Evaluation of two different approaches of health education (Tailored leaflet vs Video) on referral compliance for prosthetic replacement of missing teeth among the patients at a university dental care center.

BACKGROUND: Prosthodontic replacement of missing teeth is necessary to maintain function, aesthetics and prevent further oral complications. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether health education 'video' increased prosthodontics treatment demand for replacing missing teeth compared to traditional health education (IEC) 'leaflet' among patients visiting a university dental care centre, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A non-randomized educational intervention was conducted among the patients who had missing teeth. 350 participants were divided equally into two interventions groups- health education leaflet group and health education video group. Two major variants were ascertained; demand for prosthodontic dental care and awareness (knowledge) about importance of replacement of missing teeth. These two variants were studied for the difference in the scores between base line and at the end of the program i.e. after 3 months. Bivariate analysis was done with Chi square test, Mc Nemar Chi-square test and Wilcoxon matched-pairs tests and finally binary logistic regression analysis was done. RESULTS: Final analysis included 324 participants. There was improvement in both knowledge and demand for prosthodontic care in both the groups after health education, but statistically significant improvement in demand for dental care was observed in the health education video group compared to leaflet group (42.9% vs 63.2%). Logistic regression analysis identified that having missing teeth in anterior region of jaw and being into video group were two significant factors associated with increased demand for care. CONCLUSION: Health education video method was found to be effective method compared to leaflets in improving knowledge and demand for replacing missing teeth.

Cone-Beam Computed Tomography: A New Tool on the Horizon for Forensic Dentistry.

Teeth and bones of calvarium are important structures from a forensic point of view, as they are extremely resilient to destruction or decomposition, even under temperature variations. Radiology is inevitably an important tool in forensic investigations. Maxillofacial radiology provides a considerable amount of information for the identification of remains and evidence in case of legal matters. The advent of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the arena of maxillofacial 3D imaging has contributed immensely to forensic science such as the age estimation through teeth, analysis of bite marks, determination of race and sex, etc. The advantages of accuracy in imaging the anatomy, digitized technology favoring easier comparison of records and storage of records for a longer period, cost reduction, dose reduction, and easier portability have made it an unavoidable adjunct in forensic investigations. The aim of this paper is to review and highlight the importance of CBCT in successful forensic identification and analysis. This review is written to address the various aspects of CBCT as a recently developed technology that may be very useful in some forensic contexts, based on searches for current studies in the literature using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, to identify studies published since inception to December 2021, with no language restriction. In conclusion, CBCT is an accessible 3D imaging technology with many applications, one of them being in forensic sciences.