BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The success of the orthopaedic treatment is closely related to the patient’s skeletal maturation. This study aimed to evaluate the midpalatal suture (MPS), the zygomaticomaxillary suture (ZMS) maturation, and the closure degree of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis (SOS) in patients of different age groups. The presence of a correlation between these parameters and the palatal dimensions was also verified. SUBJECTS/METHODS The study was based on computed tomography images of 314 patients between 7 and 30 years of age with no orthodontic treatment history. The images were retrieved from the archive of the Radiology Department of Bezmialem Vakif University Hospital and divided into six groups according to the patient’s age 7-10, 11-13, 14-16, 17-20, 21-25, and 26-30 years. The maturation scores of ZMS, SOS, and MPS were determined, and palatal thickness and length were recorded. The data were analysed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows 22.0. RESULTS A positive relationship was found between SOS closure degree and MPS/ZMS maturation (MPS-ZMS r = 0.816, MPS-SOS r = 0.736, ZMS-SOS r = 0.868, P = 0.000). The degrees of ZMS and MPS maturation were significantly increased as the SOS closure degree increased. The MPS maturation score was significantly lower in patients with a short and thick palate (MPS-palatal thickness r = 0.405, MPS-palatal length r = 0.387, P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS A positive correlation indicated the simultaneous progress in the maturation of the SOS, MPS, and ZMS. Moreover, the ANS-PNS length increase was found to be correlated with the increase of the MPS, ZMS, and SOS maturation scores. In contrast, a negative correlation was observed between the palatal thickness and the maturation stage of these structures. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Orthodontic Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email journals.permissions@oup.com.OBJECTIVES The occupational environment represents an important source of exposures to multiplehazards for workers’ health. Although it is recognized that mixtures of agents may have differenteffects on health compared to their individual effects, studies generally focus on the assessment ofindividual exposures. Our objective was to identify occupational co-exposures occurring in the United States using the multi-industry occupational exposure databank of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). METHODS Using OSHA’s Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), measurement data from workplace inspections occurring from 1979 to 2015 were examined. We defined a workplace situation (WS) by grouping measurements that occurred within a company, within the same occupation (i.e. job title) within 1 year. All agents present in each WS were listed and the resulting databank was analyzed with the Spectrosome approach, a methodology inspired by network science, to determine global patterns of co-expopecific patterns. CONCLUSIONS We identified frequent co-exposure situations in the IMIS databank. Using the spectrome approach, we revealed global combination patterns and the agents most often implicated. Future work should endeavor to explore the toxicological effects of prevalent combinations of exposures on workers’ health to prioritize research and prevention efforts. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence and distribution of clinically missing permanent incisors, and the age at which they are detected, in school-aged children. METHODS A total of 2573 children aged 4-13 underwent oral health screening on at least one occasion between 2001 and 2017. In order to define a threshold age, after which permanent incisor agenesis could be suspected clinically with reasonable certainty, children who had been seen for at least three consecutive years, with any clinically missing permanent incisor were selected (n = 19). The maximum age of detection among these children was chosen as the threshold age. Based on this, a total of 766 children at or above the threshold age were screened for a cross-sectional epidemiological survey. Chi-squared tests were used to compare the prevalence of clinically missing permanent incisors among boys and girls, comparing unilateral versus bilateral, and right- versus left-sided missing teeth. RESULTS Roughly 2% of the sample presented with at least one clinically missing maxillary lateral incisor. This was bilateral in half of cases. Clinically missing mandibular incisors were found in 0.5% of children. Finally, the threshold age for clinical suspicion of maxillary lateral incisor agenesis was set at 11.5 years. Agenesis was confirmed in all of the children attending a follow-up radiographic visit. CONCLUSIONS Approximately 1 in 50 children present with a clinically missing maxillary lateral incisor. iMDK supplier The age at suspicion of maxillary lateral incisor agenesis can sometimes be several years after its expected eruption, perhaps due to significant variation in eruption times. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Orthodontic Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email journals.permissions@oup.com.OBJECTIVE The aim of this trial was to test whether the use of a smartphone application (app) connected to a toothbrush improves the oral hygiene compliance of adolescent orthodontic patients. DESIGN The study was designed as a multicentre, randomized, controlled clinical trial. SETTING Two academic hospitals. ETHICAL APPROVAL The study was approved by the ethics committee. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This multicentre randomized controlled trial was conducted on 38 adolescents aged 12-18 years with full-fixed orthodontic appliances. Participants were randomly assigned either to a test group that used an interactive oscillating/rotating electric toothbrush connected to a brushing aid app or to a control group that used an oscillating/rotating electric toothbrush alone. At baseline, all patients received verbal and written oral hygiene instructions. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Data collection was performed at T1 (baseline), T2 (6 weeks), T3 (12 weeks) and T4 (18 weeks-end of the study). At each time point, the plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI) and white spot lesion (WSL) score were recorded.