Comparison of orthodontic treatment need among professionals and parents in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

AIMS: This study aimed to assess parents' awareness and attitude regarding their children's malocclusion compared with professional assessments and to measure the prevalence of malocclusion among children in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The study population consisted of 377 randomly selected children (aged 8-12 years) from five schools in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was used to assess parents' awareness using the Aesthetic Component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) and knowledge about preventive orthodontics. A clinical examination was performed by two calibrated examiners to measure the prevalence of malocclusion using both the AC and dental health component (DHC) of IOTN. RESULTS: The most common Angle's molar relationship was Class I (78.2%), followed by Class II (17.5%) and Class III (4.2%). The DHC (score 3-5), which indicated the need for orthodontic treatment, was 55.4%. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) between AC from examiners and parents, whereby the parents tended to underestimate their children's malocclusion by a factor of 1.45. Surprisingly, many parents (67.4%) lacked knowledge about preventive orthodontics. CONCLUSIONS: Class I malocclusion was most prevalent among children in the area of Dammam. A moderate percentage (55.4%) of the study subjects required treatment based on the DHC. Based on the lack of knowledge about preventive orthodontics in the majority of parents in our study, it is recommended that oral health-promoting programs be implemented to improve the awareness of malocclusion in the region.

Prevalence, severity and explanatory factors of tooth wear in Arab populations.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of tooth wear and related risk indicators in six Arab countries. METHODS: This multicenter, multinational cross-sectional study was conducted among 2924 participants between the ages of 18-35 years old from six Arab countries. Calibrated dentists assessed tooth wear using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination Index (BEWE). Participants were also asked to complete a questionnaire that assessed their dietary and oral health habits. Each participant was identified by the sextant with the highest BEWE score in the upper and lower jaws. RESULTS: Odds ratios were estimated for correlates of tooth wear anterior and posterior regions. Oman had the highest prevalence of BEWE score 3 (N = 255 (60.2%)). Overall, the highest BEWE score 3 was observed on the incisal edge of the upper anterior teeth (N = 602 (20.6%)) and in the lower left posterior region (sextant 6) on the occlusal surface (N = 466 (15.9%)). Correlates of severe tooth wear in both regions were eating or drinking more than six times per day, age and education. Drinking soft drinks "once a day" was significantly associated with severe tooth wear in the posterior region (OR: 1.3, 95% CI:1.05, 1.6). Brushing teeth more than twice a day was inversely associated with tooth wear in the anterior region (OR:0.75, 95% CI: 0.57,0.97). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of tooth wear in Arab populations is relatively high, specific preventive and therapeutic measures should be developed to target people at higher risk of this condition. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Tooth wear is now regarded as a significant oral health problems, dentists should advise their patients about dietary and oral health habits that can lead to severe tooth wear.

Pattern of online communication in teaching a blended oral surgery course.

AIM: To explore the factors that might affect the patterns of interaction amongst dental students that can be found in asynchronous online discussion fora. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: It is a qualitative study that involved the participation of 71 dental students (42 male and 29 female) who belong to one academic year. Students were participated in asynchronous online discussion fora as a part of a blended oral surgery course that involved both face-to-face lecture and an online learning environment using the Blackboard learning management system. Qualitative analysis of students' pattern of discussion was performed using Transcript Analysis Tool. RESULTS: The total number of postings was 410. Sixty-seven of 71 students participated in the discussion by writing posts, whereas all of the students had accessed all of the postings. A positive correlation between imposing vertical questions and the number of non-referential and referential statements was observed. Regarding horizontal questions, a positive correlation was observed with the number of referential statements, whilst there was a negative correlation with the number of non-referential statements. CONCLUSION: Asynchronous online discussion fora that are integrated as a part of a whole pedagogical practice may provide an opportunity for promoting learning, especially when consideration is given to the structure of problems, timely feedback by tutors and supportive strategies within the discussion threads.

Pre-operative assessment of relationship between inferior dental nerve canal and mandibular impacted third molar in Saudi population.

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between the position of the inferior dental (ID) nerve canal and the angulation of impacted mandibular third molars using dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study considered 100 impactions in 85 patients (60 males, 25 females), for whom an initial panoramic radiographic assessment had revealed that the ID canal and the lower 3rd molar were in close proximity. A CBCT scan of each patient was carried out to assess how the ID nerve canal position influenced the class and position of impaction, angulation of impaction, and bone contact. RESULTS: Class I position B impactions were found in the majority of cases, where the position of the ID canal was approximate to the lingual plate and inferior to the 3rd molar (85.7%). The results were statistically significant (p = 0.001). 96% of the ID canals showed bone contact. Of these, 77.1% of ID canals exhibited lingual bone contact, inferior to impaction. The results were statistically significant (p = 0.001). Horizontally angulated impactions were most common in the mandible, and significantly associated with lingual and inferior positioning of the ID canal (76.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Our sample population most commonly exhibited horizontally angulated class I position B impactions of the mandible. The position of the ID canal significantly influenced the type of impaction and bone contact.