White spot lesions in orthodontics: prevention and treatment. A descriptive review.

White spot lesions (WSL) are demineralizations of the enamel found on the tooth surfaces. WSL are considered incipient non-cavitated caries caused by bacterial plaque activity. Subjects with malocclusion such as dental crowding and fixed orthodontic appliances have a greater number of retention sites and consequently difficulty in cleaning and greater predisposition to caries. In fact, WSL are a frequent side effect of orthodontic fixed treatments. The prevention and resolution of this problem is the goal of any orthodontist because untreated WSL can lead to the formation of deeper dental caries and restorative treatment with consequent compromise of patient satisfaction with the aesthetic result obtained at the end of the orthodontic treatment. This review is intended not only for orthodontists but also for general and pediatric dentists who want to learn how to correctly prevent, and treat this unsightly problem. On the market there are many products sold to achieve this goal, some of them can be managed independently by the patient at home, others require the intervention of the dentist. The purpose of this literature review is to understand how these substances work, to identify with which of the currently most widespread the best results have been obtained and then to provide useful information to guide the clinician in choosing the most suitable one for the patient.

Management of anterior open-bite in the deciduous, mixed and permanent dentition stage: a descriptive review.

Anterior open bite is one of the most complex malocclusions to manage. The interaction of skeletal, dental, and soft tissue effects can contribute to develop an anterior open bite. The skeletal open bite requires a more complex approach of treatment to reach function, aesthetics, and stability. The approaches vary depending on the causative factors and the age of patients. Treatment approaches for open bite patients differ when dealing with adults and growing patients. The aim of this descriptive review was to summarize the main existing treatment strategies for anterior open bite, from the noninvasive behavioural shaping to the orthodontic intrusion with skeletal anchorage.

Compliance of children with removable functional appliance with microchip integrated during covid-19 pandemic: a systematic review.

Treatments with removable appliances are widely used in Europe to correct dento-skeletal dysgnatia in the growth phase that is a period of poor cooperation of the patients. Adherence to the wear-time prescription is often not achieved and it represent the main argument against the use of removable devices. Suspected non-compliant behavior with the wear time prescription is often the subject of medico-legal disputes, which can deteriorate doctor-patient relationship. The use of microchips allows to document objectively and clarify the patient's behavior. To conduct a systematic review of the orthodontic literature to identify the factors associated with compliance in orthodontic treatment. We conduct a systematic review that aimed to identity the factors associate with compliance in orthodontic treatment. The main purpose was to assess the objective levels of time of use of the removable appliances and the self-reported levels. A literature search was conducted by the electronic databases PubMed and Cochrane Library. The following search terms were used: compliance functional removable orthodontic appliance. Randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, case series, qualitative and mixed-methods studies objectively assessing compliance levels were included in the study. A total of 94 articles were identified by PubMed and 14 articles by Cochrane. The papers selected were included for the qualitative analysis and categorized according to the subjects age, the clinical appliance, compliance factors, wear time and monitoring. Removable appliances are an important part of orthodontic treatment, used in growth phase of the patient. Collaboration with removable functional devices determines success / failure in treatment.

Characterization of an endo-1,3-beta-D-glucanase produced during the interaction between the mycoparasite Stachybotrys elegans and its host Rhizoctonia solani.

The mycoparasite Stachybotrys elegans produces, in addition to a previously purified 94-kDa 1,3-beta-glucanase, at least three extracellular 1,3-beta-glucanases (75, 110, and 180 kDa) when grown on purified cell wall of Rhizoctonia solani. We purified to homogeneity an endo-1,3-beta-glucanase of 75 kDa which possesses a low K(m) value of 20 micrograms laminarin.mL-1 and is most active at pH 5.0 and 40 degrees C. Polyclonal antibodies raised against both the 75- and 94-kDa 1,3-beta-glucanases indicate that they are immunologically related but do not cross-react with the 110- and 180-kDa glucanases. Exposure of growing hyphal tips of R. solani to the pure 75-kDa 1,3-beta-glucanase caused them to swell and lyse. A transient increase of the 75-kDa 1,3-beta-glucanase with a concomitant decrease of the 94-kDa 1,3-beta-glucanase and the appearance of a 20-kDa protein were observed at the point of interaction between R. solani and Stachybotrys elegans on plates. Evidence suggesting a precursor-product relationship between the two 1,3-beta-glucanases is provided. Our results indicate that the 75-kDa 1,3-beta-glucanase may be involved in Stachybotrys elegans mycoparasitism.