We aimed to find out whether extraction of lower premolars and subsequent closure of the space by a fixed appliance influenced the chances of mandibular third molars erupting.We compared angular and linear measurements of lower third molars on dental panoramic tomograms In 30 orthodontic patients with similar measurements from 30 patients with impacted third molars in intact arches. We found that the mesial angulation of lower third molars was reduced from 50 degrees to 43 degrees by orthodontic treatment (P < 0.001). Distance to the occlusal plane was reduced from 12 mm to 10 mm (P < 0.001). The space available increased from 4 mm to 11 mm (P < 0.001).We conclude that extraction of lower premolars and orthodontic treatment to achieve complete closure of the space allowed the positions of many impacted lower third molars to improve significantly.

A survey was undertaken involving 268 general dental practitioners and 13 orthodontic consultants to determine the content of letters passed between them. There was good agreement between the two sets of respondents as to the appropriate contents of a letter. The feature of a letter least valued by both dentists and consultants was a detailed description of the case, although 54% of consultants described cases at some length when replying to referrers. The information that GDPs valued most highly was a treatment plan, the date on which the patient was seen and the name of the clinician involved, a short case description and the length of time before treatment would being if the patient was accepted for specialist treatment.

Extra-oral traction has two main applications in orthodontic treatment. It may be used to prevent forward movement of anchor teeth and also to provide a force for distalisation of molars, and/or buccal segments. If correctly applied, EOT can help to ease problems in a difficult treatment and make possible an otherwise impossible treatment plan.

Functional appliance therapy can give good correction of Class II division 1 malocclusion. The keys to success are careful case selection and use of appliances that are active enough to work, but comfortable enough to be worn for 14 hours each day. Patient motivation is also an important factor.

Results are reported of a 3-year blind study comparing three different fissure sealants, using a system of contralateral control teeth. A total of 744 first permanent molars were sealed for 186 children, aged 6-7 years at the start of the study. Resin was applied by a dental therapist and all recall examinations were carried out by the same dentist. Resin was fully retained on 77% of teeth at the end of 3 years. After the same time an unfilled light-cured resin was significantly better retained than a filled light-cured resin. The two light-cured resins in the study were retained better on the right side of the mouth than on the left, but there was no comparable significant difference for retention of the control chemically-cured material. The use of enchant in gel form was as effective as liquid etching.

A case is reported of a boy with Papillon-Lefevre syndrome. Despite prolonged systemic antibiotic therapy and repeated professional plaque control, the periodontal condition lead to loss of all primary and permanent teeth soon after eruption.

Successful correction of overbite and overjet after orthodontic treatment may be judged in terms of incisor overbite and inter-incisal angle. Removable appliances can produce worthwhile overbite reductions, but the final inter-incisal angle depends upon skeletal pattern. It is vital, therefore, to make an assessment of this factor when planning treatment for a Class II malocclusion

Results are reported of a double-blind trial to assess the accuracy with which three examiners identified an opaque and a clear fissure sealant. The combined identification error rate for opaque resin was only 1.4%, whilst for clear resin it was 22.8%. The difference was highly significant (P less than 0.0001). Significant differences were also found in the accuracy with which the three dentists identified each type of resin. The most common error was to identify the presence of clear resin on an untreated tooth.

Eleven sets of results from published clinical trials involving the application of fissure sealant resin to first permanent molar teeth have been studied using stepwise multiple regression analysis. Positive associations were found between resin retention and the indices of percentage effectiveness and net gain respectively. An overview of all published trials suggests that for every 100 first permanent molar teeth sealed 32 are prevented from becoming carious. The type of resin used had no significant effect upon the results.