Objective: To investigate airway volumes using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) by skeletal patterns, sex, and cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) stages in Korean adolescents. Methods: The sample consisted of pretreatment CBCT and cephalograms of 95 adolescents (aged 12–19) obtained out of 1,611 patients examined for orthodontic treatment from 2018 to 2020 in Kyungpook National University Dental Hospital. The samples were classified into two sex groups; three skeletal pattern groups, four chronological age groups and four CVM stages. Nasopharyngeal volumes (NPV), oropharyngeal volumes (OPV), total pharyngeal airway volume (TAV) and minimum cross-sectional area (MCA) measurements were taken from the CBCT. Multiple linear regression analyses to find out which one of the independent variables are good predictors for airway variables. Significant factors were analyzed by two-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) then multiple comparisons were analyzed using a t-test, and Fisher least significant difference. Results: Age, sex, CVM, and Sella-Nasion-B point have significant influence on airway variable. Males and females showed similar patterns of change in chronological age groups 1–3; however, males had larger NPV, OPV, and MCA at CVM in group 4. According to CVM stages, males had larger OPV, TAV, and MCA at CVM stage 6 (p-value: 0.019, 0.021, 0.015, respectively) and no sex differences at CVM stages 3, 4, and 5. Conclusions Skeletal patterns have an effect on airway volume. Sex differences were found in CVM 6.

OBJECTIVE: The Heat Induction Typodont System (HITS), used in some recent studies, has a distinct advantage over previous tooth movement simulation methods. This study aimed to compare inclination and vertical changes between the single-wire and double-wire techniques during en masse retraction with different lengths of lever arms in lingual orthodontics using an upgraded version of the HITS. METHODS: Duet lingual brackets, which have two main slots, were used in this study. Forty samples were divided into four groups according to the length of the lever arm (3-mm or 6-mm hook) and the retraction wire (single-wire or double-wire). Four millimeters of en masse retraction was performed using lingual appliances. Thereafter, 3-dimensional-scanned images of the typodont were analyzed to measure inclination and vertical changes of the anterior teeth. RESULTS: Incisor inclination presented more changes in the single-wire groups than in the double-wire groups. However, canine inclination did not differ between these groups. Regarding vertical changes, only the lateral incisors in the single-wire groups presented significantly larger values than did those in the double-wire groups. Combining the effect of hook lengths, among the four groups, the single-wire group with the 3-mm hook had the highest value, while the double-wire group with the 6-mm hook showed the least decrease in crown inclination and extrusion. CONCLUSIONS The double-wire technique with an extended lever arm provided advantages over the single-wire technique with the same lever arm length in preventing torque loss and extrusion of the anterior teeth during en masse retraction in lingual orthodontics.

As authorities braced for the arrival of the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), infrastructure investments and government directives prompted action in central Viet Nam to establish capacity for genomic surveillance sequencing. From 17 November 2021 to 7 January 2022, the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang sequenced 162 specimens from 98 150 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases in the region collected from 8 November to 31 December 2021. Of these, all 127 domestic cases were identified as the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, whereas 92% (32/35) of imported cases were identified as the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant, all among international flight passengers. Patients were successfully isolated, enabling health-care workers to prepare for additional cases. Most (78%) of the 32 Omicron cases were fully vaccinated, suggesting continued importance of public health and social measures to control the spread of new variants.