Evaluation of the occlusion and arch dimensions in the primary dentition of an Iranian population

The objective of this study was to gather information about normal occlusion and arch dimensions in the primary teeth of the children belonging to an Iranian population. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 68 children from the city of Mashhad in the 3-5 age range. Dental arch dimensions, interrelationships of primary canine and second molars, overbite and overjet were evaluated. Primate space was observed on both sides of the arch in 82.2% of the subjects. The most prevalent type of primary molar relationship was flush terminal plane [52.1%] followed by distal step [31.3%] and then mesial step [16.7%]. The primary canine relationship was ranked in the descending order of prevalence as Class I [77.1%], Class II [13.5%], end-to-end [5.2%] and Class III [4.2%]. Normal overbite and normal overjet was observed in 50% and 81.3% of cases, respectively. This study provides an insight into the dental arch dimensions, occlusion, spacing and crowding in primary dentition in Iranian children. In most of the cases, primate space and flush terminal plane were observed

study on oral health of children with cardiac diseases in Mashhad, Iran in 2004

Preventing oral disease is the most desirable way of ensuring good dental health for children with heart disease. Dental and gingival infections in patients with cardiac problems may lead to infective endocarditis. The aim of this study was to evaluate oral and dental health status in children with heart disease referred to a cardiac center compared with the control group. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, case group consisting of 100 patients 2-12 years old with heart disease were examined for oral and dental status in Pediatric Cardiac Center in Mashhad, Iran, in 2004. Fifty healthy children with the same age as the case group referring to the Department of Pedodontics, Mashhad Faculty of Dentistry served as the control group. For each patient, dental and medical history, dmft, DMFT, debris index, tooth brushing status as well as parental knowledge of infective endocarditis and their economic status was registered on a questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square and t-tests. There were no significant differences between case and control groups in dmft [3.92 +/- 3.99 and 3.54 +/- 3.33, respectively], DMFT [3.7 +/- 4 and 1.47 +/- 1.72, respectively] and their components. Tooth brushing status and debris index were significantly worse in the study group [P = 0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively]. 35% of parents were aware of the importance of good oral health in cardiac children although none of them knew about infective endocarditis. Most of the parents in study group had low [30%] to medium [53%] economic status. In this study, the children with cardiac disease did not have a good oral and dental health status. Developing strategies toward preventive dental care of children with cardiac problems and informing their parents is suggested