Effect of various educational methods on increasing parents' awareness of their children's preventive orthodontic treatments

Aim: Like other fields of health, the main focus in dentistry has shifted from treatment to prevention of diseases. Parents have a vital role in deciding about their children's oral health issues. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of four educational methods (including printed pamphlets, digital pamphlets, faceto-face education, and educational films) in increasing the awareness of parents about preventive orthodontic treatments. Methods: The study samples were selected from patients who were referred to the Pediatric Dentistry Department. 150 parents of children between 4-12 years old participated in the study. They filled out a questionnaire including demographic data and knowledge about orthodontic problems and their early treatments. Then they were divided into five groups (control, printed pamphlet, digital pamphlet, face-to-face, educational films) and after one month they repeated the test. Results: A total of 102 fathers and 48 mothers were evaluated. There was no statistical difference between different ages, sex, or income in terms of their awareness, but the awareness score between educational groups was different. There has been observed a significant increase in the awareness level of all four groups (except the control group) (P < 0.05). The highest score was seen in the video group. The difference between printed pamphlets and digital pamphlets was not significant. Conclusions: The results indicate that educational films are the most effective way of increasing awareness about preventive orthodontic treatments

Class III Restoration of Anterior Primary Teeth: In Vitro Retention Comparison of Conventional, Modified and Air-abrasion Treated Preparations.

Background and aims. Anterior esthetic restoration is challenging in pediatric dentistry, due to limited durability and poor retention of the restoration.This study assessed the effect of air abrasion on tensile failure load of composite class III restorations using different preparation techniques. Materials and methods. 100 extracted human anterior primary teeth were divided, based on the preparation methods, into four groups each consisting of 25 subjects : conventional (A), labial surface bevel (B), conventional + air abrasion (C), and labial surface bevel + air abrasion (D). After restoring cavities, tensile failure load of samples was measured in Newton by Universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 1 mm per minute. The data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests using SPSS software. Results. There were statistically significant differences between groups A and C (P = 0.003), groups A and B (P & 0.001), groups A and D (P & 0.001), groups B and C (P = 0.028), groups B and D (P = 0.027), and also groups C and D (P& 0.001). Group D demonstrated the highest mean tensile failure load. Conclusion. Labial surface bevel treated by air abrasion showed significantly more retention of composite restoration.