Relationships of Sagittal Skeletal Discrepancy, Natural Head Position, and Craniocervical Posture in Pakistani Children.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the natural head position (NHP), mean sagittal skeletal discrepancy, and craniocervical posture in children presenting to tertiary care hospital. STUDY DESIGN: Observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Orthodontics, Karachi Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan, from January to April 2022. METHODOLOGY: A total of 121 participants, of either gender aged 11 to 15 years, were selected for this study. The mean age of the participants was 13.4 ± 1.2 years, and their average Frankfort mandibular plane angles (FH/ML) were recorded. Data collection took place following approval from the Ethics Review Board (ERB), and verbal informed consent was obtained from all participants. Cephalometric radiographs were taken in the natural head position (NHP) for all 121 participants. Based on their ANB angles, the participants were categorised into skeletal classes I, II, and III. The study assessed and compared variables such as head posture, craniocervical posture, and sagittal craniofacial morphology. RESULTS: The study included a sample of 121 children with a mean age of 13.4 ± 1.2 years. Among the participants, 58% were males, while 42% were females. Based on their ANB angles, participants were classified into skeletal classes I (n=44), II (n=73), and III (n=4). The correlation analysis between craniofacial posture, natural head position, and sagittal skeletal classes (I, II, and III) did not reveal any statistically significant results. Moreover, within each skeletal class, there were no significant differences observed in craniocervical posture between males and females when considering demographic variables. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that there is no discernible difference in the craniocervical posture of young Pakistani children aged 11 to 15 years, regardless of gender, in relation to skeletal relationships in classes I, II, and III. These findings suggest that sagittal skeletal discrepancies may not significantly impact craniocervical posture in this particular age group. KEY WORDS: Craniocervical posture, Sagittal discrepancy, Natural head position.

Association between Intercanine Width and Mandibular Dental Arch Forms.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the association between intercanine width and the mandibular arch form in 109 dentate subjects, who visited Orthodontics Department from October 2018 to December 2019. Using Vernier caliper, the intercanine width was measured as the distance between the left and right canines on each cast with the arch form, also categorized as tapered, square or ovoid, using predefined criteria. Spearman's rank correlation demonstrated highly significant association between intercanine width and mandibular dental arch forms, with p value of 0.005. Key Words: Dentate subjects, Mandibular arch forms, Inter-canine width, Sexual dimorphism, Mandibular dental cast.

Teaching the 'Comprehensive Dental Care' in formative years of education and training: A new model for dental internship.

There is a need of a new model of education and training to be implemented in the Bachelors of Dental Surgery curriculum in the relevant Pakistani institutions. The current review article was planned to suggest such a model in the light of literature aimed at building the capacity of dental graduates in a competency-driven approach with the objective of offering safe, efficient and comprehensive care to dental patients. The outcome of the reforms suggested shall prepare dental graduates suitably geared towards providing community-oriented family dental care right from their formative years. Moreover, the suggested internship model can also help to address the issue of inefficiency related to patient-care.

Association between hypodontia and Angles malocclusion.

This study was planned to determine the prevalence of hypodontia in permanent dentition and to test whether an association was present between hypodontia and Angle's malocclusion. The retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital, Karachi, and comprised record of all patients visiting the orthodontic clinics of the hospital from 2005 to 2015. Orthodontic records of 790(79%) subjects, including 189(23.9%) males and 601(76.1%) females, were reviewed. Their mean age was 17 ± 5.06 years. A tooth was considered missing if no evidence of tooth germ was observed on orthopantomograms and dental casts. The total sample was distributed into three groups on the basis of Angle's classification. Chi-square test was applied to determine an association between hypodontia and Angle's malocclusion. Tooth agenesis was observed in 34(4.3%) and a statistically significant difference was found between the genders (p=0.005). A positive association was found between hypodontia and malocclusion groups. Higher frequency of missing teeth was seen in Class III malocclusion which indicates a great need for orthodontic treatment as it has a psychosocial impact on the quality of life.