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BACKGROUND: Information on previous traumatic dental injuries is important as they can lead to increased complications during orthodontic treatment and impact the treatment planning and outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of Jordanian orthodontists in orthodontic management of traumatized permanent teeth. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey among active registered orthodontists using a questionnaire distributed by hand. RESULTS: The study included 139 orthodontists. Nearly half of orthodontists treated between one to three patients with a history of traumatic dental injuries in the past 3 months. Only 43.2% of the participant asked routinely about history of trauma. A vast discrepancy in times waited before orthodontic movement and in the orthodontic management approach of traumatized teeth was noted. A statistically significant negative relationship between age and knowledge level was found (p = 0.002). A significantly higher level of knowledge was found among participants who had fellowship or board certification than those having the high diploma degree (P-0.032) and also who had treated patients with history of dental trauma in the last 3 months than those who did not (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge of the surveyed orthodontists in both the recommended observation period before orthodontic treatment and management approaches of traumatized teeth during orthodontic treatment was insufficient. Years of clinical experience significantly affected knowledge, with older participants having lower levels of knowledge. Orthodontists who treated patients with history of dental trauma in the last 3 months had significantly higher knowledge in orthodontic management of traumatized teeth. Orthodontists needs to be aware of the proper timing and strategies on orthodontic management of traumatized permanent teeth to improve the long term prognosis and to reduce further complications during orthodontic treatment through proper management.

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OBJECTIVE: In developed countries, orthodontists utilize social media platforms as a pivotal component of their marketing strategies. However, there exists a gap in understanding the broader perspective of healthcare professionals on the utilization of social media in healthcare service delivery. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the perceptions of healthcare professionals in Turkey regarding the integration of social media within healthcare service delivery. MATERIALS & METHODS: This cross-sectional study, conducted between January and February 2023, surveyed 378 members of the Turkish Orthodontic Society. The survey consisted of two parts: a demographic questionnaire with 28 items and a 21-item "Social Media Marketing Activities Scale," developed with input from three experts. Data analysis will include an explanatory factor analysis. This study provides a snapshot of orthodontists' perspectives on social media marketing practices. RESULTS: When participants' views of patient communication through social media were examined, 19.8% said they "thought it was right" and 80.2% said they "thought it was wrong". The treatment and treatment alternatives shared with patients through social media were implemented in 16.5% of cases and not implemented in 83.5% of cases. When examining the social media accounts used by participants to communicate with patients, 56.8% used personal accounts, 43.2% used professional accounts, and when analyzing the social media accounts they used for promotional purposes, 15.8% had personal accounts, 84.2% of them used professional accounts. More than half (59.8%) of orthodontists believed that communicating with patients on social media could cause legal problems. The majority of orthodontists (88.7%) followed their competitors. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of participants' use of social media posts for advertising purposes was low, and it was determined that the main reason for this was the prohibition of advertising in the provision of health services.

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Objective@#To evaluate the clinical efficacy of invisible orthodontic appliances without brackets for the distal movement of maxillary molars to improve the ability of orthodontists to predict treatment outcomes.@*Methods@#Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Wanfang Database, CNKI Database, and VIP Database were searched for studies investigating the efficacy of invisible orthodontic appliances for distal movement of maxillary molars in adult patients and published from database inception to August 1, 2023. A total of three researchers screened the studies and evaluated their quality and conducted a meta-analysis of those that met quality standards.@*Results@#This study included 13 pre- and postcontrol trials with a total sample size of 281 patients. The meta-analysis revealed no significant differences in the sagittal or vertical parameters of the jawbone after treatment when compared with those before treatment (P>0.05). The displacement of the first molar was MD=-2.34, 95% CI (-2.83, -1.85); the displacement was MD=-0.95, 95% CI (-1.34, -0.56); and the inclination was MD=-2.51, 95% CI (-3.56, -1.46). There was a statistically significant difference in the change in sagittal, vertical, and axial tilt of the first molar before and after treatment. After treatment, the average adduction distance of the incisors was MD=-0.82, 95% CI (-1.54, -0.09), and the decrease in lip inclination was MD=-1.61, 95% CI (-2.86, -0.36); these values were significantly different from those before treatment (P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Invisible orthodontic appliances can effectively move the upper molars in a distal direction and control the vertical position of the molars. When the molars move further away, there is some degree of compression and distal tilt movement, which is beneficial for patients with high angles. The sagittal movement of incisors is beneficial for improving the patient's profile.

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Braces are undoubtedly a blessing for those whose teeth are misaligned in various ways, yet many people may not enjoy the traditional metal braces. However, some people are totally fine with having their teeth fused with the set of metal brackets and various metal components flowing through. A few people may simply not feel comfortable in that way. Orthodontists have developed a huge array of bracket styles by concentrating on the wide range of preferences and financial constraints that their patients present. These various dental bracket types are all advantageous from one point of view or another. Orthodontic supplies and materials are being produced using technology that is advancing exponentially. Every day, more technologies, processes, and designs emerge. These tools assist the orthodontist in providing patients with the best functional and cosmetic outcomes. Since Edward Hartley Angle's time through MBT brackets and then lingual brackets, orthodontic brackets have advanced significantly. Orthodontists' lives have been greatly facilitated by these brackets. Numerous new materials and designs will be developed as technology progresses. The purpose of this article was to give a general overview of the different orthodontic brackets and demonstrate how the logic underlying them helps orthodontists in their day-to-day jobs.

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Background: Facial asymmetry is one reason orthodontic patients seek treatment. This study assessed the effect of mandibular asymmetry on facial esthetics and treatment needs perceived by laypersons, orthodontists, and maxillofacial surgeons. Materials and Method: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the frontal image of a model was captured and symmetrized from the facial midline using Adobe Photoshop software. The mandible was rotated 0°-8° with 1° intervals. Images were presented to 41 laypersons, 39 orthodontists, and 29 surgeons using an online questionnaire. The observers rated each image's esthetics with a 0-100 Visual Analog Scale and determined their treatment need by choosing one of the following three choices: No need for treatment, needs treatment, acceptable, but better to be treated. Analysis of variance for repeated measurements model. The regression method, Kruskal-Wallis analysis, was used for statistical analysis and the level of significance was set as P < 0.05. Results: The images with 0° and 1° rotation received the highest esthetic rates among all three groups, while the images with 8° rotation were the least attractive ones. Furthermore, the image esthetic ratings significantly affected their treatment need. Mandibular asymmetry diagnosis threshold was 1° for orthodontists, and 3° for both laypersons and surgeons. The treatment need threshold was 5°, 6°, and 7° for surgeons, orthodontists, and laypersons, respectively. Conclusion: The esthetics of images decreased when mandibular asymmetry increased. Treatment need was also related to increased asymmetry. Orthodontists were the most sensitive group in diagnosis, while surgeons were the most sensitive ones when it came to treatment.

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OBJECTIVES: To assess the long-term aesthetic and functional aspects of implant-supported crowns in lateral (ISC-L) and canine positions (ISC-C). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients (14 males, 18 females, mean age: 23.1, SD:2.0) with an ISC-L or ISC-C participated in this prospective cohort study at baseline (T0) and in the long-term follow-up (T1, mean years: 11.1, SD: 1.0). Twenty-four patients (11 males, 13 females) participated in T1. Patient-reported outcomes (PROM) were rated using surveys with questions related to aesthetics and function. The colour of the implant crown and the buccal gingiva, the appearance of the papilla, periodontal health and temporomandibular disorder (TMD) outcomes were assessed in a clinical examination. The Mann-Whitney, Chi-square and Signed Rank tests were performed. RESULTS: Patients with an ISC-L and ISC-C were equally satisfied with the crown shape and colour at T0 and T1. No differences in TMD outcomes were reported by the patients and no clinical signs of TMD were observed. At T1, ISC-C had more bleeding on probing and a three mm greater pocket depth than ISC-L (p = 0.03, p = 0.01, respectively). At T0, operators graded the crown colour of ISC-L as being too dark (35%) and ISC-C as being too light (40%). At T1, no difference was seen between the two groups regarding crown colour, gingiva colour and the papilla (p = 0.2749, p = 0.2099, p = 0.8053, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The PROM and clinical examination show that ISC-L and ISC-C are equivalent with regard to aesthetics and function in the long term. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although ISC-L and ISC-C are aesthetically and functionally comparable in the long term, ISC-Cs are more likely to impact periodontal health.

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Introduction: One of the main goals of orthodontic management is to achieve a beautiful smile. However, beauty has both objective and subjective dimensions. This study aims to evaluate the factors that affect the perception of the smile in patients consulting for orthodontic treatment about the vision of their practitioners. Materials and Methods: Fifty orthodontic patients and 30 orthodontists evaluated the degree of attractiveness of 16 photographs of the smile. Dental, gingival and labial parameters were used. Statistical analyses of the level of perception of each group were performed. The Student t-test and the Chi-square test were used to compare the attractive and unattractive smile parameters. Results and Discussion: The perception of smile aesthetics between orthodontists and orthodontic patients has shown a significant difference (P < 0.05). Orthodontists were more analytical in judging variables like smile arc, alterations of the gingival display and the palatal inclination of the maxillary incisors.

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Background: Physicians are more likely to examine children than dentists; thus, they may have a significant role in detecting oral and dentofacial problems. This study aimed to determine the rate and comprehensiveness of examinations, the rate and quality of referral practices, and the predictors of referral practice of physicians regarding orthodontic problems among children. Methods: In a multi-center cross-sectional study, a total of 518 physicians in Saudi Arabia were subjected to an e-questionnaire of four sections: (1) Physicians' demographic and work-related characteristics; (2) Physicians' comprehensiveness of oral and orthodontic examinations; (3) Physicians' referral practices to orthodontists and reasons considered for referral; and (4) Physicians' sources of orthodontic education. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify the significant predictors of referral practice. The significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Most physicians reported partial oral (78.5%) and orthodontic (72.2%) examinations, while the full examination was reported by only 12% and 2.5% of physicians, respectively. Referral to orthodontists was practiced by most of the physicians (83.8%), yet for the majority of them, the quality of referral was poor (40.3%) or fair (46.1%), with only 13.6% who practiced quality referral. Dental development issues (53.3%) and functional issues (51.5%) were reported as the main reasons for referral, followed by family/patient request (42.9%), dental alignment (42.5%), oral respiratory issues (32.4%), and finally jaw relation (26.1%). Referral practice was predicted by the comprehensive oral (OR = 2.37, p = 0.007) and orthodontic (OR = 4.26, p < 0.001) examinations, number of patients seen by the physician (OR = 1.58, p = 0.007), and level of training (OR = 1.88, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Although most physicians reported high rates of examination and referral practices on orthodontic problems among children in Saudi Arabia, only a small portion showed comprehensive examinations and quality referral practice. Including dental courses in medical curricula and improving oral and orthodontic examination guidelines for physicians are recommended.

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Orthodontic treatment requires the cooperation of patients as well as orthodontists. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate and address the challenges and barriers orthodontists have in achieving the desired orthodontic results, as well as make recommendations for ways to address the stated problems and introduce new innovative technologies to the area of orthodontics. This qualitative study wasbased on the grounded theory. Twelve orthodontists participated in face-to-face interviews, which were primarily comprised of open-ended questions. Data analysis was carried out manually using the "by hand" method. Orthodontists between the age group of 29-42 were interviewed. The answers varied depending on the years of experience of the interviewees. Teenagers and boys were found to be most non-compliant with the treatment. The average treatment span ranged between 6 months for mild cases up to 3 years for severe orthodontic cases occurring most commonly in government hospitals. Patient compliance plays a major role in orthodontics. Poor oral hygiene maintenance, brackets breakage by patients, and missed appointments were the major concerns mentioned by participants and hindered getting the desired results. Patients' main worries were related to the cost of therapy, premolar extractions, the length of treatment, and the possibility of relapse. Patient counseling and reinforcement at the start of the treatment can help to overcome the challenges and barriers in orthodontics since patient motivation is a very important factor in obtaining the desired results. It is recommended to conduct more training sessions for the orthodontists in order to introduce them to new technological paradigms.

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BACKGROUND: This study investigates characteristics of temporary anchorage devices (TADs) use by surveying a sample of international orthodontists. Furthermore, the survey investigates the stability, insertion technique, and failure rate of TADs and professionals' experience in residency, and it also attempts to establish guidelines for its use in everyday practice. METHODS: A 19-question survey was sent to orthodontists worldwide asking opinion-based, case-specific, and placement technique questions regarding TADs. Results were collected from 251 survey respondents. The country/regions of practice and length of time practicing orthodontics were the independent variables. RESULTS: Survey respondents indicated that most orthodontists rarely or sporadically use TADs. Significant differences were also found for TAD utilization purposes, sizes, and placement techniques among different countries/regions and for failure rates (1 or more of the last 6 TADs placed failed-61.6%). A significant difference was found in how many TADs orthodontists placed in residency versus private practice (56% vs. 15%) in relation to how long they have been practicing, but it did not greatly affect the frequency of use, mechanics, or placement technique. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of TAD use is similar in many different countries and among different age groups. Although the collected responses suggested significant differences among respondents from different countries, the variability of results for TAD use worldwide prevent the establishment of clear guidelines.

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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the aesthetic preferences of three different groups-layperson, dentists, and orthodontists, with different ethnic and geographical backgrounds from North-eastern and Mainland India, and to evaluate whether there is any difference in the perception of facial profile aesthetics. The influence of one's ethnic and regional origin in the perception of facial profile aesthetics was evaluated in two populations of different backgrounds using VAS scale. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Facial profile photos of 2 Mongolian descendants, 1 man and 1 woman having Class I (normal) profile were digitized and modified, sagittally, to obtain 7 sagittal variations of each profile. A total of 7 profile images were obtained for each of the male and female models. The photos were ranked by 240 participants from an aesthetic point of view between a score of 1 (very unattractive) and 10 (very attractive). Repeated measures ANOVA was used for intra-group comparison whereas one-way ANOVA and Z-test were used for inter-group comparisons. RESULTS: The Class I profile was the most preferred in both male and female profile photos by orthodontists of both the two populations, whereas the Class III profile (prognathic mandible) was considered the least attractive (P<0.05). North-eastern layperson and dentists preferred profiles with a slightly retrusive maxilla, while mainland layperson and dentists were tolerant to a protrusive profile (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The participants' perception regarding the Class I profile aesthetics were found to be similar. However, differences were observed in the profile preferences in people of different ethnicities and regions. Also, professional training was found to influence the perception of profile aesthetics.

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OBJECTIVE: To assess the awareness and usage of mobile apps and social media among orthodontic clinicians to support patients with orthodontic treatment, support the professional development of orthodontists, and identify any relevant apps and social media platforms currently recommended to patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. SETTING: United Kingdom. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed and distributed to members of the British Orthodontic Society (BOS). To increase the response rate, the questionnaire was circulated at three time points between January and March 2020. RESULTS: A total of 149 orthodontists responded to the questionnaire (15% response rate) with 113 orthodontists completing all questions (11.4%). Of those who answered, 81% (n = 111) had been qualified for >10 years, 35% worked in practice (n = 48), 34% worked in a hospital (n = 47) and 26% worked in both hospital and practice (n = 36). The results indicated that 20% of clinicians (n = 22) used apps to support patients and 33% (n = 37) reported using apps for professional purposes. Brush DJ appeared to be the most popular patient focused app (39%, n = 18) whereas the IOTN (17%, n = 8), Invisalign (17%, n = 8) and Dental Monitoring apps (9%, n = 4) were the most popular clinician-focused apps. With regard to social media, 53% (n = 60) of respondents reported that they used social media to communicate generic orthodontic information and promote their practice to patients. The most commonly used social media platforms were Facebook and Instagram. Of respondents, 96% expressed a willingness to recommend an evidence-based mobile app to patients if available, and 88% were willing to recommend an evidence-based social media platform. CONCLUSIONS: Orthodontic clinicians are utilising mobile apps and social media to support both patients and their own professional development. There is a willingness to increase the use of evidence-based platforms and apps to support patients.

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Objective: To determine the changes in orthodontists' interest in various orthodontic appliances during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: A questionnaire probing respondents' interest in orthodontic appliances and techniques, including standard buccal metal brackets, self-ligating brackets, standard ceramic brackets, lingual brackets, clear aligners, orthodontic facemasks, removable functional appliances, fixed functional appliances, orthognathic surgery, orthodontic miniscrews, and lingual retainers, was prepared using Google Forms and then sent to the Turkish Orthodontic Society to invite all members of the society to participate in the survey. Of the 1903 members invited, 230 (response rate, 12.08%) orthodontists completed the questionnaire. Results: The respondents' interest in brackets did not change among 70% of the respondents (standard buccal metal bracket 80%, self-ligating bracket 72.2%, standard ceramic bracket 77%, and lingual bracket 76.5%). A significant difference was observed between the genders only about the interest in standard metal brackets and fixed functional appliances (p<0.05 for both). Interest in standard metal brackets decreased as respondents' work experience increased (p<0.05). The interest in self-ligating brackets was higher among respondents with 1-5 years of experience than among other respondents (p<0.05). Interest in self-ligating brackets increased more among lecturers and residents than among clinicians (p<0.05). Conclusion: The interest of orthodontists in clear aligners showed the highest increase during the COVID-19 pandemic among all orthodontic appliances, whereas their interest in other appliances, particularly standard buccal metal brackets, did not change.

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ABSTRACT Introduction: With the abundant use of the internet, patients undergoing or interested in orthodontic treatment try to use it to obtain information on pain during treatment. However, YouTube™ is unregulated and may potentially contain inaccurate information. Objectives: Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the scientific quality of the videos on YouTube™ related to orthodontic pain management. Methods: A total of 62 videos related to orthodontic pain management were included in the study. All videos were evaluated by two experienced orthodontists. The video uploader, content, length, upload date, time since upload, number of views, comments, likes, dislikes, Interaction index, and Viewing rate of the videos were recorded and evaluated. The videos were scored using the Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information (DISCERN), Global Quality Scale (GQS), and Audio-Visual Quality (AVQ), and divided into two groups: Doctors and Non-doctors. Results: The mean DISCERN score was 2.56 ± 0.91, the GQS score was 2.56 ± 1.06, and AVQ was 2.48 ± 0.68. A statistically significant difference was found in DISCERN score of videos uploaded by Doctors compared to Non-doctors, but no statistically significant difference was found in GQS and AVQ scores between both groups (p> 0.05). Conclusions: The videos uploaded by Doctors were better in terms of quality and reliability, as compared to Non-doctors; and the AVQ of the videos uploaded by both groups was adequate. Despite that, both groups did not serve as a good source of information. YouTube™ cannot be considered a reliable source of information in terms of quality and reliability on videos related to orthodontic pain management.

RESUMO Introdução: Com o uso abundante da Internet, os pacientes em tratamento ortodôntico, ou interessados em fazê-lo, tentam usá-la para obter informações sobre a dor durante o tratamento. Entretanto, o YouTube™ não é regulamentado e pode conter informações imprecisas. Objetivos: Esse estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade científica de vídeos no YouTube™ relacionados ao controle da dor ortodôntica. Métodos: No total, 62 vídeos relacionados ao controle da dor ortodôntica fora incluídos nesse estudo. Todos os vídeos foram avaliados por dois ortodontistas experientes. O responsável pela postagem do vídeo, seu conteúdo, sua duração, data de postagem, tempo decorrido desde a postagem, o número de visualizações, os comentários, os likes, os deslikes, o índice de interação e a taxa de visualização dos vídeos foram registrados e avaliados. Os vídeos foram pontuados usando os Critérios de Qualidade para Informações sobre Saúde do Consumidor (DISCERN), a Escala de Qualidade Global (GQS) e a Qualidade Audiovisual (AVQ), e divididos em dois grupos: Doutores e Não Doutores. Resultados: A pontuação DISCERN média foi de 2,56 ± 0,91, a pontuação GQS foi de 2,56 ± 1,06 e a AVQ foi de 2,48 ± 0,68. Foi encontrada uma diferença estatisticamente significativa na pontuação DISCERN dos vídeos postados por Doutores, em comparação com os Não Doutores, mas não foi encontrada diferença estatisticamente significativa nas pontuações GQS e AVQ entre os dois grupos (p> 0,05). Conclusões: Os vídeos postados pelos Doutores foram melhores em termos de qualidade e confiabilidade, em comparação com os Não Doutores, e o AVQ dos vídeos postados por ambos os grupos foi adequado. Apesar disso, ambos os grupos não serviram como uma boa fonte de informações. Em termos de qualidade e confiabilidade dos vídeos relativos ao manejo da dor ortodôntica, o YouTube™ não pode ser considerado uma fonte confiável de informações.

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Dental anxiety affects up to 21% of children and 80% of adults and is associated with lifelong dental avoidance. Animal assisted activity (AAA) is widely used to reduce anxiety and pain in medical settings and has promise in dentistry. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate caregiver and patient perceptions of canine AAA in orthodontics. A cross-sectional survey consisting of pre-tested and validated questions was conducted (n = 800) including orthodontic patients (n = 352 minors, n = 204 adults) and parents/caregivers (n = 244) attending university orthodontic clinics. In this study, AAA and dog therapy were not used or tested for dental anxiety management. More than a third of orthodontic patients (37%) had moderate or greater anxiety related to care. Participants believed that therapy animals would make dental experiences more enjoyable (75%) and reduce anxiety (82%). There was little to no concern expressed regarding cleanliness (83%), allergies (81%), and safety (89%) with a therapy animal in dental settings. Almost half of the participants would preferentially select an orthodontic office offering AAA. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we assessed whether perceptions of AAA changed before and after the shutdown of dental offices, with no significant differences. Across patients and caregivers, the responses support the use of AAA in orthodontic settings with minimal concerns.

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Aim: This study compared the perceptions of orthodontists, orthodontic trainees, and young university undergraduate students in Nigeria regarding facial profile attractiveness and the need for orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: We used a photo-editing software to alter the lips on Ricketts' esthetic line (E-line) in a lateral silhouette to produce five silhouette profiles with 2 mm incremental changes in the upper and lower lips from the 'normal' position on the E-line (-4 mm/-2 mm to + 4 mm/+6 mm). Two hundred and thirty-two participants (consisting of six groups) ranked the five profiles on a 5-point Likert scale (least attractive, 1 to most attractive, 5). Participants also assessed whether orthodontic treatment was needed to improve facial esthetics. Data were analysed in SPSS 20. Intra-rater reliability was assessed using Cohen's Kappa. We tested the null hypothesis (P ≤ 0.05) that ranked preferences between groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Mann-Whitney U test was also used to assess pairwise comparisons between the groups. Results: Intra-rater reliability for facial profiles and treatment needs were moderately acceptable (perceptions ≥67.7%; treatment needs ≥67.0%). Perceptions between orthodontists and orthodontic trainees were not significantly different. However, orthodontists/trainees tended to rank the 'normal' Ricketts' E-line profile as most attractive, while students preferred more protrusive lips. Participants' age rather than sex significantly influenced esthetic preferences. About one-half of all participants (46.6%) ranked the 'normal' Ricketts' E-line as unacceptable; hence required orthodontic treatment to improve their facial attractiveness. Conclusion: Clinical/professional judgment and age significantly influenced participants' perceptions of facial attractiveness. Most participants preferred slightly protrusive lips.

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The Society of Orthodontic Specialty Certifying Boards aims to encourage the formation of new certifying orthodontic boards worldwide and stimulate existing orthodontic certifying boards to review and revise their certification process. The main goal of Society of Orthodontic Specialty Certifying Boards is to motivate more orthodontists to become board certified by demonstrating their skills through time to protect the public and the specialty from unqualified practitioners. This article identifies the existing barriers in board certification and suggests a scenario-based clinical examination.

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INTRODUCTION:  The mouth and teeth are vital in facial aesthetics and the face as a whole is the most critical individual component determining one's physical look. As dentists, we need to be aware that this might significantly alter the care given to a patient since the patient's and the dentist's ideas of beauty may be quite different. This study sought to ascertain how the general public, general dental specialists, and orthodontics all rated the attractiveness of patients who had received orthodontic treatment using a visual scale, as well as how the facial reference could be used to gauge the improvement in smiles. METHODOLOGY:  The attractiveness of 80 continuously treated patients was assessed by comparing their pre- and post-treatment posed grin images. The attractiveness of participants' smiles was evaluated using the Visual Simple Scale, which measures affect, and the Graph of Facial Stylish Reference, which measures objectively. "Making a Jazzy Face Chart" - The analysts were able to fairly evaluate changes in elements such as the symmetry of the smile twist, the position of the gingival peak of the front teeth relative to each other, the height of the incisal edges of the front teeth, the width of the connector band of the front six teeth, and the general tip of the front teeth by referring to photographs taken during treatment. We put the Visual Basic Scale to the test by having five male orthodontists, five male general dental specialists, and five male laypeople rate how much of an improvement they noticed between the before and after photos of a patient's smile. RESULTS:  According to the findings of the first section of the research, orthodontic treatment generally leads to an increase in all indicators. Some instances, however, demonstrated worsening in characteristics such as grin arc consonance, gingival zenith location relative to each other, and incisal edge height. The second half of this research revealed that the opinions of orthodontic specialists, general dentists, and the general public varied with regard to the beauty of a smile. CONCLUSION:  Based on this research, we can say the following: Orthodontic treatment led to improvements in many of the variables that contribute to smile attractiveness, factors include the interproximal width of contact area, the height of the incisal margins of the front teeth, and the location of the gingival zenith in relation to one another, to name a few. The results of this research support the idea that the aesthetics of the smile should be assessed at the last stages of orthodontic treatment when fine adjustments are being made.

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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is a high possibility of transmitting the coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) in the orthodontic clinic because orthodontists and their patients are in very close contact when orthodontic care is being given. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and perception of Nigerian orthodontists and orthodontic residents about the risks of COVID-19 as well as the extra-protective infection control measures that need to be taken. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The questionnaires were distributed and retrieved from consenting participants through an online platform. The questionnaires were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 23. The results were presented in tables and charts. RESULTS: Out of a total of 90 members on the association's WhatsApp group as at the time the study was being conducted, a total of 48 respondents participated in this study. There were more females (60.4%) than males. Majority (97.9%) of the respondents agreed/strongly agreed that an infected patient could infect the orthodontic clinic staff members with COVID-19 while most were of the view that debonding (95.8%) and retainer delivery (70.8%) posed a risk for spread of the virus. More than half of the respondents (52.1%) considered it necessary to change N95 masks after each patient as an extra-protective measure against COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Majority of the respondents knew about the risks that COVID-19 posed to different aspects of orthodontic practice and were also knowledgeable about some of the extra-protective measures that they should take. There is a need to improve the knowledge of the participants concerning the use of appropriate mouth rinses to reduce the risks of transmission of COVID-19 in the dental/orthodontic clinic.

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BACKGROUND: Considering the gravity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its potential to unfold within the dental workplace or institutions, a shift from traditional dental practice to a newer method is needed. Teledentistry is widely being practiced in this pandemic era for the diagnosis and to give instructions to the patients. Hence, an attempt has been made to explore the knowledge, attitude, and awareness of practicing orthodontists regarding the usage of teledentistry during COVID lockdown, in Kerala. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was done on about 150 orthodontic professionals. A pretested, self-organized, close-ended survey was managed through online stages that comprised of 15 questions. The information gathered was assembled in a systematic way and investigated regarding recurrence and Chi-square test was utilized for the examination of frequencies. RESULTS: It was observed that 93.3% orthodontic practitioners had knowledge regarding teledentistry and a positive attitude toward teledentistry was shown by younger age group practitioners and those who were working in institutions (P < 0.05). 77.3% believed that teledentistry can save dentist's time and 71.3% responded that the new technology can be helpful in reducing the cost of treatment for patients. CONCLUSION: The knowledge, awareness, and attitudes were discovered to be acceptable among the orthodontic practitioners. Younger practitioners had more positive attitude toward teledentistry, and there was an overall positive attitude for using teledentistry as a temporary alternate for direct patient contact in COVID-19 pandemic time.