Orthodontics in the era of big data analytics.

The objective of this report was to provide an overview of the current landscape of big data analytics in the healthcare sector, introduce various approaches of machine learning and discuss potential implications in the field of orthodontics. With the increasing availability of data from various sources, the traditional analytical methods may not be conducive anymore for examining clinical outcomes. Machine-learning approaches, which are algorithms trained to identify patterns in large data sets, are ideally suited to facilitate data-driven decision making. The field of orthodontics is particularly ripe for embracing the big data analytics platform to improve decision making in clinical practice. The availability of omics data, state-of-the-art imaging and potential for establishing large clinical data repositories have favourably positioned the specialty of orthodontics to deliver personalized and precision orthodontic care. Specifically, we discuss about next-generation sequencing, radiomics in the context of CBCT imaging, and how centralized data repositories can enable real-time data pooling from multiple sources.

The Relationship between Caries and Malocclusion in Chinese Migrant Workers' Children in Shanghai.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between caries and malocclusion in the early and late mixed dentition in a population of children of Chinese migrant workers in Shanghai. METHODS: Dental charts were obtained for 646 children in the mixed dentition, aged between 6 and 13 years old. The decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and interproximal tooth structure lost due to caries (ITSLC) were evaluated. RESULTS: In the early mixed dentition, overbite was more likely to be ideal in subjects with DMFT > 0. In the late mixed dentition, crowding in both arches was greater in subjects with DMFT > 0. In the total sample, crowding in the lower arch only was greater in subjects with DMFT > 0. In the early mixed dentition, upper crowding was lower in subjects with ITSLC in the upper arch and in both arches and the rate of anterior crossbite was higher in subjects with ITSLC in the upper arch. In the late mixed dentition, overjet was more likely to be ideal in subjects with ITSLC in the upper arch and upper crowding was greater in subjects with ITSLC in both arches. In the total sample, overjet was more likely to be ideal in subjects with ITSLC in the upper arch and lower crowding was greater in subjects with ITSLC in both arches. CONCLUSION: A relationship exists between caries and malocclusion, and between ITSLC and malocclusion, and some relationships may change with dental age.