Journal of Dental Medicine

  Background and Aims: Orthodontic patients’ cooperation is a determining factor in treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between patient cooperation during orthodontic treatment with variables such as age, sex, life setting, treatment duration and functional and social discomfort experienced.

  Materials and Methods: Specimens were consisted of 100 orthodontic patients (36 males and 64 females) between 13-35 years old (average age: 22.57±1.69 years). Patients’ demographic traits, treatment duration and
functional-social discomfort by the orthodontic treatment were evaluated using a questionnaire answered by the patients or their parents. The degree of patient cooperation was assessed by the modified cooperation questionnaire (Orthodontic Patient Cooperation Scale [OPCS]) which was completed by an orthodontist. Data were analyzed using One-way ANOVA, T-test, intraclass correlation coefficient and Pearson Correlation.

  Results: No significant difference was found between the cooperation of male and female patients (P=0.867) and also between the cooperation of the patients who lived in the urban and rural setting (P=0.613). Treatment duration and compliance showed a low negative correlation which was not statistically significant (r=-0.155, P=0.127). Functional-social discomfort and compliance showed a low negative correlation which was not statistically significant (r=-0.118, P=0.244). No significant correlations were found between the compliance and age (r=0.002, P=0.988) and also the treatment duration and functional-social discomfort experienced
(r=0.164, P=0.105).

  Conclusion: Patient compliance appears to be a complex issue that cannot easily be predicted only by factors such as age, gender, life setting, treatment duration and functional-social discomfort experienced.

  3- Dentist

  Background and Aims: An attractive, well-balanced smile is a paramount treatment objective of the modern orthodontic therapy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the buccal corridor size and tooth-gingival display on the smile esthetics as perceived by two groups of the students.

  Materials and Methods: A colored image of a woman frontal posed smile was selected. The image was altered digitally to produce different buccal corridor sizes (6%, 12.5% and 20%) and different tooth-gingival displays (maxillary central incisors and 2 mm of gingival, maxillary central incisors and dental papilla and 80% of the maxillary central incisors). The different buccal corridor sizes and tooth-gingival displays were combined to produce 9 images. These altered images were rated by 120 medical and dental students using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test, Pairwise comparison LSD test, Repeated measure MANOVA and ICC (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient).

  Results: The smile which had the buccal corridor size of 12.5% and complete incisor display without gingival display received the highest rates among the nine smile images in the dental students group. But in the medical students group the smile with the buccal corridor size of 12.5% and 2 mm gingival display, received the highest rates among the nine smile images. There was no significant difference in judging between the male and female raters for the both groups (P>0.05). The dental students were more critical about the increasing of the gingival display.

  Conclusion: In the treatment procedure that may lead to the combination of wide buccal corridor and more tooth-gingival show, more caution should be considered.