A narrow anterior apical base in both jaws can cause pronounced crowding, which can be corrected by extraction therapy (as a rule extraction of four premolars) or by transverse distraction osteogenesis therapy (as a rule bimaxillary), followed by orthodontic treatment. A case is reported of bimaxillary transverse distraction osteogenesis in an eleven-year old female patient. Alignment was performed with fixed orthodontic appliances. Correction of the skeletal Class II relationship was done with a functional appliance. The active treatment time was eighteen months.

In this article an attempt is made to formulate a number of general clinical guidelines, based on the currently available knowledge and clinical experience within the area of dental anxiety. It is concluded that, in case of mild forms of anxiety, a careful treatment approach of the dental practitioner – which is focused on a style of establishing trust, specific pharmacological support and the teaching of coping strategies – can reduce patients’ anxiety level, thereby preventing avoidance behaviour and deterioration of the oral health.

More than 25 years ago the thesis ‘Functional occlusion and mesial drift, an experimental study of tooth migration in monkeys’ was presented. A literature review was carried out to assess whether the results have withstood the test of time. It was confirmed that occlusion plays an important role in mesial drift, whilst no direct evidence for transseptal fibre contraction as a causal factor has been put forward. Mesial drift is not merely a compensatory mechanism for loss of tooth susbstance, but may cause crowding, depending on axial inclination and occlusal morphology. This phenomenon has implications for orthodontic and restorative treatments.

This article is an adapted translation in Dutch of an editorial paper in the journal Gerodontology. The editorial paper describes the report ‘Oral healthcare for older people: 2020 vision’. The report was prompted by concern that the planning of future dental services has not yet taken account of major changes that are going on in the UK population. The report’s vision for 2020 is discussed in light of the Dutch situation and considered to be applicable to the changing needs in The Netherlands as well.

A dentist referred a 32-year-old man with the Prader-Willi syndrome to a center for special dental care because of the poor cooperation of the patient, progressive toothwear and advanced palatal trauma. The dental problems were, among others, caused by the disto-relation (Class II-2), a poor oral hygiene, the frequency of sugar intake, oesophageal reflux and a strongly reduced salivary pH of 5.5. Treatment of the dentition was established by minimal invasive and adhesive dentistry.

The Department of Dental Materials Science of the Academic Centre of Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) has it’s own English website. The department is responsible for research and teaching in dental materials science. Websites about dental materials on the internet are rare. One will not find reports about certain brands on the site of this Department either. However, very interesting information on the characteristics of dental materials, which have to function as replacement of lost tooth structures in practice, is available. No website anymore