Prevalence and risk factors of oral mucositis in paediatric patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: A complete understanding of oral mucositis (OM) is crucial to develop appropriate interventions to aid in the successful overall health outcome of paediatric patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). AIMS: This study aimed at determining the prevalence and severity of OM and at identifying the predictive factors that might aggravate OM at one-week, two-week and three-week post-HSCT. METHODS: This retrospective, hospital-based study reviewed the medical records of 170 paediatric patients, summarising the patients' characteristics using descriptive statistics. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the development of OM. RESULTS: At one-week post-HSCT, 41% of 140 patients (n = 49) had developed OM, this was reduced at two-week (n = 36, 33%) and three-week (n = 13, 19%) post-HSCT. Univariate logistic regression revealed that patients with cancer (OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.05-0.54; p-value = .003) had a significantly lower prevalence of OM. Younger patients with an average age of 7.9 years old (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75-0.97; p-value = 0.013) and the presence of GvHD (OR = 2.37, 95% CI = 1.03-5.45, p-value = 0.042) were significantly related to a higher prevalence of OM. Multivariable logistic regression confirmed that the risk of OM is lower in patients with cancer compared to those with immunodeficiency syndromes or hereditary blood diseases (OR = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.04-0.77; p-value = .021). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified a significantly lower prevalence of OM in patients with cancer compared to other conditions and that young recipients and those who developed GvHD were more likely to have OM.

Dental Students' Knowledge and Attitudes towards Antibiotic Prescribing Guidelines in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: The use of antibiotics prophylactically and therapeutically in dentistry has become common practice. Inappropriate prescription may lead to adverse side effects and bacterial resistance. During clinical training, dental students in Saudi Arabia are authorized to prescribe antibiotics. Aim: To evaluate dental students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding antibiotic prescription in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on a validated questionnaire consisting of 34 questions focusing on antibiotic indications in dentistry, antibiotic regimens, and knowledge regarding resistance was distributed amongst dental students in five leading dental colleges in Riyadh. Results: A large proportion of students (71.7%) were familiar with the concept of antibiotic resistance. When comparing junior and senior dental students’ knowledge with regards to indications of antibiotic use in commonly encountered conditions, it was found that there was no significant difference in antibiotic prescription frequency between these groups. Most dental students choose to prescribe amoxicillin as their first-choice of antibiotic (88.4%), and most also chose to use it for a duration of 3⁻5 days (69.2%). Conclusions: This study concludes that dental students may prescribe antibiotics inappropriately to manage various conditions when not indicated. This may indicate a defect in education of students with regards to current antibiotic guidelines.