Diode lasers: A magical wand to an orthodontic practice.

LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is a powerful source of light, which has innumerable applications in all the fields of science including medicine and dentistry. It is one such technology that has become a desirable and an inseparable alternative to many traditional surgical procedures being held in the field of dentistry, and orthodontics is no exception. The current article describes the uses of a diode laser as an indispensable tool in an orthodontic office.

Evaluation of skeletal maturation by comparing the hand wrist radiograph and cervical vertebrae as seen in lateral cephalogram.

Background and Objectives: Aim of this study was to determine the validity of cervical vertebrae radiographic assessment to predict skeletal maturation. Materials and Methods: Left-hand wrist and lateral cephalometric radiographs of 100 Bangalore children aged 8-18 years, divided into 10 groups of 10 subjects each with equal distribution of males and females, were measured. On left-hand wrist radiograph, the classification of Fishman was used to assess skeletal maturation. Cervical vertebrae maturation was evaluated with lateral cephalometric radiograph, using the stages developed by Hassel and Farman. The changes in hand wrist and cervical vertebrae were correlated. Results: Significant association was observed between skeletal maturation indicator stages and cervical vertebrae maturation indicator stages. Correlation coefficient was found to be significant (P<0.0001). Conclusion: The results of the study indicated that the cervical vertebrae maturation and hand wrist skeletal maturation was significantly related.