Malocclusion as an oral disorder can cause negative impact on individuals oral conditions, social interactions and self-esteem. The aim of this study was to compare oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL) of patients who had received fixed orthodontic treatment and patients who had not received fixed orthodontic treatment. Data were collected from 178 participants attended at professional dental office (mean age 22.71 years) in two groups (experimental and control). The experimental group comprised of 90 subjects who were in the retention phase, after their orthodontic treatment, and the control group comprised of 88 untreated subjects. Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to assess the patients oral health related quality of life (OHQoL). The control group had significantly higher OHIP-14 scores than experimental group (p < 0.001). Participants with treatment need reported a significantly greater negative impact on the overall OHRQoL score. Subjects with no history of orthodontic treatment had more negative oral health related quality (OHRQoL), than subjects who had completed orthodontic treatment. Dental malocclusion has significant negative impact on OHRQoL.

Aim of article was to compare the shear bond strength of indirectly and directly bonded orthodontic brackets. The experimental in vitro study included 60 maxillary and mandibular premolars. Teeth were mounted on cold-cure acrylic blocks for each tooth separately and divided into two groups: directly bonded brackets (30 teeth) and indirectly bonded brackets (30 teeth). Brackets (Discovery, Roth 0.022", Dentaurum, Ispringen, Germany) were bonded using Transbond XT (3M Unitek, Monrovia, CA, USA) in direct method, while in indirect technique, a combination of Transbond XT and Sondhi Rapid Set (3M Unitek, Monrovia, CA, USA) was used. The shear bond strength and adhesive remnant index (ARI) were evaluated. The in vivo study included 30 subjects - 15 with indirectly bonded brackets and 15 with directly bonded brackets. Survival rate was assessed during the period of 6 months. No statistically significant difference in the shear bond strength was found in direct (7.48±1.61 MPa) and indirect labial bonding methods (7.8.2±1.61 MPa). Both methods produced very similar amount of adhesive remnant on tooth surface (median = 1; interquartile range 1-2). There were no significant differences in bracket survival rate between methods. Regarding the shear bond strength, adhesive remnant on tooth surface, and survival rate, both indirect and direct methods of orthodontic bracket bonding seem to be equally valuable methods in clinical practice.

Background/Objectives: The relation between the orthopedic temporomandibular joint (TMJ) instability and temporomandibular disorder (TMD) most commonly remain unrecognized by orthodontists. In this study we aimed to evaluate the dentofacial characteristics and temporomandibular disorder symptomatology of patients with orthopedic instability before and after deprogramming with a stabilization splint. Methods: Sixty patients with the signs and symptoms of TMD were assessed using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) and underwent stabilization splint therapy to place the condyles in a more stable musculoskeletal position. The extent of condylar displacement was evaluated using the condylar position indicator (CPI). Sixteen angular and linear hard tissue landmarks were traced and compared from lateral cephalograms taken in the maximum intercuspation (MI) position before, and in the centric relation (CR) position after, the splint therapy. Results: Following the splint therapy, the signs and symptoms of TMD were significantly reduced or completely eliminated in more than 90% of patients. Compared with the values registered before the splint therapy, a significant reduction in the mean values of condylar displacement was observed on both sides of the vertical (p < 0.001), horizontal (p < 0.05), and transverse (p < 0.001) planes of space after the splint therapy. A comparison of pre- and post-splint lateral cephalograms revealed that, following the splint therapy, the mandible moved more posteriorly and rotated in a more clockwise direction. Conclusions: In patients with orthopedic instability and the signs and symptoms of TMD, muscle deprogramming with a stabilization splint therapy is highly recommended to improve the health of the temporomandibular joint and masticatory structures and contribute to a more correct orthodontic diagnosis.

Introduction/Objective. Deprogramming of the neuromuscular system with the use of stabilization splint might provide more precise evaluation of the centric relation (CR) ? maximum intercuspation (MI) discrepancy. The study aimed to evaluate the differences between the bite registrations obtained in the CR before and after the application of the stabilization splint therapy. Methods. The sample included 48 non-deprogrammed individuals without any apparent signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). The neuromuscular system was deprogrammed by employing stabilization splint therapy. A condylar displacement evaluation was performed on vertical, horizontal, and transverse planes of space, with the assistance of a condylar position indicator. Results. The mean values of condylar displacements, which were obtained after the deprogramming of the neuromuscular system, were significantly greater than those obtained before neuromuscular deprogramming for vertical condylar displacement (p < 0.0001). A greater degree of condylar distraction was observed on the left side of the vertical plane before (p < 0.01) and after neuromuscular deprogramming (p < 0.05). The highest level of condylar displacement occurred in the postero-inferior direction subsequent to the muscle deprogramming. Conclusion. It was observed that the level of average condylar displacements was significantly higher following the deprogramming of the neuromuscular system compared to that recorded before neuromuscular deprogramming using stabilization splint therapy. A more precise orthodontic diagnosis could have been obtained if the condyles were placed in a more exact CR position by muscle deprogramming.

Background: The objective of this investigation was to assess the oral health (OH) of Bosnia and Herzegovinian adolescents in relation to differences and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: This cross-sectional study included 306 school children from high schools located in the Tuzla Canton (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The sample consisted of 183 females and 123 males between 15 and 18 years old (mean of 16.82 years old). The study was conducted between December 2019 and March 2020, via an Annex 8 questionnaire from the World Health Organization (WHO), which collected information on OH behaviours, self-perceptions of oral health and dietary factors responsible for the OH of each subject. SES was categorized using five variables (occupation, education, income, place of residence and number of family members). Cross-tabulations were evaluated according to sex and socioeconomic status (SES) via the chi-square test. Results: Over 40% of the participants consumed sweets, cakes and biscuits on daily basis, whereas 41.5% of the participants visited a dentist only in the case of pain. The consumption of sweets (p = 0.024) and cakes and biscuits (p = 0.011) on a daily basis was significantly greater in female adolescents than in male adolescents. Compared with male adolescents, female adolescents reported occasional toothaches more frequently (p = 0.001) and were more dissatisfied with their dental appearance (p = 0.008) but presented a greater frequency of flossing (p = 0.001) and toothbrushing (3–5 times a day) (p = 0.0001). There was no association between the different levels (below average, average, above average) of SES and factors affecting OH status of adolescents. Conclusions: The study revealed significant sex differences in several factors affecting OH status and revealed no relationship between SES and OH behaviours or between perceptions and risk factors affecting OH in 15–18-year-old adolescents. Data obtained from this study might help in the creation of new OH prevention programs aimed at improving the OH status of adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We evaluated the dentofacial characteristics and temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptomatology of patients with orthopedic instability before and after deprogramming with a stabilization splint. Sixty patients with the signs and symptoms of TMD were assessed using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) and underwent stabilization splint therapy to place the condyles in a more stable musculoskeletal position. The amount of condylar displacement was evaluated using the condylar position indicator (CPI). Six-teen angular and linear hard tissue landmarks were traced and compared from lateral cephalo-grams taken in the maximum intercuspation (MI) position before and in the centric relation (CR) position after the splint therapy. Following the splint therapy, the signs and symptoms of TMD were significantly reduced or completely eliminated in more than 90% of the patients. Compared with the values registered before the splint therapy, a significant reduction in the mean values of condylar displacement was observed on both sides of the vertical, horizontal, and transverse planes of space after the splint therapy. A comparison of pre- and post-splint lateral cephalograms revealed that, following the splint therapy, the mandible moved more posteriorly and rotated more in a clockwise direction. In patients with orthopedic instability and signs and symptoms of TMD, deprogramming of the neuromuscular system with a stabilization splint is highly recommended to provide a correct orthodontic diagnosis and improve the health of temporomandibular joint structures.