Comparing student and staff perceptions of the "Educational Climate" in Spanish Dental Schools using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the perceptions of students and teachers of the "Educational Climate" (EC) in Spanish public dental schools. METHODS: A group of 1064 students and 354 teachers from six Spanish public dental schools responded to the DREEM questionnaire. This has 50 items grouped into five subscales: perception of learning (Learning); perception of teachers (Teachers); academic self-perceptions (Academic); perception of the atmosphere in the faculty (Atmosphere); and social self-perceptions (Social). The DREEM scale provides results for each item, each subscale and the overall EC. RESULTS: The EC scores were 123.2 (61.6%) for the students and 134.1 (67.0%) for the teachers (P<.001). The scores of the students and teachers for the subscales were, respectively: 27.9 (58.1%) and 30.2 (63.0 %) for Learning (P<.001); 26.8 (60.9%) and 32.6 (74.1%) for Teachers (P<.001); 20.7 (64.7%) and 20.5 (64.0%) for Academic (P=.333); 29.9 (62.3%) and 33.7 (70.3%) for Atmosphere (P<.001); and 17.9 (64.0%) and 16.9 (60.5%) for Social (P<.001). The students identified six problematic items (12.0 %) compared to only two (4.0 %) highlighted by the teachers. CONCLUSION: The students and teachers considered the EC to be "more positive than negative" in Spanish public dental schools; and the different subscales to be "positive and acceptable." The teachers did, however, evaluate the EC, and specifically the learning-teaching process, more positively than their students, identifying fewer problematic educational aspects. Both groups agreed on the need to: improve support systems for students who suffer from stress and reduce teaching based on "factual learning."

In situ neutralisation of the antibacterial effect of 0.2% Chlorhexidine on salivary microbiota: Quantification of substantivity.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the substantivity of a single 0.2% Chlorhexidine mouthwash in saliva after its neutralisation with tooth-brushing and 1% acetic acid, in order to identify the effect of Chlorhexidine substantivity in regard to the re-growing period of the salivary bacteria. METHODS: Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from a group of 15 healthy individuals at baseline (BS), and then 30s and 1, 3, 5 and 7h after the following protocols were performed: a single sterile water mouthwash (M-WATER) (negative control), a single 0.2% Chlorhexidine mouthwash (M-0.2% CHX) (positive control) and a single 0.2% Chlorhexidine mouthwash followed by a complete and detailed tooth-brushing, and a single 1% acetic acid mouthwash (M-0.2% CHX+NP). The samples were analysed using an epifluorescence microscope in combination with LIVE/DEAD(®) BacLight™ fluorescence solution. RESULTS: After the M-0.2% CHX treatment, the bacterial vitality was significantly lower than BS until 7h (87.6 ± 6.5% vs. 73.6 ± 8.8%; p<0.001). However, after M-0.2% CHX+NP, the bacterial vitality remained significantly lower until 3h with regard to BS (81.4 ± 3.8% vs. 68.1 ± 10.6%; p=0.001), increasing at 5 and 7h (no differences from BS). CONCLUSION: The immediate antibacterial effect of a single 0.2% Chlorhexidine mouthwash is so potent that the bacterial population needs more than 3h to return to baseline bacterial vitality levels. The substantivity of a 0.2% Chlorhexidine mouthwash is a property that significantly increases its antibacterial activity from the first hour and contributes to extend the duration of its effect by at least double.