OBJECTIVEThis study was performed to determine the feasibility of digital virtual positioning of braces in clinical applications.

METHODSWe determined the positions of brackets in 28 teeth of 15 cases according to positioning methods that use bracket height or root information. Final status was generated by OrthoRx software. Treatment results were assessed with American board of orthodontics objective grading system (ABO-OGS).

RESULTSThe deduction points in the marginal ridge height were significantly decreased after treatment using the two methods (P<0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was found in the deduction points in the marginal ridge height between the two methods (P>0.05). No improvement was found in the deduction points in root parallelism with both methods. No statistical significance was found in the deduction points in root parallelism before and after treatments using both methods. The deduction points in alignment and the three scoring components were significantly decreased after treatment using the two positioning methods. In addition, statistically significant differences were found in the deduction points in alignment between two methods (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONBy using OrthoRx software, we achieved effective therapeutic treatment in reconstructing three-dimensional digital modes using two different bracket-positioning methods. The positioning method that used root information is more accurate compared with the bracket height positioning method. This study provides an experimental basis for bracket accuracy in the mouth.

Bicuspid ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Orthodontic Brackets ; Orthodontics ; Software

Alzheimer' s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that gradually impairs cognitive functions. Recently, there has been a conceptual shift toward AD to view the disease as a continuum. Since AD is currently incurable, effective intervention to delay or prevent pathological cognitive decline may best target the early stages of symptomatic disease, such as subjective cognitive decline (SCD), in which cognitive function remains relatively intact. Diagnostic methods for identifying AD, such as cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers and positron emission tomography, are invasive and expensive. Therefore, it is imperative to develop blood biomarkers that are sensitive, less invasive, easier to access, and more cost effective for AD diagnosis. This review aimed to summarize the current data on whether individuals with SCD differ reliably and effectively in subjective and objective performances compared to cognitively normal elderly individuals, and to find one or more convenient and accessible blood biomarkers so that researchers can identify SCD patients with preclinical AD in the population as soon as possible. Owing to the heterogeneity and complicated pathogenesis of AD, it is difficult to make reliable diagnoses using only a single blood marker. This review provides an overview of the progress achieved to date with the use of SCD blood biomarkers in patients with preclinical AD, highlighting the key areas of application and current challenges.