Characterisation of anterior open bite in primary school-aged children: A preliminary study with artificial neural network analysis.

BACKGROUND: Non-nutritive sucking habits, bottle feeding, and facial hyperdivergency have been suggested as the influencing factors of anterior open bite (AOB). There was inconsistent reporting of prevalence and a gap of knowledge in the literature. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of AOB in 7- to 12-year-olds, with a special interest to characterise the determinants of this malocclusion. DESIGN: A sample of 203 children aged 7 to 12 years were selected from a primary school in regional Australia. The legal guardian of each child completed a self-administered questionnaire. Data were assessed using methods of univariate statistics and neural analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of AOB and thumb sucking was 24.1% and 23.2%, respectively. AOB was associated with the habit (correlation = 0.754) and duration (correlation = 0.574) of thumb sucking. Age, gender, birth order, feeding modality, sleep patterns, history of orthodontic treatment and tonsil, adenoid or grommet surgery, and parents' level of education were not related to AOB (correlation absolute value ≤ 0.474). CONCLUSIONS: Thumb sucking, specifically for prolonged duration, increases the risk of development of AOB. Cessation of thumb sucking habits should be encouraged at an early age to avoid the development of AOB.

Non-orthodontic intervention and non-nutritive sucking behaviours: A literature review.

Anterior open bite (AOB) is one of the most complex malocclusions to manage. AOB is caused by either by skeletal, genetic or environmental factors. Numerous treatment options are currently utilised to manage AOB. These vary from non-invasive behavioural shaping to orthodontic and surgical interventions. This paper reviews the available orthodontic and non-orthodontic interventions used in the management of AOB. The literature review was carried out using the PubMed search engine from the first of January 2000 to the first of June 2017. Two major keywords (open bite and anterior open bite) were used in addition to 23 minor keywords in the review. AOB is one of the most complex malocclusions to treat with high relapse rates. Long term outcome in treatments of patients with AOB was substantially low. Relapse rates were not taken into consideration for some of the literature reviewed. Despite limitations of the literature, it is recommended that orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) and non-orthodontic intervention (NOI) be used in conjunction as an effective treatment option for Anterior Open Bite.

The effect of education on oral health students' attitudes in Australia and New Zealand.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral health attitudes and behavior of students in the oral health curriculum in Australia and New Zealand. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Hiroshima University - Dental Behavioral Inventory was administered to students in the first (year 1) and final years (year 3) of the oral health curriculum at Charles Sturt University in Australia and the University of Otago in New Zealand. A total of fifty-two year 1 students and forty-five year 3 students completed English version of the questionnaire in 2013. The responses were statistically analyzed by Fisher's exact tests and exact logistic regression models. RESULTS: The responses of students in years 1 and 3 differed significantly for "I worry about the color of my teeth" at Charles Sturt University and at the University Otago, for "I think my teeth are getting worse despite my daily brushing," "I put off going to the dentist until I have a toothache," and "I don't feel I've brushed well unless I brush with strong strokes." The estimated odds ratios from the exact logistic regression models showed that year 1 students were more likely to agree with above-mentioned four questions. CONCLUSIONS: Oral Health students who had been educated in a 3-year oral health curriculum in Australia and New Zealand had more positive attitudes and behaviors related oral health than did students at the beginning of their curriculum.