Search

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the surface roughness and hardness of the implant head of orthodontic mini-implants made from different alloys before and after their in vitro exposure to agents for prevention of gingivitis, mucositis, and peri-implantitis: chlorhexidine and probiotics. Materials and Methods: Three types of commercially available mini-implants were tested: 316 stainless steel, titanium Grade 5, and titanium Grade 23 (both Ti–6Al–4V alloys with the same atomic weight percentage of Ti, Al, and V, with the difference being in maximal reduction of O2 in Grade 23 to 0.13% of atomic weight). They were immersed in three experimental solutions: artificial saliva, saliva with probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri, and saliva with oral antiseptic chlorhexidine (CHX). Samples were immersed for 28 days, thermocycled, then stored in an incubator at 37°C. Surface roughness and microhardness on five samples of each of the three implant types were measured by atomic force microscopy and the Vickers method, respectively. Results: Exposure of titanium implant Grade 5 to probiotics significantly increased roughness compared with other media (P < .005). Exposure to CHX significantly increased the roughness of steel implants (P < .05). Neither saliva, probiotic, nor CHX altered microhardness of titanium implants significantly. In steel implants, the exposure to CHX and probiotics decreased microhardness compared with unexposed implants (P < .031), but not in comparison to saliva. Conclusion: Probiotics seem to increase roughness of titanium mini-implants, while CHX seems to increase roughness of steel mini-implants. Only stainless steel implants had an altered, decreased hardness after exposure to CHX, although the same was found after their exposure to saliva. For patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with temporary anchorage units, CHX could be recommended for titanium, and probiotics for stainless steel mini-implants in oral-hygiene maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to assess whether personality traits affect the relationship between malocclusion and the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics and whether they act as its mediators or moderators. Settings and sample population: The cross‐sectional study included 252 participants with permanent dentition (62% female) aged 12‐39 years. Materials and Methods: The Big Five Inventory, the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire and the Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need were used. Moderation and mediation were tested by hierarchical stepwise multiple linear regression. Results: Malocclusion was the most significant predictor of dental self‐confidence (DSC), aesthetic concern (AC), social impact (SI) and psychological impact (PI), accounting for 12%‐28% of respective variability (P <.05). Adult age, male sex and higher neuroticism and agreeableness were additional predictors of higher DSC (P <.05). Adolescent age was a predictor of higher AC, SI and PI, and female sex of higher AC and PI (P <.05). Mediation by personality traits was not proven, however, openness, agreeableness and neuroticism were moderators. A tendency of decrease in AC was associated with an increase in malocclusion complexity in adolescents lower in openness and decrease in SI in adolescents with lower agreeableness. There was also a tendency of higher increase of AC associated with an increase of malocclusion degree in adults higher in neuroticism. Conclusion: In adolescents, openness and agreeableness moderate the relationship between malocclusion and AC and SI, respectively. Neuroticism is a moderator of the association between malocclusion and AC in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyse the immunohistochemical profile of inflammatory infiltrates in the gingival tissue of patients undergoing orthodontic treatment in relation to patients' titanium and/or nickel allergy status. Patients with gingival enlargement received initial periodontal therapy, followed by external gingivectomy in the case of persistent gingival enlargement. The sample included 44 patients (22 had metal allergic sensitisation). Histopathological changes were assessed, and an immunohistochemical analysis was performed on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded gingival samples using antibodies against CD1a, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, CD68, and CD138. Computer-assisted image analysis was performed to evaluate the positive cell count in the gingival tissue. The gingiva of the sensitised patients was characterised by the absence of multifocal inflammatory infiltrates (p < 0.05), while pronounced exocytosis and band-like inflammatory infiltrates were more frequently observed in sensitised patients. In addition, there was an increase in Langerhans cells and T-helper lymphocytes and a decrease in naïve T-lymphocytes, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, macrophages, and plasma cells in the sensitised subjects compared to non-sensitised. However, the differences were only statistically significant for macrophages, with a moderate effect size (82.8 vs. 133.9; p = 0.041; r = 0.308). The absence of multifocal inflammation appears to be the most characteristic histopathological feature of the gingiva of sensitised patients. Although their gingiva presented certain characteristics of late hypersensitivity immune reactions the observed changes imply dominant irritative effect e. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate differences in quality of life in subjects with and without skeletal malocclusions and factors influencing patients' decision to accept orthognathic surgery. Materials and methods: Design: Cross‐sectional with stratified sampling. Settings and sample population: 190 Caucasian subjects (65% females), aged 17‐46 years. 95 subjects were consecutive patients referred to University Dental Clinic for skeletal malocclusion treatment of which 58 subjects accepted suggested surgery, 37 refused. The other 95 were age‐and sex‐matched controls, without malocclusions, recruited from the pool of students and employees of local high schools and university. Main outcome measures: Psychosocial and functional issues were evaluated by Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire. Complexity of malocclusion and treatment need was assessed by the Index of Orthognathic Functional Treatment Need. Results: Discriminant analysis demonstrated that in quality of life, three groups differed mostly in facial aesthetic concern, followed by altered oral function, then by social interactions which were the highest in the group that accepted surgery. When controlling for age, sex, oral function impairment, awareness of facial deformity and inhibitions in social contacts in a multiple logistic regression analysis, only IOFTN and facial aesthetic concern were significant predictors of orthognathic surgery acceptance, increasing the odds for acceptance by 2.9x and 4.7x, respectively (P ≤.045). Conclusion: Facial aesthetic concern is very important factor in patients' decision‐making process for accepting orthognathic treatment for skeletal malocclusions, with greater importance than high normative need for functional orthognathic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the influence of perfectionism on the short-term changes in satisfaction with smile esthetics and quality of life (QoL) induced by tooth whitening.Materials and Methods: A total of 60 subjects were analyzed: 30 in the active group, in which the subject's anterior teeth were whitened with a photoactivated gel, and 30 in the placebo group. The Smile Esthetics-Related Quality of Life and Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale questionnaires were administered to all participants.Results: The active group demonstrated an increase in dental self-confidence and a decrease in dissatisfaction with color (P < .05). The amount of color change did not correlate linearly with change in dissatisfaction or with QoL. In subjects with higher perfectionism, increasing the color change led to more decrease in dental self-consciousness.Conclusion: Perfectionism moderates perception of smile esthetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Smiling plays an important role in social interaction. The purpose of this research was to explore the extent to which objective parameters of color of one's own teeth affected the social and emotional dimensions of young adults' lives. Materials and Methods: The sample included 134 subjects—students of the University of Rijeka, Croatia (65% female) aged 19 to 28 years (median 21). All subjects had six intact maxillary anterior teeth without restorations or severe malocclusions and healthy gingiva with no signs of inflammation. Tooth color was assessed intraorally using a spectrophotometer. Lightness, chroma, and translucency of the right maxillary central incisors (the reference teeth) were calculated and used for analysis. Subjects reported dimensions of their oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP), Orofacial Esthetic Scale (OES), and the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ). Linear relationships between elements of tooth color and OHRQoL were explored using Pearson correlations. Multiple linear regression, while controlling for the influence of age and gender, was also calculated. ANOVA with a Tukey post hoc test was employed to test whether nonlinear relationships existed between OHRQoL and categories of color elements. Results: Dental self‐confidence, esthetic concerns, orofacial appearance, social impact and psychological impact were not related to lightness, chroma, or translucency of the subjects' teeth. Neither linear nor nonlinear relationships were detected between those aspects. Satisfaction with smile esthetics was only related to translucency where subjects with moderate translucency were least likely to be satisfied (p = 0.033). Women tended to report greater psychosocial impacts than men (p < 0.05), regardless of their tooth color. Conclusion: According to the results of this study objective, measurable, quantitative parameters of tooth color did not accurately predict psychosocial dimensions of OHRQoL in dentate young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Orofacial esthetics raises psychosocial issues. The purpose was to create and validate new short instrument for psychosocial impacts of altered smile esthetics. Materials and Methods: A team of an orthodontist, two prosthodontists, psychologist, and a dental student generated items that could draw up specific hypothetical psychosocial dimensions (69 items initially, 39 in final analysis). The sample consisted of 261 Caucasian subjects attending local high schools and university (26% male) aged 14 to 28 years that have self‐administrated the designed questionnaire. Factorial analysis, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation, paired samples t‐test and analysis of variance were used for analyses of internal consistency, construct validity, responsiveness, and test–retest. Results: Three dimensions of psychosocial impacts of altered smile esthetics were identified: dental self‐consciousness, dental self‐confidence and social contacts that can be best fitted by 12 items, 4 items in each dimension. Internal consistency was good (α in range 0.85–0.89). Good stability in test–retest was confirmed. In responsiveness testing, tooth whitening induced increase in dental self‐confidence (P = 0.002), but no significant changes in other dimensions. Conclusion: The new instrument, Smile Esthetics‐Related Quality of Life (SERQoL), is short and has proven to be a good indicator of psychosocial dimensions related to perception of smile esthetics. Clinical significance: Smile Esthetics‐Related Quality of Life questionnaire might have practical validity when applied in esthetic dental clinical procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To analyze craniofacial growth during adolescence from the ages of 12 to 21 years and its relation to late mandibular incisor crowding., Material and Methods: The study included 61 orthodontically untreated subjects (49% males). Lateral cephalograms were used to assess the jaw growth and inclination of the incisors. Little's Irregularity Index and the anterior mandibular dental arch depth of mandibular dentition were measured., Results: A reduction of the skeletal class angle (ANB) was observed in both genders, although it was significant only in males (η2=0.188; p=0.015). The growth of the mandible was more prominent compared to that of the maxilla, and it was more prominent in males than in females. The skeletal vertical dimension, however, demonstrated a significant reduction in both genders (η2=0.527-0.593, p<0.001). The mandibular incisors tended to retrocline in both genders, while the maxillary ones tended to procline in males, and slightly retrocline in females. A decrease in the mandibular dental arch depth occurred in both genders (η2=0.259; p<0.05). An increase in the irregularity of incisors for 1.8±1.7 mm on average (95% CI 1.3-2.2; η2=0.520; p<0.001) was observed in both genders. A logistic regression revealed that less sagittal growth of maxilla (increase of SNA angle ≤2°) and reduction of convexity in skeletal sagittal interjaw relationship (reduction of ANB ≥1°) were significant predictors of the occurrence of crowding (Δ Little Irregularity Index ≥1mm) yielding odds ratios of 4.9 and 4.8., Conclusions: The differential growth of the maxilla and mandible is related to the occurrence of late crowding, mostly in smaller amounts in maxillary sagittal growth compared to the mandible., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.