Masoud Ahmed I, Alshams Fatima A
Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
General Dentist, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
J Orthod Sci. 2020 Nov 2;9:18. doi: 10.4103/jos.JOS_25_20. eCollection 2020.
To assess the practice of using orthodontic brackets as tooth decorations among dental offices and patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The study was a cross-sectional survey using 2 questionnaires. The first included 14 doctor questions where 300 dental offices in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were contacted by phone. The second questionnaire included 22 patient questions where 50 patients who currently have or have had decorative braces answered the questions online.
Out of 250 dental offices that responded, 91 offices (36.4%) answered "yes" to offering decorative braces. Most dentists use metal brackets (96.3%) on both the upper and lower arches (98.8%) and ligate a wire (83.8%) using colored elastomeric ligatures. Out of 50 patients who answered the patient questions, 28 patients (56%) were females and the mean age was 19.84 years (±2.32). 37 (74%) patients reported that their decorative braces were not placed by dentists and mostly by over the counter glue. Finally, 62% reported they were not satisfied, and 84% said they would not recommend getting decorative braces to their family and friends.
Our results indicate that the use of decorative braces is prevalent, and most are not being placed by dentist. As healthcare providers, we are obliged to educate the public of potential harm that can result when decorative braces are used, to hopefully limit the spread of this unfortunate practice.
评估沙特阿拉伯吉达市牙科诊所及患者将正畸托槽用作牙齿装饰的情况。
本研究是一项采用两份问卷的横断面调查。第一份问卷包含14个针对医生的问题，通过电话联系了沙特阿拉伯吉达市的300家牙科诊所。第二份问卷包含22个针对患者的问题，50名目前佩戴或曾佩戴装饰性牙套的患者在线回答了这些问题。
在回复的250家牙科诊所中，91家诊所（36.4%）对提供装饰性牙套的问题回答“是”。大多数牙医在上颌和下颌弓上都使用金属托槽（96.3%），并使用彩色弹性结扎丝结扎钢丝（83.8%）。在回答患者问卷的50名患者中，28名患者（56%）为女性，平均年龄为19.84岁（±2.32）。37名（74%）患者报告称他们的装饰性牙套不是由牙医安装的，大多是用非处方胶水粘贴的。最后，62%的患者表示不满意，84%的患者表示不会向家人和朋友推荐使用装饰性牙套。
我们的结果表明，装饰性牙套的使用很普遍，且大多数不是由牙医安装的。作为医疗服务提供者，我们有责任向公众宣传使用装饰性牙套可能带来的潜在危害，以期限制这种不良做法的传播。
