Morphological analysis of the skeletal development in lateral cephalometric radiographs of HIV infected children ongoing Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the skeletal development of HIV infected children through a morphological analysis of the cervical vertebrae (CV) in lateral cephalometric radiographs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 86 lateral cephalometric radiographs of male and female children aged between 6 and 14 years old. The radiographs were equally distributed in groups 1 (HIV infected children) and 2 (non-infected children, paired by sex and age). Two examiners analyzed the CV according to the method of Hassel and Farman (1995). Spearman correlation coefficient was used to associate age and skeletal development within groups, while Mann-Whitney test compared the skeletal development between groups. RESULTS: The correlation of age and skeletal development in group 1 reached 0.17, 0.27 and 0.27 (p>0.05) for C2, C3 and C4, respectively, while in group 2 it reached 0.65, 0.54 and 0.60, respectively (p<0.001). Differences were not significant between groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HIV infected and non-infected children showed a similar development of the CV. However, the weak correlation between age and CV development in HIV infected children highlights the need for careful decisions prior to therapeutic approaches - especially those founded on the prediction of skeletal development, such as maxillofacial surgeries, and orthopedic and orthodontic procedures.

Influence of the artefact reduction algorithm of Picasso Trio CBCT system on the diagnosis of vertical root fractures in teeth with metal posts.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of the artefact reduction algorithm (AR) available on the Picasso Trio 3D(®) imaging system (Vatech, Hwaseong, Republic of Korea) on image quality [greyscale values, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and artefact formation] and diagnosis of vertical root fractures (VRFs) in the teeth with intracanal metal posts. METHODS: 30 uniradicular teeth had their crowns removed and their roots endodontically treated to receive intracanal metal posts. In 20 teeth, both complete (n = 10) and incomplete (n = 10) VRFs were created. Each tooth was scanned twice, with and without AR activation. The mean and variation of greyscale values, as well as CNR, were calculated for all images. Subsequently, an evaluator compared the amount of artefact (cupping, white streaks and dark bands) in all images. Five evaluators rated for VRF presence using a five-point scale. RESULTS: Mean greyscale values and CNR were significantly decreased in images acquired with the AR. The usage of the algorithm promoted an overall reduction of image artefacts. Regarding the diagnosis of complete and incomplete VRFs, the use of the AR had an overall negative impact on specificity and accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: While indeed reducing artefact formation, the use of the AR, instead of improving the impact on the diagnosis of VRFs in teeth with intracanal metal posts, had a negative impact on the diagnosis.