The Effect of Thymus Vulgaris Essential Oil and Chlorhexidine on Candida Albicans Accumulated on Removable Orthodontic Appliance: A Clinical Trial.

Statement of the Problem: Orthodontic removable appliances can facilitate the accumulation of certain microorganisms and microbial plaque on tooth surfaces and appliance components. Since long-term use of chemical agents is not recommended, an alternative option would be medicinal plants for disinfection of the oral cavity. Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of thymus vulgaris (T. vulgaris) essential oil to decrease the count of candida albicans (C. albicans) accumulated on removal orthodontic appliances. Materials and Method: In this 2-arm parallel controlled clinical trial, forty-four patients whose removable orthodontic appliances were contaminated with C. albicans were randomly divided into two groups by electronic random sampling. In the first group, T. vulgaris essential oil spray and in the second group, 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX) spray was applied to the appliances. Thereafter, the C. albicans colony count was measured at baseline (T0) and at 2 (T1) and 5 (T2) days after the intervention. Microbial samples were collected by a sterile swab from 3 spots on the internal surface of orthodontic appliances. The Friedman test was used for within-group comparisons and the Mann Whitney test was employed to compare the efficacy of T. vulgaris essential oil with CHX. Results: The results of this study revealed that continuous use of 2%T. vulgaris essential oil or 0.2% CHX significantly decreased the colony count of C. albicans on removable orthodontic appliances; Howevere, no significant difference was noted in the efficacy of 2% T. vulgaris essential oil and 0.2% CHX in decreasing the C. albicans colony count. Conclusion: T. vulgaris essential oil and CHX have favorable antimicrobial activity against C. albicans. Moreover, 2% T. vulgaris essential oil can be considered as an alternative to 0.2% CHX to eliminate fungal contamination of orthodontic appliances.

Validity and reliability of the Persian version of the short-form child perceptions questionnaire 11-14-year-old children (CPQ11-14).

BACKGROUND: The Child Perception questionnaire 11-14 (CPQ 11-14) is an efficient tool for assessment of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This questionnaire has been briefed to 16 items (CPQ11-14 ISF-16) to facilitate its employment. The purpose the present study was to translate CPQ11-14 ISF-16 to Persian language, culturally adapt, and initially evaluate its among adolescent population. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The questionnaire has been translated to Persian, then back-translated to English, and finally underwent cultural adaptation and pretesting assessment. It was then filled out by 318 participents (175 grils and 143 boys), with the age of 11 to 14 years resident in Shiraz, Iran. The Persian version of CPQ11-14 ISF-16 along with the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) and two suggested global questions were administered among participants to assess its criterion validity. RESULTS: The factor analysis extracted two domains and the factor loading of domains ranged from 0.423 to 0.837. Persian version of CPQ11-14 ISF-16 presented high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.854), and showed excellent criterion validity with PIDAQ (rho = 0.731, p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant positive moderate correlation between CPQ11-14 ISF-16 and its factors 1 and 2 and two global questions (first global question: rho = 0.439, p < 0.001; second global question: rho = 0.457, p = 0.035). CONCLUSION: The Persian version of CPQ11-14 ISF-16 has optimal validity and reliability in a general population of 11-14-year-old Persian children.

Influence of Multimedia Reminders on Oral Hygiene Status During Removable Orthodontic Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Orthodontic appliances complicate daily oral hygiene maintenance and enhance the formation of microbial biofilm on tooth surfaces and orthodontic appliances. Objective: This trial was conducted to assess the effect of reminders on oral hygiene of patients during removable orthodontic treatment. Methods: In this 2-arm parallel randomized controlled trial, 66 orthodontic patients with removable maxillary appliance were randomly allocated with 1:1 ratio to message reminders and the control group. The patients in the messaging group received one or two message reminders and educational videos weekly during the course of treatment. A single blinded examiner measured the plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and dental caries index of patients in both groups at baseline (T0) and one (T1), three (T2), and six (T3) months after the first day of treatment to assess their oral hygiene status during treatment. Results: A total of 30 patients in control group and 28 in reminder group completed the study. The PI and GI scores were increased neither in control group nor in message reminder group during T0 and T1, significantly. The PI and GI scores in message reminder group were significantly lower than those in the control group at T2 (PI: P = 0.001, GI: P = 0.003) and T3 (PI: P = 0.024, GI: P = 0.022). Slight significant increasing in the PI and GI score were found during T2 and T3 in message reminder group. Caries index showed no significant difference between two groups during study. Conclusion: It seems that reminders can efficiently promote oral hygiene of patients undergoing removable orthodontic treatment.

The effect of learning style and general self-efficacy on satisfaction of e-Learning in dental students.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on education. e-Learning has been becoming most popular. Satisfaction of the student is one of important goal of e-Learning, therefore factors affecting this satisfaction should be considered extensively. This study aims to evaluate the effect of learning style and General Self-Efficacy (GSE) on satisfaction of e-Learning in dental student. METHOD: Electronic questionnaires were sent to 85 fifth and sixth-year students who had passed the face-to-face orthodontics course in the previous semester and were studying online orthodontics at the time of this study. Three questionnaires were used including Soloman and Felder learning styles index, General self-efficacy questionnaire and Satisfaction questionnaire for online education. RESULTS: The results of the reliability test showed that Cronbach's alpha index for the self-efficacy and satisfaction questionnaire was 0.836 and 0.96, respectively. The correlation between satisfaction and the dimensions of learning style showed that the active dimension of processing information had a significant relationship with the level of satisfaction. In the understanding dimension, a relatively strong correlation was observed in the Global dimension. Moderate significant relationship between the total score of self-efficacy and the level of satisfaction has been found. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study highlight the necessity of more studies regarding defining effective on student satisfaction during e-Learning. GSES and active learning style in the processing dimension and global learning style in the understanding dimension affect students' satisfaction.

The impact of general self-efficacy and the severity of malocclusion on acceptance of removable orthodontic appliances in 10- to 12-year-old patients.

BACKGROUND: The patients' acceptance of a treatment plan and their subsequent cooperation play a crucial role in achieving the best results in orthodontic treatments. Evidences show some personality traits such as general self-efficacy (GSE) and some dental traits such as severity of malocclusion are correlated with motivation of orthodontic treatment. These factors may predict the patients' compliance and acceptance in using removable orthodontic appliances. This cross sectional study was conducted to assess the correlation of GSE and the severity of malocclusion with patients' acceptance in using removable orthodontic appliances. METHODS: This study recruited 50 patients aged 10-12 years who required removable orthodontic appliances. The severity of malocclusion was determined using the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) before the onset of treatment and GSE of participants were assessed using GSE scale self-report. The acceptance questionnaire was proposed to the patients on first (T1), third (T2), and sixth (T3) month after the delivery of the appliance. RESULTS: The GSE score had a statistically significant correlation with the total score of the acceptance questionnaire, subscale score of satisfaction with the appliance during eating and oral hygiene practice, duration of usage of the appliance, and interest in using it (P < 0.05). The IOTN had no significant correlation with the acceptance questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings substantiate the role of the GSES, concurrently declining the role of the IOTN in prediction of 10-12-year-old children's acceptance and cooperation in treatment of malocclusion with removable appliances.

Associations between malocclusion and self-esteem among Persian adolescent papulation.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of malocclusion on the self-esteem of adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated 496 student aged between 12 and 14 tears old living in Shiraz city. The level of self-esteem was determined using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES). To assess the degree of malocclusion, Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need- Dental Health Component (IOTN-DHC) was used. The Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the correlation of malocclusion and self-esteem. The mean of IOTN-DHC and total score of RSES in different age groups were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The mean IOTN-DHC and total score of RSES were compared between the two municipal districts and males and females using the Wilcoxon test and independent t-test, respectively. RESULTS: A significant but weak correlation was noted between IOTN-DHC and self-esteem (r = 115/0, P = 04/0), while IOTN-DHC subscale: space shortage, dental missing, overjet, overbite, and crossbite had nonsignificant correlation with self-esteem. The socioeconomic status of adolescents significantly affected their self-esteem (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Weakly significant correlation between mild malocclusion and dental self-esteem.

Validity and reliability of the Persian version of the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics questionnaire (PIDAQ) is an efficient tool for assessment of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). It evaluates the effect of dental esthetics on the psychosocial status of young adults. This questionnaire has been translated to many languages so far. However, it has not yet been translated to Persian. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Persian version of PIDAQ for use among the young adults. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The questionnaire was translated to Persian, back-translated to English and underwent cultural adaptation and pretesting. It was then filled out by 398 young adults (215 females and 183 males) between 18 to 30 years in Shiraz, Iran. The Persian version of PIDAQ along with the index of orthodontic treatment need-aesthetic component (IOTN-AC) and the perception of occlusion (POS) index were administered among participants to assess its discriminant validity. RESULTS: Factor analysis extracted four domains and the factor loading of domains ranged from 0.479 to 0.837. The Cronbach's alpha for the Persian version of PIDAQ ranged from 0.809 to 0.886. The mean score for each of the domains and the total score for PIDAQ, classified according to IOTN-AC and POS, showed a significant difference. The mean score acquired by subjects requiring orthodontic treatment was significantly higher than the score acquired by those not requiring orthodontic treatment (P = 0.00). CONCLUSION: The Persian version of PIDAQ has optimal validity, reliability and responsiveness for assessment of the psychosocial impact of malocclusion on the Iranian young adults.

Effect of Surface Treatment on Enamel Cracks After Orthodontic Bracket Debonding: Er,Cr:YSGG Laser-Etching Versus Acid-Etching.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to compare enamel cracks after orthodontic bracket debonding in the surfaces prepared with erbium, chromium: yttrium-scandium-galliumgarnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser and the conventional acid-etching technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This in-vitro experimental study was conducted on 60 sound human premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes. The teeth were randomly divided into two groups (n=30). The teeth in group A were etched with 37% phosphoric acid gel, while the teeth in group B were subjected to Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation (gold handpiece, MZ8 tip, 50Hz, 4.5W, 60µs, 80% water and 60% air). Orthodontic brackets were bonded to the enamel surfaces and were then debonded in both groups. The samples were inspected under a stereomicroscope at ×38 magnification to assess the number and length of enamel cracks before bonding and after debonding. Independent-samples t-test was used to compare the frequency of enamel cracks in the two groups. Levene's test was applied to assess the equality of variances. RESULTS: No significant difference was noted in the frequency or length of enamel cracks between the two groups after debonding (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the same results of the frequency and length of enamel cracks in the two groups and by considering the side effects of acid-etching (demineralization and formation of white spot lesions), Er,Cr:YSGG laser may be used as an alternative to acid-etching for enamel surface preparation prior to bracket bonding.