Sella bridging is frequently found in patients with impacted canines. Hence, sella bridging can complement other diagnostic parameters in confirming the status of canine impaction.

The palatal rugae have been used as a reference landmark and identification marker by orthodontists and forensic analysts. However, the reliability of palatal rugae as a forensic marker remains questionable once an individual is subjected to orthodontic treatment. This study aimed at evaluating the changes in the rugae pattern after nonextraction, extraction, and maxillary expansion orthodontic treatment. The lengths and shapes of palatal rugae were evaluated on the pretreatment and post-treatment dental casts of 168 subjects using the Thomas and Kotze classification. Extraction treatment significantly reduced the second and third rugae lengths (p < 0.05), whereas the third rugae length was significantly increased after palatal expansion (p < 0.05). The shape of rugae remained consistent in all the study groups which may be used as a reliable forensic marker in subjects undergoing orthodontic treatment. However, the use of the lengths of palatal rugae in forensic odontology must be made with caution.

Introduction: Narrow airway dimensions due to mandibular deficiency can predispose an individual to severe respiratory distress. Hence, treatment with mandibular advancement devices at an early age might help improving the pharyngeal passage and reduce the risk of respiratory difficulties. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the mean changes in the pharyngeal dimensions of children with mandibular deficiency treated with Clark's twin-block appliance (CTB) followed by fixed orthodontic treatment. Methods: Orthodontic records of 42 children with mandibular deficiency were selected. Records comprised three lateral cephalograms taken at the start of CTB treatment, after CTB removal and at the end of fixed appliance treatment, and were compared with 32 controls from the Bolton-Brush study. Friedman test was used to compare pre-treatment, mid-treatment and post-treatment pharyngeal dimensions. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the airway between pre-treatment and post follow-up controls. Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare the mean changes in pharyngeal dimensions between treatment group and controls from T2 to T0. Post-hoc Dunnet T3 test was used for multiple comparisons of treatment outcomes after CTB and fixed appliances, taking a p-value of ≤ 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: Superior pharyngeal space (p < 0.001) and upper airway thickness (p = 0.035) were significantly increased after CTB, and the change in superior pharyngeal space remained stable after fixed mechano-therapy. Conclusion: CTB can have a positive effect in improving pharyngeal space and the resultant increase in airway remains stable on an average of two and a half years.

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Endodontic procedures rely heavily on correct radiographs. All stages of endodontic care delivery are affected by the quality of resultant image. Objective of this study was to observe type and frequency of technical errors reported during obtaining intraoral radiographs in the endodontic Department of a teaching hospital. METHODOLOGY: A total of 600 radiographs were included in this retrospective audit. The radiographs were exposed during routine endodontic procedures. A previously published criteria was used to ascertain the technical quality. SPSS version 21 for windows was used for statistical analysis. Frequency and percentage was calculated as well as chi square test was used to determine associations between variables. P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: A total of 600 radiographs were included in our study out of which, 185 (30.8%) were found to be technically correct (p=0.183). Radiographs of mandibular molars presented with most errors (n=115, 42.4%, p=0.002). Errors of technique were more prevalent (n=383, 63.8%) followed by errors of processing (n=151, 25.2%, p=0.000). Most common error of technique was positioning error (n=113, 18.8%) (Table no 3). Most common processing error was yellowing of radiographs (n=60, 10%, p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Performance of undergraduate students in obtaining radiographs was poor. Positioning errors were found to be the most common error while radiographs of mandibular molars were most affected.

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Background: Identifying coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine acceptance and associated factors among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Middle East and North Africa region is important to meet the need for broad-scale vaccination against COVID-19.Objectives: To investigate the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate and factors among PLHIV in the Middle East and North Africa region.Method: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among PLHIV currently living in Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia between March 2021 and August 2021.Results: Of the 540 respondents, 19.3% reported already being vaccinated against COVID-19 (n = 104), 32.0% responded ‘definitely yes’ (n = 173), and 13.3% responded ‘probably yes’ (n = 72) for intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, with an overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate of 64.6% among PLHIV in the region. The most significant predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance included feeling less worried about COVID-19 transmission post-vaccination (221.0% higher odds), and believing the disease is vaccine-preventable (160.0% higher odds). Reported barriers to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance include concerns about vaccine effectiveness and belief that HIV medications protect against COVID-19 transmission, living in a rural area and reporting less-frequent engagement with HIV care. Nine out of 10 participants reported that the chances of them getting COVID-19 vaccine would increase if given adequate information and if their doctor recommended it.Conclusion: Findings of the study can help researchers, health officials, and other health system actors understand the predictors and barriers to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance reported by PLHIV. This understanding could inform the future planning of interventions tailored to PLHIV.

Introduction: A change in occlusion during orthodontic treatment can affect muscles and joints surrounding the jaw, resulting in temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of orthodontic treatment with straight-wire appliance on the incidence of TMD in young adults. Materials and Methods: A cohort study was carried out involving 177 adult patients (91 in the treatment group and 86 in the control group). Fonseca’s questionnaire was used for TMD evaluation for all patients at the time of obtaining orthodontic pretreatment records (T0). TMD assessment was repeated after an average of 3 years of initial assessment for both the treatment and control groups (T1). Results: The number of patients with TMD changed significantly ( P < .001) from T0 to T1 in both groups. The prevalence of TMD increased from 36.3% to 41.8% in the treatment group and decreased from 46.5% to 38.4% in the control group after 3 years. The relative risk of developing TMD after orthodontic treatment was 1.16, whereas the odds of TMD resolution after orthodontic treatment was 0.73, both of which were statistically nonsignificant ( P > .05). Conclusion: Orthodontic treatment with noncustomized straight-wire appliance has nonsignificant effects on the incidence of TMD in young adults.