CONTENTS

Editor’s Choice

David L. Turpin, Editor-in-Chief

Assessment of lateral cephalometricdiagnosis of adenoid hypertrophy andposterior upper airway obstruction: Asystematic reviewMichael P. Major, Carlos Flores-Mir, and Paul W. Major

Most orthodontists have used lateral head films atone time or another to diagnosis enlarged adenoids andobstructed nasorespiratory airways in children. Butdoes this practice help us recognize airway problems inour patients? Enlarged adenoids are often easy to see ona lateral cephalogram, but do they necessarily mean theairway is obstructed?

The authors of this systematic review of the litera-ture found that the evidence is inconclusive. Mostavailable studies have serious deficiencies in samplesizes, blinding, accounting for age factors, or use of arigorous gold standard. The authors suggest that thegreatest use for lateral cephalograms is as a screeningtool for determining whether more intensive follow-upis needed. They suggested that future studies will use3-dimensional imaging as the diagnostic gold standard.

True molar intrusion attained duringorthodontic treatment: A systematicreviewJulia Ng, Paul W. Major, and Carlos Flores-Mir

When planning treatment to close an anterior openbite, how often have you tried to intrude maxillaryposterior teeth with long-term use of bite planes orextraoral traction? Has this ever proved effective inyour patients? Or have you given up and started usingtemporary anchorage devices for the anchorage require-ments? Although there have been claims of molarintrusion for years, no comprehensive review is foundin the literature.

From this study, it is clear that molar intrusion withhigh-pull headgear is achievable. But, with only 1 studysurviving the inclusion criteria, it was impossible to

Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2006;130:11A-12A0889-5406/$32.00Copyright © 2006 by the American Association of Orthodontists.

doi:10.1016/j.ajodo.2006.10.003

determine whether molar intrusion can be accom-plished with other appliances. This is an area whererandomized clinical trials are needed to evaluate molarintrusion with fixed appliances.

Transverse skeletal and dentoalveolarchanges during growthRichard M. Hesby, Steven D. Marshall, Deborah V. Dawson,Karin A. Southard, John S. Casko, Robert G. Franciscus,and Thomas E. Southard

During an age of progress in appliance design,another look at normal maxillary growth is certainlywelcome. This group of University of Iowa researchersmet the challenge with a long-term look at transverseskeletal changes in the maxilla between the ages of 7and 30 years. Transverse maxillary and mandibulardentoalveolar and skeletal widths were measured foreach subject on posteroanterior radiographs and dentalcasts.

The results of this longitudinal study emphasize theimportance of growth when superimposed on our treat-ment of maxillary dental and skeletal transverse defi-ciencies. Transverse molar movements during growthmirror transverse maxillary basal-bone width increases,maxillary cross-arch alveolar process width increases,and mandibular cross-arch alveolar process width in-creases. The greatest width changes occur to the moresuperior portions of the maxilla. The bottom line is thatthere are patterns of width changes in the maxilla, themaxillary alveolar process, the maxillary first molars,the mandibular first molars, and the mandibular alveo-lar process that continue throughout maturation of theaverage patient—with or without treatment.

Treatment of a unilateral Class IIcrossbite malocclusion with traumaticloss of a maxillary central incisor anda lateral incisorRoy Sabri

Since case report editor Vince Kokich implementedtough new standards for clinical material nearly 6 years

ago, he has proven to me that clinicians will do what it

11A

American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial OrthopedicsDecember 2006

12A Editor’s choice

takes to produce an excellent report. For some authors,that means revision after revision. For Roy Sabri, whohas published 4 other case reports in the AJO-DO in thelast 8 years, it means submitting a nearly perfect articlefrom the start.

In this case report, he described the multidisci-plinary treatment of a girl who had avulsed her maxil-lary right central and lateral incisors a year earlier, and

no space maintenance had been performed. The max-

illary right canine erupted ectopically, and the maxil-lary right segment was in crossbite. The orthodonticand restorative treatment involved arch expansion tocreate arch length, distal movement of the maxillaryright posterior teeth, and space opening in the maxillaryright anterior area for 2 implants to replace the rightlateral and central incisors. This was definitely a uniquesituation with a unique treatment plan and excellent

results. Enjoy.