Volume 25, Issue 116, October 2021

Knowledge and awareness of orthodontists to the effect of different medications that influence tooth movement: A cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

Eman Jameel Fatani¹, Arwa Abdulaziz Mustafa Qawas², Bayan Sulaiman Nasser Al Shehri³, Nada Abdulaziz Altuwaijri⁴, Razan Musaad Al Salamah⁵, Baseer MA^1♦

¹Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
²Resident, Department of Orthodontics, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
³Dental intern, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
⁴Dental intern, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
⁵Resident, Department of Orthodontics, King Saud Hospital, Unizah, Saudi Arabia

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Background: Orthodontists should be aware of the potential ramifications of certain medications that may affect the cellular and molecular biology of orthodontic tooth movement (OTM). Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine orthodontists' knowledge and understanding of the effects of numerous popular medications on OTM in Saudi Arabia. Materials and method: In this cross-sectional study, a structured, close-ended, and self-administered online questionnaire was sent to the orthodontists registered with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and were practicing in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of 24 items under the sections of Demographic and practice characteristics, medical history and medication awareness, and knowledge of the effect of medication on orthodontic tooth movement. A total of 138 orthodontists responded to the questionnaire. The data obtained from the participants were analyzed by applying descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: The total mean knowledge of medication in the study sample was 2.99±1.32. A large percentage of study participants were knowledgeable about the effect of Paracetamol (90%), NSAIDs (81.9%), and Bisphosphonate (71.0%) medication on OTM. On the contrary, the effects of prednisolone, losartan, propranolol, and statins family were known only for less than 20% of the sample. Comparison of mean medication knowledge of OTM across studied demographic variables did not yield any statistically significant difference (p>0.05). Conclusion: The Saudi orthodontists who participated in this study lacked knowledge regarding the effects of common medications on OTM.

Keywords: Knowledge, medication, Orthodontic tooth movement, orthodontist

Medical Science, 2021, 25(116), 2491-2499

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