Desire for orthodontic treatment and associated factors among adolescents in Southern Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of the desire for orthodontic treatment and investigate associated factors among adolescents in southern Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 704 adolescents aged 12 and 13 years at municipal public schools in the city of Balneário Camboriú (southern Brazil). The adolescents answered a previously tested questionnaire addressing satisfaction with their dental appearance, speech function, chewing function, and the desire for orthodontic treatment. The parents/guardians answered a questionnaire addressing satisfaction with their child's dental appearance and socioeconomic variables. A trained and calibrated orthodontist collected clinical data on malocclusion using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). Statistical analysis was performed using multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance. RESULTS: The prevalence of the desire for orthodontic treatment was 69.6% (490/704). In the adjusted analysis, the outcome was significantly more prevalent among girls (P < .001), those with difficulty chewing (P  =  .026), those dissatisfied with their dental appearance (P < .001), and those with greater malocclusion severity (P < .001). The following orthodontic characteristics were associated with the desire for orthodontic treatment in the multivariate model: diastema in anterior segment (P < .001), anterior maxillary irregularity (P < .001), maxillary overjet ≥6 mm (P < .001), and mandibular overjet (P  =  .047). CONCLUSIONS: The desire for orthodontic treatment among 12- and 13-year-old adolescents is influenced by gender, dissatisfaction with one's dental appearance, difficulty chewing, malocclusion severity, and orthodontic characteristics. These findings should be considered together with normative indications regarding the need for orthodontic treatment in adolescents.

Implant rehabilitation of canines in case of bilaterally missing maxillary lateral incisors.

This article reports the successful treatment of a patient with a malocclusion and missing maxillary lateral incisors with an unusual implant-prosthetic rehabilitation in place of the canines. A man, 25 years 5 months of age, was referred by his general dentist with the chief complaint of retained maxillary deciduous canines. He had a skeletal Class I and an Angle Class I malocclusion with an open-bite tendency and prolonged retention of both deciduous canines. The malocclusion was treated with extraction of the maxillary deciduous canines, a fixed edgewise appliance, and implant-prosthesis rehabilitation in place of the canines. A functional and an esthetic occlusion was achieved.

The impact of malocclusion on adolescents' dissatisfaction with dental appearance and oral functions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of malocclusion on adolescents' dissatisfaction with dental appearance and oral functions and to identify components of malocclusion that may contribute to these outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised 704 secondary school adolescents aged 12 to 13 years from Balneário Camboriú, Brazil. A trained and calibrated orthodontist examined the severity of malocclusion using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). A pretested questionnaire was used to assess reported dental appearance, self-perception of speech, and self-perception of masticatory function using a 5-point scale of oral health status. The outcomes of the present study were dissatisfaction with dental appearance and dissatisfaction with oral functions. Simple and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the association between DAI and outcomes and to quantify the effect of DAI components on dissatisfaction with dental appearance. RESULTS: Each DAI unit increase led to a significant increase of 5% in the likelihood of dissatisfaction with dental appearance (OR: 1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.08). DAI components that exerted influence on dissatisfaction with dental appearance were: missing teeth (P  =  .010), largest maxillary anterior irregularity ≥3 mm (P  =  .013), and largest mandibular anterior irregularity ≥2 mm (P  =  .008). There was no association between severity of malocclusion and dissatisfaction with oral functions. CONCLUSIONS: Severity of malocclusion interfered with satisfaction of dental appearance in this population. Missing teeth and anterior irregularity were identified as factors influencing this outcome.

O hábito de sucção do dedo anelar direito: relato de caso / A ring finger sucking habit: case report

Na primeira infância, a sucção de dedo ou dedos pode ser considerada normal, porém, se o hábito persistir na segunda infância, o mesmo pode tornar-se prejudicial. Os hábitos bucais deletérios dependem de fatores como duração, frequência, intensidade, bem como do padrão facial, podendo interferir no crescimento e desenvolvimento dentoalveolar, favorecendo o aparecimento de más oclusões e alterações nos padrões normais de deglutição e fonação. Para a eliminação do hábito de sucção de dedo, a participação familiar, interação profissional multidisciplinar e, principalmente, a vontade do paciente, são relevantes e devem ser consideradas. O presente trabalho ilustra o caso clínico de um paciente com má oclusão Classe II, divisão 1, com hábito de sucção do dedo médio da mão direita de maneira intensa e com as consequências minimizadas pelo padrão facial braquifacial. A obtenção de estética e função foram decorrentes do binômio de cooperação em remover o hábito e domínio da biomecânica ortodôntica.

The thumb-sucking habit in childhood is very common and can develop malocclusion and modify the normal patterns of swallowing and speech, depending on some factors as dura-tion, frequency, intensity and facial pattern. The parents, compliance, multidisciplinary in-teraction and patient’s willingness should be also considered. The article illustrates a case of an Angle Class II ,1 malocclusion with a thumb-sucking habit and consequences minimized by brachyfacial pattern. The esthetics and function were achieved mainly because the patient compliance in stopping with the habit and the management of orthodontic biomechanics.

Restoration of occlusal vertical dimension in dental erosion caused by gastroesophageal reflux: case report.

The authors describe a minimally invasive procedure for occlusal rehabilitation in a young patient presenting with mild mandibular prognathism and loss of occlusal vertical dimension caused by dental erosion from chronic gastroesophageal reflux.