Levels of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Saudi Arabia's Medical and Dental Practitioners: A Cross-Sectional Study Following the Covid-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND Healthcare providers, particularly in dentistry and medicine, experience high stress levels, exacerbated by factors like patient anxiety, clinical work, and continuous training. The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased these risks. This study aimed to assess depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) among dental and medical practitioners in Saudi Arabia, investigating influential factors on their psychological behavior. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this cross-sectional study conducted in July and August 2021, the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) was administered through a Google questionnaire. Data analysis involved stepwise mode modeling and bivariate analysis, with a significant P value <0.05, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. RESULTS The study included 376 dentists and 201 medical practitioners. Most worked more than four days a week, slept under six hours nightly, and were non-smokers. DAS scores indicated depression (51.7-57.4%), anxiety (50.7-58.2%), and stress (54.2-60.1%). Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed among younger, single, female, and lower-income participants. Higher DAS scores correlated with less sleep, extensive social media use, and smoking history. Socio-demographic factors were mostly non-significant for medical practitioners, except social media use. Sleep duration significantly impacted stress levels, while specialty, income, and marital status influenced depression CONCLUSIONS DAS levels were notably higher in dentists compared to medical practitioners, particularly regarding anxiety. The impact of socioeconomic factors varied, being more statistically significant for dentists.

Evaluation of Root Canal Morphology of Maxillary Second Premolars and Its Relation to Maxillary Sinus in a Saudi Arabian Population.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the root canal anatomy of maxillary second premolars, and its relation to the maxillary sinus in a Saudi Arabian population using cone-beam computed tomography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of 301 patients (602 Teeth) were obtained from a Cone-beam Computed Tomography Database of the College of Dentistry, Jazan University from February 2020 to January 2022. The number of roots, root canals, and the relationship between the root apices of maxillary second premolars and the floor of the maxillary sinuses were studied. The data was recorded, tabulated, and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: A majority of maxillary second premolars were single-rooted (78.74%), followed by double-rooted (20.76%) and three-rooted (0.5%). Two canals (59.1%) were seen in the majority of the examined teeth, followed by one canal (40.4%) and three canals (0.5%). The roots of the maxillary second premolars were predominantly (69.17%) outside the sinus. Nineteen percent of roots were in contact with the floor of the maxillary sinus with no significant difference between buccal and palatal roots, and around twelve percent (11.73%) of roots were inside the maxillary sinus. CONCLUSIONS: The root canal system morphology of maxillary second premolars showed a wide range of anatomical variations in the Saudi Arabian population with a predominance of single roots. Most of the roots were located outside the sinus followed by in contact and then inside the sinus. Three-rooted second premolars were exceedingly rare. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The cognizance of maxillary second premolar root canal anatomy and its relation to maxillary sinus would be a valuable affirmation for dentists of different nationalities treating the Saudi Arabian population to ensure a successful endodontic treatment.

Management of Multiple Idiopathic Root Resorption in a Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient: A Case Report with 4-year Follow-up.

Cervical root resorption is a rare destructive disease that originates from the external cervical root surface. It has a multifactorial etiology. Cervical root resorption may affect several teeth and its treatment can be complicated due to the size, location, and extension of the resorptive defect. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that has systemic effects. The objective of this article was to report a rare case of multiple idiopathic cervical resorptions in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. A 52-year-old male patient with a 20-year history of rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed with multiple idiopathic cervical resorptions through cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and clinical examination. All known causes for cervical resorption were ruled out after a detailed anamnesis. This report details inflammation due to rheumatoid arthritis as a possible cause of idiopathic cervical resorption. The systemic alterations wrought by rheumatoid arthritis could be related to the etiopathogenesis of cervical root resorption. Non-surgical endodontic treatment was done for the maxillary left canine. The defect was surgically repaired using bioceramic putty. The 12-month recall revealed the good healing of the periodontal and periradicular conditions with no obvious clinical symptoms. At the 36-month recall visit, clinical and radiographic evidence of deterioration in the repair material was observed. At the 54-month follow-up, deterioration of repair material was observed with an increase in the extension of resorption in tooth 14 was detected. Reasons for this deterioration remain unclear. Ruling out all other factors for cervical root resorption, how rheumatoid arthritis contributes to cervical root resorption is still lacking/unclear. Dental care providers must be vigilant for signs of cervical root resorption in vulnerable patients with rheumatoid arthritis for early diagnosis and prompt treatment. Keywords: External root resorption, Inflammatory markers, Multiple root resorption, Rheumatoid arthritis, Resorption repair.

Psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on dental students: A nationwide study.

OBJECTIVES: Public mental health concerns have been raised during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the psychological impact of the pandemic on dental students in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among dental students from different universities in Saudi Arabia selected using 2-stage cluster sampling. The psychological impact was assessed using the validated Arabic version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Item questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. The Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used as appropriate. A chi-squared test was used to compare the proportions between the sociodemographic data and logistic regression analysis to identify variables associated with the student's responses. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the scale was excellent (0.954). A total of 697 dental students participated voluntarily in the study; their mean age was 21.76 ± 1.859 years, and 54.7% were female. The majority (96.1%) were single, and 69.4% lived in a household of > 5 persons. Significant differences in mental health outcomes were evident for gender, university, and survey time. Elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were recorded among 60.64%, 37.02%, and 34.92%, respectively, of the students. Females, students who lived alone, and junior students were more likely to experience psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of elevated levels of depression, anxiety and stress among dental students highlights the need for psychological empowerment strategies involving institutional counseling services.

Middle Mesial and Middle Distal Canals in Mandibular First Molar.

BACKGROUND: Root canal anatomy is a complex entity. The main objective of root canal treatment is to get rid of the infection and have a good apical and coronal seal with an appropriate filling. Inability to achieve thorough cleaning and shaping followed by three-dimensional obturation of the root canal system usually causes root canal treatment failure. For this reason, clinicians should be aware of these anatomical variations to achieve successful treatment. AIM: The aim of this article is to report on the successful treatment and follow-up of mandibular first molar with additional middle mesial (MM) and middle distal (MD) canals. CASE REPORT: A 29-year-old white male patient reported with a complaint of pain in relation with tooth #19. On clinical examination, diagnosis of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with symptomatic apical periodontitis and condensing osteitis was made and nonsurgical root canal treatment was planned. Initially, two mesial and two distal canals were located, and the patient was planned for the obturation in the second visit. The complaint of mild persistent symptoms gave a possibility of additional canals. Under the dental operating microscope and selective troughing on the floor of the pulp chamber with ultrasonic tips, additional canals were located as MM and MD canals. CONCLUSION: Leaving some area of the root canal system untreated is found to be one of the main reasons for root canal treatment failure. Dentists should take advantage of new tools, such as dental operating microscope and ultrasonic tips to be able to locate and treat the hidden and unusual anatomy. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Mandibular first molar with six canals is very rare to encounter. Clinician should have a thorough knowledge of these unusual anatomy to avoid treatment failure due to incomplete disinfection of the root canal system.