فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

INTRODUCTION: White spot lesions (WSLs) are common adverse effect of orthodontic treatment,which can be prevented and treated by orthodontists. This study was conducted to assess Iranianorthodontists’ practice regarding the prevention and treatment of WSLs in their patients.METHODS: In this cross‑sectional study, 109 Iranian orthodontists were selected from the IranianAssociation of Orthodontists’ directory by cluster sampling. For data collection, a questionnaire wasdesigned and its validity and reliability was confirmed (Cronbach’s α =0.85). The questionnaireincluded eight general questions and eight questions about practice with regard to the preventionand treatment of WSL. Data were analyzed by descriptive tests, ANOVA test, and t‑test in SPSS 20software. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS: The mean score of orthodontists’ practice was 7.62 (range: 0–8), and 94.4% of theparticipants were rated as good, while 3.7% and 1.9% were rated as moderate and weak, respectively.Women’s score was significantly higher than that of men (P = 0.001). With increasing participants’age, their practice has been improved (P = 0.001), but there was no significant relation between yearsof experience and their practice (P = 0.230). Nearly 94.4% of the orthodontists prescribed fluorideproducts. Toothpastes and fluoride mouth rinses were the most common prescribed products (34%).CONCLUSIONS: With regard to Iranian orthodontists’ practice, it was fortunate to note that majorityof the respondents were taking care of their patients with regarding to the prevention and treatmentof WSLs. For enhancing their competencies, it is recommended to plan educational courses whichare useful for promoting their knowledge and practice about new products and procedures used forthe prevention and treatment of WSLs.