33 ± 1.67 years), were included. 19 in each group (UCLP and NCLP). Digital dental casts were obtained using a 3 Shape R700 laser scanner. Intercanine and intermolar widths (cusp and gingival levels), palatal surface area and volume were measured. An independent sample Student's t-Test and an ANOVA were undertaken with significance level set as P < 0.05. Results Intercanine widths at the cusp (5.60 mm; P < 0.001) and at the gingival level (3.11 mm; P = 0.014), palatal area (141.5 mm 2; P = 0.009) and volume (890.7 mm 3; P = 0.029) were significantly lower in the UCLP compared to the control group. Limitations A smaller part of the subjects was in late mixed dentition phase. To overcome this limitation a matched control group was used. In seven subjects with UCLP, some teeth were missing, which might have had an influence on the dental measurements. However, these subjects could not be excluded because eliminating more severely affected subjects, would have introduced bias. Conclusions Three-dimensional evaluation of the maxillary arch and palate highlighted significant differences between UCLP and non-UCLP subjects in mixed dentition phase, suggesting that orthopaedic maxillary expansion is advisable in UCLP.

Introduction The cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) method comprises 6 stages reported to be prepubertal (1 and 2), pubertal (3 and 4) and postpubertal (5 and 6), and its use has been recommended for planning treatment timing in orthodontics. Reliable use of the method implies that pubertal stages have to mature into postpubertal as soon as the growth peak is terminated. The present study was aimed at determining whether postpubertal CVM stages 5 or 6 are attained in all subjects. Methods A total of 450 adult subjects (270 females and 180 males; mean age, 30.4 ± 27.3 years; range, 20-45 years) seeking orthodontic treatment and having a lateral head film were included in the study. Customized cephalometric analysis was used, and each recording was converted into an individual CVM code according to the concavities of the C2 to C4 and shapes of C3 and C4. The retrieved CVM codes, either falling within the reported norms (regular cases) or not (exception cases), were also converted into the CVM stages and a newly introduced CVM score (0-9) capable of defining intermediate stage. Results The most frequent CVM stage was 5, while the CVM stage 6 was attained in only one third of the sample. Up to about 11% of adult subjects showed the pubertal CVM stage 4. Irrespective of the CVM stage or CVM score, no significant differences were seen between the sexes or across ages. The C4 showed a rectangular vertical shape in only 16.4% of the cases. Conclusions The percentage of adult population maintaining a pubertal CVM stage 4 is not high, but still relevant from a clinical standpoint. In light of this finding, planning treatment timing-based only on CVM appears not fully reliable.

To assess the scientific evidence for detectable volume changes of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) incident to orthodontic tooth movement (OTM). A literature survey of longitudinal split-mouth studies was performed searching PubMed, SCOPUS and the Cochrane Library, with the last access in 15 April 2012. After selection, 13 articles qualified for the final analysis. One study was judged to be of medium/high quality, six were of medium quality and the rest of low quality. Across all studies, there was very little or no statistically significant change in GCF volume incident to OTM. The changes seen were generally ascribed to the clinical or subclinical inflammation consequent to placement of the fixed orthodontic appliance. A reappraisal of the data provided in these studies was performed by comparing the GCF volume from the test (moved) and control (non-moved) teeth, in terms of effects-size (ES) coefficients and variations, as percentages. Generally, the ES coefficients and the variations were below 1.0 and 20%, respectively. Therefore, when using current methods to collect and measure GCF volume, there was no meaningful diagnostic potential for the GCF volume as an index of tissue remodelling incident to OTM. The GCF volume is not a reliable index for tissue remodelling incident to OTM.

The success of maxillary expansion should not be assessed solely by the elimination of the teeth in crossbite; it should also be defined as the reestablishment of normal maxillary growth. The aim of this research was to quantify longitudinal palatal changes in children treated for maxillary constriction associated with functional crossbite.The subjects included 48 white children (mean age, 5.2 ± 0.6 years), divided into a treatment group (n = 23) and a control group (n = 25). Children in the treatment group had maxillary constriction associated with functional crossbite and were treated with a cemented acrylic splint expander. Dental casts were collected at baseline and at 6, 12, 18, 30, 42, and 54 months later. The casts were scanned with a laser scanner, and the palatal surface areas and volumes, and their increments over time were calculated. Nonparametric tests were used for the data analysis. The diagnostic performance in assessing successful treatment of palatal constriction was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves.Significantly greater increments in palatal surface area and volume were seen in the treatment group up to 30 months (P 0.05, at least). According to the receiver operating characteristic curves, the best overall diagnostic performance in terms of accuracy was for palatal volume at 18 months, reaching up to a value of 0.85, by using a cutoff value of increments of 13.5%.An increase in palatal volume of at least 13.5% at 18 months after treatment is a good indicator to assess the reestablishment of normal growth in subjects treated for maxillary constriction in the deciduous dentition.