Assessment of Iranian orthodontists’ practice with regard to the prevention and treatment of white spot lesions

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 Iranian orthodontists’ practice regarding the prevention and treatment of WSLs in their patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 109 Iranian orthodontists were selected from the Iranian Association of Orthodontists’ directory by cluster sampling. For data collection, a questionnaire was designed and its validity and reliability was confirmed (Cronbach's α =0.85). The questionnaire included eight general questions and eight questions about practice with regard to the prevention and treatment of WSL. Data were analyzed by descriptive tests, ANOVA test, and t-test in SPSS 20 software. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean score of orthodontists’ practice was 7.62 (range: 0–8), and 94.4% of the participants 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 years of experience and their practice (P = 0.230). Nearly 94.4% of the orthodontists prescribed fluoride products. 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 majority of the respondents were taking care of their patients with regarding to the prevention and treatment of WSLs. For enhancing their competencies, it is recommended to plan educational courses which are useful for promoting their knowledge and practice about new products and procedures used for the prevention and treatment of WSLs.