The morphology and bridging of the sella turcica in adult orthodontic patients.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the shapes, sizes, and bridging of the sella turcica in patients with different skeletal patterns and genders. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional comparative study. The samples were divided into three groups according to the skeletal pattern viz. Class I, Class II and Class III, and each group consisted of 40 samples (20 males and 20 females). The lateral cephalograms were traced and the sella turcica was assessed for its size, shape, and bridging. RESULTS: The mean length, anteroposterior diameter and depth of sella turcica were 8.13 ± 2.03 mm, 9.60 ± 1.43 mm and 6.40 ± 1.21 mm respectively. The mean length of sella turcica was 7.91 ± 1.52 mm in Class I, 7.32 ± 1.62 mm in Class II and 9.16 ± .2.42 in Class III skeletal pattern; anteroposterior diameter was 9.30 ± 1.02 mm in Class I, 9.15 ± 1.28 mm in Class II and 10.35 ± 1.64 mm in Class III skeletal pattern; and the depth was 6.40 ± 0.92 mm in Class I, 6.07 ± 1.01 mm in Class II and 6.74 ± .1.54 mm in Class III skeletal pattern. There were significant differences in length and anteroposterior diameter and sella turcica between Class I, Class II and Class III skeletal patterns (p = 0.01), (p = 0.01) respectively. There was no significant difference in size of sella turcica between different genders and age groups. Sixty percent of the patients studied had normal Sella morphology. Partial Sella turcica bridging and Sella turcica bridging was seen in this study in 23.33% and 11.67% of patients respectively. CONCLUSION: Sixty percent of the patients had normal sella turcica. There were significant differences in lengths and anteroposterior diameters among Class I, Class II and Class III patients. The larger size was present in skeletal Class III patients.

Translation and Validation of Modified Dental Anxiety Scale: The Nepali Version.

Introduction. For proper management of anxious dental patients it is imperative to assess their levels of dental anxiety before treatment. Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) is the most commonly used questionnaire to assess dental anxiety. But a Nepali version of MDAS is still lacking. Hence, the objective of this study was to develop a reliable and valid Nepali version of MDAS. Materials and Methods. The English version of the MDAS was translated into Nepali following a forward and backward translation process. Following pretesting and cognitive interviewing a final version of Nepali questionnaire was obtained. One hundred and fifty patients attending Department of Orthodontics completed the Nepali version of MDAS questionnaire at their convenience. Also, patients were asked to rate their overall anxiety on a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS). A test-retest of the questionnaire was performed with 30 patients after 2 weeks. Results. Cronbach's alpha value of the Nepali version of MDAS was 0.775. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient between test and retest was 0.872. Spearman's correlation coefficient between the total MDAS score and VAS score was 0.838. Conclusion. The translated Nepali version of MDAS is a reliable and valid instrument to measure the dental anxiety of Nepali patients.