Herbert Simon, an American social scientist, described, in 1947, in his book ‘Administrative Behavior’, the theory of decision-making. The main purpose of his work was to understand the cognitive and behavioral mechanisms that human beings use to make choices. Briefly, what Simon explains is that to make an efficient decision three steps are necessary: (a) to identify and list all alternatives; (b) to determine all consequences resulting from each alternative; and (c) to compare the...

The year 2020 will be marked in History by the coronavirus pandemic, which completely changed the lives of everyone on Earth. As we all know, the disease is highly contagious, transmitted by asymptomatic carriers via aerosol and droplets. The practice of social detachment, keeping a distance of 1 to 2 m between people, is widely recommended to slow or stop the spread of the virus. In orthodontic practice, this distance is difficult to maintain, given the need for orthodontic maintenance, which...

Introduction: When miniplates are used as anchoring for orthodontic mechanics for anterior open bite correction by retraction of anterior teeth and posterior teeth intrusion and retraction, orthodontically induced inflammatory external apical root resorption is clinically negligible. Methods: A homogeneous sample of 32 patients was used, and the roots of the teeth were compared on CT scans performed before and after orthodontic treatment. Results: The observed root resorption was minimal, and...

Objective: This study aimed to compare the root length of maxillary and mandibular incisors between individuals with open bite versus matched individuals with adequate overbite. Methods: This comparative, matched and retrospective study included 48 cone beam computed tomographies (CBCTs) obtained at a university radiological center. Scans belonged to 24 individuals with open bite (overbite ≤ 0 mm) and 24 individuals with adequate overbite (controls). Both groups were matched by age, sex,...

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the cephalometric and occlusal changes of orthodontically treated Class III malocclusion patients. Methods: The experimental groups comprised 37 Class III patients treated: G1) without (n=19) and G2) with extractions (n=18) . The control group (G3), matched by age and sex with the experimental groups, consisted of 18 subjects with untreated Class III malocclusion. Cephalometric (radiographs) and occlusal (study models) changes...

Introduction: Anterior crossbite (AC) is defined as a reverse sagittal relationship between maxillary and mandibular incisors. According to an evidence-based orthodontic triage, the treatment need of AC is indicated if any occlusal interference is forcing the mandible towards a Class III growth pattern. Removable and fixed appliances have been suggested to correct AC. Objective: The present report aims at presenting the benefits of an alternative therapy for the early treatment of anterior...

Objective: To perform a numerical simulation using FEM to study the von Mises stresses on Mushroom archwires. Methods: Mushroom archwires made of titanium-molybdenum alloy with 0.017 x 0.025-in cross-section were used in this study. A YS of 1240 MPa and a Young’s modulus of 69 GPa were adopted. The archwire was modeled in Autodesk Inventor software and its behavior was simulated using the finite element code Ansys Workbench (Swanson Analysis Systems, Houston, Pennsylvania, USA). A large...

Objective: To investigate the effect of ZnO nanocoating on mechanical properties of NiTi orthodontic wires and antibacterial activity. Methods: 0.016 x 0.022-in NiTi orthodontic wires were coated with ZnO nanoparticles using an electrochemical deposition method with three electrodes system in 0.1M Zn(NO3)2. Mechanical properties and frictional resistance of the coated wires were investigated using an universal testing machine. Antibacterial effect of ZnO coating was also investigated....

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of the pretreatment with sandblasting and deproteinization with NaOCl on bond strength (SBS), in situ conversion degree (CD) of brackets in fluorotic enamel, and enamel etching pattern. Methods: A total of 90 non-carious maxillary premolars were used. The teeth were then assigned to six experimental groups according to: enamel surface (sound and fluorotic enamel); surface treatment (Regular etch with 37% phosphoric acid [RE]; 5.2% sodium hypochlorite +...

Objective: To evaluate the skill of orthodontists and oral/maxillofacial surgeons (OMFS) in providing a prognosis of mandibular third molars spontaneously erupted, through follow-up panoramic analysis. Methods: 22 orthodontic patients treated without extraction, presenting spontaneously erupted mandibular third molars (n = 44) were analyzed through panoramic serial radiographs. The first panoramic radiograph was obtained just after orthodontic treatment (PR1), in patients aging from 13 to 19...

Adult patients with anterior open bite and hyperdivergent retrognathic phenotype demand complex treatments, as premolar extractions, molar intrusion or orthognathic surgery. In the present clinical case, a young adult patient without significant growth, with Class I and anterior open bite, was treated with four premolar extractions. The therapeutic result shows good intercuspidation, good facial esthetic, good function balance, and stability in a two-year post-fixed treatment follow-up.

Introduction: Due to the search for more aesthetic and comfortable alternatives to perform orthodontic treatments and to the great technological development, orthodontic aligners have assumed great importance. More and more complex treatments have been carried out with these appliances without, however, having all aspects involved in their use being studied in depth. Its biomechanical planning requires different approaches than those used in fixed orthodontics, as the force systems involved in...