Search

Many studies have established dental age standards for different populations; however, very few studies have investigated whether dental development is stable over time on a population level. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze changes in dental maturity in Dutch children born between 1961 and 2004. We used 2,655 dental panoramic radiographs of 2- to 16-year-old Dutch children from studies performed in three major cities in the Netherlands. Based on a trend in children born between 1961 and 1994, we predicted that a child of a certain age and gender born in 1963 achieved the same dental maturity on average, 1.5 years later than a child of the same age born 40 years later. After adjusting for the birth year of a child in the analysis, the regression coefficient of the city variable was reduced by 56.6% and it remained statistically significant. The observed trend from 1961 to 1994 was extrapolated to 9- to 10-year-old children born in 2002-2004, and validation with the other samples of children with the same characteristics showed that 95.9%-96.8% of the children had dental maturity within the 95% of the predicted range. Dental maturity score was significantly and positively associated with the year of birth, gender, and age in Dutch children, indicating a trend in earlier dental development during the observation period, 1961-2004. These findings highlight the necessity of taking the year of birth into account when assessing dental development within a population with a wider time span., (Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objectives: To study occlusal wear of anterior teeth in orthodontic patients retained with different retainers until 5 years post-treatment, and to investigate whether type of retention influences occlusal wear., Material and Methods: Orthodontic patients (n=222), aged 15 years maximally at the start of treatment, were followed until 5 years post-treatment. In the maxilla, a retainer bonded on all six teeth or a removable retainer was used; in the mandible, a lingual retainer was bonded on all anterior teeth or on canines only. Dental casts were analyzed before treatment (T(0)), after treatment (T(1)), and 5 years post-treatment (T(5)). Incisal and canine wear were scored by applying a grading scale. Intercanine width, overjet, and overbite were measured with an electronic caliper. Statistics used were: Paired samples t-test for differences over time; Pearson correlation coefficients for associations between wear and retention type; and backward linear regression for influence of retention type on wear., Results: There was an increase in wear during all time periods and for all teeth. From T(0) to T(5) an increase in maxillary intercanine width and maxillary retention had an effect on changes in canine wear. Incisal wear was associated with an increase in upper intercanine width (T(1)-T(5)). For both arches, an increase in maxillary intercanine width during treatment was associated with less progression of canine and incisal wear, but the explained variance was low, 13.4% and 19.3%, respectively., Conclusions: Retention type and, occasionally, an increase in intercanine width influence anterior teeth wear post-treatment. However, the clinical significance and impact of the examined retention methods on occlusal wear are small.

Approximately one third of the Dutch population has an objective need for orthodontic treatment. Yet, patients mostly seek treatment because of aesthetic reasons. Recent social developments and the increased attention for aesthetics ask for ways to objectively measure treatment need. This is not only important because of the risks of orthodontic treatment, but also because of financial reasons. In this article indices to verify treatment need, i.e. the Index for Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN), de Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) en de Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON), are discussed. All three indices seem to lead to a reduction of treatment need, especially in borderline cases. They can serve as 'neutral' instruments to discuss treatment need with patients and as instruments to allocate financial resources for orthodontic care.