Dental fear in primary school children and its relation to dental caries.

BACKGROUND: Successful management of dental fear in children prevents its progression into adulthood. This study aimed to assess the level of dental fear among school children and to determine its relationship with dental caries. The study design was a cross-sectional analytical study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of 1,546 primary school children were randomly selected. The Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) was completed in class to assess child dental fear. Caries experience was measured as decayed, missed, and filled permanent and primary teeth (DMFT/dmft) according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. RESULTS: Approximately 24% of the participated children had high dental fear, and 12.50% of them had severe dental fear. Girls had higher rate of severe dental fear than boys (20% vs. 5%). The severity of caries was significantly increased in children who had higher fear scores (P = 0.035). CONCLUSION: About one quarter of 6- to 12-year-old children had dental fear; about half of them had severe dental fear. Dental fear has a direct relationship with decayed permanent teeth and an inverse relationship with restored permanent teeth.

BK polyomavirus association with colorectal cancer development.

The development of human neoplasms can be provoked by exposure to one of several viruses. Burkitt lymphoma, cervical carcinoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma are associated with Epstein-Barr, human papilloma, and hepatitis B virus infections, respectively. Over the past three decades, many studies have attempted to establish an association between colorectal cancer and viruses, with debatable results. The aim of the present research was to assess the presence of BK polyomavirus (BKV) DNA and protein in colorectal cancer samples from patients in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia. DNA extracted from archival samples of colorectal cancer tissues was analyzed for BKV sequences using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques. In addition, expression of a BKV protein was assessed using immunohistochemical staining. None of the tumor and control samples examined tested positive for BKV DNA in PCR assays. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining failed to detect viral proteins in both cancer and control specimens. These results may indicate that BKV is not associated with the development of colorectal adenocarcinoma in patients in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia.