The success of orthodontic therapy depends on the effective, continuous application of forces to teeth. Therefore, an essential element of the treatment is the adhesion between the bracket and enamel. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of bracket base design and bonding system on shear bond strength. The study was conducted on eighty extracted premolars which were randomly divided into four groups of twenty teeth each, using two types of metal brackets (80-gauge mesh and anchor pylons base design) and two types of bonding systems (conventional and self-etching). The combination of bracket and bonding system resulted in four distinct configurations of bracket bonding, with each configuration tested on twenty teeth. Shear bond strength testing was performed using a Laryee Universal Testing Machine. The obtained values were statistically analyzed. Slightly higher shear bond strength values were recorded for brackets with anchor pylons bonded using the conventional bonding system (13.32 ± 4.20 N/mm²), whereas the lowest values were recorded for the same bracket base design bonded with the self-etching system (11.10 ± 4.50 N/mm²). Nevertheless, ANOVA test did not reveal statistically significant differences between the two bracket types or between the two bonding techniques in terms of shear bond strength and force values and no significant interaction effects were observed. Considering the obtained results, several additional factors must be taken into account when evaluating the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets.

Background/Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of molar absence and the need for limited preprosthetic orthodontic treatment in the situation of lateral molar edentulism in adult patients. Methods: The need for orthodontic treatment was studied retrospectively in a cohort of adult patients of both genders who presented for dental treatment at the Oral Rehabilitation Clinic of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova. After applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, the final study group consisted of 478 patients. The collected data were centralized in Microsoft Excel and statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software version 26. Results: The results of the study showed that more than 50% of adult patients need orthodontic treatment. The patients with the greatest need for orthodontic treatment also had a higher DMFT (p < 0.0005), indicating a higher need for dental caries treatment, as well as prosthetics of edentulous areas. The prevalence of molar edentulism was 57.31%. The acceptance of the treatment plan was inversely proportional to the need for orthodontic treatment. Tooth wear (p < 0.0005) and maxillary edentulism (p = 0.002) significantly contributed to a higher DAI. Conclusions: The need for orthodontic treatment increases with age, but the acceptance of oral rehabilitation plans that include orthodontic treatment is low. Better interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to ensure that adult patients benefit from the best treatment options.

Background and Objectives: When a single missing tooth must be replaced, the best solution is the placement of an implant. In adults, most of the time the space for implant is totally or partially closed due to the shift in the adjacent teeth. The objective of the study was to describe the clinical parameters, treatment choices, and outcomes associated with orthodontic space opening for single-tooth implants in various treatment solutions, as well as to determine their influence on the variation in the dimension of the edentulous space. Materials and Methods: An observational prospective cohort study was designed in which patients with a single missing tooth were selected to be included in the study. After the clinical examination two groups were formed: patients who opted for fixed orthodontic treatment (metallic or sapphire) to open space for implant and patients who opted for alignment to achieve this (with Invisalign or Spark). All subjects received orthodontic treatment. A dental chart was created for each patient which included demographics, clinical data, orthopantomography (OPG), profile cephalograms, and photographs. The potential implant prosthetic space was measured during orthodontic treatment to observe the space dimension evolution in time. Results: In total, 97 patients were included in the study, 60 women and 37 men, with ages between 14 and 60 years. Edentulous spaces dimensions were opened from 1–4 mm to 5–6 mm (39.18% patients), 6–8 mm (48.45%), and >8 mm (12.37%). Both types of orthodontic treatments were effective in opening the potential prosthetic space for implant. Conclusions: Large prosthetic spaces and older edentulism tend to require longer treatments. Older patients had experienced edentulism for a longer period, indicating a correlation between age and the duration of tooth loss. Metal fixed orthodontic appliances were used in exceedingly long treatments, while aligners/sapphire brackets were used in short–medium durations. For the study group, fixed appliances and aligners proved to be effective in opening the space for future implants.