The Difference in Cervical Vertebral Skeletal Maturation between Cleft Lip/Palate and Non-Cleft Lip/Palate Orthodontic Patients

Objective. The aim was to evaluate differences in the cervical vertebral skeletal maturity of unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and non-cleft lip/palate (non-CLP) Saudi male orthodontic patients. Method. This cross-sectional multicenter study took place at the dental school, King Saud University and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between October 2014 and September 2015. The records of Saudi male orthodontic patients with UCLP n=69 were collected. Cervical vertebral maturation was assessed using their cephalometric radiographs. The records of 138 age-matched non-CLP Saudi male orthodontic patients served as controls. Results. There was a significant difference in skeletal maturity between the UCLP and non-CLP groups, as evident in the delayed skeletal development among the UCLP participants. Moreover, pubertal growth spurt onset was significantly earlier in the non-cleft participants in comparison with the UCLP participants p=0.009. Conclusions. There is delayed skeletal maturity among the UCLP Saudi male population in comparison with their non-CLP age-matched peers

Colour Preferences of Elastic Ligatures among Orthodontic Patients

Introduction: Elastic modules are an integral part of fixed appliances. The availability of different colours is important to patients and their compliance during treatment. Knowledge about the most popular colours is important to orthodontists when ordering their materials. Aim: This study aimed to determine the elastic ligature colour preferences of patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment and the influences of age and gender on these preferences. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on a total of 319 patients (88 males and 231 females) aged 18- 36 years of age participated in this study. The patients’ elastic ligature colour preferences were recoded using a colour guide and a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire contained questions about the patients’ preferences regarding coloured or transparent ligatures, light or dark shades, and changing the ligatures for specific occasions. The data were analysed using SPSS version 25. The descriptive statistics were calculated, and a Pearson’s chi-squared analysis was performed to determine the influence of age and gender effects on colour preferences (p-value <0.05). Results: Most of the participants were excited about changing their elastic ligatures colours (44.5%), and they liked to change the colours at each visit (45.5%). Most participants did not like having multicoloured elastic ligatures in their mouths (77.4%) or changing the elastic colours before certain occasions (49.8%). There was no statistically significant difference in the elastic ligature colour preferences between the genders (p-value=0.0552), but there were statistically significant differences among the age groups (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: Most of the patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances preferred less noticeable elastic ligature colours. A significant difference was found between age groups: younger patients preferred coloured elastics, while older patients preferred less noticeable and transparent elastics. No difference was found between the colour preferences among both the gender