Evaluating empathy level amongst the dental students using jefferson scale of physician empathy- health professional students.

BACKGROUND: Empathy is described as one's ability to perceive and apprehend another person's feelings, situation, emotions, and problems as their own. Empathetic behavior increases patients' satisfaction, reduces discomfort, and helps with patient's satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Jefferson Empathy Scale and compare the measure of invariance within genders and amongst the public and private sector dental students. METHOD: This cross-sectional study utilized JSE-HPS version for research purpose. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to detect underlying factors. Reliability of the study tool was evaluated using Cronbach alpha test. Mann Whitney U test was used to compare the differences in scores between genders and among public and private university students while Student's t analysis compared the scores according to different domains. The level of significance was ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Females demonstrated higher empathy levels (88.52 ± 14.19) along with private institute students (88.46 ± 13.98). Perspective taking and compassionate care domain was also scored highest by the females (31.73 ± 6.49 & 29.31 ± 6.22) and among second year students (33.30 ± 7.11 & 30.50 ± 7.16). PCA analysis extracted 4 factors namely (i) Health-care-provider's sense of humor contributed to improved outcome (ii) Health-care provider's understanding of patients' feelings and of their families influences treatment outcomes (iii) Understanding body language is as important as verbal communication and (iv) Patients feel better when their feelings are understood, which accounted for the 59.51% of the total variance. CONCLUSION: The findings revealed that students from private institute and females demonstrated higher empathy score. Moreover, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) was found to be a reliable and validated tool for assessment of empathy in our sample population.

Accuracy of working length measurement with endo motor having built-in apex locator and comparison with periapical radiographs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of working length measurement with endomotor having builtin apex locator by comparing it with periapical radiographs. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Operative Dentistry, Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, from January to June 2014, and comprised permanent maxillary anterior teeth with mature apices. A preoperative radiograph was taken by using standardised paralleling technique. The access cavity was prepared by a high speed water-cooled diamond bur. After doing initial filing and drying the canal, the working length was taken with an endomotor with built-in apex locator in dual mode using the Protaper Rotary File S1. The length was measured using a millimeter scale. After attaining tentative working length from the pre-operative radiograph, 1mm was subtracted from the radiographic apex. A stainless steel K-file was placed in the canal at this length and a radiograph was taken by paralleling technique using intraoral film holder. The electronic and radiographic findings were noted. Accuracy was considered positive if the endomotor reading was 0-2mm short of the radiographic working length. Data was analysed using SPSS 16. RESULTS: Of the 96 cases, working length with X-Smart Dual was acceptable in 85(88.5%) cases, and unacceptable in 11(11.5%) cases. CONCLUSIONS: Accuracy of working length measurement with endomotor having built-in apex locator was found to be a better measuring tool compared to the conventional periapical radiographs.

Perception of dental students and faculty regarding the practice of professionalism in dentistry using the Professionalism Mini Evaluation Exercise (P-MEX).

BACKGROUND: Professionalism is one of the fundamental traits which includes behaviors, commitments, standards, and goals that helps define a profession. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the attitude of dental students and graduates regarding the practice of professionalism in dentistry using the Professionalism Mini Evaluation Exercise (P-MEX) questionnaire. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted amongst the dental undergraduates, lecturers and postgraduate faculty. Views regarding professionalism were assessed using the P-MEX. The 24-questions based survey form is comprised of questions related to doctor and patient relationship skills, reflective abilities, time management, and lastly, interprofessional relationship expertise. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics were done using mean and SD, whilst associations between responses were assessed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: From a total of 201 participants, 95 (47.3%) were males and 106 (52.7%) were females. Statistically significant association was seen between time management, reflective skills, and interpersonal skills with gender, as well as the domains of P-MEX and years of education. CONCLUSION: The use of P-MEX provides a valid confirmation for the assessment and awareness of professionalism amongst the dental faculty and students. Females demonstrated higher traits of professionalism as compared to males. The findings from the current study identify that students and faculty members had sufficient awareness regarding professionalism and the practice of professionalism was routinely followed.

Impact of COVID-19 on the self-esteem, psychological and dental esthetics of dental students.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has badly affected the mental health, quality of life, and self-esteem of students worldwide. OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to evaluate the psychological impact and self-esteem of dental students using Rosenberg self-esteem scale and PIDAQ during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: This cross-sectional research was conducted amongst the dental students studying at various dental colleges in Karachi, Pakistan from January to May 2022. Evaluation of psychological aspect and self-esteem of students was carried out using "Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ)", and "Rosenberg self-esteem scale" as perceived by students during the pandemic. For data analysis SPSS v24 was used. Data analysis comprised of descriptive analysis, Spearman correlation, One-way Anova and Linear regression. The level of significance of p value was less than 0.05. RESULTS: Overall 332 students participated, among which there were 181 females (54.5%), 151 males (45.5%). Dental self-confidence showed a negative relationship with social influence, psychological effect, and aesthetic concern, while it was positively linked with self-esteem during the pandemic. Social impact demonstrated association with psychological impact, aesthetic concern, and self-esteem, while it was negatively correlated with dental confidence. Rosenberg score showed positive correlation with all the variables. Statistically significant association was identified for variables when compared with gender. Regression analysis indicated association of age with dental confidence and RSS, while gender with social influence. CONCLUSION: The pandemic, aside from affecting the health of individuals worldwide, also badly affected the well-being, mental health, and self-esteem of the dental students. Dental aesthetics plays a crucial role in the mental wellbeing and self-esteem of the students.

A comparative analysis of online learning versus face-to-face learning approach in problem based learning in dentistry.

BACKGROUND: Problem-based learning (PBL), a student-centered approach which has been implemented in many educational institutes worldwide. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the proficiency of students in 5 key areas of PBL process and assess perceptions of students towards PBL learning using a self-explanatory questionnaire. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2020 to September 2022 and evaluated perceptions of 1st year dental students of Batch 2021 (having Face-to-face PBL sessions) and batch 2020 (having online PBL sessions) using a questionnaire. Three similar PBL cases were used, which assessed PBL parameters that included attendance, group dynamics, knowledge, communication skills and preparation. Statistical analysis was performed for all the categorical and continuous variables. RESULTS: Majority of Distance Learning (DL) group (66.7%) concurred that PBL helped improve their communication skills, decision making power (66.7%), self-directed learning (80%) and promoted interaction with peers (66.7) and teachers (68.9%). The Face -to- Face (FF) group demonstrated better scores (7.7±2.42 & 7.55±2.55) with respect to their attendance and group dynamics (7.44±2.17 & 8.02±2.40) in PBL 1 & 3 as compared to DL group. Overall, better performance in all the 5 key areas of PBL was observed for the FF group versus the DL group. CONCLUSION: The Distance learning (DL) group displayed a positive attitude and perception towards PBL as a learning strategy whereas Face-to-face (FF) group showed greater performance and proficiency in the key PBL parameters scores.

Post COVID-19 pandemic assessment of quality of life of dental students using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 bitterly jolted the lives of masses around the globe, and affected the physical, mental, health, and quality of life of majority of individuals. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the quality of life of dental students of public and private colleges and those residing in college accommodation and own home using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 402 dental students of a private and public university. Students' t-test was used to compare the data. Relationship between gender, institute and accommodation (college accommodation or own home) was assessed by multiple linear regression. P-value of < 0.05 was taken significant. RESULTS: The participants rated their quality of life to be good (mean Score 3.99±SD 0.93) during the post COVID-19 pandemic, while satisfaction with health was neutral to satisfactory (mean Score 3.77±SD 0.87). A significant difference regarding physical health and social relationship domains was observed between the private and public university students. Significant differences in all domains of QOL was also reported among students living in own homes versus those students utilizing college accommodation. CONCLUSION: The post COVID-19 quality of life of dental students in both private and public institutes differed with respect to physical and environmental domains. The difference was more significant among the student living in college accommodation than those living at home, which underscores that effort should be made to facilitate the students to improve their the quality of life post pandemic so that they may be more focused on studies and perform better.

Scientific trends on research on denture stomatitis based on Scopus database: A bibliometric analysis.

Background: Denture stomatitis is a clinical condition that affects people who wear removable maxillary dentures. It causes redness, soreness, and erythema and ultimately affects the general condition of the patient. The objective of this study was to analyze the leading countries, journals, organizations, and authors and the frequently used keywords associated with denture stomatitis. Material and Methods: A bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in the Scopus database was conducted, and the article titles, abstracts, and keywords were analyzed using the VOSviewer software. Denture stomatitis-related publications from 1960 to 2021 were collected. This study included only research papers published in English with "article" as the paper type and dentistry as the subject area. Results: Data from a total of 461 articles and 10 different journals were obtained. The papers were published in 64 different countries. Brazil and the United States of America were the top contributing countries, and the University of Sydney was the leading organization. Papers published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation received the highest number of citations, while author Gordon Ramage from the University of Glasgow received the highest number of citations. Conclusions: The bibliometric analysis revealed that the number of denture stomatitis-related publications indexed in the Scopus database is increasing globally. Since 2007, there has been an increase in research interest regarding denture stomatitis, with more publications from several countries expected to be published in different journals. Key words:Bibliometric analysis, denture, candida, VOSviewer, maxilla.

Role of mineral trioxide aggregate in dentistry: A bibliometric analysis using Scopus database.

OBJECTIVES: Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) has a long history of providing predictable clinical outcomes in dental applications especially in endodontic procedures. This bibliometric analysis aimed at evaluating the advancements of research in mineral trioxide aggregate and its use in the field of dentistry, together with the detection of most significant authors, organizations, countries, journals, papers, and the exploration of commonly used keywords using a structured approach. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The search was conducted using the Elsevier's Scopus database, gathering publication information related to MTA published from 1993 and 2021 July. Metadata comprising of titles, abstracts, keywords, authors, organizations, and countries were obtained. Bibliometric evaluators with respect to authors, articles published, journals, keywords, and top countries were scrutinized. Data was analyzed using VOS viewer. RESULTS: Between 1993 and 2021, an uptrend in the research performed on MTA was identified. Researchers from United States, Brazil, and Iran actively contributed on MTA, while papers from USA were highly cited. The Journal of Endodontics along with International Endodontic Journal were the top contributing academic journals. Hacettepe University, Turkey and Cardiff University from United Kingdom were the top most contributing organizations. Mahmoud Torabinejad was the most cited author. Most commonly used keywords included Mineral trioxide aggregate, silicate, oxide, root canal filling material. CONCLUSION: The global rise in the number of publications on mineral trioxide aggregate, tremendous networking and citations have been identified amongst various organizations, authors, and nations through this bibliometric analysis.

Current Scientific Research Trends on Salivary Biomarkers: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Salivary biomarkers are indicators of many biological and pathological conditions and provide further information regarding the early detection of diseases. This bibliometric analysis aims to identify and evaluate the scientific literature addressing salivary biomarkers from a dental perspective, to identify the most prolific organizations, authors, journals, countries, and keywords used within this research domain. An electronic search was performed using Elsevier's Scopus database. From a total of 587 retrieved papers (published between 1997 and 2021), 399 were selected. For the data analysis and its visualization, the title of the articles, year of publication, countries, authors, journals, articles, and keywords were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer (a bibliometric software program). An increase in the number of publications was identified from 1997 to 2021. The United States (U.S.) published the most papers (84) and received the highest citations (3778), followed by India and Brazil. The Journal of Periodontology published the highest number of articles (39) that received the highest citations. The University of Kentucky from the U.S. published most of the papers related to salivary biomarkers that received the highest citations. Timo Sorsa published the most papers (14 papers), while Craig Miller was the highest cited author (754 citations). Concerning the highly cited papers, a paper by Micheal et al., published in 2010, received the highest citations (487 citations). "Saliva", followed by "human", were the most common keywords used by the authors in the papers related to salivary biomarkers. The findings of this analysis revealed an increase in salivary biomarker-related publications that positively influenced the number of citations each paper received. The U.S. produced the most publications that received the highest citations, and the University of Kentucky, U.S., was the most prominent. The articles were mostly published in the Journal of Periodontology and received the highest number of citations.