ABSTRACT
Objective@#Pain following the insertion of separators and archwires varies with age, sex, race, ethnicity, threshold, and health status. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of pain in orthodontic patients after the insertion of elastomeric separators, its effects on daily life, and its association with age and sex in a population not previously studied in this regard. @*Methods@#A crosssectional study of 130 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment included collecting data on demographics, pain experienced following the placement of separators, time of onset, duration, characteristics, change in dietary pattern or chewing side, intake of analgesics, and severity of pain on the Wong Baker’s scale. The results are reported as counts and percentages. Associations between sex and age were evaluated using Pearson’s chi-square test. @*Results@#Among the 130 patients, 56.2% were 9–20 years old, 63.8% experienced pain following the insertion of separators, 22.9% had their first episode of pain at 4 hours, 56.6% experienced intermittent pain, and 37.3% experienced discomfort; 18.1% males and 81.9% females experienced pain following the insertion of separators.Pearson’s chi-square test showed a significant association between pain and sex (P = 0.04). Most patients (37.3%) reported “hurts little more” for pain intensity on Wong Baker’s scale and 21.7% reported all four quadrants as sites of pain. @*Conclusions@#The pain experienced after separator insertion was associated with sex and age. Females experienced more pain than males and patients between the age range of 21 and 36 years suffered more pain during mastication than between 9 and 20 years old.
ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to assess attitude towards oral and dental health during pregnancy and to examine their self-care practices in relation to oral and dental health. cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study. This study was conducted at the Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi from January 2013 to September 2013. This was a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study conducted at the Jinnah Medical and Dental College Karachi [JMDC]. The study group comprised of 118 pregnant women attending the Jinnah Medical and Dental College OPD from January 2013 to September 2013 using convenience sampling method. A 15 item questionnaire was used, after it was pre-tested and validated. The data entry was done by the house officers of JMDC. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 16. 65% of the total patients were found to have dental caries on overall intraoral examination out of these 52% patients had pain on percussion. 44% of the patients presented with gingivitis and bleeding on probing while 21% presented with clinical periodontitis with mobility. 22.8% of the pregnant women presented with gingival enlargements out of which 13.55% had localized while 9.3% had generalized gingival enlargements. 62% of the pregnant women said they brush twice daily while 27% brush once daily only 3% women said that they brush their teeth occasionally. None of them did flossing. Only 10% of the women had regular dental checkups after every six months. This study observed the oral health care practices of the pregnant women. The study highlighted the lack of awareness of maintenance of oral health. Intensive oral and dental health education in pregnancy can lead to improved oral and dental health, and ultimately safe pregnancy outcomes