The AHI improvement resulted to be not proportional to the mandibular advancement increase. It is plausible that the success of the therapy is influenced by a combination of variables that need closer study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of diode superpulsed low-level laser therapy (SLLLT) in reducing experimentally induced orthodontic pain. Overall, 120 subjects (23.01 ± 1.39 years) were enrolled for a clinical trial. Subjects were randomly assigned to upper (U, N = 60) or lower (L, N = 60) jaw groups. All subjects received 4 elastomeric separators mesial and distal to the upper (U group) or lower (L group) right first molar and bicuspids. Each subject of the U and L groups was randomly assigned to laser (Ul, N = 20 and Ll, N = 20), placebo (Up, N = 20 and Lp, N = 20) or control (Uc, N = 20 and Lc, N = 20) sub-groups. Subjects in laser groups received a single GaAs diode SLLLT application (910 nm, 160 mW, beam diameter of 8 mm, applied for 340 s) immediately after placing orthodontic separators. Placebo groups received a simulated SLLLT and controls did not receive any therapy. All participants compiled a survey on pain duration and a 100-mm visual analogue scale immediately after the separators placement and after 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 96 h. Pain intensity of laser groups was significantly lower compared to placebo and control groups (p = 0.0001). In the laser group, 70% of subjects felt pain, while in the placebo and control groups all subjects felt pain (p = 0.0001). The end of pain occurred earlier in laser compared to placebo and control groups (p = 0.021). A single-diode SLLLT application appeared to be effective in reducing the intensity and duration of experimentally induced orthodontic pain and could be used in daily orthodontic practice.

The study protocol was not registered.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a syndrome that affects 5.9% of women and 12.5% of men over 40 years of age. 1 It is characterised by a series of repetitive obstructions affecting the upper airway during the patient's sleep. It leads to snoring, temporary cessation of breathing, sleep fragmentation and daytime sleepiness. These symptoms are linked to poor attention and low vigilance while driving,

ObjectiveThe efficacy of mandibular advancement devices (MADs) in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) ranges between 42% and 65%. However, it is still unclear which predictive factors can be used to select suitable patients for MAD treatment. This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the predictive value of cephalometric analysis for MAD treatment outcomes in adult OSA patients.MethodsThe MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched through December 2014. Reference lists from the retrieved publications were also examined. English language studies published in international peer-reviewed journals concerning the predictive value of cephalometric analysis for MAD treatment outcome were considered for inclusion. Two review authors independently assessed eligibility, extracted data, and ascertained the quality of the studies.ResultsFifteen eligible studies were identified. Most of the skeletal, dental, and soft tissue cephalometric measurements examined were widely recognized as not prognostic for MAD treatment outcome; however, controversial and limited data were found on the predictive role of certain cephalometric measurements including cranial base angle, mandibular plane angle, hyoid to mandibular plane distance, posterior nasal spine to soft-palate tip distance, anterior nasal spine to epiglottis base distance, and tongue/oral cross sectional area ratio thus justifying additional studies on these parameters.ConclusionsCurrently available evidence is inadequate for identification of cephalometric parameters capable of reliably discriminating between poor and good responders to MAD treatment. To guide further research, methodological weaknesses of the currently available studies were highlighted and possible reasons for their discordant results were analyzed.

The results confirm that m-PEA could represent a novel approach for monitoring pain during trigeminal nerve sensitization.

In conclusion, the present study reports reference PPT values for the cervico-facial muscles that can be applied to a population of healthy elderly subjects. After 65 years of age, further ageing does not influence PPTs in cervico-facial muscles whereas female gender has lower PPTs.

Summary Background Surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) is a surgical technique developed to correct transverse discrepancies in skeletally mature patients. However, there is limited evidence concerning the immediate skeletal and dental changes obtained only due to SARME. Objective The aim of the present systematic review is to investigate the immediate skeletal and dental effects of SARME in adult patients with transverse maxillary hypoplasia. Search Methods An electronic search of the literature in MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, Lilacs and Scopus databases was performed. Selection Criteria Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studies investigating the skeletal and dental effects of SARME procedures in adult patients were included. Data Collection and Analysis The included studies received a methodological quality scoring according to the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. The quality of evidence was assessed by means of the Grading Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. For each included study and for each analysed parameter, the difference in means and 95 per cent confidence interval was calculated between baseline and immediate post-expansion. A meta-analysis of original outcome data, if possible, was conducted. Results Nine articles were selected. The methodological quality ratings indicated that one study was at low risk of bias, seven presented some concerns and only one was at high risk of bias. In all the included studies, the SARME procedure resulted in a significant expansion of the maxillary transverse dimension. The meta-analysis compared skeletal and dental inter-molar width before and after treatment: the mean difference was of 3.3 mm (2.8–3.9) and 7.0 mm (6.1–7.8), respectively (P-value less than 0.001). The quality of evidence was low-moderate. Conclusions SARME is effective in obtaining a significant expansion of the maxillary transverse dimension. However, the immediate SARME effect is mainly a molar expansion rather than a pure bone transverse widening of the maxilla. Registration The review protocol was registered at PROSPERO database with the registration number CRD42018117967.