An electromyographic evaluation of bilateral symmetry of masticatory, neck and trunk muscles activity in patients wearing a positioner.

This study was designed to investigate the attitude of a positioner (Finition) or an Hawley's retention appliance to create a symmetric function of the masticatory, neck and trunk muscles during the orthodontic retention phase. Sixteen patients (18.5 +/- 2.2 years) were included in the sample. All the patients received an orthodontic therapy for the treatment of an Angle's class I malocclusion and skeletal class I, for a period of 2 years. After removal of orthodontic brackets, eight patients wore a teeth positioner (group I) as retention appliance and eight subjects wore an Hawley's appliance as upper retention (group II). Surface electromyographic (sEMG) activity was recorded from the bilateral anterior temporal, posterior temporal, masseter, sternocleidomastoid (SCM), upper and lower trapezius and cervical muscles at mandibular rest position and during maximal voluntary clenching (MVC) at T0, i.e. soon after the removal of orthodontic brackets and at T1, i.e. after 3 months of retention treatment. No significant difference was observed between the two groups at T0. At T1, at mandibular rest position, the group I showed a significantly lower sEMG activity of anterior temporal and SCM muscles compared with the group II. During MVC, at T1, the group I showed a significantly lower sEMG activity of the SCM and posterior cervicals, compared with the group II. The positioner seems to show a relevant effect on the sEMG activity of masticatory, neck and trunk muscles.

[An epidemiological study on dental-periodontal pathology in a sample of the school-age population of the city of Naples. I. Periodontal pathology]. / Indagine epidemiologica sulla patologia dento-parodontale in un campione della popolazione scolastica della città di Napoli. Nota I. Patologia parodontale.

The paper reports the results of a study of the prevalence of periodontal diseases found in a sample group, aged between 6 and 18, resident in Naples. The structure of the survey, the clinical methods of collecting data and the statistical processing of data were carried out according to WHO directives regarding the study of oral pathologies.

[An epidemiological study on dental-periodontal pathology in a sample of the school-age population of the city of Naples. II. Prevention and periodontal therapy]. / Indagine epidemiologica sulla patologia dento-parodontale in un campione della popolazione scolastica della città di Napoli. Nota II. Prevenzione e terapia parodontale.

The need for periodontal prevention and therapy was quantified according to the prevention of pathologies within the framework of an epidemiological study carried out on a sample population aged between 6 and 18 years. Data were collected using the CPITN method (WHO).