When older adult patients request esthetic enhancement they are mainly concerned about the lower incisors. In fact, for older adult patients, the impact of the mandibular incisors is at least as important as that of the upper jaw incisors on their facial esthetics. This article discusses the importance of specifically documenting this claim and proposes that the diagnostic evaluation of older adult patients should routinely include two specific photos.

Japan's rice terrace landscapes are not only used for food production but also appreciated as a place of high biocultural value. This paper pursues the question as to how far esthetic and spiritual values influence the motivation to participate in collective agricultural actions aiming at the conservation of traditional land use systems, the respective cultural (= traditional rural) landscapes and their biocultural diversity. Our results show that in the Ownership System of Ōyamasenmaida (Chiba Prefecture, Japan) landscape beauty is the main motivator for the mainly urban volunteers (the ‘tenants’) to participate in activities of the local Preservation Association, as well as for visitors who merely come to enjoy the scenery of the rice terraces. The active tenants, however, differ from the ‘passive’ visitors in their ecological interest and emotional attachment to the area. Interestingly, there is also a difference regarding the belief in nature spirits. A higher percentage of people who can imagine that such spirits are always present have been found among the tenants than among the visitors. Even more significant in this respect was the difference between female tenants and female visitors. To what extent spirituality is the cause for or an effect of involvement in nature conservation activities cannot be concluded from this survey. Future studies should therefore take a closer look at the connection between spirituality/religiosity and engagement in nature conservation activities. In Western countries (mainly in Central Europe or North America), nature conservation works on a more ‘scientific’ level, mobilizing engagement through scientific evidence on, for example, losses of species or biodiversity. Addressing the motivations of the volunteers on an emotional, esthetic or social level could be a promising way forward.

The use of implants to replace congenitally missing teeth is a-predictable esthetic Solution that is, paradoxically less invasive than the traditional reliance on bridges to supply the missing elements because it demands little or no sacrifice of dental tissue. But this noble goal cannot be achieved unless we can assure prospective patients that the results will be stable and esthetically satisfying over the long term. This is an issue of primordial importance in view of the tender age of the patients that are the usual candidates for this treatment modality for agenesis. And no such assurance can be proffered unless we deal with the problem in a multi-disciplinary fashion from the very outset of treatment planning. We must evaluate the space needed for a replacement not just from the standpoint of the prosthetic requirements alone but also with an assessment of the associated osseous and gingival tissues in the framework of a tri-dimensional implantplacement.