Thesis (PhD(Dentistry))--University of Limpopo (Medunsa Campus), 2010 / Open bite deformity is a dentofacial anomaly characterised by a space between the upper and lower teeth when the jaws are brought together. When the posterior teeth are in contact and there is separation between the upper and lower incisal edges, the condition is referred to as an anterior open bite (AOB). Anterior open bite occurs more commonly among the Black African race groups, and unless recognised and intercepted early in life, treatment of the condition can become complicated, extended and expensive. Some of the aetiological factors cited in the development of the condition include, an unfavourable growth pattern, finger sucking habits, enlarged tonsillar lymphoid tissue, abnormal tongue and orofacial muscular activity and hereditary factors. Morphologically AOB can involve only the dentoalveolar regions of the craniofacial anatomy, in which case the AOB is said to be a dental AOB; it may be the result of a disproportion between the jaws and is then referred to as a skeletal AOB, or it may be a mixture of the two. The aetiology and structural components of AOB would largely determine the mode of treatment, which can be orthodontic treatment, orthognathic surgery or a combination of the two. Previous studies into the prevalence of AOB in South Africa have reported it to be as high as 27%. Since a major percentage of the patients seen at the School of Dentistry of the University of Limpopo are of the South African Black race group it became relevant to investigate the prevalence of AOB at this institution and to develop a fresh assessment method with standardised values for this population sample. A retrospective study was therefore undertaken among patients visiting the School of Dentistry of the University of Limpopo to determine the prevalence of AOB over a 15-year time period from 1992 to 2006. All xvii patients with an AOB were documented with regard to age, gender, severity and aetiology. The criteria for determining open bite was a measure of at least 1 mm vertical separation between the incisal edges of the upper and lower incisors when the posterior teeth are in occlusion, as determined from the lateral cephalograms and confirmed by the study models. A review of the literature pertaining to craniofacial growth, the aetiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation and treatment of AOB is also presented as well as investigative techniques for the assessment of AOB. A revised lateral cephalometric assessment method proposed as the Dawjee Analysis was designed and developed and is introduced. It consists of 12 measurements of which nine have never been previously mentioned in the literature and are being defined and described for the first time in this proposed analysis. These parameters are measured against existing and tested anatomical landmarks and planes, combined with the introduction of one new landmark and seven new measuring planes that have not been cited or described in other established analyses. These landmarks, planes and measurement parameters of the analysis are presented and its utility is described. A case study of a patient with AOB is included with an assessment of pre-treatment and post-treatment changes using this analysis. In order to establish standardised values for this population sample, the proposed Dawjee analysis was applied to a control group consisting of 50 adult male and 50 adult female subjects whose cephalometric analysis conformed to the standardised values for this race group. The analysis was also applied to an AOB sample from the retrospective study consisting of 46 male and 59 female cephalograms. Based on the amount of incisor separation this group was divided into mild, moderate and severe AOB. All subjects in both the AOB and control samples were in their permanent dentition stage, having their first permanent molars in a Class I relation. xviii In testing the validity of the proposed Dawjee Analysis, 20 cephalograms from the control group and 20 from the AOB group were also evaluated using other established cephalometric methods and the results thereof were compared to the findings of the proposed Dawjee Analysis From the 15-year retrospective investigation this study found the prevalence of AOB to be 9.67% with the male to female ratio of 46:54. The condition appears to be more common before the age of 13 years than after 13 years with a ratio of 68:32. The aetiology of the AOB in order of rank was found to be thumb or finger sucking, hereditary, nasal obstruction and unknown causes. Over the 15-year period the number of AOB patients attending the Orthodontic Department, School of Dentistry of the University of Limpopo, decreased from 16% to 8%. While this could be due to the realization that the principal cause (thumb or finger sucking) carries a social stigma, a concerted effort must be made to educate communities so that this detrimental habit can be minimised and eradicated. Standardised values for the proposed Dawjee Analysis are presented and potential flaws are outlined. When comparisons are drawn between the control and AOB group it was found that the latter differs from the control sample in 8 of the 12 of the parameters, namely: 1. Incisor separation 2. Anterior cranial base inclination 3. Posterior maxillary position 4. Posterior mandibular position 5. Interalveolar angle 6. Point B position 7. Apex of the maxillary triangle 8. Apex of the mandibular triangle The null hypothesis, which states there are no difference in the cephalometric values of the proposed Dawjee Analysis between AOB xix subjects and a control group for this population sample, was therefore rejected. These morphological differences were supported by the findings of other established analysis that were tested on the AOB and control groups. The difference of the proposed Dawjee Analysis from other cephalometric methods lies in its capability to identify and separate the skeletal from the dental components of an AOB for this study sample. Diagnosis involves a comparison to population standards and the aim of cephalometrics is to describe the standardised morphology of a population. To this end standardised values for the proposed Dawjee Analysis in a South African Black population sample have been determined which focuses on identifying the morphological basis of an AOB.

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ABSTRACT Postural deformities are a commonly encountered problem among children. Most of the aches and pains of adults are the result, not of injuries, but of the long-term effects of distortions in posture or alignment that have their origins in childhood or adolescence. Television, video entertainment, motorized transportation, fast food and lack of regular physical activity contribute to the poor physical condition of children. Childhood obesity has increased dramatically in the past decade. Countries in economic transition from underdeveloped to developed, such as South Africa, are particularly affected and have an increasing prevalence of obesity across all economic levels and age groups. In a developing country like South Africa, where overweight/obesity co-exists with undernutrition, there is an urgent need to prevent unhealthy trends in diet and physical activity. School screening is mandatory in schools in 26 states of the United States (US) for children between 10 and 16 years of age. Previous studies conducted in the US found that 160 out of 1000 people suffer from scoliosis (Boachie-Adjei & Lonner, 1996). This means that scoliosis is as prevalent as hypertension or diabetes mellitus. Identification of postural deformities at an early stage makes early treatment possible, which may, in future, prevent serious postural abnormalities. The aim of this review article is to define the concept of good posture, analyze normal postural development and postural deformities, and discuss some of the developmental factors affecting posture.

The British Columbia [B.C.] Polydactyly study was designed to investigate the occurrence of Polydactyly in the B.C. population. Polydactylous infants born in the province in the years 1964 - 1967 were ascertained principally through the Registry for Handicapped Children and Adults; additional cases were found-through disease indexes of B.C. hospitals and through referrals from medical personnel. Data on the probands were obtained by family interviews and review of various medical records. Information compiled for a case included: sex of proband, racial background, parental age, parity of mother, notes on the pregnancy, description of accessory digits, genetic family history, and nature of additional congenital anomalies when rpresent. Incidence of Polydactyly in B.C. for 1964 - 1967 was 1.02 per 1,000 live births. This figure includes patients with multiple congenital anomalies. Of the four years covered by the study, 1966 had the highest incidence (1.35), a year in which a seemingly disproportionate number of ulnar cases occurred. Ninety-five males and 43 females, a sex ratio of approximately 2:1, presented the following types of duplication: radial (31), tibial (6), ulnar (54), fibular (24) and ulnar and fibular (16). It is proposed that cases with both ulnar and fibular accessory digits and cases with ulnar or fibular accessory digits in whose family both ulnar and fibular duplication occur present ulnar-fibular type Polydactyly. Based on cases unassociated with multiple congenital anomalies, specific types of Polydactyly had the following incidences: radial 0.20; tibial, 0.04; polysyndactyly, 0.01; ulnar, 0.32; fibular, 0.16; and ulnar-fibular, 0.09. Genetic histories indicate in 32 families out of 138 there is another individual with Polydactyly. For specific types of Polydactyly the following proportion of cases without multiple congenital anomalies had a positive family history: radial, 5 - 19 %; tibial, 0 %; ulnar, 29 %• fibular, 25 and ulnar-fibular, 73 f°~ Polygenic inheritance of ulnar and of fibular types of Polydactyly is suggested by the finding that the percentage of affected sibs is greater when there is a history of Polydactyly in previous generations (approximately 6.6 %) than for probands with a negative history (1.2 %). The number of affected sibs of the probands (3/107) is in agreement with the number which would be expected for a polygenic trait. Data for ulnar-fibular Polydactyly is more compatible with dominant inheritance with reduced penetrance among females. Fifty percent of the offspring of polydactylous males were affected; a smaller percentage of the children of affected mothers were polydactylous (27.7 %). Nonpenetrance of the Polydactyly gene(s) would seem to be fairly common among females since unaffected mothers are known to pass the trait to their children whereas such an occurrence is unknown for males. . Among ulnar-fibular cases with no history of accessory digits in previous generations, 17.4 % of the sibs were polydactylous. Major congenital anomaly was noted in 33 probands and occurs approximately 3½ times more frequently among the polydactylous infants than the general population. Multiple major anomalies are approximately 25 times more frequent. A polydactylous child found to have one major malformation is twice as likely to have additional major anomalies than a child with one major anomaly who has the normal number of digits. Multiple congenital anomalies were most commonly seen with ulnar-fibular Polydactyly. This may reflect the fact that ulnar-fibular duplication is the type most commonly seen as a feature of various syndromes. In addition to the B.C. findings, literature on Polydactyly has been reviewed. Included are: data on the incidence of Polydactyly in other populations, description of different types of duplication, hypotheses regarding the inheritance of accessory digits, tabulation of the types of Polydactyly seen in various syndromes, and discussion of the morphogenesis of accessory digits in relation to limb embryogenesis. / Medicine, Faculty of / Medical Genetics, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1961 A37

It is well establish that posture deformities are a common problem among children that is often ignored by parent and teachers. Posture deformities in children could be related to their socio-economic status, lifestyle, culture, tradition, environmental factors, as well as activity levels and are associated with numerous adverse health effects, which include lung and heart defects, indigestion and back pain. Children who experience back pain are at increased risk of having back pain as adults. The economic impact of back pain affects the industry, were back problems are the most expensive type of injury claim. The increase in spinal problems, such as lower back pain in children and adolescents, points to the need for continued screening. It is suggested that early detection of postural deviation could provide an improve chance for corrective remedies and posture development. On investigating the relevant literature it becomes clear that attempts to define the prevalence of posture deformities among children have focused on reporting selected deformities only. Consequently the literature contains insufficient information on posture deformities involving the entire musculoskeletal system, as well as the prevalence of posture deformities among black African people. The purpose of this study was firstly to determine the incidence of posture deviations among black African children in the North West Province and secondly to determine the difference in the prevalence of posture deformities between boys and girls. In a longitudinal study posture deformities including the entire musculoskeletal system were assessed in 251 schoolchildren (136 girls and 115 boys). Posture screening was done according to the New York Posture test and a posture grid. Subjects were evaluated in a standing position from the rear and lateral side. Foot deformities (flat foot) were also measured with the use of white chalk and a black board. Thereafter the "Adam's test" (forward bending test) were used for further scoliosis evaluation. The prevalence of posture deformities was reported to be high among black African schoolchildren. The incidence of lordosis (84%) and protruding abdomen (67%) was the highest, while twisted head (8%) was reported as the lowest. Gender difference in the prevalence of posture deformities was also found, with a higher incidence of posture deformities reported in girls (54%) as in boys (46%). / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

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