Young Chel Park

A comparison of tapered and cylindrical miniscrew stability

OBJECTIVES This study compared the stability of tapered miniscrews with cylindrical miniscrews. MATERIALS/METHODS One hundred and five tapered and 122 cylindrical self-drilling miniscrews were placed into the maxillary and mandibular buccal alveolar areas of 132 patients (43 males and 89 females). The insertion torque and removal torque were measured and Periotest values (PTVs) were recorded at implantation. RESULTS The success rates of the tapered and cylindrical miniscrews examined were similar. In the maxilla, the insertion torque of the tapered miniscrews (8.3 Ncm) was significantly higher than that of the cylindrical miniscrews (6.3 Ncm) (P < 0.05). The PTVs of the tapered miniscrews were statistically significantly lower in the maxilla (P < 0.05). The removal torque values showed no significant difference between the tapered and cylindrical miniscrews in the upper and lower buccal areas (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Tapered miniscrews had higher initial stability when compared to cylindrical miniscrews, whereas the clinical success rates and removal torques were similar between the two designs. The long-term stability is not directly affected by the miniscrew design.

Distalization pattern of whole maxillary dentition according to force application points

Objective The purpose of this study was to observe stress distribution and displacement patterns of the entire maxillary arch with regard to distalizing force vectors applied from interdental miniscrews. Methods A standard three-dimensional finite element model was constructed to simulate the maxillary teeth, periodontal ligament, and alveolar process. The displacement of each tooth was calculated on x, y, and z axes, and the von Mises stress distribution was visualized using color-coded scales. Results A single distalizing force at the archwire level induced lingual inclination of the anterior segment, and slight intrusive distal tipping of the posterior segment. In contrast, force at the high level of the retraction hook resulted in lingual root movement of the anterior segment, and extrusive distal translation of the posterior segment. As the force application point was located posteriorly along the archwire, the likelihood of extrusive lingual inclination of the anterior segment increased, and the vertical component of the force led to intrusion and buccal tipping of the posterior segment. Rotation of the occlusal plane was dependent on the relationship between the line of force and the possible center of resistance of the entire arch. Conclusions Displacement of the entire arch may be dictated by a direct relationship between the center of resistance of the whole arch and the line of action generated between the miniscrews and force application points at the archwire, which makes the total arch movement highly predictable.

Evaluation of mandibular cortical bone thickness for placement of temporary anchorage devices (TADs)

Objective In this study, we measured the cortical bone thickness in the mandibular buccal and lingual areas using computed tomography in order to evaluate the suitability of these areas for application of temporary anchorage devices (TADs) and to suggest a clinical guide for TADs. Methods The buccal and lingual cortical bone thickness was measured in 15 men and 15 women. Bone thickness was measured 4 mm apical to the interdental cementoenamel junction between the mandibular canine and the 2nd molar using the transaxial slices in computed tomography images. Results The cortical bone in the mandibular buccal and lingual areas was thicker in men than in women. In men, the mandibular lingual cortical bone was thicker than the buccal cortical bone, except between the 1st and 2nd molars on both sides. In women, the mandibular lingual cortical bone was thicker in all regions when compared to the buccal cortical bone. The mandibular buccal cortical bone thickness increased from the canine to the molars. The mandibular lingual cortical bone was thickest between the 1st and 2nd premolars, followed by the areas between the canine and 1st premolar, between the 2nd premolar and 1st molar, and between the 1st molar and 2nd molar. Conclusions There is sufficient cortical bone for TAD applications in the mandibular buccal and lingual areas. This provides the basis and guidelines for the clinical use of TADs in the mandibular buccal and lingual areas.

Controlled Space Closure with a Statically Determinate Retraction System

We designed a variant of a cantilever spring, the statically determinate retraction system, and studied its mechanical characteristics. This novel system consisted of a single-force cantilever arm made of 0.017 x 0.025-inch titanium molybdenum alloy wire for active retraction and a passive rigid stabilizing unit. Since the active component for space closure is a cantilever, it is simple to measure the force system of the spring with a force gauge (ie, the system is a statically determinate system). A torque tester apparatus was used to examine the property of this retraction spring with a helix at the posterior and a simple bend at the anterior. Both a standard shape and modified shapes of the spring were studied. At full activation, the standard spring delivered 163 g with a load-deflection rate of six g/mm. When the magnitude of the anterior bend of the spring was increased, the horizontal component of the force increased more than the vertical component. In contrast, when the posterior bend of the spring increased, the vertical component of the force increased more than the horizontal component. A clinical case presented here clearly demonstrates the versatility and applicability of the spring.

Three-dimensional evaluation of maxillary anterior alveolar bone for optimal placement of miniscrew implants

Objective This study aimed to propose clinical guidelines for placing miniscrew implants using the results obtained from 3-dimensional analysis of maxillary anterior interdental alveolar bone by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods By using CBCT data from 52 adult patients (17 men and 35 women; mean age, 27.9 years), alveolar bone were measured in 3 regions: between the maxillary central incisors (U1-U1), between the maxillary central incisor and maxillary lateral incisor (U1-U2), and between the maxillary lateral incisor and the canine (U2-U3). Cortical bone thickness, labio-palatal thickness, and interdental root distance were measured at 4 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm apical to the interdental cementoenamel junction (ICEJ). Results The cortical bone thickness significantly increased from the U1-U1 region to the U2-U3 region (p < 0.05). The labio-palatal thickness was significantly less in the U1-U1 region (p < 0.05), and the interdental root distance was significantly less in the U1-U2 region (p < 0.05). Conclusions The results of this study suggest that the interdental root regions U2-U3 and U1-U1 are the best sites for placing miniscrew implants into maxillary anterior alveolar bone.

Assessment of masticatory function in patients with non-sagittal occlusal discrepancies

Non-sagittal occlusal discrepancies such as posterior cross-bite and anterior openbite are common types of malocclusion, but studies on masticatory function related to those malocclusions have been scarce. The aim of this study was to quantify the masticatory performance in patients with non-sagittal discrepancies compared to those with normal occlusion, using both objective and subjective measures. Maximum bite force and contact area using Dental Prescale(®) system as a static objective assessment, Mixing Ability Index (MAI) as a dynamic objective evaluation and food intake ability (FIA) as a subjective assessment were analysed from 21 people in normal occlusion (Group N) and 64 patients with posterior cross-bite (Group C), anterior openbite (Group O) or both (Group B). The differences of the maximum bite force, the contact area, the MAI and the FIA were compared, and their correlations were figured out. The non-sagittal malocclusion groups showed lower values in the maximum bite force, the contact area, the MAI and the FIA compared to those in the normal group (P < 0·0001). Compared to Group N, Groups C, O and B showed 61·5%, 42·1% and 40·1% of the maximum bite force, and 84%, 84% and 76% of hard food FIA, respectively. However, there were no significant differences among Groups C, O and B. The MAI showed higher correlation with the FIA (r = 0·38, P < 0·01), than with the maximum bite force and the contact area (both r = 0·24, P < 0·5). These results revealed that masticatory function in patients with non-sagittal discrepancies is significantly reduced both objectively and subjectively.

Influence of Peri-implant Artifacts on Bone Morphometric Analysis with Micro-computed Tomography

PURPOSE To determine the optimal dilation pixel size distance from the mini-implant interface needed to compensate for the metal artifact on micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for bone morphometric analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 72 self-drilling mini-implants were placed into the buccal alveolar bone of six male beagle dogs. After 12 weeks of orthodontic loading, specimens were harvested and scanned with micro-CT (Skyscan 1076) at a resolution of 9 μm. Using the reload plug-in and dilation procedure of CTAn, the percentage of bone-implant contact (BIC) and bone volume density (BV/TV, bone volume/total volume), respectively, were measured from one to seven pixels from the metal implant surface. Each pixel size of dilation (PSD) were compared with that of a ground histologic section, and the optimal PSD for bone morphometric analysis using micro-CT was determined. RESULTS BIC values from micro-CT analysis decreased when the PSD increased (P < .05). BIC from micro-CT showed the highest correlation coefficient with BIC from histologic slides when the PSD was 5 to 7 (P < .05), whereas BV/TV from micro-CT showed a very high correlation with BV/TV from histologic slides in all ranges (P < .0001). CONCLUSION To measure BIC and BV/TV using micro-CT, at least 5 PSD from the metal implant surface is needed.

Evaluation of the effects of miniscrew incorporation in palatal expanders for young adults using finite element analysis

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the stress distribution and displacement of various craniofacial structures after nonsurgical rapid palatal expansion (RPE) with conventional (C-RPE), bone-borne (B-RPE), and miniscrew-assisted (MARPE) expanders for young adults using three-dimensional finite element analysis (3D FEA). Methods Conventional, bone-borne, and miniscrew-assisted palatal expanders were designed to simulate expansion in a 3D FE model created from a 20-year-old human dry skull. Stress distribution and the displacement pattern for each circumaxillary suture and anchor tooth were calculated. Results The results showed that C-RPE induced the greatest stress along the frontal process of the maxilla and around the anchor teeth, followed by the suture area, whereas B-RPE generated the greatest stress around the miniscrew, although the area was limited within the suture. Compared with the other appliances, MARPE caused relatively even stress distribution, decreased the stress on the buccal plate of the anchor teeth, and reduced tipping of the anchor teeth. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that the incorporation of miniscrews in RPE devices may contribute to force delivery to the sutures and a decrease in excessive stress on the buccal plate. Thus, MARPE may serve as an effective modality for the nonsurgical treatment of transverse maxillary deficiency in young adults.

Adaptive implementation of optimum MTI processor

The authors propose an adaptive processor implementing an optimum moving target indicator (MTI) in the sense of maximizing the improvement factor (IF). A multichannel scheme for preventing coefficient fluctuation due to the presence of target echoes or impulse interferences is also discussed. The proposed eigenfilter recursively estimates the minimum eigenvector of the input clutter covariance matrix based on the inverse power method (IPM). In the proposed scheme, the IPM iteration is performed in a numerically efficient way using systolic processing architectures. Simulation results demonstrate that the convergence speed of the eigenfilter is faster than that of the prediction error filters and IF values of the eigenfilter always approach the optimum. The multichannel adaptive eigenfilter is shown to be a robust scheme preventing coefficient fluctuation in the presence of target echoes.<<ETX>>

Assessment of changes in the nasal airway after nonsurgical miniscrew-assisted rapid maxillary expansion in young adults

OBJECTIVES To evaluate changes in the volume and cross-sectional area of the nasal airway before and 1 year after nonsurgical miniscrew-assisted rapid maxillary expansion (MARME) in young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fourteen patients (mean age, 22.7 years; 10 women, four men) with a transverse discrepancy who underwent cone beam computed tomography before (T0), immediately after (T1), and 1 year after (T2) expansion were retrospectively included in this study. The volume of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx and the cross-sectional area of the anterior, middle, and posterior segments of the nasal airway were measured and compared among the three timepoints using paired t-tests. RESULTS The volume of the nasal cavity showed a significant increase at T1 and T2 ( P < .05), while that of the nasopharynx increased only at T2 ( P < .05). The anterior and middle cross-sectional areas significantly increased at T1 and T2 ( P < .05), while the posterior cross-sectional area showed no significant change throughout the observation period ( P > .05). CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that the volume and cross-sectional area of the nasal cavity increased after MARME and were maintained at 1 year after expansion. Therefore, MARME may be helpful in expanding the nasal airway.