Biomedical subjects

M Okan Akçam

Publications and source records attributed to M Okan Akçam.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

A cephalometric evaluation of lower lip in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate cephalometrically the lower lip position and area of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) comparatively with Class I skeletodental normal subjects. PATIENTS: Lateral cephalometric and hand-wrist radiographs obtained from 24 patients with UCLP (mean age 12.86 years), along with 20 normal individuals (mean age 12.33 years) used as a control group, were examined. DESIGN: In addition to standard cephalometric dentofacial variables, lower lip area (superior, middle, inferior) was also measured using a digital planimeter on the lateral cephalograms. RESULTS: The superior and middle part of the lower lip areas were significantly smaller (p < .05) in the UCLP group, compared to the control group. The inferior and total lower lip areas of patients with UCLP were found to be significantly smaller than controls. The labiomental angle was also smaller (38.79 degrees). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the lower lip of patients with UCLP is smaller, retruded, and curved, with a deep labiomental sulcus, compared with normal individuals during puberty. Therefore, practitioners should focus not only on the upper lip of patients with UCLP but also should consider the lower lip as it was found distinct from normal individuals during puberty.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2003

Long-term effects of chin-cap therapy on the temporomandibular joints.

It is commonly believed that upward/backward forces applied to the condyle by a chin-cap cause temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD). In the current study the long-term follow-up (2-11 years) of patients treated with a chin-cap was investigated regarding signs and symptoms of TMD. The treatment group consisted of 32 individuals who had a skeletal Class III malocclusion treated using chin-cap therapy (mean age 18.4 years). The two control groups contained 39 untreated subjects with skeletal Class III malocclusions (mean age 15.5 years) and 53 dental students (mean age 19.2 years) with acceptable normal occlusions. Functional examination of the subjects was carried out and those with at least one sign/symptom (clicking, pain, or deviation) were identified as the 'symptomatic' subgroup. The distribution of symptomatic individuals was 25 per cent in the treatment group, 23 per cent in the Class III malocclusion group, and 41.5 per cent in the normal group (dental students). In addition, the frequency of signs and symptoms of TMD in the symptomatic individuals was also investigated. There were no signs of crepitus in any subject, clicking was found in 50 per cent of the treatment group and pain in 54.5 per cent of the normal group. The results of this long-term follow-up indicate that chin-cap treatment is neither a risk factor nor a prevention for TMD. Age and stress factors should always be considered in the evaluation of TMD.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Fuzzy modelling for selecting headgear types.

The purpose of this study was to develop a computer-assisted inference model for selecting appropriate types of headgear appliance for orthodontic patients and to investigate its clinical versatility as a decision-making aid for inexperienced clinicians. Fuzzy rule bases were created for degrees of overjet, overbite, and mandibular plane angle variables, respectively, according to subjective criteria based on the clinical experience and knowledge of the authors. The rules were then transformed into membership functions and the geometric mean aggregation was performed to develop the inference model. The resultant fuzzy logic was then tested on 85 cases in which the patients had been diagnosed as requiring headgear appliances. Eight experienced orthodontists judged each of the cases, and decided if they 'agreed', 'accepted', or 'disagreed' with the recommendations of the computer system. Intra-examiner agreements were investigated using repeated judgements of a set of 30 orthodontic cases and the kappa statistic. All of the examiners exceeded a kappa score of 0.7, allowing them to participate in the test run of the validity of the proposed inference model. The examiners' agreement with the system's recommendations was evaluated statistically. The average satisfaction rate of the examiners was 95.6 per cent and, for 83 out of the 85 cases, 97.6 per cent. The majority of the examiners (i.e. six or more out of the eight) were satisfied with the recommendations of the system. Thus, the usefulness of the proposed inference logic was confirmed.

Adolescent↗