Part I. What drives Korean adults to seek orthodontic treatment: Reliability and validity of a measurement instrument for the perception of orthodontic treatment

Clinical Study on Efficiency of Using Traditional Direct Bonding or OrthGuide Computer-Aided Indirect Bonding in Orthodontic Patients

Objective

This study aims to clinically investigate and compare the therapeutic effects and treatment cycle between traditional direct bonding and OrthGuide computer-aided indirect bonding in orthodontic treatment.

Methods

Forty patients treated at the Department of Orthodontics, Beijing Rytime Dental Hospital between July 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019, were included. The patients were divided into a control group (n = 20, traditional direct bonding) and a test group (n = 20, OrthGuide computer-aided indirect bonding). The American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) measurement was performed on patients using Uceph cephalometric analysis software to compare intragroup and intergroup differences, and the treatment cycles of all patients were recorded.

Results

After treatment, U1-NA (mm), ∠U1-SN (°), LL-EP (mm), and UL-EP (mm) in the control group were significantly lower than before treatment, and there was no significant difference in other ABO measurement indexes, while the test group showed no marked difference in all ABO measurements between pre- and posttreatment. Further, intergroup comparison showed no significant difference in ABO measurements in pre- and posttreatment between the two groups. The test group had a shorter treatment cycle than the control group, with an average treatment cycle of 21.20 ± 7.14 months in the control group and 17.17 ± 4.16 months in the test group.

Conclusion

There was no significant difference in the therapeutic effects between the direct and indirect bonding techniques. However, OrthGuide computer-assisted indirect bonding demonstrated a significantly shorter treatment cycle and might be more efficient than traditional direct bonding.

A retrospective study of incidental findings occurring in a consecutive case series of lateral cephalograms of 12- to 20-year-old patients referred for routine orthodontic treatment

Purpose

Lateral cephalograms of orthodontic patients may contain incidental findings that could potentially lead to harm.

Materials and Methods

The lateral cephalograms of 1765 consecutive 12- to 20-year-old patients, being considered for routine orthodontic treatment, were retrospectively reviewed. These patients were considered normal, because no abnormalities were found either in their medical history or on their clinical examination.

Results

The overall prevalence of incidental findings was 18.8%, of which 10.3% were ponticulus posticus and 4.2% were bridging of the sella turcica. Although occipital spurs and ponticulus posticus were more prevalent in males, the size of the sella turcicas did not differ between sexes. Of the 1156 patients completing treatment about 2 years later, only one lateral cephalogram displayed progression of the ponticulus posticus in that time.

Conclusion

The prevalence of incidental findings on lateral cephalograms of otherwise normal orthodontic 12- to 20-year-old patients was almost a fifth, of which ponticulus posticus, vertebral fusion, and enlarged parietal foramina were clinically significant.

Part II. What drives Korean adults to seek orthodontic treatment: Factors contributing to orthodontic treatment decisions

Objective

This study aimed to identify the perceptions of orthodontic treatment among Korean adults and determine the factors that drive them to seek orthodontic treatment.

Methods

A total of 2,321 adults aged 19–64 years were surveyed using an internet research system from a specialized research company. The participants were divided into the following groups based on their experience of and willingness to undergo orthodontic treatment experience, acceptance, and non-acceptance groups. The characteristics of the participants were compared using analysis of variance with post-hoc analysis. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed in all three models with the non-acceptance group as a reference.

Results

In terms of demographic characteristics, age, gender, marital status, and education had significant influences on orthodontic treatment decisions in adults in the experience and acceptance groups (p < 0.001). When all the factors were analyzed, age, marital status, past dental treatment experience, regular oral examinations, demand for orthodontic treatment, optimal treatment period, health insurance coverage, information on orthodontic treatments, perceptions regarding orthodontic treatment, and psychosocial impact of dental esthetics significantly influenced orthodontic treatment decisions in adults in the experience and acceptance groups (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that various factors influence orthodontic treatment decisions in adults. Individuals who seek orthodontic treatment were found to undergo more regular dental treatment and oral examination than those who did not. They also had a better perception of orthodontic treatment and more negative values for the psychosocial impact of dental esthetics.