The study group presented a significant increase in the extension of the head on the neck, forward position of the cervical spine, and a decrease in the curvature of the cervical spine in comparison with the children without clefts. These results are more relevant considering that the study group also presented higher significant values of lower facial height than children without clefts.

Objective This study was conducted to compare craniofacial relationships, position, and curvature of the cervical spine between children with cleft lip and cleft palate who had been operated on and children without clefts. Method This study was performed in 28 children with mixed dentition. They were divided into two groups. The study group included 14 children with unilateral operated cleft lip and cleft palate, ranging in age from 6 to 12 years, who clinically presented with a short upper lip, abnormal lip seal, and inhibition of sagittal development of the midface that was radiographically assessed. The control group included 14 children without clefts, ranging in age from 8 to 11 years. All of them had normal lip seal, nasal breathing, and a clinically normal body posture. Design A lateral craniocervical radiograph in a self-balanced natural head position in an erect posture, and without using a head holder, was taken for each child of both groups, with the mandible in maximum intercuspation and lips in habitual posture. The true vertical was marked on all the films. Specific angular and linear dimensions were used to assess the craniocervical relationships, as were the position of the cervical spine, its curvature, or both. Results and Conclusions The study group presented a significant increase in the extension of the head on the neck, forward position of the cervical spine, and a decrease in the curvature of the cervical spine in comparison with the children without clefts. These results are more relevant considering that the study group also presented higher significant values of lower facial height than children without clefts.

The difficulty experienced by patients with fixed orthodontic appliances in maintaining adequate oral hygiene poses a risk for dental caries. The use of probiotics has been proposed as a means of prevention. The following systematic review aims to determine the effectiveness of probiotics in the prevention of dental caries during treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances. This review was carried out according to the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted in the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed and Google Scholar Beta databases. The inclusion criteria included randomized controlled clinical trials involving the use of probiotics, caries and patients under fixed orthodontic treatment. The methodological quality of the articles was evaluated according to risk of bias. Of the five included studies, three reported significant differences compared to the control group. Of the others, one article reported significant decrease in the final count of microorganisms compared to the beginning of treatment. Only one study reported no differences of any kind. It was estimated that the eligible studies were of moderate methodological quality and had an unclear risk of bias, without affecting key domains for the research. It is concluded that the daily consumption of probiotics can be effective in the prevention of carious lesions in patients under fixed orthodontic treatment. However, this should be interpreted with caution and corroborated by clinical trials of better methodological quality.