OBJECTIVE: This study is performed to investigate the trend of health care (HC) utilization among cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) during 2007–2016 by using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS). METHODS: The KNHIS data were reorganized to count a specific patient only once for a specific year. Cleft type (cleft lip [CL], cleft palate [CP], and cleft lip and palate [CLP]), sex, and age at HC utilization were investigated. The study period was divided into the first half (2007–2011) and the last half (2012–2016). The utilization number and rate per 1,000 population were calculated for the total population and for new-born patients. Independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: The total CL/P population (n = 48,707) comprised 19.2% CLP, 35.5% CL, and 45.3% CP (CLP < CL < CP; p < 0.001). Their HC utilization rate increased from 0.066 in 2007 to 0.118 in 2016. The new-born patient population (n = 7,617) comprised 18.6% CLP, 30.4% CL, and 51.0% CP (CLP < CL < CP; p < 0.001). Their HC utilization rate increased from 1.12 in 2007 to 1.74 in 2016. An examination of the utilization number and rate among new-born patients revealed CP exhibited a female-dominant pattern (all p < 0.01), while CL and CLP exhibited a male-dominant pattern (all p < 0.01). However, utilization number showed no difference by sex and cleft type between 2007–2011 and 2012–2016. CONCLUSIONS: These results might serve as a guideline for HC utilization among patients with CL/P.
Cleft Lip* ; Cleft Palate ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Lip ; National Health Programs ; Palate* ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care* ; Population Surveillance ; Republic of Korea

Three-dimensional surgical accuracy between virtually planned and actual surgical movements of the maxilla in two-jaw orthognathic surgery.

Three-dimensional surgical accuracy between virtually planned and actual surgical movements of the maxilla in two-jaw orthognathic surgery.

Objective: To investigate airway volumes using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) by skeletal patterns, sex, and cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) stages in Korean adolescents. Methods: The sample consisted of pretreatment CBCT and cephalograms of 95 adolescents (aged 12–19) obtained out of 1,611 patients examined for orthodontic treatment from 2018 to 2020 in Kyungpook National University Dental Hospital. The samples were classified into two sex groups; three skeletal pattern groups, four chronological age groups and four CVM stages. Nasopharyngeal volumes (NPV), oropharyngeal volumes (OPV), total pharyngeal airway volume (TAV) and minimum cross-sectional area (MCA) measurements were taken from the CBCT. Multiple linear regression analyses to find out which one of the independent variables are good predictors for airway variables. Significant factors were analyzed by two-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) then multiple comparisons were analyzed using a t-test, and Fisher least significant difference. Results: Age, sex, CVM, and Sella-Nasion-B point have significant influence on airway variable. Males and females showed similar patterns of change in chronological age groups 1–3; however, males had larger NPV, OPV, and MCA at CVM in group 4. According to CVM stages, males had larger OPV, TAV, and MCA at CVM stage 6 (p-value: 0.019, 0.021, 0.015, respectively) and no sex differences at CVM stages 3, 4, and 5. Conclusions Skeletal patterns have an effect on airway volume. Sex differences were found in CVM 6.

OBJECTIVE: Given the considerable disagreement between the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) index and the American Board of Orthodontics Cast-Radiograph Evaluation, we aimed to develop a novel assessment system-the Improvement and Completion of Outcome (ICO) index-to evaluate the outcome of orthodontic treatment. METHODS: Sixteen criteria from 4 major categories were established to represent the pretreatment malocclusion status, as well as the degree of improvement and level of completion of outcome during/after treatment: dental relationship (arch length discrepancy, irregularity, U1-SN, and IMPA); anteroposterior relationship (overjet, right and left molar position, ANB); vertical relationship (anterior overbite, anterior open-bite, lateral open-bite, SN-MP); and transverse relationship (dental midline discrepancy, chin point deviation, posterior cross-bite, occlusal plane cant). The score for each criterion was defined from 0 or −1 (worst) to 5 (ideal value or normal occlusion) in gradations of 1. The sum of the scores in each category indicates the area and extent of the problems. Improvement and completion percentages were estimated based on the pre- and post-treatment total scores and the maximum total score. If the completion percentage exceeded 80%, treatment outcome was considered successful. RESULTS: Two cases, Class I malocclusion and skeletal Class III malocclusion, are presented to represent the assessment procedure using the ICO index. The difference in the level of improvement and completion of treatment outcome can be clearly explained by using 2 percentage values. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the ICO index enables the evaluation of the quality of orthodontic treatment objectively and consecutively throughout the entire treatment process.
Chin ; Dental Occlusion ; Malocclusion ; Molar ; Orthodontics ; Overbite ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: The Heat Induction Typodont System (HITS), used in some recent studies, has a distinct advantage over previous tooth movement simulation methods. This study aimed to compare inclination and vertical changes between the single-wire and double-wire techniques during en masse retraction with different lengths of lever arms in lingual orthodontics using an upgraded version of the HITS. METHODS: Duet lingual brackets, which have two main slots, were used in this study. Forty samples were divided into four groups according to the length of the lever arm (3-mm or 6-mm hook) and the retraction wire (single-wire or double-wire). Four millimeters of en masse retraction was performed using lingual appliances. Thereafter, 3-dimensional-scanned images of the typodont were analyzed to measure inclination and vertical changes of the anterior teeth. RESULTS: Incisor inclination presented more changes in the single-wire groups than in the double-wire groups. However, canine inclination did not differ between these groups. Regarding vertical changes, only the lateral incisors in the single-wire groups presented significantly larger values than did those in the double-wire groups. Combining the effect of hook lengths, among the four groups, the single-wire group with the 3-mm hook had the highest value, while the double-wire group with the 6-mm hook showed the least decrease in crown inclination and extrusion. CONCLUSIONS The double-wire technique with an extended lever arm provided advantages over the single-wire technique with the same lever arm length in preventing torque loss and extrusion of the anterior teeth during en masse retraction in lingual orthodontics.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of malocclusion with respect to grade, sex, and year among Korean pre-adolescent and adolescent students during 2012–2017. Methods: A total of 165,996 students (first grade [E1, 6–7 years of age], fourth grade [E4, 9–10 years], seventh grade [M1, 12–13 years], and tenth grade [H1, 15–16 years]) were selected by stratified sampling method and underwent the nationwide oral health examination performed by the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea. The malocclusion assessments based on dentists’ judgments were “no malocclusion,” “needs orthodontic treatment (N-OTx),” and “under orthodontic treatment (U-OTx).” The sum of N-OTx and U-OTx cases was determined as the number of students with malocclusion. After analyzing the prevalence of malocclusion according to grade, sex, and year-by-year differences, Pearson correlation analyses and two-way analyses of variance were performed. Results: The prevalence of malocclusion was 18.7%, which increased with the grades (E1 [8.3%] < E4 [15.8%] < M1 [22.9%] < H1 [25.3%], p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of malocclusion in each grade group for the period (p > 0.05) without significant correlation (E1, ρ = 0.129; E4, ρ = –0.495; M1, ρ = 0.406; H1, ρ = –0.383; all p > 0.05). The prevalence of malocclusion within each grade group over the six-year period was more prominent in the female (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Further studies are necessary to modify the malocclusion assessment method to account for specific types of malocclusion in pre-adolescent and adolescent students.

Objective: To investigate the three-dimensional (3D) surgical accuracy between virtually planned and actual surgical movements (SM) of the maxilla in twojaw orthognathic surgery. Methods: The sample consisted of 15 skeletal Class III patients who underwent two-jaw orthognathic surgery performed by a single surgeon using a virtual surgical simulation (VSS) software. The 3D cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were obtained before (T0) and after surgery (T1). After merging the dental cast image onto the T0 CBCT image, VSS was performed. SM were classified into midline correction (anterior and posterior), advancement, setback, anterior elongation, and impaction (total and posterior). The landmarks were the midpoint between the central incisors, the mesiobuccal cusp tip (MBCT) of both first molars, and the midpoint of the two MBCTs. The amount and direction of SM by VSS and actual surgery were measured using 3D coordinates of the landmarks. Discrepancies less than 1 mm between VSS and T1 landmarks indicated a precise outcome. The surgical achievement percentage (SAP, [amount of movement in actual surgery/ amount of movement in VSS] × 100) (%) and precision percentage (PP, [number of patients with precise outcomeumber of total patients] × 100) (%) were compared among SM types using Fisher’s exact and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Results: Overall mean discrepancy between VSS and actual surgery, SAP, and PP were 0.13 mm, 89.9%, and 68.3%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the SAP and PP values among the seven SM types (all p > 0.05). Conclusions VSS could be considered as an effective tool for increasing surgical accuracy.