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Leptin, also called the satiation hormone plays a key role in regulating body weight, energy intake, and expenditure. Leptin interacts with its receptors, mainly located in the hypothalamus. Moreover, there has been an increasing evidence that leptin exerts pleiotropic effects. Multiple peripheral effects of leptin have been recently described including synthesis of the various hormones, e.g., sexual hormones, thyroid hormones, and growth hormone, as well as regulation of blood pressure, reproduction, osteogenesis, hematopoesis, angiogenesis. Leptin also plays a regulatory function in immunity.and in the process of tumorigenesis. Despite intensive investigations since leptin discovery in 1994 we have much to learn about the leptin mechanism of actions and effects.

The dental arches were analysed in 3-year-old children without malocclusion evaluating the shape of arches, measuring their with, length and depth. The index of the dental arch and the palatal index were calculated. In children aged 3 years the shape of the upper dental arch was in most cases similar to a semi-ellipse and that of the lower arch approached parabole. This suggests that the semicircular shape of dental arches is not characteristic of this period of occlusion development.

In children aged 3 years without malocclusion the dental arches were studied for the occurrence, position and size of diastemata (interdental clefts). In the studied children most arches had diastemata (in 95% of cases in the upper arch and in 80% in the lower arch). It is concluded that the behaviour of the contact points between teeth is not a characteristic feature of the teeth of children aged 3 years. It seems that the presence of "closed" dental arches--without diastemata, and "open" with diastemata, confirms the presence of two types of dental arches of milk teeth.