Observance of proper mercury hygiene practices by Jordanian general dental practitioners.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge and observance of proper mercury hygiene and amalgam waste management (AWM) among Jordanian general dental practitioners (GDPs). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Interviews were conducted with randomly selected 250 Jordanian GDPs, using a specially designed questionnaire. Out of the total of 250 GDPs, 228 (91.2%) agreed to participate. The questionnaire covered aspects related to professional information and total amalgam contact (TAC) of these practitioners. The second part focused on the degree of awareness of the protocols related to mercury hygiene and safe AWM. RESULTS: Mean TAC was 3.2+/-3.6 hours per week. Of the Jordanian practitioners, 22.6% reported no undergraduate training in amalgam safety measures. Almost a quarter of GDPs did not have proper ventilation in their clinics, around 20-25% did not use protective clothing or eye protection, 5.3% were mixing amalgam manually, and 13.9% used their bare fingers for inserting the freshly mixed amalgam. Most of unused amalgam ends up through the drain or in trash; there are no recycling facilities to be used. CONCLUSIONS: Most Jordanian GDPs do not strictly follow the mercury hygiene and AWM guidelines. Promoting the American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines through undergraduate and postgraduate training will help GDPs acquire proper attitude towards the proper hygiene practices described in these recommendations.

Lingual nerve morbidity and mandibular third molar surgery: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate the frequency of postoperative lingual nerve (LN) impairment after the surgical removal of mandibular third molars (M3) and to identify potential risk indicators. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study involving 321 subjects who had 443 mandibular M3 surgically extracted at the University Hospital, Amman, Jordan. Predictor variables were categorized as patient-, anatomy- and operation-specific. The outcome variable was the presence or absence of LN impairment. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent predictors. RESULTS: The prevalence of temporary LN hypoesthesia was 2.5% and all 11 cases resolved within 6 months. Factors that predicted LN injury by univariate analysis were horizontal and mesioangular tooth angulation, bone removal, tooth sectioning, longer operations, lingual flap retraction and bleeding into the socket. In the multivariate logistic regression model, lingual flap retraction (p = 0.002, OR = 26.790) and bleeding into the socket (p = 0.044, OR = 4.918) were the independent predictors. CONCLUSION: Operative variables were the main predictors of temporary LN damage.

Maximum mouth opening. Associated factors and dental significance.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate active maximum mouth opening (AMMO) in a Jordanian subpopulation and to study associated factors and relationship to patient's dental conditions. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 496 patients aged 15-80 years at the University of Jordan Hospital, Amman, Jordan between October 2008 and March 2009. The AMMO was measured as maximum distance between incisal edges of upper and lower central incisors. Descriptive statistics and uni- and multivariate analyses were used to determine factors affecting AMMO. RESULTS: Mean AMMO +/- standard deviation was 42.9 +/- 5.7 mm. The AMMO varied significantly between men (45.3 +/- 5.7 mm) and women (41.5 +/- 5.3 mm), decreased with age, and correlated positively with body height and weight, but no relation was found with body mass index and temporomandibular joint complaints. The relationship of AMMO to patient's dental conditions revealed a negative correlation with number of missing teeth, but not with number of decayed or restored teeth. Subjects who had present third molars had wider AMMO compared to subjects with extracted, impacted, or congenitally missing third molars. Multivariate regression analysis revealed gender, age, and weight to be the only independent predictors of AMMO. CONCLUSION: In this population, AMMO is influenced by gender, age, and weight of patients and was generally narrower than that reported in European populations. Wide AMMO was associated with less risk of tooth loss and preservation of third molars.