During formation of the secondary palate in mammalian embryos, two vertically oriented palatal shelves rapidly elevate into a horizontal position above the tongue, meet at the midline, and fuse to form a single entity. Previous observations suggested that elevation occurs by a simple 90° rotation of the palatal shelves. More recent findings showed that the presumptive midline epithelial cells a...

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE Wearing orthodontic appliances may negatively affect a patient's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) physiologically, psychologically, and socially. Few studies have assessed the effect of palatal expanders on OHRQoL. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of palatal expanders on OHRQoL and to compare it with that of fixed orthodontic appliances. MA...

Introduction: Coverage of bone grafts is very important in reconstructive surgery. In edentulous alveolar ridges this coverage is particularly important for supporting dental prostheses. Here we present the case of a patient with a large deficient maxillary anterior region that was reconstructed with a bilateral palatal submucosal periosteal connective tissue flap: a soft tissue reserve for up...

The embryological stages of palatal shelf elongation and elevation, mainly induced by the proliferation and extracellular matrix secretion of embryonic palatal mesenchymal (MEPM) cells, are essential for normal palatal development. Wingless-related MMTV integration site gene family (Wnt) signaling pathways serve key roles in craniofacial development and palate formation. Recent studies have ind...

The medial epithelial seam (MES) between the palatal shelves degrades during palatal fusion to achieve the confluence of palatal mesenchyme. Cellular mechanisms underlying the degradation of MES have been proposed, such as apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration of medial edge epithelia (MEE). Extracellular matrix components have been shown to play an important role in ...

A cross-sectional study of one thousand and sixty-five children (508 boys and 557 girls) from the Watertown School System was done in order to determine whether there is a relationship between airway obstruction, palatal vault formation and malocclusion. The age range was 5 to 12 years old with a mean age of 8.5 years. Breathing pattern was based on the lip competency (seal) of each individual....

Cleft palate is one of the most common birth defects in humans. Whereas gene knockout studies in mice have shown that both the Osr2 and Pax9 transcription factors are essential regulators of palatogenesis, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involving these transcription factors in palate development. We report here that Pax9 plays a crucial role in patterning the anterior-posterior ...

Introduction: Odontogenic malformations of teeth can be frequently encountered affecting both the primary and permanent dentition. The co-occurrence talon cusp in a fused tooth, however, is an uncommon developmental dental aberration that necessitates variety prophylactic procedures to minimize potential consequences. Often, presence talon's result pulpal necrosis due its deep extension, which ...

PURPOSE Maxillary implant overdentures are often designed without palatal coverage to maximize wearer comfort. Although palateless dentures have been reported to be less rigid than conventional dentures, and require reinforcement to prevent complications, there is little documentation about the effects of such reinforcement. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of reinforcement ...