Can Dermatoglyphics Be Used as a Marker for Predicting Future Malocclusions?

INTRODUCTION: Dermal ridges and craniofacial structures form from the same embryonic tissues during the same embryonic period. Thus, this might indicate a possible association between dermatoglyphics and facial skeletal disorders, such as malocclusions. Early diagnosis of skeletal malocclusions sometimes can prevent future surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to compare the dermatoglyphic characteristics of different malocclusions. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 323 patients who were referred to Orthodontic Department of Mashhad Dental School were recruited. The participants were classified into three groups according to Angle's classification, i.e., Skeletal Class 1 (n = 163), Skeletal Class 2 (n = 111), and Skeletal Class 3 (n = 49). For all participants, we recorded the total ridge counts of each finger (TRC), atd angles, a-b ridge counts, and types of fingerprint patterns. Right- and left-hand asymmetry scores were calculated. The chi-squared test was used to compare the dissimilarity of the types of patterns for each finger. Asymmetry of other parameters was analyzed statistically using the ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests. P-values greater than 0.05 were considered to be significant. RESULTS: A significant difference was determined between Class I and Class III patients in terms of left a-b ridge count (p=0.049). Loop was the most frequent pattern in the three groups, whereas the arch pattern occurred with the lowest frequency. No significant difference was found in the other parameters that were studied. CONCLUSION: Although there were some slight differences in dermatoglyphic peculiarities of different skeletal malocclusions, most of the palm and fingerprint characteristics failed to indicate any significant differences.

Success of Maxillary Alveolar Defect Repair in Rats Using Osteoblast-Differentiated Human Deciduous Dental Pulp Stem Cells.

PURPOSE: The use of cell-based therapies represents one of the most advanced methods for enhancing the regenerative response in craniofacial abnormalities. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the regenerative potential of human dental pulp stem cells, isolated from deciduous teeth, for reconstructing maxillary alveolar defects in Wistar rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human deciduous dental pulp stem cells were isolated and stimulated to differentiate into osteoblasts in culture media. Maxillary alveolar defects were created in 60 Wistar rats by a surgical procedure. Then, on the basis of the type of graft used to repair the bone defect, the rats were divided into 6 equal groups: groups 1 and 2, transplantation of iliac bone graft; groups 3 and 4, transplantation of stem cells derived from deciduous dental pulp in addition to collagen matrix; groups 5 and 6, transplantation of just collagen matrix. Then, fetal bone formation, granulation tissue, fibrous tissue, and inflammatory tissue were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining at 1 month (groups 1, 3, and 5) and 2 months (groups 2, 4, and 6) after surgery, and data were analyzed and compared using the Fisher exact test. RESULTS: Maximum fetal bone formation occurred in group 2, in which iliac bone graft was inserted into the defect area for 2 months; there also were significant differences among the groups for bone formation (P = .009). In the 1-month groups, there were no significant differences between the control and stem cell-plus-scaffold groups. There were significant differences between the 2-month groups for fetal bone formation only between the control and scaffold groups (P = .026). CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that human dental pulp stem cells are an additional cell resource for repairing maxillary alveolar defects in rats and constitute a promising model for reconstruction of human maxillary alveolar defects in patients with cleft lip and palate.

Cleft lip and Palate: A 30-year Epidemiologic Study in North-East of Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Cleft lip and palate are among the most common congenital anomalies worldwide. This study was conducted in order to explore the incidence and related factors of cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) among live births in Mashhad, North-Eastern Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, records of 28,519 infants born between March 1982 and March 2011 at three major hospitals in Mashhad were screened for oral clefts. Clinical and demographic factors relating to diagnosed cases, including birth date, gender, birth weight, maternal age, number of pregnancies, type and side of cleft and presence of other congenital anomalies were recorded for analysis. RESULTS: The overall incidence of CL/P was 1.9 per 1,000 live births. Cleft lip associated with cleft palate (CLP) was the most prevalent type of cleft (50%), followed by isolated cleft lip (35.2%) and isolated cleft palate (14.8%). A total of 92.6% of oral clefts were bilateral and 5.5% were located on the right side. In addition, clefts were found to be more common in male than female births (male/female ratio=2.3). The rate of associated congenital anomalies in CL/P newborns was 37%. No significant differences were observed in the incidence of oral clefts across three decades of study; except for CLP which was significantly more prevalent between 2002-2011 (P=0.027). There were no significant differences with regard to season of birth, associated anomalies or maternal age of affected newborns in the three time periods of the study. Furthermore, maternal age and number of pregnancies were not significantly different among the three types of cleft (P=0.43 and P=0.91, respectively). Although the mean birth weight of patients affected with isolated cleft palate was considerably lower than that of the other two types of cleft, the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.05). CONCLUSION: This study indicates a frequency of CL/P close to the findings in East Asian countries and higher than some previous reports from Iran, European and American countries. Ethnicity-related genetic factors may have a role in the conflicting results obtained from different populations.

Synbiotics in Children with Cow's Milk Allergy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Cow`s milk protein allergy usually occurs in infants within the first months of life. It can affect several organs, but gastrointestinal symptoms are the most clinical symptoms observed. The most effective treatment is restricting the cow `s milk protein in mother and infant`s diet. Lactobacillus GG supplementation in infant could be effective through modulation of the immune system and the gut microflora. METHODS: Thirty two breastfed infants with cow`s milk protein allergy were enrolled in a double-blinded randomized controlled trial in which they received Synbiotic (n=16) or placebo (n=16) once a day for one month, simultaneously with cow`s milk protein restriction in mother and infant`s diet. Clinical gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, colic, rectal bleeding and diarrhea), head circumference, body length and weight were recorded at the beginning, the end of the first and third month of study. Findings : Percentage of increment in head circumference and weight were statistically more in synbiotic group compared with placebo group at the end of the first and third month of study. There was no significant difference in resolution of clinical gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, colic, rectal bleeding or diarrhea) and percentage of increment in body length. CONCLUSION: Synbiotic supplementation in infants may improve increment of head circumference and weight gain, but has no effect on resolution of clinical symptoms.

Dermatoglyphic patterns in cystic fibrosis children.

OBJECTIVE: It is believed that fingerprints and palm patterns may represent genetically determined congenital abnormalities in Cystic Fibrosis (CF). The main idea of this paper was to determine differences of fingerprints and palm patterns in CF and normal children. METHODS: Forty-six CF children (27 males, 19 females) and 341 (113 males, 228 females) healthy individuals were recruited for this study. Fingerprint patterns, Total ridge count (TRC) of each finger, a-b ridge count, and atd angles of all participants were recorded. Asymmetry of the right and left hand for each value was determined and dissimilarity in fingerprint patterns between homologous fingers was compared using Chi-square analysis, Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test. FINDINGS: There were significant differences in the mean TRC of the right digit IV (P=0.009), left digit III (P=0.02), left digit IV (P=0.03), and left digit V (P=0.03). Furthermore, we found significant differences in right atd angel (P=0.001), left atd angel (P=0.002), right a-b ridge (P=0.007) and left a-b ridge (P=0.001). In contrast, we found no significant differences in atd angle asymmetry, a-b ridge count asymmetry and pattern dissimilarity score between both groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Dermatoglyphic characteristics could be used as a supplementary diagnostic method in CF children.

Palm and finger print characteristics in nonfamilial cleft lip and palate patients and their parents.

The aim of this study was to investigate if Iranian individuals with nonfamilial cleft lip and palate (CLP) and their unaffected parents display more dermatoglyphic asymmetry than the normal population.The study group included 55 patients with nonfamilial CLP and their unaffected parents (38 fathers and 47 mothers). The control group included 60 healthy children and their parents (37 fathers and 50 mothers). Total ridge counts of each finger (TRC), atd angles, a-b ridge counts, and finger print pattern types of all participants were recorded. Asymmetry between the right and left hands of each individual was determined. Dissimilarity between pattern types on homologous fingers was compared using chi-square test. Asymmetry of other parameters was statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test.There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of their asymmetry of atd angle, a-b ridge count, and pattern dissimilarity score. However, significant differences in mean TRC between CLP patients and control children were found for the right ring digit (P = 0.023), right little digit (P = 0.032), and left index digit (P = 0.005). Also, there were significant differences among CLP patients and control children (P = 0.022) as well as unaffected fathers of CLP patients and their control group (P = 0.020) in terms of type of finger print pattern.No enhanced fluctuating asymmetry was found in most of the dermatoglyphic traits in the population studied, which indicated a low degree of developmental instability of the sporadic cases of cleft deformity.

Had prevalence of cleft lip and palate differed during the Iran-Iraq war?

Cleft lip and palate are among the most common congenital defects with multifactorial etiology, and maternal stress may have a role in the development of the malformation; thus, the aim of this study was to explore the role of war on cleft lip and palate (CL/P) prevalence.In this study, records of 101,435 newborn infants delivered in the teaching hospitals of Mashhad and Ahwaz during wartime (1982-1987) and recent years (2005-2010) were reviewed. Samples were analyzed for prevalence of anomaly in both cities at 2 time intervals as well as some related factors; χ and t tests were used for data analysis.Results showed the incidences of CL/P in Mashhad during 1982 to 1987 and 2005 to 2010 were 2 and 2.2 per 1000 live births, respectively; however, its incidence in Ahwaz was 1 per 1000 during wartime and 0.7 per 1000 live births for recent years.Despite significant differences that were found in the prevalence of both cities in recent years (P = 0.001), no significant differences were observed during wartime (P = 0.28).The results revealed that CL/P was more prevalent in both cities, but in contrast to Ahwaz, cleft lip was more prevalent than isolated cleft palate in Mashhad, and significant differences were found between both cities (P = 0.007).The study concluded that the prevalence of CL/P in Ahwaz decreased after the war. However, in Mashhad, its prevalence, which was not affected during wartime, gradually increased. Thus, genetic research may be necessary to establish a genetic predisposition in northeast Iran.