Objectives: Bracket failure is one of the problems that happen during fixed orthodontic treatment, which slows treatment progression and is costly in time, material, and patient inconvenience. The present study aimed to assess orthodontic professionals' perceptions regarding bracket failure during fixed orthodontic treatment.           Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing a self–administered questionnaire among orthodontic professionals. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were tested before study conduction. In total, 158 orthodontic professionals were approached across Iraq. The questionnaire included eight questions on practice, nine on perceptions, and three on awareness with regard to the prevention and management of bracket failure. Data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn-Bonferroni post hoc test.       Results: The majority of the participants either agreed (58.2%) or strongly agreed (27.8%) that instruction on appropriate food consumption is the best way to prevent bracket debonding. Years of experience were shown to have a statistically significant association with the rate of bracket failure and number of appointments per week for bracket rebonding, at p=0.01 and p=0.001, respectively. A postgraduate orthodontics degree was shown to have a statistically significant association with perception and awareness within the study population, at p= 0.0005 and p=0.01, respectively.   Conclusions: Orthodontic professionals regarded orthodontists as having the least responsibility for bracket failure. It is recommended to have special practice guidelines for the management of bracket failure.

Objectives: This study's objective was to evaluate the prevalence of congenitally missing mandibular incisors (central and lateral incisors) in Kurdish patients seeking orthodontic treatment.   Methods: The data were captured from 4056 patients (2596 females and 1460 males) seeking orthodontic treatment and included orthopantomograms, intraoral photographs, study models, while anamnestic data were retrieved and examined to evaluate the prevalence of congenitally missing lower incisors. A Chi-square test was used to determine significant differences.       Results: The prevalence of missing lower incisors was 1.28%, with no statistically significant difference between males and females. A total of 73 permanent lower incisors were missing, with an average of 1.42 teeth per patient. Missing unilateral (59%) was more frequent than missing bilateral (41%). Within the unilateral cases, the left side tooth was more frequently missing than the right side, and the central incisor was the most frequently missing tooth. In addition, missing unilateral was more frequent in females, and missing bilateral was more frequent in males. In most subjects (76%), where mandibular incisors were missing, there were no other missing teeth.   Conclusions: The prevalence of hypodontia can vary in different ethnic groups. In the Kurdish population, the prevalence was comparable with other ethnic groups, and the most frequently missing lower incisor was the left central incisor, followed by the right central incisor. Furthermore, missing unilateral was more frequent than missing bilateral.

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the oral health behavior, knowledge, and attitudes of dental college students.           Methods: A self-assessment questionnaire was used in this study. Participants were divided into two groups according to their level of study (pre-clinical and clinical).       Results: A total of 140 students participated in the study, with 79(56%) pre-clinical and 61(44%) were at the clinical levels. The majority of students reported brushing their teeth (90.7%) with no association between toothbrushing behavior and gender or level of study (P>0.05). The most common tooth brushing frequency was twice daily with no gender association (P>0.05), and a higher percentage of students at clinical levels of the study reported brushing their teeth more than twice daily (P<0.05). The majority of students reported using fluoridated toothpaste (60.7%). In total, about half of the students reported using dental floss with a significant association with the level of study (P<0.01). Tongue cleaning was reported by 69.3% of the students, and about half of the students reported using mouthwashes, and one-fourth of the students reported using Miswak. In total, about half of the students reported their oral health status as “Good”. Routine dental visits and the level of the study were significantly associated (P<0.01).   Conclusions: Noticeable differences in oral health behaviors could not be concluded on a statistical basis. Nevertheless, there were areas of oral health behaviors where increased knowledge showed an improvement in health behavior. It is recommended that preventive programs, including self-care regimes, be started from the first year of dental education.