Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome/anomaly (ARS) is a rare genetic disorder with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern, characterized by dysgenesis of the anterior segment of the eye. It may present with systemic anomalies (Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome) or without (Axenfeld anomaly) and may sometimes be associated with multiple congenital malformations. The estimated prevalence ranges from 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 200,000 live births, with an approximate rate of 1 in 100,000, but no epidemiological studies have been conducted to date. A clinical diagnosis of Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome requires the presence of both Axenfeld and Rieger ocular anomalies, accompanied by extraocular systemic features. Ocular manifestations include iris abnormalities, posterior embryotoxon, juvenile-onset glaucoma (a common complication), and dysgenesis of the iridocorneal angle with iridocorneal adhesions. The most commonly observed systemic anomalies include: umbilical defects; craniofacial dysmorphism; dentofacial abnormalities, such as Class III malocclusion due to maxillary hypoplasia, oligodontia, dental malformations (taurodontism, root dysplasia), microdontia, hypodontia, and anodontia; hearing impairment (partial or complete sensorineural hearing loss); and cardiac anomalies, including non-congenital heart disease and mitral valve insufficiency. Additional anomalies may include hypospadias in males, anal stenosis, endocrine disorders (notably growth retardation) secondary to pituitary dysfunction, psychomotor delay, and various neurological malformations such as Dandy-Walker malformation, mega cisterna magna, posterior fossa cysts, cerebellar vermis hypoplasia, ventriculomegaly, aprosencephaly, cerebral atrophy, microcephaly, arteriovenous malformations (AVM), and digital anomalies such as camptodactyly. Diagnosis is typically made in infancy, based on iris anomalies such as corectopia (displacement of the pupil), polycoria (multiple pupils), and iris hypoplasia. Posterior embryotoxon is frequently observed upon slit-lamp examination. Given the clinical variability, a comprehensive pediatric assessment is essential to identify systemic anomalies and distinguish Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome from the isolated Axenfeld anomaly.

Few European sites have yielded human dental remains safely dated to the end of MIS 4/beginning of MIS 3. One of those sites is Marillac (Southwestern France), a collapsed karstic cave where archeological excavations (1967-1980) conducted by B. Vandermeersch unearthed numerous faunal and human remains, as well as a few Mousterian Quina tools. The Marillac sinkhole was occasionally used by humans to process the carcasses of different prey, but there is no evidence for a residential use of the site, nor have any hearths been found. Rare carnivore bones were also discovered, demonstrating that the sinkhole was seasonally used, not only by Neanderthals, but also by predators across several millennia. The lithostratigraphic units containing the human remains were dated to ∼60 kyr. The fossils consisted of numerous fragments of skulls and jaws, isolated teeth and several post-cranial bones, many of them with traces of perimortem manipulations. For those already published, their morphological characteristics and chronostratigraphic context allowed their attribution to Neanderthals. This paper analyzes sixteen unpublished human teeth (fourteen permanent and two deciduous) by investigating the external morphology and metrical variation with respect to other Neanderthal remains and a sample from modern populations. We also investigate their enamel thickness distribution in 2D and 3D, the enamel-dentine junction morphology (using geometric morphometrics) of one molar and two premolars, the roots and the possible expression of taurodontism, as well as pathologies and developmental defects. The anterior tooth use and paramasticatory activities are also discussed. Morphological and structural alterations were found on several teeth, and interpreted in light of human behavior (tooth-pick) and carnivores' actions (partial digestion). The data are interpreted in the context of the available information for the Eurasian Neanderthals.

To report on dental characteristics and treatment load in Danish adult patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Oral examination of 73 patients with OI was performed and OI type I, III, and IV were represented by 75.3%, 8.2%, and 16.4%, respectively. Patients were diagnosed as having dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI) if they had clinical and radiological signs of DI. In the data analysis, mild OI (type I) was compared to moderate-severe OI (type III and IV). Discoloration of teeth was prevalent in patients with moderate-severe compared to mild OI (83.3% vs. 5.5%, p < 0.001). Cervical constriction and pulpal obliteration were frequent findings in patients with moderate-severe OI (61.1% and 88.9%, respectively), whereas pulp stones and taurodontism were diagnosed in patients with mild OI only (29.1% and 9.1%, respectively). DI was found in 24.7% of OI patients and considerably more frequent in patients with moderate-severe (94.4%) compared to mild OI (1.8%) (p < 0.001). The number of teeth with artificial crowns was significantly higher in patients with moderate-severe OI than in patients with mild OI (median 1.5, range 0-23 vs. median 0, range 0-14) (p < 0.001). The number of teeth with fillings in patients with mild OI was significantly higher than in patients with moderate-severe OI (mean 9.7, SD 5.1, median 9.0, range 1-21 vs. mean 5.0, SD 4.4, median 4.0, range 0-16) (p < 0.001). One fourth of patients with OI had DI, and the vast majority of them had moderate-severe OI. Whereas discoloration of teeth, cervical constriction and pulp obliteration were frequent findings in patients with moderate-severe OI, pulp stones and taurodontism were found in patients with mild OI only. In patients with moderate-severe OI, the dental treatment load was dominated by prosthetic treatment, whereas restorative treatment with fillings was more prevalent in patients with mild OI.