ABSTRACT
AIM: To determine the prevalence of malocclusions and the need for orthodontic treatment in a sample of school-going adolescents in the Najran city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1094 school-going Saudi male adolescents. The age range of the sampled adolescents was 13-18 years, and none of them had any history of orthodontic treatment. A survey chart related to malocclusion was designed and filled up after clinical examination by a single experienced and calibrated examiner. The need for orthodontic treatment was assessed using the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). RESULT: The present study's findings demonstrated 61.2% of the samples with Angle's Class I malocclusions, 27.5% with Class II, and 11.4% of samples with Class III malocclusion. A significant difference was observed between the different classes of malocclusion (P < 0.001). Most samples presented normal overjet, crossbite, and no reverse overjet, deep bite, or open bite. The number of samples with no treatment need was 573 (52.37%), with slight treatment in 185 (16.91%) samples, moderate treatment needs in 123 (11.24%) samples, and severe and extreme treatment needs were 109 (9.96%) and 104 (9.50%), respectively. A significant difference was observed between the samples with no or slight treatment need (grades 1 and 2), moderate need (grade 3), and definite treatment need (grades 4 and 5) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of malocclusion and IOTNs among the sample of school-going adolescents in the Najran city was 47.63%. However, 9.63% of those samples required immediate attention for orthodontic treatment.
ABSTRACT
AIM: The study aimed to assess the efficacy of using WhatsApp instant messages in enhancing the oral hygiene in patients with gingivitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-three systemically healthy male dental patients with gingivitis were recruited consecutively and randomly divided into two groups: WhatsApp group (n = 24) and a control group (n = 19). At baseline visit, the participants were educated and motivated about oral health and given a folio on instructions about the oral hygiene preventive measures. The participants in the study group further received WhatsApp messages about the dental care at weekly intervals throughout the study (3 months). Plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were measured at baseline and after 1 and 3 months. RESULTS: The averages of PI and GI were not significantly different between both groups at any time point of measurement (baseline, after one, and three months; p value >0.05). Intragroup comparisons revealed that the reductions in PI were highly significant after 1 and 3 months (-0.26 ± 0.26 and -0.57 ± 0.35, respectively, for WhatsApp group, and -0.24 ± 0.27 and -0.64 ± 0.4. respectively, for the control group; p value range: 0.001 to <0.001). Similar were the reductions in GI in each individual group (-0.17 ± 0.46 and -0.67 ± 0.05, respectively, for WhatsApp group, and -0.28 ± 0.29 and -0.69 ± 0.41, respectively, for the control group: p value < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Implementing WhatsApp instant messages does not appear to add extrabenefit to the traditional motivation and education on oral hygiene practices in terms of changes in PI and GI over time in patients with gingivitis. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Although the results were not motivating, this does not preclude the dental professionals from using WhatsApp and the similar technology to deliver oral healthcare advices.
