Bullying in orthodontic patients and its relationship to malocclusion,self-esteem and oral health-related quality of life

Objectives: To measure the self-reported frequency and severity of bullying amongst patients referred for orthodontic treatment and to investigate whether there is a relationship between levels of self-reported bullying, malocclusion and need for orthodontic treatment and an individual's self-esteem and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Design and setting: Cross-sectional study of an adolescent group referred for orthodontic assessment at three UK hospitals. Subjects and methods: Three hundred and thirty-six participants aged between 10 and 14 years were recruited. Validated questionnaires were used to measure the self-reported frequency and severity of bullying, self-esteem and OHRQoL. Orthodontic treatment need was assessed using IOTN. Results: The prevalence of bullying was 12·8%. Being bullied was significantly associated with Class II Division 1 incisor relationship (P?=?0·041),increased overbite (P?=?0·023),increased overjet (P?=?0·001)and a high need for orthodontic treatment assessed using AC IOTN (P?=?0·014).Bullied participants also reported lower levels of social competence (P<0·001),athletic competence (P<0·001), physical appearance related self-esteem (P<0·001)and general self-esteem (P<0·001). Higher levels of oral symptoms (P?=?0·032),functional limitations (P<0·001), emotional (P<0·001)and social impact (P<0·001) from their oral condition, resulting in a negative impact on overall OHRQoL (P<0·001),were also reported. Conclusions: Significant relationships exist between bullying and certain occlusal traits, self-esteem and OHRQoL.     

Morphology controllable nanostructured chitosan matrix and its cytocompatibility

It is becoming clear that surface nanotopography of underlying substrates can influence cell behavior such as adhesion, proliferation, and orientation of mammalian cells. Nanofabrication methods such as electron beam lithography are, however, expensive and time consuming. In this study, a simple and cost-effective approach, heterogeneous seeded growth, was developed to create nanostructured chitosan matrix (CSM) from amorphous chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs). The physiochemical properties of CSM were characterized followed by an evaluation of CSM cytocompatibility. Shape-controllable morphology of CSM from nanoparticles to three-dimensional urchin-like architectures was achieved by using varying amounts of seeds. CSM was found to be cytocompatible with human foreskin fibroblasts suggesting that the nanofibrous surface morphology and crystalline structure of CSM could favor cell spread and growth.     

Mechanobiology of force transduction in dermal tissue

Background/aims: The influence of mechanical forces on skin has been examined since 1861 when Langer first reported the existence of lines of tension in cadaver skin. Internal tension in the dermis is not only passively transferred to the epidermis but also gives rise to active cell-extracellular matrix and cell–cell mechanical interactions that may be an important part of the homeostatic processes that are involved in normal skin metabolism. The purpose of this review is to analyse how internal and external mechanical loads are applied at the macromolecular and cellular levels in the epidermis and dermis.
Methods: A review of the literature suggests that internal and external forces applied to dermal cells appear to be involved in mechanochemical transduction processes involving both cell–cell and cell–extra-cellular matrix (ECM) interactions. Internal forces present in dermis are the result of passive tension that is incorporated into the collagen fiber network during development. Active tension generated by fibroblasts involves specific interactions between cell membrane integrins and macromolecules found in the ECM, especially collagen fibrils. Forces appear to be transduced at the cell–ECM interface via re-arrangement of cytoskeletal elements, activation of stretch-induced changes in ion channels, cell contraction at adherens junctions, activation of cell membrane-associated secondary messenger pathways and through growth factor-like activities that influence cellular proliferation and protein synthesis.
Conclusions: Internal and external mechanical loading appears to affect skin biology through mechanochemical transduction processes. Further studies are needed to understand how mechanical forces, energy storage and conversion of mechanical energy into changes in chemical potential of small and large macromolecules may occur and influence the metabolism of dermal cells.