Hard palate is regarded as an important part of the human skull, which contributes to the separation of the oral and nasal cavities. The aims of the study were to investigate the morphology of the hard palate in order to create a general guideline of three-dimensional values of the palate in a Kurdish sample in the city of Sulaimani as well as determining the possible correlations between different palatal parameters in class I malocclusion with the maxillary arch form and perimeter. A retrospective study design was adopted by collecting 100 study models of orthodontic patients aged 16–24 years old attending different private dental clinics in the city of Sulaimani seeking orthodontic management. In this study, three-dimensional palatal measurements including depth, length, and width were measured in an attempt to discover their correlation with each maxillary arch form and perimeter. Additionally, measurements of inter-molar width, inter-canine width, and arch perimeter were carried out. About two-thirds of those seeking orthodontic treatment were females. Nearly 80% of the study sample had narrow palate followed by 15 and 5% of intermediate palate and broad palate, respectively. In regard to arch form, almost 90% of subjects were with tapered maxillary arch form and 10% of them with oval arch form. Males had increased dimensions compared to females, with significant differences, except in palatal depth in the molar area, and palatine height index, in which females showed increased dimensions than males but the differences were statistically non-significant. A strong positive correlation was observed between arch form and canine depth. In regard to arch perimeter, a strong negative correlation was found with molar depth and a medium positive correlation with each of canine depth, palatal width, and palatal length.

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Objective. To evaluate the in vivo tooth volume through VRMesh and 3Matic programs and to compare the measurements to the physical volume. So, the aim of the study was to ensure the reliability and sensitivity of the three-dimensional software (VRMesh and 3Matic) in measuring tooth volume. Material and Methods. The volume of 26 extracted upper first premolars from orthodontic patients who had CBCT before orthodontic treatment were measured. Two different commercial programs, which were VRMesh and 3Matic, were used to calculate the volume of the segmented upper first premolar from CBCT. The in vivo tooth volume was compared to the physical tooth volume to examine the accuracy of the two software in measuring the tooth volume. Results. The difference between the mean of the in vivo and in vitro tooth volume measurements was too small, making it clinically nonsignificant. ANOVA test was used as a statistical tool, and no statistically significant difference was noticed among the measurements. The values were normally distributed when tested for normality by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk test. P value less than or equal to 0.05 ( P ≤ 0.05 ) was considered statistically significant. Conclusion. The assessment of the in vivo tooth volume measurement with different three-dimensional imaging software (VRMesh and 3Matic) programs in comparison with the tooth physical volume is reliable. The use of a mouse pen during the refining stage of the segmentation may have increased the accuracy of the procedure. The determined in vivo tooth volumes are dependable and can be applied in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.

The current study aimed to find a prediction equation to estimate the arch perimeter (AP) depending on various arch dimensions including intercanine width (ICW), intermolar width (IMW), interpremolar width (IPMW), and arch length (AL) in a sample of the Kurdish population in Sulaimani City. The study sample was 100 pairs of preorthodontic dental casts. Calculations of dental arch dimensions and perimeter were performed by a digital vernier. Statistical analysis was performed via using the SPSS version 25 software. The developed prediction equation for the upper arch was Y = + 1.3 × arch   length + 1 × intermolar   width , whereas the equation for the lower arch was Y = + 0.9 × intermolar   width + 0.92 × intercanine   width . Paired t -test revealed no statistical difference between predicted and real arch perimeters. Two separate prediction equations for upper and lower arches were developed based on the arch length (AL) and intermolar width (IMW) for the maxillary arch, intermolar (IMW), and inter canine widths (ICW) for the lower arch. The developed equations could have further beneficial impacts on orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of three different motivational techniques for maintaining good oral hygiene during the long term fixed orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: This comparative study was carried in Sulaimani city, on 60 patients with their age ranged from 12-18 years having fixed orthodontic appliances for a period of  18± 6 months were selected and divided randomly according to motivational techniques into three study groups (A, B and C), each group was subsequently  subdivided into 2 subgroups according to the type of bracket material.  The sample was subjected over a period of 6 months to different motivational techniques during the orthodontic treatment. Oral health status was examined and recorded twice using simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). The results were statistically analyzed with Statistical Product and Service Solutions software (SPSS, V16). Results: After motivation and reinforcement, improvement of oral health was observed among the patients. Visual evidence motivational technique (applied for group C) approved to be the most significant effective motivational technique (P≤ 0.001) for patients undergoing orthodontic treatment regardless the type of the bracket material. Conclusion: Orthodontists should concern about the motivation of the patients undergoing orthodontic treatment keeping sustained oral hygiene throughout the treatment period. This study confirmed that visual evidence motivational technique is the best educational and motivational technique for orthodontic patients that should be carried out before and throughout the treatment.

(1) Background: Accurate diagnosis and treatment plans in orthodontics were facilitated by novel technologies. The prediction of occlusal problems is of utmost importance for clinicians. This present study aimed to find any possible correlation between unilateral and bilateral palatally impacted maxillary canine, palatal dimensions, and maxillary arch perimeter using digital measurements and determine the factors that could be used as predictors for maxillary palatal canine impaction. (2) Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on cone-beam computed tomography images of orthodontic patients aged 15 to 25. Palatal dimensions and maxillary arch perimeter were digitally measured using Materialize Interactive Medical Image Control System. (3) Results: A significant difference was found between the case and the study groups regarding palatal depth, length, and arch perimeter, except for the palatal width. A weak correlation was reported in palatal depth and length with canine impaction, whereas the correlation was moderate concerning the arch perimeter. They can be used as predictors for palatal canine impaction. (4) Conclusion: Palatal dimensions and dental arch perimeter affect maxillary palatal canine impaction. Deficient arch perimeter, palatal depth, and length could be helpful in the prediction of maxillary palatal canine impaction.

Background: Numerous studies have investigated the applicability of Pont’s index using a variety of selection criteria. The morphology of teeth and the shapes of the face are significantly influenced by racial, cultural, and environmental factors, so the current study focused on these demographics. Methods: This study is a retrospective study and included one hundred intraoral scanned images selected from patients seeking orthodontic treatment. Medit design software was used to obtain the real measurements and compare them to the predicted values from Pont’s index. Paired t tests were used to test the validity of Pont’s index, and regression equations were advocated to predict the inter-molar, inter-premolar, and anterior arch widths via SPSS version 25. Results: There were significant differences between the real anterior, inter-premolar, and inter-molar widths and the predicted values obtained from Pont’s index, and there were weak positive correlations between the real values and the predicted values from Pont’s index. Conclusions: Pont’s index is not reliable to predict the arch widths for the Kurdish population, and new formulas are advocated. Hence, space analysis, malocclusion treatment, and arch expansion therapy should all take into account these results. Therefore, the derived equations may have further positive effects on diagnoses and treatment preparation.

Objectives: The dental arch form and dimensions change continuously and systematically during human growth and development, but this decreases adulthood. During mixed dentition, changes in dental arch forms and the occlusion occur due to teeth movements and growth of the alveolar bone. Usually, changes in the mandibular arch are followed by changes in the maxillary arch. The research aimed to determine the most frequent mandibular dental arch form and its relationship with gender.           Methods: The mandibular arch forms of 115 schoolchildren with mixed dentition were examined using their dental casts. Adobe Photoshop© (21.0.0, 2019) program was used to construct a template from photographs of the casts and printed on transparent paper to overlay the casts. The data were collected and calculated using statistical software to determine the frequencies of different arch forms among the studied sample.       Results: The sample was composed of 61 males (53%) and 54 females (47%). The oval arch form was the most frequent type with 70 cases (60.9%), followed by the square arch form with 38 cases (33%), and finally the tapered arch form with 7 cases (6.1%). No significant relationship was found between the arch form and the gender of the participants.   Conclusions: Oval arch form was the most predominant type of arch form of the mandible in the mixed dentition, and there was no relationship with gender.