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Objective: To investigate sex-specific correlations between the dimensions of permanent canines and the anterior Bolton ratio and to construct a statistical model capable of identifying the sex of an unknown subject. Methods: Odontometric data were collected from 121 plaster study models derived from Caucasian orthodontic patients aged 12-17 years at the pretreatment stage by measuring the dimensions of the permanent canines and Bolton's anterior ratio. Sixteen variables were collected for each subject: 12 dimensions of the permanent canines, sex, age, anterior Bolton ratio, and Angle's classification. Data were analyzed using inferential statistics, principal component analysis, and artificial neural network modeling. Results: Sex-specific differences were identified in all odontometric variables, and an artificial neural network model was prepared that used odontometric variables for predicting the sex of the participants with an accuracy of > 80%. This model can be applied for forensic purposes, and its accuracy can be further improved by adding data collected from new subjects or adding new variables for existing subjects. The improvement in the accuracy of the model was demonstrated by an increase in the percentage of accurate predictions from 72.0-78.1% to 77.8-85.7% after the anterior Bolton ratio and age were added. Conclusions: The described artificial neural network model combines forensic dentistry and orthodontics to improve subject recognition by expanding the initial space of odontometric variables and adding orthodontic parameters.
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BACKGROUND: This randomized trial's objective was to investigate the impact of social network content on the perception of smiles among specialists, doctors, students of dental medicine, and laypeople. METHOD: A sample of 360 respondents was shown 7 digitally altered photographs of smiles (85.63% female, 14.37% male). Dental specialists, dentists, dental students (first to third year and fourth to sixth year), and laypeople made up the sample. Respondents were asked to rank the images on a scale of 1 to 10, starting with the least appealing and moving up to the most attractive, using a Google Form. Respondents were divided into experimental and control groups at the end of the following month by random selection. The experimental group followed an Instagram profile posting two images of beautiful smiles for seven days, while the control group received no intervention at all. Both groups then completed the same questionnaire again. The comparison of esthetic scores between the experimental and control group was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test and the difference in test responses between the starting point of the measurement and after exposure to perfect content on social media within individual groups was tested with the Wilcoxon paired-samples test. When comparing the absolute difference of scores, the Mann-Whitney U-test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used. RESULTS: Respondents in the experimental group rated the rounded embrasures of the incisors with lower esthetic scores compared to the control group that was not exposed to images on the Instagram social network. In those exposed to Instagram (experimental group), laypeople showed significantly greater satisfaction with their own smile after the exposure to Instagram, whereas no such difference was present in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The content of social networks potentially has an influence on smile perception, most visible in the perception of incisal embrasures and self-perception of smile.
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Objective: To evaluate the perceptions of altered incisor gingival position among dental specialists, dentists, dental students, and laypeople. Materials and methods: Four digital smile photographs with altered gingival margin position of the right maxillary incisor (0, 1, 2, and 3 mm) were presented to a sample of 232 respondents (71.1% female; 28.9% male): 42 dental specialists, 63 dentists, 33 dental students (1st to 3rd year), 38 dental students (4th to 6th year) and 56 laypeople. The questionnaire consisted of four randomly displayed photographs, administered via Google Form, and respondents were asked to rate the images on a scale from 1 to 5, from the least attractive to the most attractive. A statistical analysis was performed using the TIBCO Statistica program (v. 13.3. 0, TIBCO Software Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA; 2017). According to the Shapiro- Wilk's test, the data were not distributed normally. The Kruskal-Wallis test with post hoc multiple comparisons with the Bonferroni adjustment were used to compare group esthetic scores and to determine the threshold levels of deviation at which each group was discriminated between esthetic and non-esthetic situations. Results: Median values of esthetic scores decreased in all groups as the gingival asymmetries increased. Dental professionals were significantly more critical of esthetics than laypeople in all levels of asymmetry. The greatest difference was found for 2 mm of gingival asymmetry (p=0.002). Conclusion: From the results of our study, we can conclude that the perception of gingival asymmetries in the esthetic zone of smile differs among dental specialists, doctors, students, and laypeople. Dental specialists, doctors, and clinical students were more critical of these asymmetries, while preclinical students and laypeople noticed only 2 mm or more of gingival asymmetry of central incisors.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of fixed orthodontic treatment on adolescents' oral hygiene behavior and to examine their food consuption during fixed orthodontic treatment, as well as their motivation to maintain oral hygiene. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research was carried out in a form of a survey questionnaire consisting of 23 questions. The sample comprised 170 adolescent patients aged from 11 to 19 who underwent the fixed orthodontic treatment at the Orthodontic Clinic of the Zagreb University Hospital Centre. RESULTS: The orthodontic appliance did not interfere with the patients' maintenance of oral hygiene, but it made the consumption of certain foods more difficult. Most adolescents brushed their teeth twice a day, using medium-soft brushes (35%). Regarding additional oral hygiene aids, 72.4% of the respondents used interdental brushes, more than 50% of the respondents used antiseptic mouthwashes for mouth rinsing, whereas only 31.2% of the tested population used dental floss (4.1% of which daily). The respondents were highly motivated to maintain oral hygiene by their orthodontists (96.5%), but only a small number of the respondents were informed about the importance of an adequate diet while undergoing a fixed orthodontic treatment. CONCLUSION: Orthodontists should provide their patients with detailed instructions on hygiene maintenance and adequate diet during orthodontic treatment to minimize negative side effects of the fixed orthodontic treatment. Patients should be motivated upon each follow-up examination and encouraged to use as many oral hygiene aids in their daily routines as possible.
