Accounts of bullying on Twitter in relation to dentofacial features and orthodontic treatment.

Social media offers an accessible resource for gaining valuable insights into the social culture of bullying. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively analyse Twitter posts for common themes relating to dentofacial features, braces and bullying. Twitter's database was searched from 2010 to 2014 using keywords relevant to bullying, teeth and orthodontics. Two investigators assessed the Twitter posts, and selected those that conveyed the experiences or opinions of bullying victims. The posts were qualitatively analysed using thematic analysis. Of the 548 posts screened, 321 were included in the final sample. Four primary categories relating to 'dental-related bullying' were identified: (i) morphological features, (ii) psychological and psychosocial impact, (iii) coping mechanisms and (iv) the role of family. Bullied individuals reported a diverse range of psychological impacts and coping mechanisms. Secondary categories were also identified. Family members, for example, were found to play both a contributory and mediatory role in bullying. In summary, social media can provide new and valuable information about the causal factors and social issues associated with oral health-related bullying. Importantly, some coping mechanisms may mitigate the negative effects of bullying.

Self-reported oral behaviour habits in hyperdivergent and normodivergent facial types.

The relationship between facial morphology and jaw function remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in self-reported oral behaviour habits between individuals with normodivergent and hyperdivergent facial types. Some 80 cases and controls were individually matched on age, sex ethnicity and treatment stage. The participants were recruited from an orthodontic clinic, and included both adolescents and adults. Habitual oral activity was assessed using the Oral Behaviour Checklist (OBC) based on their experiences in the past 4 weeks. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed. The sample had a mean age of 17·2 years (SD = 4·6; range = 12-49 years), and was predominantly female (65·0%) and of New Zealand European origin (91·3%). The prevalence of reporting one or more frequently performed habitual muscular behaviour in either study group was over 85% (P > 0·05). There was no difference in total OBC score between the hyperdivergent (25·6; SD: 9·0) and normodivergent group (25·3; SD: 9·9). Moreover, there was no difference in the prevalence of either nocturnal or daytime oral behaviours between the two groups. While this study did not include any objective measures of functional or habitual activity, we found no differences in self-reported oral behaviour habits between normodivergent and hyperdivergent individuals. The findings do not support an association between vertical facial form and habitual muscular activity.

Social media use by orthodontic patients.

UNLABELLED: Internet-based social media sites have recently surged in popularity and are often used to share thoughts and seek support about health issues. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate how orthodontic patients use Internet-based social media sites to share their treatment-related experiences and attitudes towards braces. A secondary objective was to investigate whether an online or mobile application would be considered helpful in improving co-operation with the use of orthodontic appliances. METHOD: Patients visiting the orthodontic clinic at the University of Otago were asked to participate in a cross-sectional survey that sought details of their Internet-based social media use and their thoughts about the development of a reminder application. RESULTS: The sample comprised 130 orthodontic patients, with a mean age of 17.2 (SD 6.9) and a nearly equal sex distribution (52.3% were female). Internet-based social media sites were used by 80.8%, with Facebook being the most popular. Some 13.3% of the sample had posted comments about braces on these social media sites. Only 6.7% had considered obtaining information about orthodontic treatment from Internet-based social media sites, with the majority (81%) preferring to seek this information directly from their orthodontist. Nearly two-thirds of those who had difficulty remembering to wear their orthodontic appliances reported that a reminder application on their phone would be beneficial. CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of orthodontic patients use Internet-based social media sites, although only a few currently use them to post about treatment-related topics. Social media sites may provide a useful channel of communication for patients seeking support. Further research is needed to evaluate the use of phone reminder applications in orthodontics.

Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy Is Associated with Offspring Hypodontia.

Little is known about environmental risk factors for hypodontia. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between hypodontia and common environmental risk factors, such as maternal smoking and alcohol and caffeine consumption during pregnancy. Eighty-nine hypodontia cases with 1 or more missing permanent lateral incisors and/or 1 or more missing premolars were enrolled in this clinic-based case-control study. Some 253 controls with no missing teeth were frequency matched to cases by age and sex. Hypodontia was diagnosed using panoramic radiographs. Sociodemographic data were collected from both the participants and their mothers, with maternal self-reported active and passive smoking, as well as alcohol and caffeine consumption during pregnancy, assessed by a questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with logistic regression to assess the strength of association between risk factors and hypodontia. OR estimates were then adjusted for possible confounders, such as maternal age at delivery, sex and gestational age of the child, and household socioeconomic background. Significant associations were found between hypodontia and maternal cigarette use during pregnancy, as well as the number of cigarettes smoked per day. The consumption of 10 or more cigarettes per day during pregnancy was associated with greater odds of having a child with hypodontia (adjusted OR, 4.18; 95% CI, 1.48-11.80; P = 0.007). Observed associations between hypodontia, second-hand smoke, and alcohol and caffeine consumption were not statistically significant. Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with hypodontia. Larger samples and prospective observational study designs, however, are needed to investigate this association further.

A qualitative analysis of orthodontic-related posts on Twitter.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the content of orthodontic-related Twitter posts in order to improve our understanding of orthodontic patients' perceptions and treatment experiences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Some 131 consecutive posts were collected from Twitter over a 5-day period. Twitter's advanced-search function was used to limit the sampling frame to New Zealand. The posts were qualitatively analyzed for themes using discourse analysis. RESULTS: Four main themes were identified: (1) excitement about getting braces off, (2) problems with braces, (3) positive comments about braces, and (4) negative comments about braces. Various language tools and symbols were often used to convey different degrees of emotion. The present study explores these themes and discusses how they relate to modern-age orthodontics. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to qualitatively analyze orthodontic-related posts in the social media era. Our findings suggest that orthodontic patients use social media sites such as Twitter to convey positive and negative feelings about braces.

Neck and shoulder muscle activity of orthodontists in natural environments.

Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are common among dentists and possibly caused by prolonged static load. The aim of this study was to assess the contraction pattern of neck and shoulder muscles of orthodontists in natural environments. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of right sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles were recorded by means of portable recorders in eight orthodontists during working conditions, and both active and resting non-working conditions. Recordings were analysed in terms of contraction episode (CE) count, amplitude, and duration. The sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles contracted about 40-70times per hour in the natural environment. Their EMG activity pattern mainly consisted of short-lasting, low-amplitude CEs. The counts and amplitude of sternocleidomastoid CEs did not differ across vocational and non-vocational conditions. The number and amplitude of trapezius CEs were slightly but significantly higher during the vocational condition. There were highly significant (p<0.001) differences in duration of CEs across conditions, with two to threefold increase in the average duration of trapezius muscle contractions found in the vocational setting. During orthodontic work, operators commonly hold muscular contractions for significantly longer periods than are encountered in non-vocational settings. This behaviour may be associated causally with the increases seen in WMSDs through proposed pathophysiological mechanisms occurring at the motor unit level. Our findings may also be valid for other occupations characterised by seated static postures with precision hand and wrist movements.