Objective: To compare young people’s experiences of wearing a range of orthodontic appliances. Design: A cross-sectional, qualitative study with purposive sampling. Setting: UK dental teaching hospital. Participants: Twenty-six orthodontic patients aged 11–17 years. Methods: Patients participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results: Young people reported physical, practical and emotional impacts from their appliances. Despite these reported impacts, participants described ‘getting used’ to and, therefore, not being bothered by their appliance. Framework analysis of the data identified a multi-dimensional social process of managing everyday life with an appliance. This involves addressing the ‘dys-appearance’ of the body through physically adapting to an appliance. This process also includes psychological approaches, drawing on social networks, developing strategies and situating experiences in a longer-term context. Engaging in this process allowed young people to address the physical, practical and emotional impacts of their appliances. Conclusion: This qualitative research has identified how young people manage everyday life with an appliance. Understanding this process will help orthodontists to support their patients.

No abstract

Objective: To investigate young people’s experiences of retainers, the associated impact of retainers on their lives and their perceptions of what influences their own co-operation. Design: Qualitative, cross-sectional study. Setting: An orthodontic department in a UK dental hospital. Participants: Purposive sampling was used to recruit young people, aged 11–17 years, wearing a range of different types of retainers. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted and transcribed. The resultant data were analysed using codebook thematic analysis. Results: Ten patients were recruited before thematic saturation was achieved. Four themes were identified: impact and experiences of wearing retainers; facilitators and barriers to retainer adherence; finding out about retainers; and, finally, involvement in decisions about retainers. Although some initial negative impacts were described, participants generally adapted quickly to retainers. Several factors were perceived to influence co-operation with removable retainers, including concerns about relapse and the associated waste of personal effort and wider resources. There were perceived deficiencies in the information provided by clinicians, which led participants to seek advice from other sources, including social media. Some young people wanted to be more involved in decisions about their retainers. Conclusion: While patients perceived retainers to be easier to wear than active appliances, some transient negative impacts occurred, largely related to initial periods of full-time wear. There were a range of factors which patients perceived to influence their adherence with removable retainers.

Background: Failure of eruption of the maxillary permanent incisor teeth usually presents in the mixed dentition between the ages of 7 and 9 years. Missing and unerupted maxillary incisors can be regarded as unattractive and have a potentially negative impact on facial and dental aesthetics. The presence of a supernumerary tooth (or odontoma) is commonly responsible for failed eruption or impaction of the permanent maxillary incisors. The primary objective of this trial is to investigate the success of eruption associated with maxillary incisor teeth that have failed to erupt because of a supernumerary tooth in the anterior maxilla.Methods: This protocol describes an interventional multicentre two-arm randomised clinical trial. Participants meeting the eligibility criteria will be randomised (unrestricted equal participant allocation [1:1]) to either space creation with an orthodontic appliance, removal of the supernumerary tooth and application of direct orthodontic traction or space creation with an orthodontic appliance, removal of the supernumerary tooth and monitoring. The primary outcome of this trial is to determine the prevalence of successfully erupted maxillary central permanent incisors at 6 months following removal of the supernumerary tooth. Secondary outcome measures include (1) the effect of initial tooth position (assessed radiographically) on time taken for the tooth to erupt, (2) time taken to align the unerupted tooth to the correct occlusal position, (3) gingival aesthetics and (4) changes in the self-reported Oral Health Related-Quality of Life (OHRQoL) (pre-and post-treatment).Discussion: There is a lack of high-quality robust prospective studies comparing the effectiveness of interventions to manage this condition. Furthermore, the UK national clinical guidelines have highlighted a lack of definitive treatment protocols for the management of children who present with an unerupted maxillary incisor due to the presence of a supernumerary tooth. The results of this trial will inform future treatment guidelines for the management of this condition in young children.

Social media has become increasingly relevant to Orthodontics in several ways. This article highlights how both current and prospective patients may utilize social media to access information about, and voice their experiences of, orthodontic treatment. The applications of this to orthodontic research will also be discussed. Orthodontists should be aware of the role of social media in both education and marketing, as well as the current guidance and best practice in these areas. This knowledge should enable clinicians to maximize the advantages and avoid the pitfalls of social media in day-to-day life. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Clinicians should be aware of the potential impact of social media on education, research, marketing and patients' experiences of treatment.