ABSTRACT
Fixed orthodontic appliances in the oral cavity make tooth cleaning procedures more complicated
Objectives: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of computerized oral hygiene instruction with verbal technique among fixed orthodontic patients referred to the evening clinic of Orthodontics of Shiraz Dental School
Materials and Methods: A single-blind study was performed in Orthodontic Department of Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran, from January to May 2015 following the demonstrated exclusion and inclusion criteria. The sample size was considered 60 patients with 30 subjects in each group. Bleeding on probing and plaque indices and dental knowledge were assessed in the subjects to determine pre-intervention status. A questionnaire was designed for dental knowledge evaluation. The patients were randomly assigned into the computerized and verbal groups. Three weeks after the oral hygiene instruction, indices of bleeding on probing and plaque index and the dental knowledge were evaluated to investigate post-intervention outcome. The two groups were compared by chi-square and student t tests. The pre- and post-intervention scores in each group were compared using paired t-test
Results: In the computerized group, the mean score for plaque index and bleeding on probing index was significantly decreased while dental health knowledge was significantly increased after oral hygiene instruction, in contrast to the verbal group
Conclusions: Within the limitations of the current study, computerized oral hygiene instruction is proposed to be more effective in providing optimal oral health status compared to the conventional method in fixed orthodontic patients
ABSTRACT
Statement of Problem: Early childhood is a crucial period of life as it affects one's future health. However, precise data on adverse events during this period is usually hard to access or collect, especially in developing countries
Objectives: This paper first reviews the existing methods for retrospective data collection in health and social sciences, and then introduces a new method/tool for obtaining more accurate general and oral health related information from early childhood retrospectively
Materials and Methods: The Early Childhood Events Life-Grid [ECEL] was developed to collect information on the type and time of health-related adverse events during the early years of life, by questioning the parents. The validity of ECEL and the accuracy of information obtained by this method were assessed in a pilot study and in a main study of 30 parents of 8 to 11 year old children from Shiraz [Iran]. Responses obtained from parents using the final ECEL were compared with the recorded health insurance documents
Results: There was an almost perfect agreement between the health insurance and ECEL data sets [Kappa value=0.95 and p < 0.001]. Interviewees remembered the important events more accurately [100% exact timing match in case of hospitalization]
Conclusions: The Early Childhood Events Life-Grid method proved to be highly accurate when compared with recorded medical documents
ABSTRACT
Statement of Problem: Pit and fissure sealant therapy has been approved as an effective measure in the prevention of occlusal dental caries. Resin based ma- terials are the most common materials used worldwide. A variety of resin based fissure sealants are produced and used. Most of them have been presented with ideal results in research environment. However, their effectiveness in the real life, especially in a mass application program such as Iran's oral health reform plan is not clear
Objectives: To evaluate the longevity of different fissure sealant applied in Iran's oral health reform plan in Fars Province [south of Iran] after one year
Materials and Methods: Seven counties were selected. One hundred 6- to 8-year-old school children who had undergone fissure sealant therapy in spring 2015 were randomly selected from each county. Their first molars were exam-ined to evaluate the status of the fissure sealants which were applied one year ago. Data on the type/brand of fissure sealant materials, type and experience of clinicians who applied them, existence of a chair-side assistant, and whether the children were caries-free at the time of fissure sealant application were collected from the existing reports
Results: Data of 1974 teeth from 598 children were used for the final analysis. The effects of type/brand of the material was significant on the final results and remained significant [p < 0.001] after adjustments for the level of fluoride, urban/rural area, upper/lower jaw, type of clinician who applied the sealant, existence of a chair-side assistant, and child's gender, age, and being caries-free
Conclusions: Many factors affect the success rate of a fissure sealant therapy program. The type/brand of the material remained significantly related to the success rate of the fissure sealant even after adjustments for other influencing factors. In this study, ClinproTM Sealant [3M/ESPE, USA] showed better longevity after one year of application