Instructors' self-efficacy, perceived benefits, and challenges in transitioning to online learning.

Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study investigated instructors' online teaching self-efficacy during the sudden, COVID-19-induced transition to online teaching. The pandemic has forced instructors to shift to online teaching, arming them with valuable hands-on experience in this alternative teaching mode. This study examined instructors' online teaching self-efficacy, perceived benefits, intention to implement online teaching strategies in their future teaching, and the challenges encountered during this transition. A total of 344 instructors completed the developed and validated questionnaire. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression modeling, using the stepwise estimation technique. The findings demonstrate that affiliated universities, the quality of online learning, and previous use of learning management systems (LMS) are significant predictors of instructors' online teaching self-efficacy. Online teaching self-efficacy, along with gender, quality of online learning, and professional training are significant predictors of the perceived benefits of online learning during emergencies. Meanwhile, the quality of online learning and professional training are significant predictors of instructors' intention to implement online teaching strategies and learning technology tools. Instructors ranked remote assessment as the most challenging factor in online teaching during emergencies, and internet access or internet speed as the first and most complicated hindrance for students in this transition. This study helps in understanding instructors' online teaching self-efficacy during the sudden transition and the positive consequences of shifting to the online mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the higher education field. Recommendations and implications are discussed.

Public knowledge and awareness of stroke among adult population in Taif city, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the knowledge and awareness of stroke in adult population in Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to address the association between several sociodemographic variables of participants and their knowledge regarding stroke. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult residents in Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during the period of December, 2020 to February, 2021 using an online questionnaire. RESULTS: Our study included 3456 participants (43.6% males, 56.4% females). Analysis showed that 61.7% of the participants were aware of stroke. Participants who were 15-39 years-old had good knowledge. Male participants had better knowledge than females. The most identified risk factor was 'unhealthy lifestyle' (84.5%) and the least identified one was 'epilepsy' (34.8%). The most identified symptom was 'slurred speech' (57.5%), and the least identified one was 'dizziness' (36.2%). Approximately 86.6% of the participants agreed that stroke was a medical emergency. A total of 41.5% of the participants agreed that stroke was treatable and 42.6% agreed that stroke was a preventable disease. CONCLUSION: Although the participants recognize that stroke is a medical emergency and that early intervention is crucial, the obtained results show that there is a large gap in the knowledge of the warning signs and symptoms of stroke. Increasing community awareness about these warnings may affect how quickly the patient is treated.

Interventions for increasing acceptance of local anaesthetic in children and adolescents having dental treatment.

BACKGROUND: Delivery of pain-free dentistry is crucial for reducing fear and anxiety, completion of treatment, and increasing acceptance of future dental treatment in children. Local anaesthetic (LA) facilitates this pain-free approach but it remains challenging. A number of interventions to help children cope with delivery of LA have been described, with no consensus on the best method to increase its acceptance. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of methods for acceptance of LA in children and adolescents during dental treatment. SEARCH METHODS: Cochrane Oral Health's Information Specialist searched the Cochrane Oral Health's Trials Register (to 24 May 2019); the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2019 Issue 4) in the Cochrane Library (searched 24 May 2019); MEDLINE Ovid (1946 to 24 of May 2019); Embase Ovid (1980 to 24 May 2019); and Web of Science (1900 to 24 May 2019). The US National Institutes of Health Ongoing Trials Register (ClinicalTrials.gov) and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were also searched to 24 May 2019. There were no restrictions on language or date of publications. SELECTION CRITERIA: Parallel randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions used to increase acceptance of dental LA in children and adolescents under the age of 18 years. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. We performed data extraction and assessment of risk of bias independently and in duplicate. We contacted authors for missing information. We assessed the certainty of the body of evidence using GRADE. MAIN RESULTS: We included 26 trials with 2435 randomised participants aged between 2 and 16 years. Studies were carried out between 2002 and 2019 in dental clinics in the UK, USA, the Netherlands, Iran, India, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Mexico, and Korea. Studies included equipment interventions (using several LA delivery devices for injection or audiovisual aids used immediately prior to or during LA delivery or both) and dentist interventions (psychological behaviour interventions delivered in advance of LA (video modelling), or immediately prior to or during delivery of LA or both (hypnosis, counter-stimulation). We judged one study to be at low risk and the rest at high risk of bias. Clinical heterogeneity of the included studies rendered it impossible to pool data into meta-analyses. None of the studies reported on our primary outcome of acceptance of LA. No studies reported on the following secondary outcomes: completion of dental treatment, successful LA/painless treatment, patient satisfaction, parent satisfaction, and adverse events. Audiovisual distraction compared to conventional treatment: the evidence was uncertain for the outcome pain-related behaviour during delivery of LA with a reduction in negative behaviour when 3D video glasses where used in the audiovisual distraction group (risk ratio (RR) 0.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.03 to 0.50; 1 trial, 60 participants; very low-certainty evidence). The wand versus conventional treatment: the evidence was uncertain regarding the effect of the wand on pain-related behaviour during delivery of LA. Four studies reported a benefit in using the wand while the remaining studies results suggested no difference between the two methods of delivering LA (six trials, 704 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Counter-stimulation/distraction versus conventional treatment: the evidence was uncertain for the outcome pain experience during delivery of LA with children experiencing less pain when counter-stimulation was used (RR 0.12, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.34; 1 trial, 134 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Hypnosis versus conventional treatment: the evidence was uncertain for the outcome pain experience during delivery of LA with participants in the hypnosis group experiencing less pain (mean difference (MD) -1.79, 95% CI -3.01 to -0.57; 1 trial, 29 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Other comparisons considered included pre-cooling of the injection site, the wand versus Sleeper One, the use of a camouflage syringe, use of an electrical counter-stimulation device, and video modelling acclimatisation, and had a single study each. The findings from these other comparisons were insufficient to draw any affirmative conclusions about their effectiveness, and were considered to be very low-certainty evidence. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We did not find sufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions as to the best interventions to increase acceptance of LA in children due to variation in methodology and nature/timing of outcome measures. We recommend further parallel RCTs, reported in line with the CONSORT Statement. Care should be taken when choosing outcome measures.

Quality of Clinical Guidelines on Oral Care for Children with Special Healthcare Needs: A Systematic Review.

Robust evidence-based guidelines are important in everyday clinical practice, especially when delivering and managing oral care needs to a vulnerable group such as children with special healthcare needs (SHCNs). METHODS: To assess the quality of guidelines on the management of oral care for children with special healthcare needs (SHCNs) and to find appropriate guidelines, an electronic search of MEDLINE Ovid was carried out alongside an additional search of common guideline websites. The AGREE II tool was used to assess the quality of the guidelines. Assessment was undertaken independently by three assessors. Furthermore, the underlying evidence used to formulate recommendations in the identified guidelines was qualitatively assessed. RESULTS: There were nine guidelines, with 41 recommendations, that met the eligibility criteria. The quality of the guidelines was generally found to be poor. Only one guideline was assessed as "recommended" by the assessors, based on the quality of the methods, the reporting, or both. Only 2 of the 41 sets of recommendations, made across the nine guidelines, were judged to be valid and based on a rigorous systematic review of the evidence. CONCLUSIONS: The current state of guidelines on oral care management for children with special healthcare needs (SHCNs) is, on the whole, of very low quality. The scientific community should work together to enhance the quality and strength of the current clinical guidelines and to ensure that they are trustworthy prior to implementation.

Oral Care for Children with Special Healthcare Needs in Dentistry: A Literature Review.

Oral health is a very important aspect of general health, especially for vulnerable groups such as children with special healthcare needs. It is important to provide appropriate oral care in order to promote quality of life and good health for everyone, especially for children with special healthcare needs. METHOD: We reviewed the recent literature to collect knowledge regarding the delivery of quality oral care to children with special healthcare needs. We also explored some of the treatment management options that could address the needs of these children when attending dental clinics. RESULT: Unfortunately, we noted significant inequalities with issues related to oral health among those children. This situation often results in limitations to the activities of daily living for these children. There is therefore a need for much-needed advancements and refinements in oral healthcare to address the needs of children who have special healthcare needs. CONCLUSIONS: Providing children with special healthcare needs with high-quality dental care may necessitate active liaisons with healthcare facilitators and will require work across professions to make certain that these children's oral health is also prioritized. Coordinated efforts by dental professionals are needed to provide dental health education and preventive interventions for these children.

Evidence based recommendations to improve the children oral health in Saudi Arabia.

Aim: Identify the existing evidence base with regards to interventions that address high levels of dental caries. A discussion of the applicability of the evidence to possible replication in Saudi Arabia is presented, alongside recommendations to help reduce dental caries rates in children in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A comprehensive systematic review following PRISMA methods was conducted using three databases: MEDLINE via OVID; EMBASE via OVID and Cochrane Library. Studies were included according to inclusion criteria. AMSTAR2 was used to assess the quality of the included studies, while GRADE was used to assess the quality of evidence. Results: Ten studies were included in this review. The quality of these were 'high' (in two review), moderate (in two studies), low (in one study) and to 'critically low' (5 reviews). The quality of the evidence presented by the reviews ranged from 'moderate' to 'very low'. The interventions methods included MI, one-to-one nutrition advice, educational interventions and dental screening. The applicability of the findings in relation to dental care in Saudi Arabia is discussed and summarized in a narrative. Conclusion: No strong evidence that supported interventions to improve the child oral health in Saudi Arabia was found. None of the included reviews included studies conducted in Saudi Arabia or evaluated interventions among the local community. As for different culture values, norms, beliefs and attitude to those demographics explored in the reviews, it is unclear if interventions with improve oral health among Saudi children. Further research is needed to explore the efficacy of these interventions in a Saudi context.

Association between Chronological Age and IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and CTX Levels in Saliva of Children through Younger Adult Population with Varying Periodontal Status.

The quest for the most precise and non-invasive technology to monitor the pubertal growth spurt is driven by the role of growth determination in orthodontics. The objective of this study was to estimate the levels of salivary insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX1), and to analyze whether the levels of these biomarkers vary among different chronological age groups with and without periodontal disease. Eighty participants were divided into three groups based on their chronological age: group 1: 6−12 years; group 2: 13−19 years; and group 3: 20−30 years. The assessed clinical parameters included the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and community periodontal index (CPI). Using ELISA kits, the IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and CTX1 levels in the saliva samples were estimated. The salivary concentration of IGFBP-3 was significantly associated with age and gender (p < 0.01). However, no significance was observed between subjects with and without periodontal disease. Significant associations existed between the values of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and CTX1 in saliva among subjects from the various chronological age groups. Estimation of salivary IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 could serve as a useful tool in the assessment of growth maturity and bone remodeling patterns during orthodontic treatment planning.

Dental caries in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: In KSA, numerous studies are conducted to measure the prevalence of dental caries. However, the prevalence of dental caries varies in KSA. This systematic review aims to improve the understanding of the prevalence of dental caries among adults and children residing in KSA. METHODS: Online databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched. The Saudi Dental Journal was hand-searched. Study selection and data extraction were conducted in duplicate. The studies on dental caries in the Saudi population were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of the selected studies. Finally, a narrative synthesis was conducted. RESULTS: Forty-nine cross-sectional studies were identified. Areas of weakness in study design/conduct were low response rates, reliable outcome measurement, and identification and handling of confounding factors. Statistical pooling of data was not appropriate due to substantial heterogeneity, also in part to a variation in geographical location and the target population. Twenty-nine studies presented data for primary dentition. The proportion of dental caries among primary teeth ranged from 0.21 to 1.00. Eighteen studies presented data for permanent dentition. The proportion of dental caries across permanent teeth ranged from 0.05 to 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the methodological quality of the included studies was poor. Dental caries proportion level ranged from 0.05 to 0.99 in permanent teeth, and 0.21 to 1.00 across primary teeth. The available data does not provide a complete assessment of dental caries across KSA. Existing studies are limited in terms of the populations studied for dental caries.

Evaluation of Oral Health-related Quality of Life for Adult Individuals with Cleft Lip and/or Palate Using OHIP-49 and Compared with a Control Group: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at evaluating oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among adults with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and compared it with adults with no orofacial cleft. The study also intended to find out the impact of cleft severity, gender, and age on the perceived OHRQoL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was composed of a sample of 70 adult participants who received and completed dental treatments: 35 participants with CL/P (CL/P group) and 35 participants with no orofacial cleft (control group) agreed to participate. Each participant completed the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49) with no missing data. The OHIP-49 data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and a P-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Adults with CL/P reported higher scores in all the seven subscales of the OHIP-49. These results were statistically significant in physical disability (mean scores of 1.22, p = 0.017) and social disability (mean scores of 0.93, p = 0.046). Females with CL/P recorded better OHRQoL in the handicap domain (p = 0.026). Participants with cleft lip only recorded better OHRQoL compared with those with cleft lip and palate, and that was statistically significant at both the functional limitation (p = 0.003) and the physical pain (p = 0.046). There was a significant positive correlation between increasing age and functional limitation (p = 0.025). CONCLUSION: CL/P negatively affected OHRQoL for adults with CL/P mainly on physical and social disabilities of OHIP-49 when compared with a general non-cleft sample.