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Introduction: The hypothesis behind this study is that the ectopic mandibular canines move vertically in the mandibular bone during childhood and puberty. The aim was to evaluate interosseous vertical movements of the ectopic mandibular canines for improvement of diagnostic treatment and planning. Material and Methods: The study had two parts: a cross-sectional study and a longitudinal study. The cross-sectional study included orthopantomograms from 54 patients (ages 9 years and 6 months to 16 years) with ectopic mandibular canines. The longitudinal study included series of orthopantomograms from 14 out of the 54 patients. Two methods were involved in both studies. 1) The canine angle expressing the vertical position (angle between canine axis and the vertical line perpendicular to the occlusal plane) was registered. 2) The crown morphology indicating rotation of the canine, as well as the maturity of the canine (Nolla Score System), were registered. Results: The cross-sectional study demonstrated that the largest canine angles were observed in the most mature canines, often with the canine crown appearing in the lateral view. The longitudinal study demonstrated in 4 out of the 14 cases that the canines moved in the vertical plane towards a more upright position, resulting in a smaller angle, while the other ten cases moved during the observation period to a lower and more horizontal position, creating a larger angle. The crown morphology was unchanged in the uprighting cases, while rotation occurred in the ten cases undergoing increasing inclination. Maturity increased during all observation periods. Conclusions: This study is the first study which demonstrates and accordingly proves the hypothesis that the vertical movements and rotation of mandibular canines can occur in children and young adults diagnosed with ectopic mandibular canine eruption. These spatio-temporal movements are believed to be of importance for diagnostics and treatment planning of ectopic mandibular canines.

This article examines how managers in a municipal social service department use and interpret accounting information and make sense of changes in social work when new methods of cost control, and consequently a need for a more cost-conscious behavior, are introduced. Previous studies have shown that the extent to which accounting information has been embraced by professionals is mixed. Based on a case study where top management, middle management, and staff specialists at a medium-sized Danish municipality are interviewed, it is shown that accounting information can link cost-consciousness with social work practices. The study shows how managers can influence how professionals interpret and use accounting information. Further, the study shows how cost-consciousness can be integrated with social work practices in order to reduce costs and improve the quality of the services. In addition, the study shows how management interpret accounting information as a contribution to the professionalization of social work, and that managers’ sensemaking and sensegiving processes are important in reducing resistance when professionals are introduced to new forms of accounting information.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyse differences in pharyngeal airway dimensions and head posture between obstructive sleep apnea patients with and without morphological deviations in the upper cervical spine and to analyse associations between pharyngeal airway dimensions and head posture in the total sample. Material and Methods: The sample comprised 53 obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients of which 32.1% had upper spine morphological deviations. Accordingly two groups were defined: 17 OSA patients with morphological deviations in the upper spine and 36 without upper spine deviations. Pharyngeal airway dimensions in terms of distances, cross-sectional areas and volume and upper spine morphological deviations were evaluated on cone-beam computed tomography. Head posture was evaluated on two-dimensional generated lateral cephalograms. Differences were analysed and adjusted for age and gender by multiple linear regression analysis. Results: OSA patients with upper spine morphological deviations had a significantly more backward and curved neck posture (OPT/HOR, P < 0.01; OPT/CVT, P < 0.05) compared to OSA patients without spine deviations. No significant differences were found in airway dimensions between patients with and without upper spine deviations. In the total group significant associations were found between head posture and pharyngeal airway distances and cross-sectional area at the nasal floor, epiglottis and hyoid bone level (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001). No significant association was found between head posture and airway volume. Conclusions: The results may contribute to differentiate obstructive sleep apnea patients and thereby may prove valuable in diagnosis and treatment planning of obstructive sleep apnea patients.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyse differences in pharyngeal airway dimensions and head posture between obstructive sleep apnea patients with and without morphological deviations in the upper cervical spine and to analyse associations between pharyngeal airway dimensions and head posture in the total sample., Material and Methods: The sample comprised 53 obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients of which 32.1% had upper spine morphological deviations. Accordingly two groups were defined: 17 OSA patients with morphological deviations in the upper spine and 36 without upper spine deviations. Pharyngeal airway dimensions in terms of distances, cross-sectional areas and volume and upper spine morphological deviations were evaluated on cone-beam computed tomography. Head posture was evaluated on two-dimensional generated lateral cephalograms. Differences were analysed and adjusted for age and gender by multiple linear regression analysis., Results: OSA patients with upper spine morphological deviations had a significantly more backward and curved neck posture (OPT/HOR, P < 0.01; OPT/CVT, P < 0.05) compared to OSA patients without spine deviations. No significant differences were found in airway dimensions between patients with and without upper spine deviations. In the total group significant associations were found between head posture and pharyngeal airway distances and cross-sectional area at the nasal floor, epiglottis and hyoid bone level (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001). No significant association was found between head posture and airway volume., Conclusions: The results may contribute to differentiate obstructive sleep apnea patients and thereby may prove valuable in diagnosis and treatment planning of obstructive sleep apnea patients.

Background/objectives: The aim of the study was to assess cephalometric predictive markers in terms of craniofacial morphology including posterior cranial fossa and upper spine morphology for mandibular advancement device (MAD) treatment outcome in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)., Material/methods: Twenty-seven OSA patients were treated with MAD for 4 weeks. Apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) was recorded before and after MAD treatment. The criteria of treatment success were 75 per cent reduction of AHI. Accordingly, two groups occurred: the success treatment group of 8 patients and the no success treatment group of 19 patients. Before MAD treatment lateral cephalograms were taken and analyses of the craniofacial morphology including the posterior cranial fossa and upper spine morphology were performed. Differences between the groups were analysed by Fisher's exact test, t-test, and multiple regression analysis., Results: Upper spine morphological deviations occurred non-significantly in 25 per cent in the success treatment group and in 42.1 per cent in the no success treatment group. Body mass index (BMI; P < 0.05), maxillary prognathism (S-N-Ss; P < 0.01), mandibular prognathism (S-N-Pg; P < 0.05 and S-N-Sm; P < 0.01), and the distance between sella turcica and the deepest point in posterior cranial fossa (S-D; P < 0.05) was significantly smaller in the success treatment group. The maxillary prognathism (P < 0.05) was the most important factor for the MAD treatment outcome (R (2) = 0.47)., Limitations: Relatively small sample size., Conclusions: The results indicate that BMI, posterior cranial fossa morphology, and retrognathia of the jaws are factors related to MAD treatment outcome. Furthermore, OSA patients with upper spine morphological deviations may respond poorer to MAD treatment., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Orthodontic Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)