Orthodontic curriculum in Saudi Arabia: Faculty members' perception of clinical learning outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the perception of orthodontic staff members around clinical learning outcomes (LOs) of the undergraduate orthodontic curriculum with a focus on dental schools in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three LOs were formulated, all of which were associated with skills required in the undergraduate orthodontics course. Orthodontic staff members were invited to provide their opinion regarding the curriculum using a Likert scale, whereby participants could answer each question on a scale from "Strongly Agree" to "Strongly Disagree." RESULTS: Sixty-one teaching staff members agreed to partake in this study. The highest level of agreement among the participants pertained to conducting systematic orthodontic intraoral and extraoral examinations (100%), followed by explaining causes for space loss (98.3%). The lowest level of agreement was regarding executing a treatment plan for non-skeletal cases (62.2%) followed by skills of fabrication and activation of removable appliances (77%). Around 67.1% of the academics refused to allow dental students to select and bond orthodontic brackets. CONCLUSION: It is time to amalgamate the objectives and create a unified national list of LOs for all orthodontic curriculums across the country without any distinction of knowledge or skills required at the undergraduate level.

Perspectives of Indonesian Orthodontists on the Ideal Orthodontic Treatment Time.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the types of orthodontic treatment provided by Indonesian orthodontists and to analyse their perspectives on the ideal time to initiate orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross­sectional survey was conducted using the Google Drive questionnaire template. This electronic questionnaire was sent to a sample of orthodontists across different regions of Indonesia. The participants were asked to report the stage at which they would start orthodontic treatment, as well as answer questions about occlusal abnormalities and functional problems. Descriptive statistics for all variables were determined, including both practice characteristics and orthodontic treatment timing. RESULTS: A total of 152 orthodontists agreed to participate in the study, of which 64.5% were female and 35.5% were male. Indonesian orthodontists prefer two-phase orthodontic treatment. Sucking habits and open bite were found to be the most frequent indications for treatment in the primary dentition. Anterior crossbite was found to be the most frequent indication for treatment during the early mixed dentition stage. Severe Class II was found to be the most frequent indication for treatment during the late mixed dentition stage. Indonesian orthodontists are more concerned about impacted canines and midline diastema than other occlusal deviations in the permanent dentition. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, we can conclude that Indonesian orthodontists favor two-phase orthodontic treatment. They also prefer to treat sucking habits and open bite in the primary dentition, anterior crossbite in the early mixed dentition, and severe Class II during the late mixed dentition stage.

Relationship of Mandibular Ramus Dimensions to Lower Third Molar Impaction.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the mandibular ramus features that could contribute to the etiology of mandibular third molar impaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and forty subjects were divided into two groups: impacted group: 115 subjects presented with an impacted mandibular third molar, and control group: 125 subjects with the normal mandibular third molar eruption. Digital panoramic radiographs were used, and four angular and twelve linear measurements were done. Comparisons between groups were done using Student's t-test. Pearson correlation and linear regression tests were used to assess the degree of relationship between retromolar space and mandibular measurements. RESULTS: Control group showed significant greater measurements in most of the variables, whereas the impacted group showed significant larger gonial angle and larger inclination of lower posterior teeth than the control group. Significant correlations were found between retromolar space and coronoid height, ramal heights, ramus notch depths, the inclination of lower posterior teeth, and retromolar space/3M width ratio in both groups. CONCLUSION: The present study found that the configuration of the mandibular ramus appears to be discrete in many aspects in the erupted other than impacted lower third molars subjects, which might be a possible cause for the impaction.