Volume 92 Number 6

Reviews and abstracts 525

that the patient’s psyche needs to be considered when treating somatic disorders.

The aim of the book is to contribute to the devel- opment of a more logical and knowledgeable approach in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders and, as far as this reviewer is concerned, it is right on target. Recommended reading.

Alex Jacobson

Physiologic Responses to Mtixillary Resection and Subsequent Obturation G. E. Minsley, D. W. Warren, and V. Hinton J. Prosther. Dent. 1987;57:338-44

Surgical resection of maxillary and soft palate de- fects mostly results in communication between oral cav- ity and nasal regions, causing difficulty in swallowing, nasal leakage, and loss of facial support. Such condi- tions require prosthetic obturation. According to the researchers, measurements of pressure and airflow dif- ferences between oral and nasal cavities, and assess- ment of respiratory volume during phonation have proved to be accurate indicators for adequacy of ob- turation.

The subjects in this study comprised four patients obturated following surgical removal of carcinomas of the hard or soft palate. Persons with large surgical de- fects were shown to increase respiratory effort during nonnasal consonant productions in order to maintain adequate intraoral speech pres:sures. Successful obtur- ation of the defect maintains the speech pressures while dramatically reducing respiratory effort.

Alex Jacobson

The Criteria for Lower Second Molar Extraction J. T. Dacre Br. J. Orthod. 1987:14:1-9

The benefits of lower second molar extraction are substantially reduced if the third molar fails to erupt into a satisfactory position. The selection criteria of- fered by the investigator were in a sample of 5 1 patients. The conclusions were as follows:

1. Successful eruption of the third molar can occur from a wide range of sagittal angulations.

2. The need for treatment at follow-up seemed to occur unilaterally and more often on the right side.

The full-crown stage of development yielded the best proportion of well-placed third molars fi- nally; however, if there are other indications for second molar extraction, then the operator should not be deterred by any stage from “cusps- joined” to “distal root start.” The posterior position of the third molar as in- dicated by the space between the developing third molar and the root of the second molar was the best single predictor for the final third molar position in the radiograph, but accounted for less than 10% of the variation. The amount of space available following loss of a second molar did not influence the final po- sition of the third molar.

The writer concludes that prediction is uncertain and that cases should be followed until such time as a sat- isfactory third molar position has been achieved.

Alex Jacobson

Effecte des Aktivators bei der Klasse-II-I-Therapie M. ijlgen and G. P. F. Diyarbakir Fortschr. Kkftrorthop. 1987:48:4/-51

The study is based on pre- and posttreatment ceph- alographs of 30 girls and 30 boys with Class II, Divi- sion 1 malocclusion treated with an activator. To de- termine the effect of the activator, the treatment group was compared to a control group from the growth study of Riolo and associates. The significant effects of the activator were as follows: decrease in the ANB angle, increase in the SNB angle, prevention of the decrease of the SN/occlusal plane angle, and retrusion of the upper incisors.

Alex Jacobson

Significairce of Condylar Positions in Patients With Temporomandibular Disorders L. R. Bean and C. A. Thomas J. Am. Dent. Assoc. 1987:114:76-7

Radiographs of closed condylar positions in subjects with symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders are compared with those in subjects without symptoms. Of the condyles in asymptomatic subjects, 30% had anterior or posterior deviations of more than 1 mm in either direction. Of the condyles in symptomatic sub- jects, 27% had anterior or posterior deviations of more than 1 mm. As the findings are almost the same for