Background Maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for a health benefit is related to perceived value. The goal of this study was to find out how much Iranian healthy people would be willing to pay to keep their natural teeth instead of having them pulled. This was done separately for the anterior and posterior teeth. Methods The highest value was posed as an open-ended question in this cross-sectional analysis conducted in 2021. Four distinct scenarios for treating a tooth with a poor prognosis for natural tooth preservation versus extraction were offered. WTP for the preferred treatment option was asked for painful and painless anterior and posterior teeth separately. A two-stage hurdle approach was employed to determine factors influencing the WTP for a hopeless case. The level of significance was fixed at 0.05. Results Out of 795 individuals, 355 (44.7%) were male and 209 (26.3%) had poor self-stated dental health. Over 65% of those interviewed said they wanted to keep their teeth. The mean WTP was highest for dental preservation up to 94 USD and the lowest was for extraction without replacement 19 USD. The WTP for anterior tooth therapy was greater than the WTP for posterior dental care, regardless of treatment type or tooth discomfort. Participants with higher education, jobs, income-to-expenditure matching, older age, preference for the treatment in a private office, and female gender (except for WTP for a painful posterior tooth) were more likely to have a WTP of at least 1 USD. Conclusion The average WTP for treatment of teeth with a poor prognosis was lower than the average fee charged in dental facilities, and more than 65% of participants preferred to keep their teeth. Regardless of the treatment option or whether it was painful or not, WTP for anterior teeth treatment was higher than for posterior teeth. Generally, we found that sociodemographic factors influenced WTP decision-making the most. This study has practical implications for public oral health policymakers and insurance organizations.

Background Because of the individuality of the palatal rugae, they are applicable for human identification purposes the same as the fingerprints. Therefore, it is important to assess the effect of different factors on rugae characteristics. We assessed the characteristic changes of the palatal rugae following extraction and expansion during orthodontic treatments. Before and after orthodontic treatment dental casts of 30 patients were scanned by 3Shape Trios 3D intraoral scanner, and superimposed in Geomagic X 2018 software. Displacement of 13 reference points was analyzed in three dimensions. The length of the palatal rugae was also measured. SPSS version 22.0 was applied for data analysis, using independent t test, sample t test, and chi-square test. Results The alterations in the mean palatal rugae length were significant in the first right and third right ridges after extraction, and right and left second ridges after expansion treatment (P < 0.05). Changes in coordinates in the X, Y, and Z axes were significant at 8 points on the rugae after extraction, and 5 points after expansion treatment (P < 0.05). The changes in the sum of means of displacements were significant at all 13 points after extraction and expansion treatments (P < 0.05). Conclusions The palatal rugae do not remain stable during expansion and extraction orthodontic treatments. Some changes occurred in length, and the most medial and most lateral points on each ridge were displaced. The length of the incisive papilla did not change during treatment; thus, it can serve as a stable landmark. If we consider palatal rugae as an individual landmark, we can refer the patients after orthodontic treatment for scanning of their palatal rugae to document their post treatment pattern; but it should be noted that treatment relapse may change it again.