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Background: Parents of preschool children have inadequate oral health knowledge in Hong Kong. Parents play a critical role in preschool children's dietary patterns and oral health behaviors. A school-based oral health promotion (OHP) for parents of preschoolers was developed and investigated., Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of the school-based OHP for parents of preschool children on parents' oral health knowledge and preschool children's early childhood caries (ECC)., Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study. Parents of preschool children were divided into the intervention group (IG) and the control group (CG) according to their own selection. Parents in the IG participated in a structured school-based OHP workshop, while those in the CG did not attend the OHP workshop. Parents in both groups were invited to complete a questionnaire assessing their oral health knowledge before (T0), one month after (T1), and twelve months after (T2) the OHP workshop. Preschool children's caries was examined via dmft score at T0 and T2., Results: Parents' oral health knowledge was negatively correlated with preschool children's dmft scores (R = -0.200, P < 0.001). Oral health knowledge was significantly improved in IG (P < 0.001) but not in CG (P = 0.392) at T1. Both groups experienced a significant improvement in oral health knowledge from T0 to T2 (P < 0.001). Parents' oral health knowledge in the IG was significantly higher compared to the CG at T1 (P < 0.001), but difference in the scores at T2 between the two groups showed no significant difference (P = 0.727). No significant difference was found in changes in children's dmft score from T0 to T2 between the IG and CG (p = 0.545)., Conclusion: Preschool children's high ECC is associated with the limited oral health knowledge of their parents. The school-based OHP workshop for parents increased parents' oral health knowledge within one month. This positive effect was maintained for twelve months and can be extended to a larger scale in the school setting., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of orthodontic treatment need in 12-year-old children in Hong Kong and its relationship with the psychosocial impact of malocclusion and to assess their associations with sociodemographic factors., Materials and Methods: A random sample of 687 12-year-old children was recruited from 45 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Orthodontic treatment need was assessed on study models by five indices: the Dental Health Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN-DHC), the Aesthetic Component of the IOTN (IOTN-AC), the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI), the Index of Complexity Outcome and Need (ICON), and the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR). The psychosocial impact of malocclusion on participants and sociodemographic factors were obtained from a questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to examine the correlations between treatment need and the psychosocial impact of malocclusion as well as their associations with sociodemographic factors., Results: The final number of participants was 667 (339 boys and 328 girls, participation rate 667/687 = 97.1%). The prevalence of orthodontic treatment need varied depending on the indices used (10.9-47.8%), but significant correlations were found among the five indices ( p < 0.01). The uptake of treatment among the cohort was 2.3%. Boys had higher IOTN-DHC ( p < 0.05), DAI ( p < 0.05), and PAR ( p = 0.05) scores than girls. IOTN-AC was significantly associated with the psychosocial impact of malocclusion ( p < 0.05). Parents' level of education and household income were not significantly associated with either treatment need or the psychosocial impact of malocclusion ( p > 0.05)., Conclusion: The need for orthodontic treatment in 12-year-old children in Hong Kong remained high, and the uptake of treatment was low. Boys had a higher normative treatment need than girls. Among the five indices, IOTN-AC appears to be the best indicator of the psychosocial impact of malocclusion.

Objective: To evaluate the severity of the dental arch relationships and the treatment outcomes of reverse headgear (RHG) in southern Chinese patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP)., Design: A retrospective study., Setting: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong., Patients: Thirty-eight UCLP patients with complete records. Among them, 14 were later treated with RHG (RHG group) and 24 were under review (non-RHG group) before definitive orthodontic or in conjunction with orthognathic surgery., Interventions: Study models at T1 (aged 9.4 ± 0.4 years old), prebone grafting and before any orthodontic treatment started; T2 (aged 11.3 ± 0.6 years old), after bone grafting, and RHG treatment (RHG group) or under review (non-RHG group); and T3 (aged 15.3 ± 3.2 years old), pretreatment of definitive orthodontic or in conjunction with orthognathic surgery., Main Outcome Measures: With satisfactory intra- and interexaminer agreement proven by the kappa value, the dental arch relationships of the study models at T1, T2, and T3 were assessed by a solo calibrated examiner using the GOSLON Yardstick., Results: The median GOSLON score for southern Chinese patients with UCLP at T1 was 4.0. Sixty percent of the patients were categorized as "poor" at T1. RHG significantly improved dental arch relationships from T1 to T2, and the improvement was maintained until T3 assessed by the GOSLON Yardstick., Conclusions: The dental arch relationships in southern Chinese UCLP patients at 8 to 10 years old are unfavorable. RHG treatment shows positive effects in improving the dental arch relationships in UCLP patients, as assessed by the GOSLON Yardstick.