Morphometric evaluation of the slot of aesthetic orthodontic brackets.

Introduction: : Dental malocclusion is a public health problem and orthodontics is the specialty in charge of diagnosing and treating it, aesthetic brackets are an alternative, the costs are varied, which makes its precision doubtful. Objective: Evaluate the measurement and geometry of the slot of three brands of aesthetic brackets and verify their precision. Material and Methods: Twenty-four aesthetic Roth prescription 0.022” slot polycrystalline ceramic brackets were evaluated in three brands: American Orthodontics (United States), Morelli (Brazil) and Class One (China). Eight samples were measured per group in a specialized laboratory certified in measurement and calibration, the measurements of internal and external height were verified, per mesial and distal; and the parallelism of the slot of each bracket. The results were processed with SPSS 22 and tests of variance (ANOVA), Tukey and Student's t were used. Results: The measurements of the brackets' grooves do not correspond to the measurements announced by the manufacturers, these are greater, however, American Orthodontics is within the tolerance range (p<0.01); the slots in the mesio-distal direction and the lingual vestibule are not parallel in Morelli and Class One. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the slots of the supports are oversized, their geometry is not precise and varies greatly between brands and prices. The three-dimensional control of the tooth could be compromised.

Comparison of Changes in Incisors Inclination and Dental Arch Dimensions in Damon and MBT Systems Using Dolphin Software

Background: There is great controversy regarding the effect of MBT and Damon bracket systems on dental arch dimensions and incisor position. Objectives: We aimed to study the effects of two different brackets (MBT and Damon) on dental arch dimensions and incisors position after orthodontic treatment. Methods: In this retrospective study, the records of 20 patients who underwent orthodontic treatment with MBT or Damon bracket systems were studied. All patients had class I skeletal and dental malocclusion and were treated without extraction. The patients were treated either with Damon or MBT bracket systems (n = 10). Lateral cephalograms were traced using the Dolphin software to determine the position of incisors. In addition, transverse dimensions of dental arches were measured on occlusal photographs. Fishers’ exact test, independent-test, Man-Whitney, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon were used for statistical analysis. P < 0.05 was set as significant. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding age, sex, and initial values of the variables studied. U1-Apog (mm), upper inter-canine, lower inter-second premolar distance showed a significant difference before and after treatment in the Damon system. However, no significant difference was observed between initial and post-treatment values in the MBT group. L1-Apog (°), IMPA (°), maxillary inter-first and second premolars, inter-canine, and mandibular inter-canine distance was higher in the Damon system after treatment compared to MBT. Changes of the upper and lower transverse dimensions of the dental arches and the incisor positional did not reveal a notable difference in the Damon and MBT systems (P > 0.05). Conclusions: There was no significant difference regarding changes in dental arches and incisor positions between the Damon and MBT systems.

Association of Morphological Characteristics of Palatal Rugae Pattern with Dental Malocclusion in Himachal Population

Introduction: Palatal rugae used for the evaluation of dental movements and as a landmark in the superimposition of dental cast for orthodontic purpose as it is a stable point. So, the aims and objectives of our study is to investigate the association of morphological characteristics of palatal rugae with dental malocclusion in Himachali population. Materials and methods: 90 subjects divided into three groups (n=30 each) on the basis of Angle’s classification. Palatal rugae were marked on dental casts and evaluated for length, pattern and orientation. Obtained measurements were then statistically analysed. Conclusion: Primary palatal rugae’s length was found more in Class II followed by Class III and Class I malocclusion. Among the pattern of the primary palatal rugae, curved pattern were more evident on both right and left sides of all malocclusion groups. Horizontal directed orientation is more predominant on the right side and posteriorly directed on the left side of the first primary palatine rugae. Keywords: Rugae, Malocclusion, orientation pattern, length, morphology.