ABSTRACT
The study aimed at examining the reliability and the validity of the Dental Indifference Scale (DIS), which measures the significant undervaluing attitude towards the state of one's oral health. The study has a cross-sectional design in which 660 young Romanian adults (Meanage = 30.69; 30.30% males) completed an online survey in which the Dental Indifference Scale was included alongside five items related to one's behavior towards oral health. The reliability was calculated by means of internal consistency and test-retest after two or three weeks. The DIS scores were associated with the questions regarding oral health habits. Although DIS is discriminatory regarding the behavior towards oral hygiene (brushing, flossing) and diet, the reliability of the scale is low (α = 0.37; ω = 0.39; Intraclass correlation coefficienttest-retest = 0.60). In comparison with prior research, no gender differences were found. In exchange, the scores for dental indifference (DI) are significantly different when it comes to comparing people with secondary education and people who are university graduates. The study shows that DIS needs to be used with caution and only with other instruments that evaluate attitudes and behaviors related to oral health which passed the test of validation in various cultural models, the Romanian one included.
ABSTRACT
The phenotypic variety of Angle Class III malocclusion requires in-depth investigation of the skeletal changes from a diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic perspective alike. The aim of our study was to evaluate the particularities of vertical cephalometric parameters of patients with Class III malocclusions, according to gender and age group. Eight parameters were analyzed on lateral cephalograms of patients with Class III malocclusions and, comparatively, on lateral cephalograms of a group with Class I malocclusions. The results, grouped by gender and age, suggest that values of the gonial angle, values of the angles formed between the mandibular plane and the anterior cranial base, respectively the Frankfurt Horizontal plane were higher for patients with Class III malocclusions, differences being statistically significant especially after the pubertal growth period. Class III patients had lower values for the upper gonial angle and higher ones for the lower gonial angle. Furthermore, for patients with Class III malocclusions the Jaraback ratio decreased, based on the significantly higher values of the anterior facial height. No sexual dimorphism was associated with variation of the investigated parameters.
