Midline diastema is a space between the maxillary and/or mandibular central incisors. Midline diastema can be due to various causes such as genetic, environmental, and so on. Proper history taking and correct diagnosis of the etiology of the diastema is essential to ensure that the orthodontic correction is successful, and no future relapse takes place. The presence of diastema between the central incisors in the adult patient has esthetics and malocclusion concerns.

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Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the oral hygiene awareness among orthodontic patients. Objective: This research aims to find if patients undergoing orthodontic treatment are aware of the probable accumulation of dental plaque and the consequences of it, namely, bad breath, gum disease, and dental decay. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on orthodontic patients from the Department of Orthodontics in Saveetha University. A self-assessed questionnaire was formulated to assess the oral hygiene awareness among orthodontic patients. The questionnaire was pretested to assess its reliability. It was distributed to 100 patients and only completely filled questionnaires were taken for analysis. Results: An average of 44% of the population are aware of the oral hygiene measures. The female population who underwent orthodontic treatment was more aware of the oral hygiene measures compared to men. Conclusion: There is a need to incorporate more oral hygiene programs in future. Extra attention should be given in educating and motivating the patients on oral hygiene practices during orthodontic treatment in a proper manner, which will be helpful to the patients in maintaining their oral hygiene.

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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by the cessation of air flow during sleep due to an obstruction in the nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal region. Many episodes of apnea may take place within a span of minutes leading to arousal of the patient from his/her sleep in an attempt to increase the amount of air flow. Apart from inadequate hours of sleep, this also results in a deteriorated quality of sleep. Sleep apnea can be caused due to many factors and many treatment modalities have been employed to correct this disorder including mandibular advancement appliances, polysomnographs, and surgical intervention. Best results, however, have been seen with the use of the mandibular advancement appliances. This article highlights the role the orthodontist plays in the diagnosis and treatment planning of OSA patients.

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Aim: The purpose of this study is to compare the perceptions of orthodontists and other specialty dentists, regarding smile esthetics in the form of a questionnaire. Objectives: To determine whether there is any difference of opinion regarding the perception of smile between orthodontists and other specialty dentists and to compare the various factors that have a high impact on the perception of smile by orthodontists and other specialty dentists. Materials and Methods: This study is a questionnaire survey. Totally, 104 questionnaires were distributed, of which 52 patients were completed by the orthodontists and 52 patients were completed by other specialty dentists. Results: This study showed that the mean scores given by orthodontists are lesser than that of the nonorthodontists. The factors that had an impact on smile by nonorthodontists include crowding of lower anterior teeth and diastema of 3-4 mm. Among orthodontists, the various factors that had an impact include diastema, midline deviation, and reverse smile arc. Conclusions: Different parameters have an impact on the smile perception. Diastema, smile, and reverse smile were regarded as unattractive and received the lowest score in this survey. The presence of midline shift was not considered unaesthetic by nonorthodontists.

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Aim: It is not well documented which dental traits predominantly motivate patients to seek orthodontic therapy. This study was designed to recognize anterior occlusal traits that impact the perception of dental esthetics in patients with different types of malocclusion seeking orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: Forty-five pairs of intraoral photographs belonging to patients with various malocclusions were selected for this study. Each pair of photographs included a frontal view and a right-side view of the patient's occlusion at maximum intercuspation. A total of 60 laypersons (30 males and 30 females) were requested to rate the overall appearance of the dentition in the photographs, using a 100 mm line that served as a visual analog scale. The study models of the patients were evaluated by a single investigator to determine the amount of overjet, overbite, crowding, and midline deviation. A multiple linear regression analysis was employed to detect the dental features that predicted the overall attractiveness of the dentition. Results: The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that according to the judgment of female, male, and total female and male raters, overall dental attractiveness could be predicted by two features, the crowding of upper arch (P < 0.05) and overbite (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Dental attractiveness could be predicted by two main variables including upper anterior crowding and overbite. Sufficient priority should be accorded to these factors in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning to decrease the probability of misinterpretation of patients' expectation from treatment.

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Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the factors which affect a patient's desire for orthodontic treatment. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the various reasons and motivating factors for patients to seek orthodontic treatment through a structured questionnaire. Materials and Methods: The survey was carried out in a population sample of 100 patients using a standard questionnaire before receiving orthodontic treatment. Perceived need for orthodontic treatment was assessed by asking questions to the patients. Results: Functional need was felt mostly by the males (36%), whereas females felt esthetics to be their major concern (72%). Fifty-three percent of the patients rated their dental appearance as bad and 47% had a teasing experience for protruded teeth. Majority of patients (76%) considered the improvement of general esthetics the most important outcome for seeking orthodontic treatment, whereas 11% sought treatment to improve dental health, 4% to enhance self-confidence, and only 1% to improve chewing and speech. Conclusion: People who are not satisfied with their appearance are the ones who seek orthodontic treatment. Patient's awareness of their appearance and their satisfaction are important to the orthodontist for patient satisfaction. The patient's motivation in seeking orthodontic treatment should be determined before the treatment commences to increase the chances of success of the orthodontic treatment.

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Aim: The aim of this research is to assess the patient's pain response and discomfort in patients treated with self-ligating bracket system. Objective: Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment quite often complain about pain and discomfort during various stages of orthodontic treatment, and hence, sufficient precaution should be taken to minimize them. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on a sample size of 15 patients who were reported to the Department of Orthodontics. The patients were undergoing orthodontic treatment with self-ligating brackets. The patients were requested to complete a questionnaire about duration of treatment, pain, or discomfort experienced after regular monthly activation of brackets, duration, onset and severity of pain, difficulty in brushing or chewing food, and food accumulation between the teeth. Results: Out of 15 patients, only six patients were aware of that they are wearing self-ligation bracket while nine other patients do not know that they are wearing self-ligation bracket. Almost 80% of the patients experienced pain and discomfort after regular monthly activation of brackets, whereas 20% of the patients did not experience any pain and discomfort after regular monthly activation of brackets. Thirteen percent experienced slight pain, 47% experienced mild pain, 7% experienced moderate pain, 7% experienced severe pain, and 7% experienced very severe pain. A great majority of patients (67%) stated that the pain started few hours after activation while 13% of patients stated that the pain started few minutes after activation. Seventy-three percent of the patients stated that the pain lasted for the whole day and 7% patients stated that the pain lasted for hours. Fifty-three percent of the patients reported difficulty in brushing and chewing food while remaining 47% did not have any difficulty in brushing and chewing food. Most of the patients about 87% reported food accumulation in between the teeth. Conclusion: This study highlighted the pain and discomfort experienced by the patient during self-ligation bracket system. Pain and discomfort caused in the initial stage of fixed orthodontic treatment can be moderate to severe and might last for few days. Brushing teeth might cause mild discomfort and pain can be minimized by consuming soft food. Most of the patients undergoing self-ligating bracket system experienced pain and discomfort after regular monthly activation of brackets.

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Dental professionals are predisposed to a number of occupational hazards. These include exposure to ionizing radiation and nonionizing radiation. The current paper reviews the studies relating to occupational health problems in dental practice.

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The number of adults seeking orthodontic treatment for correction of their malocclusion is increasing. More number of periodontally compromised adults is opting for orthodontic treatment. Periodontal bone loss, pathologic migration, gingival recession, traumatic occlusion, and mobility may be seen in such patients. Interdisciplinary treatment approach is required to effectively manage such cases. Orthodontic treatment can correct traumatic occlusions, correct crowding for better oral hygiene maintenance, and prevent further bone loss, to improve esthetics, function, and stability. The purpose of this article is to highlight the role of orthodontics in correcting traumatic occlusions, aligning teeth in case of pathologic migration, and improving the periodontal status of a periodontally compromised adult.

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Endodontic treatment of the teeth is now a common procedure across all age groups, either as a result of caries or as a result of trauma. Furthermore, as the number of adults undergoing orthodontic treatment increases, the number of orthodontic patients presenting with root-filled teeth is on the rise. Trauma is the most common cause of pulp necrosis and loss of vitality. Sometimes, adult patients may present to the clinic with grossly decayed teeth or severely traumatized teeth which often require endodontic treatment, followed by placement of prosthetic crown before orthodontic treatment. There is no consensus regarding timing of root canal treatment, extension of root end filling material, material selection for crown placement, and cement used for crown cementation. There is no well-defined protocol for such cases. Here, in this article, we present well-defined guidelines for endodontic-prosthodontic-orthodontic patients so that we can provide better care to patients with less ambiguity about the role of different specialties.

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