Edentulousness among Patients Visiting a Dental Unit of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Edentulousness (partial or complete) is a sequel of tooth loss and is an indicator of the oral health status of a population. Edentulousness has a series of deleterious consequences for oral and general health. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of edentulousness among patients visiting the dental unit of a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out based on hospital records of patients visiting the Department of Oral Medicine and Prosthodontics of a tertiary care centre from 1 January 2019 to 30 December 2019 to see the prevalence of edentulousness. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 077/ 078 /40). A convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 4697 patients, edentulousness was found in 403 (8.58%) (7.78-9.38, 95% Confidence Interval). Partial edentulous were 263 (65.30%) and complete edentulous were 140 (34.70%). Of the total partial edentulous patient, Kennedy's class III found in 200 (76.05%) was the most common pattern followed by Kennedy's class I in 32 (12.17%), class II in 21 (7.98%) and class IV in 10 (3.80%) patients respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of edentulousness was similar to other studies done in similar settings. Since edentulousness is a preventable problem, it should be addressed with high priority. Keywords: dental health service; edentulous mouth; Nepal; prevalence.

Prevalence and Distribution of Oral Mucosal Lesions and Normal Variants among Nepalese Population.

Background: Oral mucosa is encountered by various lesions and normal variants. Some are not to be worried about, whereas others may be of significance. Knowing the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in a particular region helps better evaluate, diagnose, and, thus, manage these lesions. Objectives: To assess the prevalence and distribution of oral mucosal lesions and normal variants among various age groups, genders, and sites of the orofacial region. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital from January 2021 to March 2021. Three different proformas were designed according to age, gender, and location of lesions for entry as per the WHO's guide. The obtained data were entered into a Microsoft Excel sheet for frequency analysis by SPSS, and the results were tabulated. Results: Among the records of 16572 (9703 (58.55%) males and 6869 (41.44%) females) OPD patients, 3495 (21.08%) (1934 (55.33%) males and 1561 (44.66%) females) had OMLs and 2314 (13.96%) (1626 (70.26%) males and 688 (29.73%) females) had normal mucosal variants. The most commonly seen OML categories were tobacco-associated lesions, i.e., 2056 (34.07%), tongue lesions, i.e., 1598 (26.48%), oral potentially malignant disorders, i.e., 815 (13.50%), ulcers i.e., 728 (12.06%), and infectious lesions, i.e., 256 (4.24%). Conclusion: The Nepalese population has a wide range of oral mucosal lesions and normal variants, and this study has attempted to have baseline data for the same. The most common OML was smoker's melanosis.

Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Among First Year Medical and Dental Students in Nepal.

Introduction: Health professional education curricula in Nepal do not include interprofessional education (IPE). Though a previous study conducted in Nepal identified positive attitudes among medical and nursing students, so far there are no studies assessing the health professional students' readiness toward IPE. The aim of the study was to assess the readiness for IPE among medical and dental students. Methods: The present cross-sectional study explored the readiness of conveniently selected first-year medical and dental students towards IPE and compared readiness among subgroups of respondents. The readiness was assessed through an online survey using the standard Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) during June 2021. The nineteen questions in RIPLS were categorized under four domains: teamwork and collaboration (items 1-9), negative professional identity (items 10-12), positive professional identity (items 13-16), and roles and responsibilities (items 17-19). The individual statements were scored and assessed as per the study objectives. The scores were not normally distributed, so non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal Wallis test) were used. Results: A total of 83 students (69 medical and 14 dental) students responded. The median total score was 75, IQR 6 with the maximum score being 95. The median (IQR) scores for the domains teamwork and collaboration were 38 (IQR 3), negative professional identity 11 (IQR 2), positive professional identity 16 (IQR 3), roles and responsibilities 10 (3). The scores were different between students aged 20 years and below = 37, and above 20 years = 38; (p =< 0.001) in the negative professional identity domain and the total score (p = 0.001). The scores were also different among those with and without previous learning exposure with other discipline students in the same class (p = 0.046). A high median score of 5 was achieved for 8 out of 19 statements in the questionnaire. Conclusion: The findings showed a high level of readiness for IPE among student respondents. Study findings can be considered as a positive factor for implementing IPE sessions.

Assessment of Condylar Shape through Digital Panoramic Radiograph among Nepalese Population: A Proposal for Classification.

Background: Panoramic radiograph is the first and most commonly advised radiograph for screening of temporomandibular joints/condyles. Different shapes of the mandible have been discussed by various authors with no consensus for a definite classification for condyle shape. This study was conducted with the objective to observe various shapes of condyles, symmetry of bilateral condyles, and variations of condyle shapes among males and females. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on digital panoramic radiographs available at a tertiary center of Lalitpur from 25.12.2020 to 20.06.2021 after ethical approval from the institutional review board (reference no. 077/078/27). Panoramic radiographs were selected on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria, and various shapes of condyles were noted on HP 15 inch flat LED monitor (1280 × 1024). The collected data was analyzed using SPSS (chi-square test: a p value of < 0.05 was considered significant). Intra- and interobserver agreement was observed for condylar shapes. Results: Among the selected 850 panoramic radiographs (1700 condyles), most of them, i.e., 1343 (79%), were round/oval, followed by flattened, i.e., 149 (8.76%), diamond/angled, i.e., 93 (5.47%), crooked finger shaped, i.e., 28 (1.6%), and mixed, i.e., 46 (2.7%), and the least common shape observed was bifid, i.e., 40 (2.3%) (18 (2.1%) left condyle and 22 (2.6%) right condyle). Conclusions: Six different types of condyle shapes were noted: type I, oval; type II, flat; type III, diamond; type IV, mixed; type V, bifid; and type VI, crooked finger among the study population of Lalitpur.