Systematic review of the survival rate and the incidence of biological, technical, and aesthetic complications of single crowns on implants reported in longitudinal studies with a mean follow-up of 5 years

To assess the 5-year survival of implant-supported single crowns (SCs) and to describe the incidence of biological, technical, and aesthetic complications. The focused question was: What is the survival rate of implants supporting single crowns and implant-supported crowns with a mean follow-up of 5 years and to which extent do biological, technical, and aesthetic complications occur?

Physiological correlates of aesthetic perception of artworks in a museum

Arts experts are commonly skeptical of applying scientific methods to aesthetic experiencing, which remains a field of study predominantly for the humanities. Laboratory research has however indicated that artworks may elicit emotional and physiological responses. Yet, this line of aesthetics research has previously suffered from insufficient external validity. We therefore conducted a study in which aesthetic perception was monitored in a fine-art museum, unrestricting to the viewers’ freedom of aesthetic choice. Visitors were invited to wear electronic gloves through which their locomotion, heart rate and skin conductance were continuously recorded. Emotional and aesthetic responses to selected works of an exhibition were assessed using a customized questionnaire. In a sample of 373 adult participants, we found that physiological responses during perception of an artwork were significantly related to aesthetic-emotional experiencing. The dimensions ‘Aesthetic Quality’, ‘Surprise/Humor’, ‘Dominance’ and ‘Curatorial Quality’ were associated with cardiac measures (heart rate variability, heart rate level) and skin conductance variability. This is first evidence that aesthetics can be statistically grounded in viewers’ physiology in an ecologically valid environment, the art gallery, enhancing our understanding of the effects of artworks and their curatorial staging.

Immediate implant placement with transmucosal healing in areas of aesthetic priority. A multicentre randomized-controlled clinical trial I. Surgical outcomes

OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical outcomes of standard, cylindrical, screw-shaped to novel tapered, transmucosal (Straumann Dental implants immediately placed into extraction sockets. Material and methods: In this randomized-controlled clinical trial, outcomes were evaluated over a 3-year observation period. This report deals with the need for bone augmentation, healing events, implant stability and patient-centred outcomes up to 3 months only. Nine centres contributed a total of 208 immediate implant placements. All surgical and post-surgical procedures and the evaluation parameters were discussed with representatives of all centres during a calibration meeting. Following careful luxation of the designated tooth, allocation of the devices was randomly performed by a central study registrar. The allocated SLA titanium implant was installed at the bottom or in the palatal wall of the extraction socket until primary stability was reached. If the extraction socket was >or=1 mm larger than the implant, guided bone regeneration was performed simultaneously (Bio Oss and BioGide. The flaps were then sutured. During non-submerged transmucosal healing, everything was done to prevent infection. At surgery, the need for augmentation and the degree of wound closure was verified. Implant stability was assessed clinically and by means of resonance frequency analysis (RFA) at surgery and after 3 months. Wound healing was evaluated after 1, 2, 6 and 12 weeks post-operatively. RESULTS: The demographic data did not show any differences between the patients receiving either standard cylindrical or tapered implants. All implants yielded uneventful healing with 15% wound dehiscences after 1 week. After 2 weeks, 93%, after 6 weeks 96%, and after 12 weeks 100% of the flaps were closed. Ninety percent of both implant designs required bone augmentation. Immediately after implantation, RFA values were 55.8 and 56.7 and at 3 months 59.4 and 61.1 for cylindrical and tapered implants, respectively. Patient-centred outcomes did not differ between the two implant designs. However, a clear preference of the surgeon's perception for the appropriateness of the novel-tapered implant was evident. CONCLUSIONS: This RCT has demonstrated that tapered or standard cylindrical implants yielded clinically equivalent short-term outcomes after immediate implant placement into the extraction socket.

Aesthetic outcome of cleft lip and palate treatment. Perceptions of patients, families, and health professionals compared to the general public

The aesthetic outcome of cleft treatment is of great importance due to its complex management and the psychosocial consequences of this defect. The aim of the study was to assess the aesthetic evaluations of patients following cleft surgery by various groups and investigate potential associations of the assessments with life quality parameters. Head photos of 12 adult patients with treated unilateral cleft lip and palate were evaluated by laypeople and professionals. A questionnaire was distributed and answered by the patients and their parents. Intra-panel agreement was high (α > 0.8) for laypeople and professionals. Between-groups agreement was high for both laypeople and professionals, but not when patients and/or parents were tested. Professionals, parents, and patients were more satisfied with patients' appearance than laypeople, although in general all groups were not highly satisfied. Low satisfaction with aesthetics correlated with increased self-reported influence of the cleft in the patients' social activity and professional life (0.56 < rho < 0.74, p < 0.05). These findings highlight the observed negative influence of the cleft on the patient's social activity and professional life and underline the need for the highest quality of surgical outcome for this group of patients.

3D Face Reconstruction from 2D Pictures: First Results of a Web-Based Computer Aided System for Aesthetic Procedures

The human face is a vital component of our identity and many people undergo medical aesthetics procedures in order to achieve an ideal or desired look. However, communication between physician and patient is fundamental to understand the patient’s wishes and to achieve the desired results. To date, most plastic surgeons rely on either “free hand” 2D drawings on picture printouts or computerized picture morphing. Alternatively, hardware dependent solutions allow facial shapes to be created and planned in 3D, but they are usually expensive or complex to handle. To offer a simple and hardware independent solution, we propose a web-based application that uses 3 standard 2D pictures to create a 3D representation of the patient’s face on which facial aesthetic procedures such as filling, skin clearing or rejuvenation, and rhinoplasty are planned in 3D. The proposed application couples a set of well-established methods together in a novel manner to optimize 3D reconstructions for clinical use. Face reconstructions performed with the application were evaluated by two plastic surgeons and also compared to ground truth data. Results showed the application can provide accurate 3D face representations to be used in clinics (within an average of 2 mm error) in less than 5 min.

An investigation into the mechanical and aesthetic properties of new generation coated nickel-titanium wires in the as-received state and after clinical use.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to compare the mechanical, structural, and aesthetic properties of two types of aesthetic coated nickel-titanium (NiTi) wires compared with comparable regular NiTi wires in the as-received state and after clinical use. MATERIALS/METHODS Sixty one subjects were randomly assigned to four groups (N = 61), two groups of coated wires and two groups of comparable, non-coated controls (n = 15/group). The period in the mouth ranged from 4 to 12 weeks after insertion. In total, 121 wires (61 retrieved and 60 as-received) were used in the study. The percentages of coating retention and loss were extrapolated from scans. A brief survey of five questions with three choices was given to all patients. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and three-point bending tests were done on as-received and used wires. RESULTS The surface characterization by the percentage of resin remaining indicated that most wires in both test groups lost a significant amount of coating. A patient survey indicated that this was a noticeable feature for patients. DSC analysis of the wires indicated that the metallurgical properties of the coated wires were not similar to the uncoated wires in the as-received condition. Three-point bending results indicate a wide variation in test results with large standard deviations among all the groups. LIMITATIONS The extent of coating loss requires investigating, as do the biological properties of the detached coating. CONCLUSIONS Both wires lost a significant amount of aesthetic coating after varying periods in the mouth. The metallurgical testing of these findings may indicate that these wires perform differently in the mouth.