The purpose of this study was to assess the pattern of tooth loss among patients with prosthodontic need in Bisha region. A total of 1400 dental patient records (776 male and 624 female) at the prosthodontic clinic of Prince Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Bisha were reviewed and studied in relation to age, sex, and distribution of toothloss between upper and lower jaws.

The results showed that 189 (14%) of the studied cases were edentulous and 1211 (86%) were partially edentulous. The average number of tooth loss was 10 teeth per person. Nine cases were found to be in need for full dentures before 40 years of age. The most commonly missing teeth were first molars (20%), followed by second molars (19%), and central incisors (15%).

The findings of this study could help in future planning for dental care in the region especially in relation to prosthodontic need and preventive programs.
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.026:p28

027. Oral health attitudes, knowledge and habits of adults in saudi arabia

As a part of the Oral Health Survey of Saudi Arabia a questionnaire was developed to determine the oral health attitudes, knowledge and behavior of adults; 15 years and older. The sample of 1199 persons was obtained from a stratified random cluster sampling of households in seven (7) regions of the country, namely: Qassim, Dammam, Hail, Tabouk, Najran, Al-Baha and Gizan. Results indicate that over 49.5% of respondents describe their health as excellent. Eighteen percent (18.5%) describe it as very good, 17.4% say good, while only 2.8% view it as poor. In response to the question about the health of teeth and gums, 24.3% of the respondents said that they were excellent, 22.1% said very good, 26.8% said good, 14.5% said fair, 9.9% said poor and 2.3% said very poor. Over 46% said that they experienced pain over the past 12 months. Over 24% had to limit their activities over the past 12 months because of dental problems. Approximately 1.2% very often have trouble sleeping because of pain or discomfort from dental problems; 58.1% never have trouble sleeping. Only 2.1 % avoid smiling or laughing because of unattractive teeth or gums. A broken or chipped tooth was a problem for 21.4%; gums that hurt or bled was a problem for 31.2%; sores on tongue or inside of the mouth was a problem for 16.5% and bad taste or bad breath was a problem during the past 12 months for 27.3% of the respondents. There were 6.2% of respondents who did not have any natural teeth. During the past 12 months, 44.5% of respondents had gums that frequently bled when brushed or flossed; 40% had teeth that hurt when eating or drinking hot or cold foods or liquids; 16% had teeth that ached or throbbed and; 40.7% had teeth that hurt when eating or drinking sweet things. Those who did not like at all the way their teeth look were only 5.5% and; those who liked their teeth very much were 25.3%. Over 62% of respondents brushed their teeth. Of those who brushed, 37.6% brushed two or more times per day; 29.2% brushed once per day; 13.8% brushed 2-3 times per week; 7.1% once per week; 8.0% 2-3 times per month and; 4.4% brushed once per month. Over 67% used toothpaste containing fluoride; only 1.4% have handicaps which make it difficult to brush their teeth. Only 1.6% knowingly use extra fluocide not in water or toothpaste.

It is concluded that greater efforts should be made in providing dental health educational information to the population of the country.

Keywords:    Attitudes, behavior, questionnaire survey, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.027:p29-30

The aetiology of tooth impaction has long been related to arch-length deficiency. However, this is not always valid for palatally impacted maxillary cuspids. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the different possible etiologic factors that lead to disturbances in the eruption of the maxillary cuspids that may lead to ectopic eruption or impaction. A discussion of the management and different approaches to deal with the problem is presented.

1500 cases were examined clinically and radiographically for the detection of eruption disturbances of the maxillary canines.

The radiographic examination consisted of orthopantomographs, occlusal, PA, and lateral skull (cephalometric) views for every patient. The clinical assessment included inspection and digital palpation of the alveolar process in the region of the canines provided that general occlusal development and somatic maturity are also taken into account. Management of labially vs palatally impacted cuspids are discussed.
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.028:p31

The importance of general dentists role in preventive orthodontics in view of present day knowledge and situation in the country will be highlighted. Preventive orthodontics is the action taken to preserve the integrity of what appears to be the normal occlusion at a specific time. Studies on Saudi population has shown 90% of children are affected by various degrees of malocclusion. A breakdown of children according to age of 6, 9 and 13-years showed 24.8%, 39.7%, and 39.96% malocclusion, respectively. An upward trend in malocclusion is seen with increase in age. Similar results have been supported from elsewhere in the world. Conditions like mandibular functional shifts, early loss of deciduous and permanent teeth, early crowding habits like thumbsucking with protrusion, dental open bite, lateral and anterior crossbites and palatal defects are frequently encountered in daily practice. Studies have shown that vast majority of 10-year-old patients with Class III malocclusion grow that way through time from "Pseudo" 9-year-old occlusions.

Preventive measures when applied at appropriate time can be rewarding by reducing the severity of the problem as well as cost and treatment time. The patient will also be saved of cumbersome appliance wear. The various preventive measures will be discussed in detail.
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.029:p32

 
030. Correction of class II malocclusion with functional appliances

Pre- and post-treatment cephalometric data were obtained from successfully treated 50 cases of Class II malocclusion during the appropriate bone age with functional orthopaedic appliances.

The results indicated that several skeletal and dento-alveolar changes contribute to the whole correction in a varying degree. The single contributing factor is, therefore, small.

It is highly probable that a noteworthy mandibular reaction also contributes to the occlusal correction in that the mandible comes forward by therapeutic induced growth, which is absent in untreated Class II cases.
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.030:p33