The Effect of Full-Mouth Rehabilitation on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life for Children with Special Health Care Needs.

OBJECTIVES: Changes in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among 40 children with special health care needs (CSHCN) aged 5-14 years before and 12 months after full-mouth rehabilitation (FMR) under general anesthesia (GA) in two hospitals in Jeddah city were assessed. STUDY DESIGN: The questionnaire was delivered to the parents/caregivers at baseline (pre-operative) and at the 12-month post-operative follow-up visit. Medical and dental histories and clinical findings were correlated accordingly. RESULTS: The follow-up response rate was 87.5% with 35 children completing a 12-month follow-up visit. The age range was from 5 to 12 years with a mean of 7.3 ± 2.4 years. More than half of the study sample was boys (63%) in the 5-8 year age-group (69%). The impact on OHRQoL was reportedly negative before FMR under GA, with overall scores ranging from 12 to 68 and a mean of 43.34 ± 14.83. OHRQoL improved significantly in all aspects evaluated (P<0.05) following FMR under GA with overall scores ranging from 4 to 41 and a mean of 18.86 ± 8.54. CONCLUSIONS: Treating CSHCN under GA, with 3-month recall visits for the patients, had a significant long-term effect on their OHRQoL extending up to 12 months postoperatively.

Assessment of pediatricians dental knowledge, attitude and behavior in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

UNLABELLED: Early assessment of the oral health status of children has the potential to reduce or even eliminate oral diseases. Parents rarely take their children to dentist early enough to control dental diseases. However, parents contact pediatricians several times even before the child is born and during the child's early life. Accordingly, pediatricians are considered a perfect and reliable source for oral health control and prevention. AIM: To measure the dental knowledge, attitude and behavior (KAB) of pediatricians in the City of Jeddah regarding oral health status and methods for prevention of dental diseases in children. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Questionnaires consisting of 40 demographic and KAB's questions were distributed to all pediatricians in Jeddah city (605 pediatricians). The KABs' questions consisted of general dental knowledge, preventive dental measures, timing for referral, diet counseling, parafunctional habits and handling of traumatized teeth. A score was given for each question. Percentages of total scores of KABs were compared. RESULTS: The response rate of pediatricians in Jeddah city (363) was 60%. Their mean age was 39.57 years. Pediatricians' KABs were found to be unsatisfactory. The most important observation was that the concept of oral health prevention was deficient. Pediatricians' awareness of fissure sealants, fluoride, dietary counseling, time of first dental visits and thumb sucking were quite limited Pediatricians' knowledge was significantly lower than their attitude and behavior's scores. CONCLUSION: In general, pediatricians' knowledge, attitudes and behavior regarding oral health were not satisfactory.

The silent epidemic of common oral diseases among the Arab population: An emerging health problem.

Oral diseases are often ignored in public health policy within the Arab world, despite being a prevalent public health problem exerting a significant continuous increasing socioeconomic cost. This review paper explored the current status of the common oral diseases (dental caries, periodontal disease, oral cancer, and oro-facial trauma) in the Arab world through a literature search of the PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Google databases between 1998 and 2021. The literature available revealed sufficient evidence to support that oral diseases are highly prevalent in Arab nations. Collective, multi-sectorial action to reduce and eliminate oral diseases among the Arab population has become an urgent need.

Influence of full mouth rehabilitation on oral health-related quality of life among disabled children.

The efficacy of full mouth rehabilitation (FMR) on oral health-related quality of life of physically disabled children was assessed. This prospective study was performed at Dental Department of Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City, Riyadh, and King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during May 2012 to September 2014. A total of 186 physically disabled children aged 11-14 years were assigned to a test group (n = 97) or a control group (n = 89). FMR was applied for test group children at baseline and 3 months' visits, whereas those in the control group did not receive FMR. Both group children received dental kits and oral hygiene instructions. Children were asked to complete the Child Perceptions Questionnaire, whereas Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire and Family Distress Domain questionnaire were completed by the parents/caregivers at baseline and 6 months' visits. Children in both groups showed positive trends in oral symptoms at 6 months compared with those at baseline. However, when they were compared to control, significant improvement in oral symptoms was observed in the test group at 6 months' visit (p < .05). Also when they were compared to control, significant improvements were observed in the functional limitation, emotional, and social well-being subscales of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire and on the Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire scales at the end of the study (p < .05). Compared to the parents/caregivers of the control children, the parents/caregivers of the test-group children reported insignificant but positive trends in Family Distress Domain at the end of the study (p < .05). FMR in children reduced oral-related problems subsequently to a better oral health-related quality of life.

Antibiotic prescription and dental practice within Saudi Arabia; the need to reinforce guidelines and implement specialty needs.

The aim of the present survey was to analyse the frequency and type of antibiotic prescriptions used in dental practice in Saudi Arabia, to assess the awareness of periodontal treatment need among dentists and specialists and to evaluate the distribution of dental specialties in Saudi Arabia. We distributed a questionnaire to 378 dentists including different specialists working in various major hospitals and dental departments. This same questionnaire was then redistributed, 3 years later, to 211 participants. Results from both surveys indicated that antibiotics were not always prescribed on a scientific basis. Cost was the most significant factor (p < 0.05). Interestingly, and although periodontal disease was included as one of the possible causes of infections, the penicillin group was shown to be the group of choice (p < 0.007) and was prescribed by 45% of all participants, metronidazole and tetracyclines followed and were the second most commonly prescribed antibiotics in both surveys (p < 0.05). It was further demonstrated that although the need for periodontics is present among patients and specialists, it is one of the least practised specialties (p < or = 0.008) along with oral surgery (p < or = 0.36).

Evaluation of adjunctive systemic doxycycline with non-surgical periodontal therapy within type 2 diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of systemic doxycycline on clinical and microbiological parameters of diabetic subjects with chronic periodontitis. METHODS: This 9-month multi-center, randomized, parallel, single-blinded study was conducted from different hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between April 2010 and December 2010. A total of 76 diabetic subjects with chronic periodontitis were randomized into 2 groups: control group (CG) received only scaling and root planing (SRP), and the treatment group (TG) receiving systemic doxycycline during the reevaluation visit 45 days after the completion of SRP. Probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, gingival index, plaque index, and bleeding on probing were collected at baseline, 45 days after SRP, and one, 3, and 6 months  after the use of systemic doxycycline. Microbiological analysis comprised the detection of Tannerella forsythia (Tf), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), and Prevotella intermedia (Pi) by polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: Sixty-eight (33 CG and 35 TG) subjects completed the study. Greater reduction in the population of Tf, Pg, and Pi were observed in TG compared with CG in the first month after the administration of systemic doxycycline. The TG showed a significant improvement in gingival index scores compared with the CG (p<0.05) by the end of the first and 6 months after the administration of doxycycline. CONCLUSION: Adjunct systemic doxycycline can be associated with a reduction of Tf, Pg, and Pi in the first month after the administration of doxycycline with an improvement in the GI. 

Oral health in children with chronic renal failure.

Seventy children with chronic renal failure (CRF) aged 4-13.6 years were recruited from the Renal Unit of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. Indices were recorded for dental caries, dental plaque, gingival inflammation, gingival enlargement, and enamel defects. Salivary urea, buffering capacity, and the oral streptococcal flora were determined for 25 of the children. A significantly greater proportion of the CRF children was caries free, 40% compared with 8.5% of the controls. The mean plaque score was significantly greater in the CRF group for both the primary 12.7 (16) and permanent dentition 22.0 (18.2) compared with the controls, 5.3 (7.6) and 15.5 (13.3), respectively. Eight CRF children had gingival enlargement. Enamel defects affecting the permanent teeth were observed in 57% of the CRF children compared with 33% of the controls. The buffering capacity was significantly greater in the CRF group, pH 6.4 (0.5) compared with the controls pH 5.6 (0.8). The mean salivary urea level (mmol/l) was significantly greater in the CRF children, 11.6 (5.9) compared with 3.6 (1.4) for the controls. The isolation frequency of Streptococcus mutans was significantly greater from controls compared with the CRF children ( P=0.002). An integrated dental service needs to be developed with emphasis on tooth brushing to prevent gingival hyperplasia and periodontal disease after puberty.