Background: Facial esthetics was primarily the subject of study for artists and philosophers. Facial appearance is an essential diagnostic criterion for a complete comprehensive orthodontic treatment planning. The aim of this study was to establish the perception of facial esthetics by different professionals, namely orthodontists, artists, and photographers, and to investigate the most influential facial characteristics involved in rating the overall attractiveness. Materials and Methods: Twenty-two subjects of age 18–24 years fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected as the study samples. The subjects were asked to relax, gently touch the lips together, and then start smiling. This dynamic range of smile was video recorded using a digital camera. This video was then converted into 300 frames. The frame that best represented the subjects' natural/posed unstrained social smile was selected and cropped to create three types of images: the face with the smile, the face without the smile, and the smile image. The evaluators (orthodontists, artists, and photographers) were instructed to answer the questions from 1 to 8 looking at image 1 (face with smile), question 9 by looking at image 2 (face without the smile), and questions 10 and 11 by looking at image 3 (smile only). Results: According to orthodontists and artists, the feature most strongly associated with overall attractiveness was symmetry of face, whereas the photographers showed the highest score for cheekbones. The highest correlation was found between the orthodontist and artist groups. Conclusion: The perception by the three professionals confirms that the overall facial attractiveness is more important than dental attractiveness.

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Aim: To study the associations of dermatoglyphic pattern and the dental archform among the young adult population. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 150 randomly selected patients, within the age ranging from 15 to 25 years. The fingerprint patterns of the study subjects were recorded with a rolling impression technique using blue printer ink and the archform was assessed from the cast prepared from the impression of their lower dental arches. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS software. The fingerprint patterns for each digit were analyzed and correlated with archform using appropriate statistical tests (chi-square test). Results: Although no fingerprint pattern was found to be specific for a particular dental archform, increased frequencies of whorls in subjects with square or ovoid archform, high frequencies of ulnar loop pattern with ovoid or tapered archform, and radial loop finger ridge pattern in those with tapered archform were observed. Conclusion: Dermatoglyphic analysis can be used as an indicator for determining the dental archform at an early stage, thereby aiding in the orthodontic treatment of malocclusion aiming to establish favorable occlusion and long-term stability.

BACKGROUND To provide efficient and well-planned orthodontic treatment orthodontists must be able to assess the type of malocclusion and the complexity involved in its treatment. Hence, the purpose of this study was to validate index of orthodontic treatment complexity (IOTC) as a reliable index to assess the treatment complexity in treating different malocclusion groups. METHODS A retrospective study with sample of 120 pairs of orthodontic study model consisting of treated and untreated cases, were collected and equally divided into class I, class II including both division 1 and division 2 and class III malocclusions based on Angles system of classification of malocclusion. Study casts were scored according to criteria given by the index of orthodontic treatment complexity and the degree of complexity is established for each of the malocclusion groups and the occlusal traits. RESULTS The Spearman correlation coefficients test shows that occlusal traits like overjet, centreline discrepancy, molar correction, overbite, crowding, posterior cross bite, alone significantly correlated with degree of complexity. Multiple regression analysis and one way ANOVA tests were performed for the three types of malocclusion and the test showed that in individual classes of malocclusion, the predictor variable (occlusal traits) significantly predicts the degree of complexity in class I and class II malocclusion cases, but not in class III. CONCLUSIONS Overjet, centreline discrepancy, molar correction, overbite, crowding, posterior cross bite correlated with degree of complexity. IOTC forecasts the degree of complexity in class I and class II malocclusion cases, but not in class III. KEY WORDS IOTC, Malocclusion, Occlusal Traits

Background Knowledge of bone density in maxilla and mandible will allow the clinician to plan the anchorage strategies and placement of implants with necessary precautions. The study aims to evaluate the deflection changes of titanium alloy self-drilling mini implants from the intended path that occurs during placement in varying bone densities. Material and Methods 63 titanium alloy self-drilling mini implants of the lengths 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm with diameter of 1.3mm were placed in three homogenous solid rigid polyurethane foam (saw bone) with bone densities of 20pcf, 30pcf, and 40pcf simulating anatomic sites in maxilla and mandible. 7mini implants of each length in all bone densities were tested for study. The implants were inserted perpendicularly into artificial bone block held in a custom made stand. The bone blocks were then radiographically exposed and the deviation of the long axis of the implantfrom a true vertical line was measured. Results There was a decrease in deflection of the mini implant with increase in density. On the other hand, increase in length resulted in increase in the amount of deflection. Conclusions Longer mini implants can be used in less dense bone as in maxilla, whereas shorter mini implants can be used in high dense bone as in mandible to increase the stability and success rate of implants. Bone density and implant length play a role in deflection of mini implant from its intended path of insertion. Key words: Orthodontic Mini implants, deflection, bone density, anchorage.