Dental age assessment on panoramic radiographs: Comparison between two generations of young Finnish subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the accuracy of a meta-analysis-based dental age assessment (DAA) method in Finnish paediatric patients and to compare the dental development between two generations of Finnish children. METHODS: Panoramic radiographs of Finnish Caucasian healthy children from two generations (early: born 1981-1984; subsequent: born 1996-2008) were analysed. All developing teeth on the left maxilla and mandible as well as the third permanent molars were analysed following Demirjian's classification. For each patient, dental age was calculated and compared with chronological age. Dental maturation patterns between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The study included 200 Finnish Caucasian healthy children from two generations (early: aged 7-13 years; subsequent: aged 6-15 years). In the early generation, DAA underestimated the chronological age by a mean of 3.15 years. The underestimation was only 0.11 years in patients < 10 years, but 3.86 years in patients ≥ 10 years. In the subsequent generation, the dental age was overestimated by a mean of 0.34 years; by 0.40 years in patients < 10 years and by 0.08 years in patients ≥ 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: The present DAA method is applicable to current Finnish children. Differences in dental development between two generations of Finnish children were detected.

Cranial shape, size and cervical motion in normal newborns.

BACKGROUND: Deformational plagiocephaly (DP) and torticollis are commonly seen in infants and they often co-occur, but little is known of the prevalence and relationship of these conditions in the immediate newborn period. No previous studies focusing on the relationship between cranial shape and cervical motion in newborns can be found. OBJECTIVES: Determining the incidence rates and characteristics of DP and torticollis and examining the relationship between cervical range of motion (ROM), cranial size and cranial shape in neonates. METHODS: A single-center, descriptive cross-sectional study including 155 healthy neonates was conducted. Participants were examined during their birth hospitalization. Oblique Cranial Length Ratio (OCLR) and Cephalic Index (CI), indicating cranial asymmetry and shape, were measured from standardized digital photographs with a computer-based cephalometric method. Cervical ROM was measured with goniometry. RESULTS: 7.7% of the newborns had DP and 3.9% had torticollis. 46.4% presented lesser cervical imbalances. DP was associated with gestational diabetes (adjusted OR 5.6; p<0.01) and vacuum assisted delivery (adjusted OR 6.8; p<0.01), but not at all with torticollis. CI correlated strongly with cervical ROM in all directions, while no definite association between cranial asymmetry and cervical motion could be found. CONCLUSIONS: DP and torticollis are common and minor cervical imbalances very common in normal newborns. Our results support the theory that in most cases neither DP nor torticollis is congenital, but rather develops and worsens synergistically in early infancy. Still, although no direct association between DP and torticollis was found, cranial shape is linked to cervical motion at birth.

Management of facial asymmetry.

Asymmetries of the craniofacial region encompass a multitude of diverse and potentially complex abnormalities that may be the result of numerous causes. The expression and degree of asymmetry for a given condition, although a highly variable process, is the ultimate determinant of the nature of its treatment. This article highlights some of the key features and treatment strategies for various common facial asymmetries.