Desirable clinical settings in general dentistry: moving towards the improvement of the educational program.

BACKGROUND: The main task of dental schools is to prepare professional dentists with a high social responsibility. This study provided some practical suggestions from experts regarding desirable clinical settings, in order to establish an infrastructure for practical studies in Endodontics, Periodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Restorative Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine, Prosthodontics, Oral Health, and Social Dentistry. METHODS: This research was conducted using a modified Delphi technique in two rounds. The first round involved qualitative content analysis. Participants in interviews were selected purposeful and maximum diversity across the country. To determine the validity and reliability of the data, the four axes proposed by Lichon and Guba were utilized. The second round involved a researcher-made questionnaire, which consisted of 55 questions. This questionnaire was distributed to all dental schools across the country. The validity of the questionnaire were evaluated and by experts and then reviewed. The reliability of the tool was determined to be 0.96 using the alpha coefficient method. RESULTS: The final codes from the interviews of the first round were divided into two categories: settings and educational programs. The final results of research were placed into 2 section: educational settings and instructors, and educational infrastructures. 70% participants agreed to use the college's clinical morning sessions. More than 80% agreed to start up a main clinic with the proposed structure and professors. The use of the hospitalization area also had an agreement of more than 80%. Additionally, community areas such as health service centers, welfare centers, special patient centers, factories, schools, etc. obtained an agreement of over 70%. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are presented in the form of suggestions for improving the general dentistry program in relation to educational setting, educators, and educational infrastructures. The common agreement among participants regarding educational settings and their diversity, educational programs, and desired instructors reviewed in the research shows the necessity of reviewing and changing their educational programs in Endodontics, Periodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Restorative Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine, Prosthodontics, Oral Health, and Social Dentistry.

Effect of an Er,Cr:YSGG Laser on the Surface of Implants: A Descriptive Comparative Study of 3 Different Tips and Pulse Energies.

Peri-implant diseases are one of the main complications of dental implants. There are no well-established guidelines regarding laser parameters for implant decontamination. The aim was to compare two different settings of irradiation of the Er,Cr:YSGG laser on dental implants regarding surface alterations and determine the best settings for less damage on the surface. An in vitro study was performed and 30 areas of dental implants were irradiated with two different regimes of energy per pulse 50 and 84 mJ (1.5 W/30 Hz and 2.5 W/30 Hz). A total of 30 sites of implants were irradiated with three different tips (10 surfaces per tip): conical (RTF3-17 mm), side firing (SFT8-18 mm) and cylindrical (MGG6-6 mm). The following descriptive classification on surface damage was employed: no damage (class A), minimal effects (class B), metal fall with melting (class C), and destruction with carbonization (class D). The assessment was made through a descriptive scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Side firing and conical tips at 50 mJ were classified as class A. Side firing at 84 mJ and cylindrical tips 50 mJ and 84 mJ were classified as class B. Finally, class C defects were found in the areas where the conical tip was used at 84 mJ. Side firing and conical tips at 50 mJ do not seem to damage the implant surface.