Psychosocial impact of malocclusion in the school performance. A Hierarchical Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To identify any association between the psychosocial impact of malocclusion and academic performance in adolescents. METHODS: Cross-sectional study in a sample of 297 adolescents aged 10 to 14 years old enrolled in public schools. A self-complete questionnaire enquiring about socioeconomic, demographic, and psychological characteristics and the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) was administered in classrooms. The school provided documents related to School Performance (average grade in the Portuguese subject and absences). A conceptual structure was built, and independent variables were inserted hierarchically into logistic models for school performance (outcome). Independent variables were: Gender, age, caries status (DMFT), orthodontic treatment need (IOTN-DHC), psychological impact (PIDAQ) and school commitment (class absences and missed classes). RESULTS: Boys (OR = 3.56; 95% CI: 1.54-8.21) with caries experience (OR = 2.77; 95% CI: 1.23-6.23), need for orthodontic treatment (OR = 0.40; 95% CI; 0.18-0.91) and adolescents who reported a psychological impact (OR = 2.70; 95% CI: 1.16-6.30) had worse school performance. CONCLUSION: Boys with caries and malocclusion experience who reported the psychological impact of the need for orthodontic treatment are more likely to have worse school performance.

Enamel development defects and oral symptoms: A hierarchical approach.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the relationship between enamel developmental defects (DDEs) and children's oral symptoms in the early and late mixed dentition in a hierarchical approach. METHODS: Population-based cross-sectional study of 772 children. Calibrated dental examiners examined for DDEs, malocclusion, and dental caries. Parents answered questions related to the socioeconomic condition of the family. The Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ8₋10) was used to identify oral symptoms as the outcome variable. Analysis was adjusted in a backward stepwise hierarchical multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: Symptoms were predicted by being female, having a father with low education and having DDEs in the upper first molars (ORs = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.06-1.89; 1.46: 1.10-1.96 and 2.02: 0.99-4.05 respectively). CONCLUSION: DDEs are associated with oral symptoms in Brazilian children.

Malocclusion, facial and psychological predictors of quality of life in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical and psychological predictors of OHRQoL. METHODS: Cross-sectional clinical and questionnaire study with 332 adolescents aged 11-14 years. The facial profile was classified through photographs and dental malocclusion was classified by the Dental Health Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need. The psychosocial variables were assessed by the Aesthetic Component of IOTN, the Orthodontic Aesthetic Subjective Impact Score and the Global Negative Self-Evaluation. OHRQoL was measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). The associations were analyzed by multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: Higher aesthetic concern and low self-esteem were 3.43 and 3.34 times more likely to affect OHRQoL (p⟨0.05), respectively. The facial and dental aspects of malocclusion were unrelated to OHRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: Facial and dental aspects of malocclusion were unrelated to OHRQoL, whereas psychosocial variables such as self-perception of orthodontic treatment need and self-esteem predicted adolescents' oral health related quality of life.

ER: YAG laser for composite removal after bracket debonding: a qualitative SEM analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To qualitatively compare the effectiveness of the Er:YAG laser with conventional methods for removing the composite remnants and the enamel ablation produced after bracket debonding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Brackets were bonded on 12 extracted premolars and the composite remnants were removed by 3 different methods: tungsten-carbide bur and 2 Er:YAG laser intervals. Four other premolars were used as a control group. Samples were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the amount of composite remaining on the teeth and the amount of enamel ablated on each sample were qualitatively ranked by 3 examiners. The results were statistically analyzed by the Tukey test. RESULTS: The Er:YAG laser performed significantly better than the conventional technique for removing the composite remnants, but the amount of enamel ablation produced was significantly higher. CONCLUSIONS: The Er:YAG laser can be used to remove composite remnants after orthodontic bracket debonding, but further studies are required to determine the ideal specifications of this type of laser to reduce the amount of enamel ablation produced under the specifications used in this study.

Prevalence of malocclusions in a young Brazilian population.

Malocclusions are generally treated in adolescents and adults, but they are established at an early age. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of malocclusions in a young Brazilian population. The sample included 926 children, 8 to 12 years old, attending 5 public schools in the state of Goias, Brazil The type of occlusion was visually determined during the oral exam and statistical analysis, Chi-square test, was performed to correlate the prevalence of malocclusion with gender and with age. 819 patients out of the 926 patients had some type of malocclusion. From those, 513 patients had a class I malocclusion, 201 patients were classified as class II malocclusion, and 105 patients were class III malocclusion. Vertically, 62 patients showed a deep bite and 61 patients had an open bite. Transversely, 40 patients presented a bilateral posterior crossbite, 54 patients had a posterior crossbite on the left side, and 39 patients had a posterior crossbite on the right side. No significant correlation between gender and malocclusions was found and the number of patients with malocclusions between boys and girls were similar. Considering the three spatial planes, there is a high prevalence of malocclusions among the young Brazilian population. Therefore, the dental community must improve health policies and treat malocclusions earlier.