Impact of Protracted War Crisis on Dental Students: A Comparative Multicountry Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of conflict and war crisis on dental students is poorly understood. Given the prolonged conflicts and political instability in the Arabic-speaking countries, it is crucial to investigate the effect of these conditions on dental students. This study aimed to assess the impact of protracted war on dental students by comparing the personal, university, and wider context challenges they face across war-affected and unaffected countries. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted including a convenience sample of dental students from 13 universities in 12 Arabic-speaking countries. Respondents were those at entry and exit points of their undergraduate dental training. A self-administered paper questionnaire collected anonymized data on sociodemographics, and personal, university, and wider context challenges that students were facing. Multivariable Poisson regression analyses were carried out. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 64.8%. The mean age was 21.2 (standard deviation = 2.1) years, with 68% of participants being female. After adjusting for age and sex, dental students in Arabic-speaking countries affected by protracted war crisis were significantly more likely to report wider context challenges compared to their counterparts in unaffected countries (n = 2448; beta = 1.12; 95% confidence interval: 1.10-1.13; P < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Dental students in Arabic-speaking countries affected by protracted war crisis were more likely to suffer from wider context challenges such as difficulties in attendance due to the deterioration of security and lack of flexibility of teaching time to accommodate the different circumstances induced by the war crisis. Supporting dental students in areas affected by protracted war crises is needed and may include developing online dental education programs.

Effect of dental trauma management resources on dental practitioners' confidence and knowledge: A pilot cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The knowledge of standardized care guidelines is critical to the confidence of practitioners in managing dental trauma. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the awareness, use and impact of the International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines, and the online Dental Trauma Guide on general dental practitioners' self-reported confidence and knowledge in managing traumatic dental injuries in the primary and permanent dentitions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, pre-piloted, 27-item self-administered questionnaire survey was distributed electronically to general dental practitioners' working within five member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar) between September and December 2020. Data were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test analysis for relevant comparisons. RESULTS: A total of 294 respondents completed the survey, with the majority being from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (47.4%) and Qatar (27.3%). A lack of evidence-based knowledge in managing traumatic dental injuries was evident among more than half of the respondents. Respondents who were cognizant of the recent International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines (2020) and those who use the Dental Trauma Guide routinely demonstrated a higher self-reported confidence level in managing both simple and complex primary dentition trauma, as well as simple traumatic dental injuries in the permanent dentition (p < .05). CONCLUSION: This survey highlights critical deficiencies in the knowledge of a large number of the respondents in the management of dental trauma which is likely to cause irreversible long-term patient effects.

Palatine Tonsilloliths: A Retrospective Study on 500 Digital Panoramic Radiographs.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate palatine tonsilloliths in the Lebanese population via digital panoramic radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Digital panoramic radiographs of a sample of 500 Lebanese adult patients (281 females and 219 males) with an average age of 47.9 years were included in this study and assessed for tonsilloliths. The IBM® SPSS® (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) version 20.0 for Windows was used to carry out statistical analysis of the data collected. RESULTS: Tonsilloliths were found in 7.2% of cases (36 out of 500; belonging to 18 females and 18 males). Among these, 13 cases were on the right side, 12 on the left side and 11 were bilateral. Affected patients' age ranged from 24 to 84 years (mean of 61 years). There was no statically significant relation between tonsilloliths presence and gender, while a low positive correlation was observed between tonsilloliths and age (r = 0.193). CONCLUSION: Palatine tonsilloliths may be discovered fortuitously on panoramic radiographs utilized regularly in dental offices; their incidence increases with age. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Panoramic radiographs may have a beneficial role in detecting palatine tonsilloliths sometimes connected to unpleasant symptoms such as non-specific chronic halitosis.

Inflammatory Paradental Cyst in the Mandibular Region: A Report of Two Cases.

A distinctive form of paradental cyst can occur on the buccal and apical aspects of erupted mandibular molars. This cyst has peculiar clinical and radiographic features, although the microscopic findings are the same as those of odontogenic inflammatory cysts. Diagnostic and therapeutic problems can occur when this lesion is misinterpreted as a radicular cyst. The purpose of this paper is to present two additional cases of a paradental cyst in the buccal and mesial aspects of a mandibular first molar involving the apical area. The difficulty of diagnosis, treatment, and controversies regarding terminology are also discussed.

Management of Maxillary Premolar with Pre-eruptive Intracoronal Resorption: A 5-year Follow-up Case.

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The present article aims to describe and discuss the preventive clinical management of a pre-eruptive intracoronal resorption (PEIR) defect on a maxillary right second premolar of an 11-year, 5-month-old girl. BACKGROUND: Pre-eruptive intracoronal resorption is described as an abnormal, well-circumscribed, radiolucent area, occurring within the coronal dentinal tissue close to the dentinoenamel junction of unerupted teeth and extending into various depths of the dentin. It is a rare anomaly occurring in primary and permanent dentitions. In the past, these defects were misdiagnosed as caries, and were therefore called "pre-eruptive caries" or "hidden caries". Currently, the most acceptable etiological hypothesis for PEIR is intracoronal resorption by the invasion of resorptive cells into the dentine through breakdowns in the enamel during crown formation. These lesions are often detected accidentally during routine dental radiographic examination. CASE DESCRIPTION: A fissure sealant was applied to the affected tooth shortly after its eruption. Clinical and radiographical assessments were scheduled every 6 months for a period of 5 years and 5 months. CONCLUSION: The preventive approach proved to be effective in preserving the tooth vital and asymptomatic with normal root development for the entire follow-up period. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This article raises awareness about misdiagnosed PEIR in primary and permanent dentitions. A close inspection of radiographs, taken during routine visits and orthodontic check-ups, is important for early detection and proper management of such defects. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Ambriss B, Moukarzel C, Ezzeddine M, et al. Management of Maxillary Premolar with Pre-eruptive Intracoronal Resorption: A 5-year Follow-up Case. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(1):161-166.

Behavior of Lebanese Pediatricians regarding Children's Oral Health.

AIM: The aim of the study is to evaluate the behavior of Lebanese pediatricians regarding children's oral health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study including 100 Lebanese pediatricians was performed. They answered 11 questions. Three variables were taken into consideration: The number of years in practice, the place and the type of practice. RESULTS: The answers were tabulated according to the latter three subdivisions. 97.7% of pediatricians who have been practicing for more than 5years reported inquiring about whether a child is taking a milk/juice bottle overnight as compared to 76.9% of pediatricians who have been practicing for less than five years. The majority of pediatricians working in cities/big villages (98.9%) and 76.9% in small villages do look for cavities during oral examination. DISCUSSION: Independently of the years in practice, the majority of pediatricians look for cavities and check the mucosa/ tongue during the oral examination. The results regarding dental examination revealed a significant difference between the pediatricians working in cities/big villages (98.9%) and those in small villages (76.9%). Regarding the frequent diagnosis of ECC, there is also a significant difference between pediatricians working in cities/ big villages (74.7%) and those working in small villages (46.2%). CONCLUSION: The behavior of the Lebanese pediatricians regarding children's oral health is not satisfactory. In their daily practice, pediatricians need to have more interaction with pediatric dentists and should take into consideration the AAP and AAPD recommendations.How to cite this article: Noueiri B, Nassif N, Bacho R. Behavior of Lebanese Pediatricians regarding Children's Oral Health. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(4):379-383.

Awareness of Lebanese Pediatricians regarding Children's Oral Health.

Pediatricians have an important role in early identification and prevention of oral health, but they reported lack of knowledge in this field. AIM: the aim of the study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of Lebanese pediatricians regarding children's oral health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study including 100 Lebanese pediatricians was performed. They answered 21 questions. Three variables were taken into consideration: The number of years in practice, the place and type of practice. RESULTS: 73.6% of pediatricians with more than 5 years in practice, 63.5% of pediatricians with an exclusive private practice and 74.7% of pediatricians working in cities/big villages believe that a child is able to brush properly his teeth before the age of 5 years. Only 27.6% of pediatricians with more than 5 years in practice, or working in cities/big villages and 12.7% of those having an exclusive private practice admit that white and black spots are signs of affected teeth. DISCUSSION: Majority of our pediatricians reported that bottle feeding is associated with early childhood caries. They do not believe that the maternal milk can harm the baby's teeth. Concerning the transmission from mother to child of the bacteria responsible for dental caries, the reported percentages were not statistically different in relation to pediatricians' years of experience, type and place of practice. Pediatricians who are academically affiliated were more likely to report that fluoride is safe compared to those practicing in the private sector (P = 0,012). The majority believe that there is a relation between systematic manifestation such as fever and eruption of primary teeth. CONCLUSION: The Lebanese pediatricians have an acceptable level of knowledge in children's oral health, but should be better informed and motivated toward dental and oral issues. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Nassif N, Noueiri B, Bacho R, Kassak K. Awareness of Lebanese Pediatricians regarding Children's Oral Health. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(1):82-88.