Weight status and body image perception in Italian children.

BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests there is a tendency in overweight subjects to underestimate their weight status. This study investigated the perception of body image in Italian children, with particular regard to overweight children. METHODS: Primary school children (n = 866) were recruited for this cross-sectional nutritional survey in northern Italy. Anthropometric measurements were performed to determine body mass index (BMI). Body image perception was assessed with the Body Silhouette Chart for preadolescent children shown to the children and to their mothers (n = 778) during an interview. A new scheme to identify wrong (F.1, F.2) or inappropriate (F.3) self figure responses in overweight subjects was used. RESULTS: More than one-third of the Italian children examined were above the normal BMI range (prevalence of overweight: 35.8%, girls; 37.2%, boys). A higher degree of dissatisfaction was expressed by girls than by boys, and the percentage increased in overweight/obese children. A discrepancy between the self figure perception and the real nutritional status of the subject occurred in 6-9% of the overweight/obese children. CONCLUSION: The comparison of body image perception and anthropometric assessment of nutritional status could play an important role in future programs of nutritional surveillance as they provide indications of dissatisfaction and body image disturbances.

Essix appliances. Provisional anterior prosthesis for pre and post implant patients.

Missing anterior teeth are being replaced by implant-supported restorations quite frequently in modern dentistry. Providing the patient with a temporary prosthesis prior to or following implant fixture placement must satisfy established esthetic and functional criteria. When orthodontic treatment is included as part of the overall treatment effort, additional considerations include the retention and stabilization of newly established tooth positions. This article describes the fabrication, use and advantages of a provisional anterior prosthesis that replaces missing teeth prior to or following implant placement.

Periodontal and restorative considerations of molar uprighting.

The sequelae to the loss of a tooth are both numerous and varied. Furthermore, the ramifications of tooth loss increase in severity with time. Consequently, corrective therapeutic measures can become complex both in the diagnosis and treatment of these situations. As the demand for more predictable treatment results grows, the requirements for more efficacious treatment modalities grow as well. Therefore, the need for interdisciplinary treatment within the various areas of dentistry to assist in the complex rehabilitation becomes very important. The purpose of this article is to examine the various benefits of molar uprighting from periodontal, orthodontic, and restorative viewpoints, and to suggest a classification whereby the clinician is directed toward a multidisciplinary treatment approach.

Esthetic periodontics.

Periodontal therapy has developed beyond the scope of the treatment of periodontal pathoses. Periodontal plastic surgery has evolved beyond the techniques of mucogingival surgery and now consists of the regenerative and reconstructive procedures designed to enhance esthetics. This article briefly reviews the historical development of root coverage, ridge augmentation, and papilla preservation and provides an update of the current pertinent literature.

An analysis of articulators.

There are situations that do not demand absolute precision and duplication of all pathways. One example is complete denture construction. Denture base movement and tissue resiliency cannot registered accurately. Corrections for these conditions must be made directly. Instruments that use mechanical equivalents and/or accept positional registrations are suitable for this procedure. Instruments used for teaching purposes such as waxing exercises need not be capable of duplicating eccentric pathways. These instruments should be capable of demonstrating alterations of Bennett movement (immediate and progressive side shift) and protrusive inclinations. It would be most convenient and practical for dental schools to use the same instruments for complete dentures and occlusion courses. Static positional instruments are ideal for use in crown and bridge and operative departments, and in the treatment of patients in whom centric occlusion is to be preserved. Instruments that are fully adjustable for eccentric registrations are useful for demonstration purposes, postdoctoral teaching, and for patients requiring extensive reconstruction.