Patterns and etiology of maxillofacial fractures in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

The aim of the present study was to study the etiologies and patterns of Maxillofacial fractures in patients treated in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia, between 2007 and 2011. Data were obtained through a retrospective review of 237 patients admitted to the King Saud Medical City Dental Department with a diagnosis of maxillofacial trauma. After excluding patient files with incomplete or unclear records, and cases in which computed tomography showed no evidence of fracture, the files of 200 patients with a diagnosis of maxillofacial fracture were included in the study. For each case, patient's sex and age, pattern of facial fractures, and cause of injury were recorded on a data sheet. The data were transferred to an SPSS [ver. 16.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA] spreadsheet for statistical analysis. The chi-square test was used to test the association between two categorical variables or factors [age group, cause] with p value set at p < 0.05, and t-test value at < 0.05 and independent. Motor vehicle accidents were the most common cause of maxillofacial fractures in most age groups, especially in males. Within the study sample, mandibular fractures were significantly more common than middle-third facial fractures [56.4% vs. 43.6%; p= 0.006]. Among mandibular fractures, parasymphyseal fractures were most common [47%], followed by condylar fractures [35.3%]. Most [77.2%] middle-third facial fractures involved the zygomatic complex, and the incidence of such fractures differed significantly between male and female patients. p=0.72, not significant. Males were more prone to maxillofacial fractures, perhaps as a result of the conservative nature of Saudi society, as the rules of Saudi Arabia do not allow the females to drive. Motor vehicle accidents were the most common cause of maxillofacial fractures in patients aged

Bond strength of two techniques for bonding lingual orthodontic retainer

The aim of this study was to compare the shear bond strength of two techniques for bonding lingual orthodontic retainer; the chairside modified bonding technique introduced by Al-Emran and Hashim, and the chairside manual bonding technique currently used in orthodontic practice. Sixty-four extracted caries-free premolars were divided into two equal groups. Group A represented the manual bonding technique and Group B represented the modified bonding technique. The shear bond strength was tested using the Instron[TM] machine. Descriptive statistical analysis and independent two-samples t test were employed to compare the data. The modified bonding technique [Group B] showed significantly higher tolerance to the applied load before the bond failure occurred [P=0.02]. Also, Group B showed significantly higher degree of displacement of the bonded wire before bond failure [P= 0.05]. Manual bonding technique [Group A] showed 19%, 43.5% and 37.5% of Types I, II and III bond failure respectively, whereas modified bonding technique [Group B] showed 69%, 6% and 25% of similar type of bond failure respectively. For the two bonding techniques examined in this study, the modified bonding technique showed higher shear bond strength compared to the manual bonding technique, and was recommended as a technique for bonding fixed lingual retainer for post-treatment retention phase