Dental Anxiety and Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life among Rural Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the association between dental anxiety (DA) and oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among rural community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 390 rural community-dwelling older adults attending outpatient clinics of the Damanhur National Medical Institute during the year 2021. Three instruments were used: a demographic and clinical data structured interview schedule, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-5) questionnaire. All statistical analyses were considered significant at a p-value of ≤0.001. Results: The main results showed that the prevalence of DA among participants was 90.5%, and 66.9% of the studied elderly population were either extremely (phobic) or very anxious. Moreover, a significant association was found between older adults' DA and their OHRQoL (p ˂ 0.001). Conclusions: It was concluded that DA represents a common problem among rural community-dwelling older adults and is a predictor for poor OHRQoL. Raising community awareness about the importance of oral health and implementing measures to avoid DA through specialized community campaigns is recommended, particularly in rural areas.

Dietary Practices and Barriers to Adherence to Healthy Eating among King Faisal University Students.

Proper dietary practices should be developed during the student years that will continue into the future. This study aimed to identify the eating habits and dietary practices among King Faisal University (KFU) students, explore the barriers to adherence to healthy eating, associate the understanding of healthy diets with students' characteristics, and determine the association between body mass index (BMI) and awareness of the concept of healthy diets, academic discipline, and enrollment in a nutrition course. In this cross-sectional study, students were selected randomly and a questionnaire was distributed using an electronic platform through KFU email. Out of 564 students, nearly half (45.7%) reported eating snacks as their main food, and some (38.3%) reported eating with their family twice daily. The students rarely reported eating with friends (73%) or eating dates (48.8%). Furthermore, many reported that they were not consuming a balanced diet (42.6%). Some students (46.3%) reported taking breakfast daily, and 49.1% reported eating meals regularly. There was low consumption of vegetables (29.3%) and fruits (26.2%) among the students. The barriers to adherence to healthy eating were the availability of fast food (73.2%), high cost of healthy food (72.7%), limited time (59%), and laziness (57.1%). Statistically significant data indicated that the students with a normal BMI were more aware of the concept of healthy diets, studied medical and applied sciences, and were enrolled in KFU nutrition courses.

Effect of Phaseolus Vulgaris on Urinary Biochemical Parameters among Patients with Kidney Stones in Saudi Arabia.

The study purpose was to investigate the effect of Phaseolus Vulgaris (PV) on urinary biochemical parameters among patients with kidney stones. We conducted a randomized controlled study among 60 patients with kidney stones (size < 10 mm) in the nephrology unit of both government and private hospitals, Al-Ahsa. Urinary volume, calcium, magnesium, potassium, oxalate, uric acid, and power of hydrogen (pH) were assessed before and after the intervention of giving 250 g of PV consumption as an extract thrice weekly (2.2 L to 2.5 L per week) for 6 weeks, which was compared with control. A 't' test was used with the significance at 5%. Mean score of age was 44.5 ± 10.16 in PV group and 43.73 ± 9.79 in control. Four (13.3%) and two (6.7%) had family history of kidney stones. Body mass Index (BMI) mean was 26.44 ± 2.7 and 26.36 ± 2.65 in pre and post-test, respectively, which were significant (p = 0.01017). There were significant changes (p = 0.000) in urine volume from 1962 ± 152.8 to 2005 ± 148.8, calcium 205.4 ± 11.99 to 198.4 ± 12.52, potassium 44.07 ± 3.66 to 52.15 ± 4.37, oxalate 37.12 ± 5.38 to 33.02 ± 5.71, and uric acid 6.88 ± 0.7 to 6.31 ± 0.58. In conclusion, PV is effective management for the patients with kidney stones as it increases the urinary volume and enhances the elimination of small kidney stones.