Introduction
Tooth size, occlusal traits, and ethnicity are closely interrelated, and their impact on desirable orthodontic treatment outcome cannot be underestimated. This study was undertaken to assess the occlusal characteristics and ethnic variations in occlusion of Malaysian orthodontic patients and evaluate their correlation with Bolton’s tooth size discrepancy.
Materials and Methods
On 112 pretreatment study models of orthodontic patients, molar relationship, overjet, overbite, spacing, crowding, midline shift, and Bolton’s ratios were assessed. ANOVA, one-sample t-test, Chi-squared test, and Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis.
Results
Significant difference between anterior ratio of our study and Bolton’s ideal values was found, for the entire study sample and Chinese ethnic group. Differences between races and malocclusion groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Significant correlations were found as follows – in Angle’s Class I malocclusion between 1) anterior ratio and overbite, 2) overall ratio and maxillary crowding and spacing; in Angle’s Class II malocclusion between 1) anterior ratio and overjet and midline shift, 2) overall ratio and mandibular crowding; in Angle’s Class III malocclusion between 1) anterior ratio and mandibular crowding and both maxillary and mandibular spacing 2) overall ratio and mandibular crowding.
Conclusions
Significant differences in anterior ratio and Bolton’s ideal values for the Malaysian population were found, indicating variations in anterior tooth size as compared to Caucasians. Statistically significant correlations existed between Bolton’s ratios and occlusal traits. These findings can be applied clinically in diagnosis and treatment planning by keeping in mind the specific discrepancies that can occur in certain malocclusions and addressing them accordingly.
Minor oral surgery (MOS) is one of the important requirements for dental undergraduates to perform in Kulliyyah of Dentistry, IIUM. However, no assessment has been done on the suitability of the cases received by the students. Thus, this study was aimed to describe type of cases and level of difficulty in relation to undergraduate year of study. This study consisted of 97 subjects who had undergone MOS by IIUM undergraduate from September 2014 to October 2015. Data was collected from patient’s documentation and orthopantomogram. Pederson index and relationship to inferior dental nerve were used to determine the difficulty index level. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test with statistical significance set at p? 0.05. The mean age of the patients was 24 years old, with male to female ratio 1:1.9. 52.6% of the cases were indicated for surgery due to recurrent pericoronitis. The types of cases mostly received by undergraduates were Class IA (30.9%) and Class IIA (48.5%) with mesioangular impaction (39.2%). Year 4 students received more difficult cases compared to Year 5 (p = 0.504) with less complications postoperatively. Dental undergraduates received simple to moderate cases for MOS, and no significant association was found between year of undergraduate study and difficulty level of the cases.
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