Facial Anthropometric Norms among Kosovo - Albanian Adults.

BACKGROUND: The development of an anthropometric craniofacial database is a necessary multidisciplinary proposal. AIM: The aim of this study was to establish facial anthropometric norms and to investigate into sexual dimorphism in facial variables among Kosovo Albanian adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample included 204 students of Dental School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pristina. Using direct anthropometry, a series of 8 standard facial measurements was taken on each subject with digital caliper with an accuracy of 0.01 mm (Boss, Hamburg-Germany). The normative data and percentile rankings were calculated. Gender differences in facial variables were analyzed using t- test for independent samples (p<0.05). The index of sexual dimorphism (ISD) and percentage of sexual dimorphism were calculated for each facial measurement. RESULTS N: ormative data for all facial anthropometric measurements in males were higher than in females. Male average norms compared with the female average norms differed significantly from each other (p>0.05).The highest index of sexual dimorphism (ISD) was found for the lower facial height 1.120, for which the highest percentage of sexual dimorphism, 12.01%., was also found. The lowest ISD was found for intercanthal width, 1.022, accompanied with the lowest percentage of sexual dimorphism, 2.23%. CONCLUSION: The obtained results have established the facial anthropometric norms among Kosovo Albanian adults. Sexual dimorphism has been confirmed for each facial measurement.

Sexual dimorphism in permanent maxillary central incisor in Kosovo: Albanian population / Dimorfismo sexual en los incisivos centrales superiores permanentes en una población albanesa de Kosovo

The aim of this study was to investigate the sexual dimorphism in permanent maxillary central incisor in Kosovo Albanian population using crown linear diameters, crown module (CM) and crown index (CI). The study sample consisted of 204 dental students, selected from the Dental School, Faculty of Medicine at University of Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo. The measurements of mesiodistal (MD) and buccolingual (BL) crown diameters of left and right permanent maxillary incisor (MCI) were taken in a dental casts using electronic digital caliper Boss, Hamburg ­ Germany, with accuracy± 0.01 mm. The descriptive statistics, t-test and percentage of sexual dimorphism in crown linear diameters and dental indexes of maxillary central incisor were calculated. The results showed a statistically significant difference in MD (p<0.01) and BL diameters (p<0.0001) of maxillary central incisor between males and females. BL diameter of maxillary central incisor showed greater sexual dimorphism (4.78 %) than mesiodistal diameter (2.76 %). CM presented with a higher level of sexual dimorphism (3.76 %) comparing to CI (1.89 %). The findings of this study demonstrated sexual dental dimorphism in crown linear diameters and dental indexes in maxillary central incisor in Kosovo-Albanian population.

El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar el dimorfismo sexual en el diente incisivo central superior permanente en una población albanesa de Kosovo utilizando diámetros lineales de las copas, módulo de corona (MC) y el índice de la corona (IC). La muestra del estudio consistió en 204 estudiantes de odontología, seleccionados de la Escuela de Odontología, Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Pristina, República de Kosovo. Se tomaron mediciones mesiodistales (MD) y diámetros bucolinguales (BL) de la corona de los dientes incisivos superiores permanentes izquierdo y derecho, en modelos dentales, utilizando un calibrador digital electrónico Boss (Hamburgo ­ Alemania) con una precisión de ± 0,01 mm. Se calculó la estadística descriptiva, t-test y porcentaje de dimorfismo sexual en los diámetros lineales de coronas dentales y los índices del diente incisivo central superior. Los resultados mostraron una diferencia estadísticamente significativa en MD (p <0,01) y diámetros BL (p <0,0001) del diente incisivo central superior entre hombres y mujeres. Se observó un mayor dimorfismo sexual (4,78 %) en el diámetro BL del diente incisivo central superior, que en el diámetro mesiodistal (2,76 %). El MC presentó un nivel mayor de dimorfismo sexual (3,76 %) en comparación con IC (1,89 %). Los resultados de este estudio demostraron la existencia de dimorfismo sexual en los diámetros lineales de la corona dental y de los índices dentales correspondientes al diente incisivo central superior en la población albanesa de Kosovo.

Psychometric properties of the Albanian language version of the OHIP-ALB49 Questionnaire in the Republic of Kosovo.

The aim of the study was to develop and to test psychometric properties of the Albanian language version of the Oral Health Impact Questionnaire (OHIP-ALB49) in the new typical cultural context. The construct validity was tested: the convergent validity was tested on 389 subjects (general population (n = 119), removable prosthodontic patients (n = 213) and students (n = 57)), and the discriminative validity was tested in edentulous patients wearing dentures (CDWs) (n = 180) and edentulous patients having no dentures at all (n = 33). The test-retest reliability was tested on 57 subjects (27 dental students and 30 complete denture wearers), the internal consistency on 389 subjects, and the responsiveness on 33 patients with a treatment demand (complete dentures). The significant association between the OHIP summary scores and the self-reported oral health (p < 0.001) confirmed the convergent validity. The discriminative validity was confirmed by significant difference between the CDWs and the edentulous subjects without any dentures. The test-retest reliability was confirmed by high intraclass correlation coefficients and no significant differences between the two administrations (p > 0.05). The internal consistency showed high Cronbach's alpha (0.94 in general population and in prosthodontic patients, 0.96 in the student group). The responsiveness was confirmed by the statistically significant difference between the mean OHIP score at the baseline and the follow-up (p < 0.001) and by the high effect size (2.19 for the OHIP Summary Score) in the edentulous patients with a treatment demand). The psychometric properties of the OHIP-ALB49 prove that the instrument is suitable for the assessment of the Oral Health Related Quality of Life in Kosovo.