Dental attendance and self-assessment of dental status by Israeli military personnel according to gender, education, and smoking status, 1998-2006.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to analyze dental attendance and self-assessment of dental status among Israeli military personnel, according to gender, education, and smoking status. METHODS: Data were analyzed from a computerized questionnaire on dental attendance and dental status, completed by military personnel who attended one medical clinic for the required periodic medical examination between 1998 and 2006. RESULTS: For 60% of the respondents, the last dental visit was within the previous 12 months. The last dental visit was for scheduled treatment for 49.8%, a dental examination for 21.5%, and emergency dental treatment for 12.2%. College graduates rated their dental self-care higher than non-college graduates, and nonsmokers rated their self-care higher than smokers. Of the participants, 50.9% considered their own dental status good or excellent and 7.2% considered their oral health status poor. No significant differences were found according to gender. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated high dental attendance but low self-perception of dental status in Israeli military personnel in comparison with the Israeli general population and low attendance in comparison with U.S. Army personnel. A compulsory periodic dental examination among Israeli military personnel, similar to the required periodic medical examination, is recommended.

Pathognomonic cephalometric characteristics of Angle Class II Division 2 malocclusion.

The Class II division 2 (Class II/2) malocclusion as originally defined by E.H. Angle is relatively rare. The orthodontic literature does not agree on the skeletal characteristics of this malocclusion. Several researchers claim that it is characterized by an orthognathic facial pattern and that the malocclusion is dentoalveolar per se. Others claim that the Class II/2 malocclusion has unique skeletal and dentoalveolar characteristics. The present study describes the skeletal and dentoalveolar cephalometric characteristics of 50 patients clinically diagnosed as having Class II/2 malocclusion according to Angle's original criteria. The study compares the findings with those of both a control group of 54 subjects with Class II division I (Class II/1) malocclusion and a second control group of 34 subjects with Class I (Class I) malocclusion. The findings demonstrate definite skeletal and dentoalveolar patterns with the following characteristics: (1) the maxilla is orthognathic, (2) the mandible has relatively short and retrognathic parameters, (3) the chin is relatively prominent, (4) the facial pattern is hypodivergent, (5) the upper central incisors are retroclined, and (6) the overbite is deep. The results demonstrate that, in a sagittal direction, the entity of Angle Class II/2 malocclusion might actually be located between the Angle Class I and the Angle Class II/1 malocclusions. with unique vertical skeletal characteristics.