The purpose of this study was to estimate the frequencies of congenitally missing teeth in the deciduous and permanent dentition in children who visited the Department of Pediatric dentistry of the Osaka Dental University Hospital and to elucidate the relationship between the missing of deciduous teeth and succedaneous teeth in the same patients.
Data were collected from longitudinal orthopantomograms and dental X-ray photographs obtained from the above sample.
The results were as follows:
The frequency of the children with missing permanent teeth was 1.35% and of those with missing deciduous teeth 0.12%.
No statistically significant differences were seen in the frequency of the missing permanent and deciduous teeth among the sexes in the upper and lower jaws and, on the right and left sides.
The children had an average of 8.0 missing teeth in the deciduous dentition and 4.3 missing teeth regarding the permanent dentition. No statistically significant differences could be observed between the sexes regarding the permanent dentition, but a significant difference could be observed regarding the deciduous dentition.
The missing of the deciduous teeth resulted in a 79% absence of succedaneous teeth. These facts also indicated a 21% incidence in which the succedaneous dentition occurred despite the congenital missing of deciduous teeth. The most frequent absence was observed in the upper deciduous incisor.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the self-etching system on the resin ad hesion to the primary enamel and dentin, and compare the results with those to the primary enamel and dentin which were previously reported.
The labial surfaces of 48 extracted and frozen bovine mandibular primary incisors were used. The adhesive system and composite resin used in this study were Kuraray Co. Clearfil Liner Bond II (LB II) and Clearfil Photo Anterior. The adhesive systems used in the previous studies were Kuraray Co. Liner Bond (LB), K-etchant and Photo Bond (KP), Sunmedical Co. Super bond D Liner (SDL), Bisco Inc. All Bond 2 (AB 2) and 3 M Co. Scotchbond Multi Purpose (SMP). Thermal cycling tests thermocycled 10,000 times between water baths maintained at 4°C and 60°C were attempted. The tooth surface conditioning effects were observed in the SEM. The shear bond strength was tested and the test surfaces of the enamel, dentin and resin specimens were observed in the SEM.
1. The tooth surface conditioning effect of the LB Primer to the enamel was low and that to the dentin was mild.
2. In the comparison of the bond strengths of the non-thermal cycled groups and the thermal cycled groups of LB II, in the dentin, the bond strength of the thermal cycled group was significantly lower than that of the non-thermal cycled group (P<0.01).
3. In the comparison of the bond strengths to the enamel and to the dentin, in the thermal cycled groups, the bond strength to the dentin was significantly lower than that to the enamel (P< 0.01).
4. In the enamel, the bond strengths of LB II was significantly lower than those of all bond strengths which were previously reported except for the non-thermal cycled KP and LB groups.
5. In the dentin, the bond strengths of LB II was significantly lower than those of all bond strengths which were previously reported except for the non-thermal cycled LB and SMP groups.
6. No correlation was found between the enamel-resin or dentin-resin fracture mode and bond strength for the LB II system.

View full abstract

In order to determine whether all eight polishing pastes currently on the market are capable of polishing efficiently and can make tooth surfaces smooth. We used stainless steel sheets with almost the same degree of hardness as human enamel and aluminum plates with almost the same degree of hardness as cementum as the test materials. We attached a rubber tooth brush to a toothbrush abrasion testing device and performed abrasion tests at a load of 1000 gf/cm². The test materials were weighed, and microscopic observations of the center line roughness of the polished surfaces were made.The following results were obtained:
1) PP 3 had the ability to polish the stainless steel sheets, which corresponded to enamel, and to finish their surface smoothly.
2) Only polishing with PP 1 made the aluminum sheets, which corresponded to cementum, smoother than the untreated surface.
3) There is a risk of greatly shaving away stainless plates and aluminum plates with RDA 170 and RDA 250, and care is required when using them.
4) There were large flaws in the aluminum sheets and the stainless steel sheets on surfaces polished with COR, and its polishing properties were much greater than those of the other pastes.

View full abstract

In recent years an increasing incidence of malocclusion and temporomandibular joint disorders in younger age groups has developed into a problem. It is therefore important for growth and normal deelopment to evaluate occlusal force to keep normal function of occlusion. In the present study, we investigated the fundamental requirements of an occlusal diagnostic system which consisted of pressure sensitive sheets (DENTAL PRESCALE®) and an analyzing computer (OCCLUZER FPD 703®before we use this system on infants.
The results were as follows:
1. The optimun custody was in a refrigerator, and next was packing in light resistant material at normal temperature.
2. Storage in a refrigerator diminished influences on artifact values for prolonged periods.
3. Storage under fluorescent light or in direct sunlight over time tended to decrease the coloring area and pressure values. DENTAL PRESCALE 50 R was affected by light more than 30 R. It necessary Thus to shield the DENTAL PRESCALE from light immediately after sampling.
4. Measurements after storage in a refrigerator should be performed for 30 R between 3 hours and 1week, and for 50 R between 3 hours and up to 3 days after sampling.
5. The average values for the measurements of coloring areas and pressure values showed a larger tendency than theoretical values. The increasing rates of the coloring area were larger as the load increased, while one of the maximum pressure values conversely tended to become smaller both 50R and 30 R.

View full abstract

Among all of the feeding functions, lips play an important role.
The purpose of this study was to clarify the process of the functional development of the lips. In this context, we measured lip pressure at the moment of food taking in two healthy children periodically from the weaning period up to 36 months of age. Pressure measurements were obtained with a strain gauge transducer embedded in a spoon.
1. The average lip pressure in Subject A increased steadily as he grew, up to 36 months of age. A similar result appeared in the cross study of a normal group by Chigira.
2. Unlike Subject A, the lip pressure of Subject B was already strong at 5 months of age and remained unchanged until he became almost 36 months old, showing some increase.
3. The inability rate of food taking dropped suddenly as they turned 30 months of age.
4. The development of lips function at feeding seems to be related to the eruption of the deciduous teeth.

View full abstract

Sucking movements of a nine-month female infant were studied using a highpersensitive X-ray TV system. During the movements, the epiglottis and soft palate showed no contact, but the airway from the nasal cavity was kept open. In the sucking motion, the tongue moves like a rolling wave form moving dorsally and ventrally. The depth of the trough at the middle portion of the rolling tongue was 5.6 mm and rather larger than the jaw movement. The hyoid bone is fixed in forward and upward, while the function of the suprahyoid-muscles to open the jaw may not act easily and the jaw may loose mobility. Concerning the compression of the nipple, although the neck of the nipple was compressed during the closing phase of the jaw, on the whole, the nipple was confirmed to be compressed tonically while the front portion of the tongue moved ventrally. This compression would act as the function of milking from the nipple, and stabilizing the front portion of the tongue to make depressing the middle portion of it easy. The oral cavity was closed at the front with the tongue and lips and at the rear with the base of the tongue and soft palate to form a closed cavity. Large alterations in the sucking pressure may be generated by the rolling wave of the tongue which moved rapidly in the small cavity of the infant. It is suggested that the depression of the middle of the tongue may be supported by both the stabilization of the jaw and the compressive movement of the tongue tip.

View full abstract

This study investigated the adaptation of autistic children and young adults to dental treatment and evaluated the changes in their cooperation with dental treatment. The subjects were 17 autistic patients ranging from 16 to 27 years old, who commuted to a welfare institution in Niigata City.
The subjects were first tested by the Language Decoding Test-Revised (LDT-R) to evaluate Ohta's Stage which is an index of the cognitive developmental stage of autistic patients. The subjects then underwent dental treatment with an ultrasonic scaler to remove dental calculus following the standard procedures at our dental hospital. After 6 months, each subject underwent the next scaling procedure by the same dentist under the same conditions. Their attitude and behavior during the first and second procedures were monitored and recorded on videotapes. The adaptability of the subjects to dental treatment was estimated using the videotapes and differences in their adaptability were compared between the first and the second treatments.
To determine the relationship among factors related to the adaptation of the autistic population to dental treatment, multivariate analysis was performed.
The results were as follows:
1. Each subject was tested with LDT-R three times in different situations. The first test was performed in the welfare facilities. The second test and the last test were performed in our clinic. In the last test, the subjects were tested in our clinic but by a different examiner who was guided by the LDT-R outline. Ohta's stages in these subjects on the first test agreed with findings at the second test in 88.2% of the subjects, and agreed with those at the last test in 70.6% of the sujects.
2. Non of the subjects had ever been treated in a clinic before. Though ten subjects (58.8%) allowed treatment with the ultrasonic scaler until the end the session, five subjects (29.4%) left the dental chair during the course of treatment. The other two subjects (11.8%) could not be treated at all.
3. Five subjects (29.4%) adapted to treatment well enough in the first session, and 8 subjects (47.1%) showed improved adaptation for the treatment six months later. The remaining four subjects (23.5%) were not able to improve their behavior. None of the subjects showed a worse adaptation to dental treatment during the second visit.
4. Multivariate analysis proved that the following three factors were significantly related to the adaptability of the autistic population to dental treatment; age, Ohta's Stage (cognitive developmental stage) and the drugs being given to the subjects. Experience with dental treatments and IQ had however little relation to adaptation.

View full abstract

Recently it has been recognized that diet in childhood influences not only the immediate health of children but also may have an impact in a positive or negative manner on the future adult health status of children. We should be encouraged to understand the present status of the diets of children, and introduce early the importance of the optimal diet in children in their early years.
Our objectives were to assess the dietary habits of children.2584 Japanese school children aged 9to 12 years in Kitakyushu City were investigated by means of a questionnaire. The following conclusions were obtained.
1) Approximately 5% of the children in each grade had not had breakfast, and this result was similar to the one obtained by a previous survey in 1992.
2) Approximately 50% of the children in each grade were likely to eat tender foods or ate them only. This tendency was more significant in girls than in boys.
3) Approximately 20% of the children in each grade felt that their time for eating was short. This tendency was more significant in boys than in girls.
4) Approximately 10% of the children in each grade felt they did not chew their food well. This tendency was more significant in boys than in girls.
5) Approximately 15% of the children in each grade had often eaten instant food. This tendency was more significant in boys than in girls.
6) The number of children who liked rice better than bread and noodles increased between the third grade and the sixth grade
7) There were fewer significant differences in the dietary habits between boys and girls in the sixth grade.
8) The results documented in this article indicated that their lifestyles and surroundings had changed gradually between the third grade and the sixth grade and these changes might influence the dietary behaviors of children. This suggested both the importance of “Education for both nutrition and the self-conception of the children toward optimal diets” from a much younger age and the necessity for the establishment of favorable dietary habits at this age.

View full abstract

The dental treatment of children is conducted under the three-way relationship between the child patient, dentist and mother. Mothers will most likely attend with their children, so treatment can't be performed without their cooperation. It is further postulated that mothers have some effect on dentists during the treatment of their children. Generally speaking, some dentists are largely affected by the stress, while others are hardly affected. Although certain environmental demands and pressures produce stress in substantial numbers of people, individual and group differences in the degree and kind of reaction are always evident. We accordingly examined the results by analyzing the relationship between the psychological stress scores of dentists during the treatment of children and how they coped.
The findings were as follows:
1. Regarding psychological stress, there was a relationship between the entine quantity and frequency, but not between the entine quantity and intensity.
2. Problem-focusing found that there was a significant difference between high stress level groups and low stress level groups for psychological stress scores and frequency. Emotion-focusing found that there was a significant difference between high stress level groups and low stress level groups for psychological stress scores, entine quantity, and frequency.
3. The six patterns of coping found significant differences in the entine quantity when dentists diverted their attention, and significant differences in frequency between the type that diverted their attention and the type that kept quiet. However, there were no significant differences in the intensity for any type.
These results suggest that there is a relationship between stress effected by mothers on dentists during treatment of children and coping if both psychelogical stress scores and coping scores increase. Problem-and emotion-focused coping can both facilitate and impede each other in the coping process. People use both problem-and emotion-focused coping to deal with internal and/or external demands posed by real-life stressful situations.

View full abstract

This study was carried out to clarify the effects of electrolyzed oxidizing water on disinfection of toothbrushes as well as infected root canals in clinical pediatric dentistry.
The following results were obtained.
1. The disinfectant effects on the root canal increased in proportion to the amount of electrolyzed oxidizing water used.
2. The smear layer remaining in the canals could be removed to obtain more effective use.
3. Electrolyzed oxidizing water showed sterilizing effects to gram negative bacteria in bacterial dental plaque.
4. After washing of the toothbrush in flowing water, immersion in electrolyzed oxidizing water for a short time (one minute) showed disinfectant effects.

View full abstract

The objective of this investigation was to find the actual conditions that cause the delayed eruption of teeth.
The investigation involved of 76 children (40 boys and 36 girls) who complained of delayed eruption of teeth at the Pediatric Dental Clinic in the Suidobashi Hospital, Tokyo Dental College from April 1989 through June 1995.
Observations were as follows; the prevalence of the delayed eruption of teeth, the causes, and the average age at the exsamination of patients. The incidence of the delayed eruption of teeth was 7.2% of the new patients. There was no difference based on sex.
The total of the teeth for which the eruption was delayed amounted to 93. In the maxilla, the delayed eruption of teeth most often occurred among the central incisors, followed by the canines, lateral incisors, premolars, and first molars, subsequently. In the mandible, this most often occurred the first molars, followed by the canines, and lateral incisors.
The causes of the delayed eruption teeth in the maxilla most often were the abnormal position of teeth germ, followed by an apparent fibrous barrier, supernumerary teeth, retarded exfoliation of its predecessor teeth, effects of dental trauma to deciduous teeth, lack of space for eruption, follicular cysts, odontoma. In the mandible, the causes were only the abnormal position of the tooth germ or follicular cysts.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of radiation on the growth and development of tooth germs, particularly concerning the differences in the effect caused by the variation of the dose and time of the irradiation.
A 6MV X-ray was irradiated onto the abdomen of pregnant mice.
Under anesthesia, fetuses were enucleated from the maternal uterus, and their tooth germs were examined histologically and the shapes and form of the tooth germs were analyzed by computer assisted 3-D reconstruction.
The following results were obtained:
1 ) There was no surviving fetus in the pregnant mice groups 3,4, and 5 Gy irradiated on the 9th and the 10th gestational days, and 5 Gy on the 11 th gestational day.
2 ) The body weight of the fetuses irradiated on the same gestational day decreased with an increase of exposure.
3 ) The tooth germs of the groups which were irradiated in the early period of development (during the 9th day to 13th gestational day) exhibited growth retardation and undersizing.
4 ) The tooth germs of the groups which were irradiated in the early period of development also decreased in the enamel organ volume and dentin surface area.
5 ) In the groups irradiated 4 and 5 Gy, the enamel organ volume decreased more in the tooth germs of the fetuses irradiated earlier, while in the irradiated groups 1,2, and 3 Gy, there was no relationship found between enamel organ volume and the gestational day.
6 ) Considering the ratio between enamel organ volume to dentin surface area, and the ratio between enamel organ volume or dentin surface area to the weight of the fetus, it appeared in the irradiated groups that the dentin surface area decresed more than the enamel organ volume did.
7 ) The tooth germs of the group 5 Gy irradiated on the 12th gestational day did not show any histological changes immediately after irradiation. Meanwhile, the shapes of the tooth germs on the 14th day corresponded to the 13th gestational day.
The results suggest that when the tooth germs were irradiated in the early period of development, they suffered from retardation of the growth and undersizing, and that the effect corresponded to the dose of irradiation. It also shows that the odontblasts and the mesenchymal cells which will differentiate into the odontblasts are affected more than the cells of enamel organ.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the trust adolescents have in dentists and dental staff in the course of dental procedures. A total of 490 adolescents (225 males,265 females) fifteen to eighteen years old attending a private tutoring school in Hiroshima were surveyed.
To develop our Dental Belief Survey -Japanese Edition-Revised (DBS-JR), we improved the Dental Belief Survey (DBS) by adding 10 items to the original 15 items and two dimensions (“environment and reception by dental staff”and “informed consent”) to the original four. Our DBS-JR measured the degree to which patients perceive the behavior of dentists and dental staff as causing or contributing to fear of dental treatment.
The questionnaire consisted of the DBS-JR and several questions about dental experience, dental trust, oral condition, dental anxiety, and dental fear. The results were as follows:
1. The high reliability of DBS-JR was clearly evidenced by Cronbach's alpha which measured internal consistency. Its validity was confirmed by a correlation coefficient and t-test.
2. The items related to low trust were “reception by dental staff in the waiting room” and “informed consent about treatment methods and fees”. The dimensions related to low trust were “environment and reception by dental staff” and “informed consent”.
3. Males, subjects with poor oral condition, those with high dental anxiety and those with high dental fear displayed lower dental trust than females, those with good oral condition, low anxiety and low fear. No significant difference was found between those with dental experience versus the without group. These results suggest that the Dental Belief Survey-Japanese Edition-Revised will be helpful in studying adolescents.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal changes in arch width from childhood to adolescence. The subjects in this study were 28 persons (13 male and 15 female) with untreated normal occlusion. Dental casts were taken at bimonthly intervals from childhood to adolescence. These series of materials were measured and the changes in the dental arch were observed on the basis of the status of tooth emergence certain permanent teeth and also on the chronological age from 3 years to 20 years of age. The arch width measurements of the distance between the lowest curvature of the lingual gingival margins were obtained on each set of models at each stage, for the primary canine, first primary molar, second primary molar, and after the transition from deciduous teeth to the permanent teeth, for the canine, first premolars and second premolars. The width of the deciduous canines, the deciduous first molars and the deciduous second molars were nearly stable or increased slightly until 6 years of age.
The width of the maxillary deciduous second molars increased the most among these. After that, all of the widths of the deciduous teeth gradually increased, specially at emergence of the permanent incisors in deciduous canines width. For all of the width of the deciduous teeth, changes in the maxilla were greater than in the mandible. The width of the canines decreased until 13 years of age in the maxilla, and until 15 years of age in the mandibular. After that the widths of the canines were nearly stable. Until 1 year after the emergence, width of the canines decreased in particular during transition to the canines based on dental age observation.
The width of the maxillary first premolars decreased until 6 months after emergence based on dental age observation. After that the width of the maxillary first premolars showed no clear change. The width of the mandibular first premolars and the second premolars width increased until several years after emergence, but after that they showed no clear changes. The width of the maxillary first molars gradually increased until 15 years of age, but after that there was no clear change. The width of the mandiblar first molars was nearly stable throughout the observation period. The width of the maxillary second molars decreased until 2 years after emergence, after that no clear change were observed. The width of the mandiblar second molars was unstable until severalyears after emergence, and then became nearly stable.

View full abstract

To study the influence of nasal obstruction on masticatory behavior, the water contents of the food bolus after chewing, the chewing time of foods, and the electromyographic activity (EMG) from the masseter muscle were measured in six adult subjects under both normal and abnormal conditions. The abnormal condition was simulated by pinching the nose. Peanuts, cookies, Japanese fried dough cakes “Karintou” and raw carrots were selected as the food items and the weights of normal bite-sized portions and chewing times to the point of normal swallowing were established for each subject. After the chewing period the food was not swallowed but spat into a weighed container for determination of the water contents of the food bolus.The cycle time and the duration of the masseter muscle activities until deglutition were also measured using surface electrodes.
The chewing times for each mouthful of food were statistically longer under the abnormal condition rather than in the normal condition. There were, however, no significant differences in the percent of the water content of the food bolus after chewing. When the condition was abnormal, the cycle time and interval time for each stroke were longer than under the normal condition. These findings suggest nasal obstruction leads to the disturbance of masticatory rhythms and to the extension of the chewing time.

View full abstract

In order to understand the mechanisms of permanent tooth enamel hypoplasia caused by injured primary teeth, rat incisors were given the experimental trauma and enamel hypoplasia, then was induced. The crystallinity and crystal form at the lesion of enamel hypoplasia were then examined. For this study 4-day-old and 3-week-old Wistar rats were used. Experimental trauma was carried out by needle pricking with 25- or 27-gauge sterile disposable needles, the pricking point being located at the skin 2 mm apart posteriorly of the lower lip. A needle was inserted 1.5 mm depth toward the alveolar bone. This point corresponds to the transitional region between the maturation and the secretory phase of the ameloblasts of the developing lower incisors of 4-day-old rats. The hitting point was also set on the same position for 4-day-old and 3-week-old rats, and the hitting was carried out by a force of 2-3 N and 3-5 N, respectively. The rat was then sacrificed one week after trauma, and the specimens obtained were used for contactmicroradiogram, microbeam X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observation. In the needle pricking group, varying degrees of localized enamel hypoplasia were observed. The incidence was 73.7%. In the hitting group with 2 N, hypocalcified enamel was observed at the surface layer with the 3 N hypocalcified enamel extended to a deeper layer. As far as the crystallinity was concerned at the hypoplastic enamel lesion, it was lower both with the a- and c-axis. With the TEM observation, it was found that the crystal width and thickness at the hypoplastic lesion were reduced more than with normal enamel. In conclusion, both needle pricking and hitting caused in the enamel hypoplasia with lowered crystallinity and reduced crystal size, particularly hitting group with a force of 3 N consistent enamel hypoplasia was caused.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the forced crossbite on the bilateral masticatory muscle in children. The subjects examined in the study were 17 children with forced crossbites (7 boys,10 girls, mean age 7.6 years), and the control with the normal occlusion (n=16). The balance of the tempolalis and masseter muscle activity was assessed by the asymmetry index (A. I. ), while occlusal lateral deviation and occlusal contacts were evaluated by an occlusal detection system called “Occlusogram”.
The results obtained were as follows;
1) The mandible was detected to show laterl deviation toward the side of the crossbites from the initial occlusal contacts to the intercuspal position.
2) This study shows that A. I. values were higher in the control group than in the forced crossbite group.
3) The activity of the temporal muscle during clenching in the ICP tended to be more dominant on the side of the deviated mandible than on the opposite side, and the masster muscle tended to be more dominant on the oppsite side than on the deviation side.
4) When the subjects were classified into two groups, the deviation side dominant and the opposite side dominant group based on the balance of muscle activity of the tempolaris and masseter, the A. I. of the tempolaris and masster in both groups showed a high correlation with the extent of the lateral mandibular deviation. These results suggest that the occlusal deviation due to the forced crossbites in children affected the bilateral balance of masticatory muscle activity.

View full abstract

Mastication is one of the main developmental functions among mammals. Several cases of children who show difficulty during mastication have been reported. Unsuitable weaning methods and periods have been suggested as being responsible for this difficulty. These assumptions have been, however, based only on questionnaires or claims by paramedical personal, but have not been sufficiently solved yet. The purpose of the present study was therefore to clarify the effect of different weaning periods on the development of the masticatory function in guinea pigs used as animal models.
A total of forty Hartley guinea pigs were used. They were divided into four groups according to the weaning period (3,7,14 and 30 days after birth) and each group was divided into two subgroups. One sub-group was fed with solid-type food (RC-4 Oriental Kobo Co. ) and the other was fed with softd-type food after they were divided with dams. Begining with 3 days after birth, body weight, behavior and intraoral pressure were recorded at an interval of 3 days in the morning for period of 60 days. A pressure transducer (Gould Stahan Co. P 231-D) connected to a specially deviced nipple was used for recording the intraoral pressure.
The results were as fellows:
There was no difference in the body weight between the solid-type food group and the soft-type food group. Chewing rhythm formation times in the solid-type food groups, and soft-type food group were 60.8±1.5 days,70.6±1.5 days in the 3 day group,50.6±1.8 days,60.4±1.9 days in the 7 day group,42.6±2.7 days,50.6±1.9 days in the 14 day group,39.6±2.1 days,42.2± 2.4 days in the 30 day group. By separation with the dam, the chewing rhythm of all of the experimental groups including the 30 day group was more confused than that of before separation. It is therefore suggested that breeding with a dam is a positive factor for making the rhythmical chewing formation. In conclusion, it is suggested that the chewing rhythm formation is eventually formed, however, the time required to form the chewing rhythm is affected by weaning period and delayed in guinea pigs.

View full abstract

We report on a case of a foriegn body in the oral cavity of a two-year-old boy and two cases in the nasal cavity of a seven-year-old and a three-year-old boy.
The foreign body was a plastic tube at the cervical area of the mandibular primary central incisor in case one, an inorganic magnetism body in case two, and a pinball in case three. As these showed no pain or symptoms in each case, They were not noticed by the parents. The Prognosis after removing of foreign bodies was good. Our cases indicated the importance of precise oral and nasal examinations for young children at health centers, medical offices, and hospitals in order to discover these problems early.

View full abstract

The hyper IgE syndrome is a immunodeficiency characterized byabscesses.
It has markedly elevated serum IgE concentrations. The patients have sever recurrent abscesses involving the skin, lung and other sites.
We hope that this report will be of use for treatment and dental care.

View full abstract

Previous studies have suggested that fused teeth and congenital missing teeth are related to the development of an abnormal dental arch or malocclusion. The present paper reports two cases in which both fused permanent teeth and a congenitally missing permanent tooth were observed in an oral cavity. The results of the dental examination revealed the following
1. In Case 1, fusion of_??__??__??_and_??__??__?c?o_nagnedn itall: y missing B were found during the primary dentition period and fusion of_??__??__??_ancdo ngenitally missing 2 were observed during the mixed dentition period. Although congenitally missing teeth were observed in the father of Case 1, the genetic relationship between the fused and missing teeth was not clear.
2. In Case 1, separete measurement of the mesio-distal crown size of_??__??__??_thaet labial surface fusion line showed that the value for 2 was smaller than average by-1 S. D.
3. In Case 2, congenitally missing_??__??__??_was observed during the primary dentition period. Subsequent fusion of_??__??__??_ancdo ngenitally missing 2 were observed during the mixed dentition period.
4. In Case 2, separete measurement of the mesio-distal crown size of_??__??__??_atht e labial surface fusion line showed that the values for 2 and 3 were smaller than average by-3 S. D.

View full abstract

In our out-patient clinic, we experienced six patients with metal allergy to dental restorations and orthodontic appliances. They all had suffered from allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, asthma or food allergy. We do not encounter healthy children suffering from dental metal allergy in our clinic.
Although it was reported that patients with metal allergy sometimes have other signs and symptoms in addition to skin lesions, systemic skin lesion was the only manifestation in our cases. Differential diagnosis is therefore very difficult in cases of children with atopic dermatitis suffering from metal allergy. Doctors have to know the history of the disease in detail and the appropriate diagnosis must be performed for the allergic patients, because the occurrence of metal allergy often worsens the original allergic disease.
The allergens for our patients were not only nickel, cobalt, chrome, and palladium, with highly sensitizing capacity, as there were also some patients sensitive to gold with a low sensitizing capacity.

View full abstract

We encountered a case of heterochromosome(46 XY, -22, +Mar. ) a boy seven years and four months of age.
1)His physical growth was normal, but his mental development was ratarded.
2)Our findings such include craniofacial characteristics as long eyelashes, almond-eyes and large ears. These are similar to the clinical finding of r (22) syndrome.
3)The mesio-distal diameters of the upper and lower diciduous molars, and permanent molars were smaller than normal.
4)Enamel hypoplasia was observed in the upper incisor teeth. Dental anomalies such as abnormal shape and lack of tooth germs were not observed.
5)The patient received dental treatment under general anesthesia because he had severe mental retardation and moved the upper part of body. Since then, his dental health has been maintained with periodic dental check-ups at our hospital.

View full abstract

A case is reported of epulis on the papillary gingiva between the maxillary left lateral incisor and the canine in an 11-year-old female. The patient had a trauma on the left maxillary anterior region at the age of nine. The lesion initially showed a red swelling of the papillary gingiva and then the lesion extended and proliferated. Histopathological examination showed connective tissue infiltrated by chronic inflammatory cells and covered by papillary hyperplasia with ulcer formation at the epithelial surface. Extended capillaries with papillary endothelial projections adjacent to basal cell layer were seen. It was considered that the epulis was presumably initiated by the trauma, and consequently proliferated by chronic stimulation and inflammation. Six months after surginal exicision a normal gingiva has been well-stablished and there has not been any sign of recurrence.

View full abstract