Purpose: Renal tumors account for approximately 7% of all childhood cancers. These include Wilms tumor (WT), clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK), malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) and other rare tumors. We investigated the epidemiology of pediatric renal tumors in Korea. Materials and Methods: From January 2001 to December 2015, data of pediatric patients (0–18 years) newly-diagnosed with renal tumors at 26 hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 439 patients (male, 240), the most common tumor was WT (n=342, 77.9%), followed by RCC (n=36, 8.2%), CCSK (n=24, 5.5%), MRTK (n=16, 3.6%), CMN (n=12, 2.7%), and others (n=9, 2.1%). Median age at diagnosis was 27.1 months (range 0-225.5) and median follow-up duration was 88.5 months (range 0-211.6). Overall, 32 patients died, of whom 17, 11, 1, and 3 died of relapse, progressive disease, second malignant neoplasm, and treatment-related mortality. Five-year overall survival and event free survival were 97.2% and 84.8% in WT, 90.6% and 82.1% in RCC, 81.1% and 63.6% in CCSK, 60.3% and 56.2% in MRTK, and 100% and 91.7% in CMN, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion The pediatric renal tumor types in Korea are similar to those previously reported in other countries. WT accounted for a large proportion and survival was excellent. Non-Wilms renal tumors included a variety of tumors and showed inferior outcome, especially MRTK. Further efforts are necessary to optimize the treatment and analyze the genetic characteristics of pediatric renal tumors in Korea.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between dental school students’admission scores and their grade point average (GPA) after admission, as well as the relationship between student admission scores at dental school and continuation into the residency program. Methods: This study analyzed data collected from students who entered dental school between 2013 and 2017. The outcome variables were dental school GPA and continuation into residency program. Explanatory variables included admission type (early decision admission/regular admission), academic achievements (undergraduate GPA, Dental Education Eligibility Test [DEET], Test of English Proficiency [TEPS], screening by document review, and in-depth interview score), age, sex, college alma mater, high school alma mater, college major, as well as students’ academic performance in dental school. Regression analysis was performed to determine which factors relating to dental school admissions score had an influence on academic performance in dental school, whereas logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the students’ decision to pursue a residency. Results: Students who were foreign college graduates, majored in health sciences, accepted on the basis of early decision admission, female, or had a higher college GPA showed higher dental school GPA with statistical significance. Additionally, the likelihood of students pursuing residency was found to be higher in students who were female, of younger age, college graduates in Jeolla Provinces, or who had a higher dental school GPA. Conclusions To ensure regional equality of dental service quality, it is essential that high quality students pursue residency training. For further improvement of dental school, this study’s results can be used as a reference to make students coming from other regions pursue the residency program and contribute to the regional community.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the craniofacial patterns of Korean children with snoring and adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH) could be categorized into characteristic clusters according to age. METHODS: We enrolled 236 children with snoring and ATH (age range, 5–12 years) in this study. They were subdivided into four age groups: 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, and 11–12 years. Based on cephalometric analysis, the sagittal and vertical skeletal patterns of each individual were divided into Class I, II, and III, as well as the normodivergent, hypodivergent, and hyperdivergent patterns, respectively. Cluster analysis was performed using cephalometric principal components in addition to the age factor. RESULTS: Three heterogeneous clusters of craniofacial patterns were obtained in relation to age: cluster 1 (41.9%) included patients aged 5–8 years with a skeletal Class I or mild Class II and hyperdivergent pattern; cluster 2 (45.3%) included patients aged 9–12 years with a Class II and hyperdivergent pattern; and cluster 3 (12.8%) included patients aged 7–8 years with a Class III and hyperdivergent pattern. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the craniofacial patterns of Korean children with snoring and ATH could be categorized into three characteristic clusters according to age groups. Although no significantly dominant sagittal skeletal discrepancy was observed, hyperdivergent vertical discrepancy was consistently evident in all clusters.
Age Factors ; Child* ; Cluster Analysis* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Snoring*

PURPOSE: To examine the usefulness of various receptor tyrosine kinase expressions as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in muscle invasive urothelial cancer (UC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 98 patients with muscle invasive UC who underwent radical cystectomy between 2005 and 2010 in Yonsei Cancer Center. Using formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues of primary tumors, immunohistochemical staining was done for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), and fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3). RESULTS: There were 41 (41.8%), 44 (44.9%), and 14 (14.2%) patients who have over-expressed HER2, FGFR1, and FGFR3, respectively. In univariate analysis, significantly shorter median time to recurrence (TTR) (12.9 months vs. 49.0 months; p=0.008) and overall survival (OS) (22.3 months vs. 52.7 months; p=0.006) was found in patients with FGFR1 overexpression. By contrast, there was no difference in TTR or OS according to the HER2 and FGFR3 expression status. FGFR1 remained as a significant prognostic factor for OS with hazard ratio of 2.23 (95% confidence interval: 1.27-3.90, p=0.006) in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Our result showed that FGFR1 expression, but not FGFR3, is an adverse prognostic factor in muscle invasive UC patients after radical cystectomy. FGFR1 might be feasible for prognosis prediction and a potential therapeutic target after thorough validation in muscle invasive UC.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma/*metabolism/*mortality/surgery ; Cystectomy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Muscles/pathology ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Receptor, ErbB-2/metabolism ; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1/*metabolism ; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 3/metabolism ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/*metabolism/*mortality/surgery ; Urothelium/pathology

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review previous studies and to assess, via a subgroup meta-analysis, the combined odds ratio (OR) of prognostic factors affecting the success of miniscrew implants (MIs) inserted into the buccal posterior region. METHODS: Three electronic searches that were limited to articles on clinical human studies using MIs that were published in English prior to March 2015 were conducted. The outcome measure was the success of MIs. Patient factors included age, sex, and jaw of insertion (maxilla vs. mandible), while the MI factors included length and diameter. A meta-analysis was performed on 17 individual studies. The quality of each study was assessed for non-randomized studies and quantified using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The meta-analysis outcome was a combined OR. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses based on the study design, study quality, and sample size of miniscrews implanted were performed. RESULTS: Significantly higher success rates were revealed for MIs inserted in the maxilla, for patients ≥ 20 years of age, and for long MIs (≥ 8 mm) and MIs with a large diameter (> 1.4 mm). All subgroups acquired homogeneity, and the combined OR of the prospective studies (OR, 3.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.10-6.44) was significantly higher in the maxilla than that in the retrospective studies (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.60-2.74). CONCLUSIONS: When a treatment plan is made, these risk factors, i.e. jaw of insertion, age, MI length, and MI diameter, should be taken into account, while sex is not critical to the success of MIs.
Humans ; Jaw ; Maxilla ; Odds Ratio ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sample Size

PURPOSE: Facial asymmetry has been measured by the severity of deviation of the menton (Me) on posteroanterior (PA) cephalograms and three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT). This study aimed to compare PA cephalograms and 3D CT regarding the severity of Me deviation and the direction of the Me. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PA cephalograms and 3D CT images of 35 patients who underwent orthognathic surgery (19 males and 16 females, with an average age of 22.1±3.3 years) were retrospectively reviewed in this study. By measuring the distance and direction of the Me from the midfacial reference line and the midsagittal plane in the cephalograms and 3D CT, respectively, the x-coordinates (x1 and x2) of the Me were obtained in each image. The difference between the x-coordinates was calculated and statistical analysis was performed to compare the severity of Me deviation and the direction of the Me in the two imaging modalities. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in the severity of Me deviation was found between the two imaging modalities (Δx=2.45±2.03 mm, p<0.05) using the one-sample t-test. Statistically significant agreement was observed in the presence of deviation (k=0.64, p<0.05) and in the severity of Me deviation (k=0.27, p<0.05). A difference in the direction of the Me was detected in three patients (8.6%). The severity of the Me deviation was found to vary according to the imaging modality in 16 patients (45.7%). CONCLUSION: The measurement of Me deviation may be different between PA cephalograms and 3D CT in some patients.
Anatomic Landmarks ; Facial Asymmetry ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: This study conducted an analysis of cost-effectiveness of the implant and conventional fixed dental prosthesis (CFDP) from a single treatment perspective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Markov model for cost-effectiveness analysis of the implant and CFDP was carried out over maximum 50 years. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed by the 10,000 Monte-Carlo simulations, and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEAC) were also presented. The results from meta-analysis studies were used to determine the survival rates and complication rates of the implant and CFDP. Data regarding the cost of each treatment method were collected from University Dental Hospital and Statistics Korea for 2013. Using the results of the patient satisfaction survey study, quality-adjusted prosthesis year (QAPY) of the implant and CFDP strategy was evaluated with annual discount rate. RESULTS: When only the direct cost was considered, implants were more cost-effective when the willingness to pay (WTP) was more than 10,000 won at 10th year after the treatment, and more cost-effective regardless of the WTP from 20th year after the prosthodontic treatment. When the indirect cost was added to the direct cost, implants were more cost-effective only when the WTP was more than 75,000 won at the 10th year after the prosthodontic treatment, more than 35,000 won at the 20th year after prosthodontic treatment. CONCLUSION: The CFDP was more cost-effective unless the WTP was more than 75,000 won at the 10th year after prosthodontic treatment. But the cost-effectivenss tendency changed from CFDP to implant as time passed.
Dental Prosthesis* ; Korea ; Patient Satisfaction ; Prostheses and Implants ; Prosthodontics ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Elderly people are thought to be more susceptible to periodontal disease due to reduced immune function associated with aging. However, little information is available on the nature of immune responses against putative periodontal pathogens in geriatric patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the serum IgG antibody responses to six periodontal pathogens in geriatric subjects. METHODS: The study population consisted of 85 geriatric patients and was divided into three groups: 29 mild (MCP), 27 moderate (MoCP) and 29 severe (SCP) chronic periodontitis patients. Serum levels of IgG antibody to Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Prevotella intermedia were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared among the groups. RESULTS: All three groups showed levels of serum IgG in response to P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, and P. intermedia that were three to four times higher than levels of IgG to T. forsythia, T. denticola, and F. nucleatum. There were no significant differences among all three groups in IgG response to P. gingivalis (P=0.065), T. forsythia (P=0.057), T. denticola (P=0.1), and P. intermedia (P=0.167), although the IgG levels tended to be higher in patients with SCP than in those with MCP or MoCP (with the exception of those for P. intermedia). In contrast, there were significant differences among the groups in IgG levels in response to F. nucleatum (P=0.001) and A. actinomycetemcomitans (P=0.003). IgG levels to A. actinomycetemcomitans were higher in patients with MCP than in those with MoCP or SCP. CONCLUSIONS: When IgG levels were compared among three periodontal disease groups, only IgG levels to F. nucleatum significantly increased with the severity of disease. On the contrary, IgG levels to A. actinomycetemcomitans decreased significantly in patients with SCP compared to those with MCP. There were no significant differences in the IgG levels for P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, T. denticola, and P. intermedia among geriatric patients with chronic periodontitis.
Aged* ; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; Aging ; Antibody Formation ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Disease Progression ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Forsythia ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; Geriatrics ; Humans ; Immunity, Humoral* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Periodontal Diseases ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Prevotella intermedia ; Treponema denticola

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the interobserver agreement on the detection of carotid artery calcifications on panoramic radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study consisted of panoramic radiographs acquired from 634 male patients of the age of 50 years or older. Having excluded carotids of no diagnostic quality, 1008 carotids from the panoramic radiographs of the patients were interpreted by two oral and maxillofacial radiologists independently for the presence of carotid artery calcifications. Statistical analysis was used to calculate the interobserver agreement. RESULTS: Interobserver agreement was obtained for 932 carotids (92.4%). Inconsistent interpretation of 76 carotids (7.5%) between the two observers was found. Cohen's kappa value was 0.688 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The probability of a match between the two observers was substantially high.
Atherosclerosis ; Carotid Arteries* ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Male ; Radiography, Panoramic

PURPOSE: At present, information regarding periodontal disease in geriatric patients is scarce. The purpose of this study was to quantify the periodontal pathogens present in the saliva of Korean geriatric patients and assess the relationship between the bacterial levels and the periodontal condition. METHODS: Six putative periodontal pathogens were quantified by using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay in geriatric patient groups (>60 years) with mild chronic periodontitis (MCP), moderate chronic periodontitis (MoCP), and severe chronic periodontitis (SCP). The copy numbers of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Prevotella intermedia were measured. RESULTS: It was found that the bacterial copy numbers increased as the severity of the disease increased from MCP to SCP, except for P. intermedia. For P. intermedia, it was found that samples in the MCP group yielded the largest amount. It was also found that the quantities of P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, and T. denticola, the so-called "red complex" bacteria, were lower than those of F. nucleatum, A. actinomycetemcomitans, and P. intermedia in all of the samples. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the results of this study suggest that the levels of P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, F. nucleatum, and T. denticola present in saliva are associated with the severity of periodontal disease in geriatric patients.
Bacteria ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Disease Progression ; Forsythia ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; Geriatrics ; Humans ; Periodontal Diseases ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Prevotella intermedia ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Saliva ; Treponema denticola