Quality assessment of available Internet information on early orthodontic treatment.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the content, reliability, quality and readability of information on Internet websites about early orthodontic treatment. METHODS: The "early orthodontic treatment" search term was individually entered into four web search engines. The content quality and reliability were reviewed with DISCERN, Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), and Health on the Net code (HONcode) tools using the contents of websites meeting predetermined criteria. The readability of websites was evaluated with Flesch Reading Facilitate Score (FRES) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). RESULTS: Eighty-six websites were suitable for inclusion and scoring of the 200 websites. 80.2% of websites belonged to orthodontists, 15.1% to multidisciplinary dental clinics and 4.7% to professional organizations. The mean DISCERN score of all websites (parts 1 and 2) was 27.98/75, ranging between 19 and 67. Professional organization websites had the highest scores for DISCERN criteria. Moreover, 45.3% of websites were compatible with JAMA's disclosure criterion, 7% with the currency criterion, 5.8% with the authorship criterion and 5.8% with the attribution criterion. Only three websites met all JAMA criteria, and these websites belonged to professional organizations. None of the websites had the HONcode logo. Mean FRES and FKGL were 47.6 and 11.6, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of web-based information about early orthodontic treatment is poor, and readability is insufficient. More accurate and higher quality Internet sources are required on the web.

Evaluation of the effects of different distalization systems on dentoalveolar structures in Class II malocclusions using finite element analysis.

This study aimed to evaluate the movement pattern of two different distalization systems during the distalization of the maxillary dentition from the maxillary canine to the second molar tooth and the stresses in the periodontal ligament by anchoring the mandibular dentition using the finite element analysis method. A standard three-dimensional finite element model was created that simulates the mechanics planned to be implemented with maxillary and mandibular teeth, periodontal ligaments, cortical and trabecular bones. Two different distalization mechanics were applied to this model with the Carriere Distalizer appliance (CDA) and the clear splint appliance (CSA), and two scenarios were created. The amount of displacement of the teeth from the maxillary canine to the second molar tooth was calculated, and the von Mises stress distribution in the periodontal ligament of the relevant teeth was visualized with a color scale. The current study found that the distalization movement of the CDA and the CSA after the force applied by anchoring from the mandibular dentition was similar. Although the amount of distalization obtained with the CDA is higher, it is seen that the mass movement is more significant in the CSA. The CDA and CSA showed a similar distalization pattern. The current study findings suggest that the CSA can be added to the Class II distalization treatment options such as the CDA.

Evaluation of mandibular osseous structure in patients with mandibular asymmetry: a fractal analysis study.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effect of mandibular asymmetry on the trabecular structure of the mandible as measured through fractal analysis (FA). STUDY DESIGN: We divided a sample of 105 patients with skeletal class I occlusion, cervical vertebral maturation CS6, and skeletal vertical dimension ratios within normal limits into right asymmetric, left asymmetric, and symmetric groups. We performed FA on 6 bilateral regions of interest on panoramic radiographs of the patients and calculated the mean fractal dimension (FD) for each region. We performed the Wilcoxon signed-rank and paired t tests to compare the significance of differences in FD between sides within each group and between groups for all regions. Statistical significance was established at P < .05. RESULTS: We found statistically significant differences in mean FD values between the right and left condyles of the 2 asymmetric patient groups. The FD was greater in the left condyle of patients with right asymmetry and in the right condyle of patients with left asymmetry. The right condyle had a significantly greater FD in left asymmetric patients than in right asymmetric patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results of FA indicate that asymmetry is characterized by an increase in the mean FD of the condyle that is responsible for the asymmetry. Fractal analysis can be a valuable diagnostic technique in distinguishing trabecular differences in the condylar areas of asymmetric individuals.

Information on the Internet about clear aligner treatment-an assessment of content, quality, and readability.

PURPOSE: The goal was to evaluate the content, quality, and readability of the information available about clear aligner treatment on the Internet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The search terms "aligner," "clear aligner," and "Invisalign" (Align Technology, Tempe, AZ, USA) were analyzed in three search engines (Google [Google LLC, Mountain View, CA, USA], Bing [Microsoft, Redmond, WA, USA], and Yahoo [Yahoo, Sunnyvale, CA, USA]). The first 50 websites for each keyword in each search engine were screened. Duplicate websites, advertisements, links to scientific articles, videos, and other irrelevant websites were excluded. The quality of the remaining websites was analyzed using the DISCERN and Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark instruments together with the Health on the Net code (HONcode, Health On the Net Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland). The readability of the websites was evaluated by the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). Statistical analyses were performed by one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis and Fischer's exact tests, with p < 0.05 accepted to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Among 111 evaluated websites, most belonged to multidisciplinary dental clinics (n = 49; 44.2%), followed by aligner companies (n = 26; 23.4%), orthodontists (n = 26; 23.4%), and professional organizations (n = 10; 9%). The mean DISCERN score (sections 1 and 2) for all websites was 29.95/75. The average FRES and FKGL were 55.77 and 9.74, respectively. Professional organization websites had significantly higher DISCERN scores than others (p < 0.001), and together with multidisciplinary dental clinic websites, they showed better compliance with JAMA benchmark criteria. Professional organization websites' FRES and FKGL were also higher than other websites (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the quality of web-based information about clear aligners was poor and the readability of the data was insufficient. Websites presenting high-quality data with better readability are needed for potential aligner patients.

Quality of Information on YouTube™ about Rapid Maxillary Expansion.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the content and quality of YouTube™ videos about rapid maxillary expansion (RME). METHODS: Videos on YouTube™ were searched using the term "palatal expansion." After sorting by relevance, the final 100 videos were analyzed for video demographics, primary purpose, information reliability, audiovisual quality, and Global Quality Scale (GQS). Also, viewers' interaction index and viewing rate formulas were calculated for each YouTube™ video. Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman's correlation coefficient and Intra-class Correlation Coefficient were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: YouTube™ videos about palatal expansion were mostly uploaded by patients and their relatives (51%). The reliability of the information in the videos with a GQS value >3 was significantly higher than those with a GQS value ≤3 (4.33 vs. 1.69) (P < .001). There was an excellent correlation between information reliability and GQS in videos uploaded by orthodontists and dentistry professionals (r=0.878, P < .01). CONCLUSION: YouTube™ is currently not an appropriate source of information about RME for patients. Orthodontists should refer patients to reliable sources of information on social media platforms.