Reader’s Forum l 2023-09-25

READER’S FORUM

Original Article l 2023-09-25

Pattern of microimplant displacement during maxillary skeletal expander treatment: A cone-beam computed tomography study

Ney Paredes , Ausama Gargoum, Ramon Dominguez-Mompell, Ozge Colak, Joseph Bui, Tam Duong, Maya Giannetti, Fernanda Silva, Kendra Brooks, Won Moon ,

Abstract : Objective: To analyze the microimplant (MI) displacement pattern on treatment with a maxillary skeletal expander (MSE) using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: Thirty-nine participants (12 males and 27 females; mean age, 18.2 ± 4.2 years) were treated successfully with the MSE II appliance. Their pre- and post-expansion CBCT data were superimposed. The pre- and post-expansion anterior and posterior inter-MI angles, neck and apical inter-MI distance, plate angle, palatal bone thickness at the MI positions, and suture opening at the MI positions were measured and compared. Results: The jackscrew plate was slightly bent in both anterior and posterior areas. There was no significant difference in the extent of suture opening between the anterior and posterior MIs (p > 0.05). The posterior MI to hemiplate line was greater than that anteriorly (p < 0.05). The apical distance between the posterior MIs was greater than that anteriorly (p < 0.05). The palatal thickness at the anterior MIs was significantly greater than that posteriorly (p > 0.01). Conclusions: In the coronal plane, the angulation between the anterior MIs in relation to the jackscrew plate was greater than that between the posterior MIs owing to the differential palatal bone thickness.

Original Article l 2023-09-25

Evaluation of pain experienced by orthodontic patients following elastomeric separator insertion: A cross-sectional study

Hareem Sultan , Hana Pervez, Sidra Maqsood, Wajeeh Syed Zeeshan

Abstract : Objective: Pain following the insertion of separators and archwires varies with age, sex, race, ethnicity, threshold, and health status. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of pain in orthodontic patients after the insertion of elastomeric separators, its effects on daily life, and its association with age and sex in a population not previously studied in this regard. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 130 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment included collecting data on demographics, pain experienced following the placement of separators, time of onset, duration, characteristics, change in dietary pattern or chewing side, intake of analgesics, and severity of pain on the Wong Baker’s scale. The results are reported as counts and percentages. Associations between sex and age were evaluated using Pearson’s chi-square test. Results: Among the 130 patients, 56.2% were 9–20 years old, 63.8% experienced pain following the insertion of separators, 22.9% had their first episode of pain at 4 hours, 56.6% experienced intermittent pain, and 37.3% experienced discomfort; 18.1% males and 81.9% females experienced pain following the insertion of separators. Pearson’s chi-square test showed a significant association between pain and sex (P = 0.04). Most patients (37.3%) reported “hurts little more” for pain intensity on Wong Baker’s scale and 21.7% reported all four quadrants as sites of pain. Conclusions: The pain experienced after separator insertion was associated with sex and age. Females experienced more pain than males and patients between the age range of 21 and 36 years suffered more pain during mastication than between 9 and 20 years old.

Original Article l 2023-09-25

Effect of 125 Hz and 150 Hz vibrational frequency electric toothbrushes on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement and prostaglandin E2 levels

Anadha N. Gujar , Prashantha Govinakovi Shivamurthy

Abstract : Objective: To evaluate the effects of an electric toothbrush with vibrational frequencies of 125 Hz and 150 Hz on the orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) rate and the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Methods: Out of thirty patients (aged 18–25 years; 16 females and 14 males), ten patients each formed Group A and B, who used electric toothbrushes with 125 Hz and 150 Hz vibrations, respectively. The remaining ten patients (Group C) served as the control group and did not use electric toothbrushes. The rate of OTM and levels of PGE2 using microcapillary pipettes were calculated before the start of retraction (T0), on the 30th day (T1), on the 60th day (T2), and on the 90th day (T3) from the start of retraction in all the groups. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the mean OTM values and PGE2 levels in all three groups at different time intervals, with the maximum difference seen in Group B compared to Group A and least in Group C at T1, T2 and T3. Conclusions: The rate of OTM and levels of PGE2 were highest in patients who used an electric toothbrush with 150 Hz mechanical vibration compared to those who used an electric toothbrush with 125 Hz mechanical vibration and least in patients who did not use an electric toothbrush. Mechanical vibration led to an increase in the PGE2 levels and accelerated the OTM.

Original Article l 2023-09-25

Three-dimensional evaluation of the association between tongue position and upper airway morphology in adults: A cross-sectional study

Yuchen Zheng , Hussein Aljawad, Min-Seok Kim, Su-Hoon Choi, Min-Soo Kim, Min-Hee Oh, Jin-Hyoung Cho

Abstract : Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between low tongue position (LTP) and the volume and dimensions of the nasopharyngeal, retropalatal, retroglossal, and hypopharyngeal segments of the upper airway. Methods: A total of 194 subjects, including 91 males and 103 females were divided into a resting tongue position (RTP) group and a LTP group according to their tongue position. Subjects in the LTP group were divided into four subgroups (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4) according to the intraoral space volume. The 3D slicer software was used to measure the volume and minimum and average cross-sectional areas of each group. Airway differences between the RTP and LTP groups were analyzed to explore the association between tongue position and the upper airway. Results: No significant differences were found in the airway dimensions between the RTP and LTP groups. For both retropalatal and retroglossal segments, the volume and average cross-sectional area were significantly greater in the patients with extremely low tongue position. Regression analysis showed that the retroglossal airway dimensions were positively correlated with the intraoral space volume and negatively correlated with A point-nasion-B point and palatal plane to mandibular plane. Males generally had larger retroglossal and hypopharyngeal airways than females. Conclusions: Tongue position did not significantly influence upper airway volume or dimensions, except in the extremely LTP subgroup.

Original Article l 2023-09-25

Does the quality of orthodontic studies influence their Altmetric Attention Score?

Thamer Alsaif , Nikolaos Pandis, Martyn T. Cobourne, Jadbinder Seehra

Abstract : Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether an association between study quality, other study characteristics, and Altmetric Attention Scores (AASs) existed in orthodontic studies. Methods: The Scopus database was searched to identify orthodontic studies published between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019. Articles that satisfied the eligibility criteria were included in this study. Study characteristics, including study quality were extracted and entered into a pre-pilot data collection sheet. Descriptive statistics were calculated. On an exploratory basis, random forest and gradient boosting machine learning algorithms were used to examine the influence of article characteristics on AAS. Results: In total, 586 studies with an AAS were analyzed. Overall, the mean AAS of the samples was 5. Twitter was the most popular social media platform for publicizing studies, accounting for 53.7%. In terms of study quality, only 19.1% of the studies were rated as having a high level of quality, with 41.8% of the studies deemed moderate quality. The type of social media platform, number of citations, impact factor, and study type were among the most influential characteristics of AAS in both models. In contrast, study quality was one of the least influential characteristics on the AAS. Conclusions: Social media platforms contributed the most to the AAS for orthodontic studies, whereas study quality had little impact on the AAS.

Original Article l 2023-09-25

Association between Taql polymorphism of vitamin D receptor gene and vertical growth of the mandible: A cross-sectional study

Baris Can Telatar , Gul Yildiz Telatar, Faruk Saydam

Abstract : Objective: To determine whether the gonial angle on digital panoramic radiographs is associated with vitamin D receptor (VDR) Taql polymorphism. Methods: Genomic DNA samples were collected from the buccal mucosa of patients aged 26–43 years. TaqMan assay for single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping was used to detect the genotype of Taql polymorphism. The gonial angle was measured bilaterally on panoramic radiography. The normal gonial angle was fixed as 121.8°, and it represented the cutoff value for the high gonial angle (HGA) and low gonial angle (LGA) groups. Various genetic models were analyzed, namely dominant (homozygous [AA] vs. heterozygous [AG] + polymorphic [GG]), recessive (AA + AG vs. GG), and additive (AA + GG vs. AG), using the chi-squared test. Results: The reliability of the gonial angle measurement was analyzed using a random sample (26%) of the tests, with the intra-examiner correlation showing an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.99. The frequencies of the AA, AG, and GG genotypes of rs731236 polymorphism were 40.5%, 41.9%, and 17.6% in the HGA group and 21.8%, 51.0%, and 27.2% in the LGA group, respectively (P = 0.042). A statistically significant difference was observed in the allele frequencies between the two groups (P = 0.011). Moreover, a significant correlation was observed in the dominant genetic model. Conclusions: Taql polymorphism in the VDR gene plays a critical role in the vertical growth of the mandible and decreased gonial angle.