The effect of educational animation compared to leaflets on patients' knowledge regarding root canal treatment: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Incorporating video as a tool for education offers a multitude of advantages. However, it is unknown what is the best educational tool to use for increasing public awareness, consequently reducing fear about root canal treatment. For this reason, this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of educational animation and leaflets as delivery methods for providing information on root canal treatment to patients and to assess their ability to retain the information. METHODS: One hundred fifty adult volunteers were recruited via social media and Umm Al-Qura University Dental Hospital to participate in this randomized control trial study. The volunteers were divided into the study group (SG) and the control group (CG). The SG was provided with information through animations created by the research team, while the CG received the same information through a leaflet. Pre-intervention (T1), immediate post-intervention (T2), and one-month post-intervention (T3) validated questionnaires were completed by the participants to assess the changes in their knowledge. To evaluate the impact of the information delivery method, the knowledge scores of T2 and T3 were compared to T1 within each group using Paired T-tests. Additionally, the study compared the knowledge scores of the two groups using unpaired T-tests. The significance level was set at a P-value of less than 0.05. RESULTS: A significant improvement in endodontic therapy knowledge among the participants in both groups (T1 compared to T2 in the same group) was noted (P < 0.050). However, when comparing T2 between groups, no significant difference was found in delivering the information and improving the knowledge (P = 0.080). Still, the mean differences between T1 and T2, as well as T1 and T3, were greater (P < 0.050) in the SG than in the CG. Furthermore, the total knowledge score in the SG at T3 was significantly higher than the CG. CONCLUSION: Both educational animation and leaflets are practical tools to increase patients' awareness about root canal treatment. However, educational videos are more effective than leaflets in delivering and retaining information about root canal treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered as a randomized control trial at the ISRCTN registry with the document number ISRCTN18413241, 15/05/2023.

Comparative assessment of attitudes among medical and dental professionals in Saudi Arabia toward e-professionalism using the SMEPROF-S scale.

Background: Social media (SM) usage is on the rise among health professionals at all levels to align with the emerging digital and SM era. e-Professionalism is described as attitudes and actions that resemble traditional professionalism paradigms but are expressed through digital media. Although there are a number of studies conducted in the past several years measuring e-professionalism of medical and dental professionals, there is no validated scale to assess the level of e-professionalism among medical and dental professionals in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess attitudes toward e-professionalism among medical and dental professionals in Saudi Arabia using the SMePROF-S scale. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 338 medical and dental students and practitioners from 20 cities in Saudi Arabia to complete an online SMePROF-S self-reported questionnaire measuring attitudes about e-professionalism. Results: Among participants, 31.66% believed that it is acceptable to communicate with patients through SM, but only 16.86% agreed with communicating via personal SM account messaging. Many participants (35.80%-50%) fear that SM use can cause problems with getting hired, people making inaccurate assumptions and perceptions, and job losses. There were 31.36% who believed that sharing patient information without consent is acceptable. The majority (63.02%-63.31%) do not believe that medical/dental professionals should be barred from using SM, and 40.53% believe that schools/organizations have no right to interfere with their online activities. Only 22.19% believed that SM use removed professional protections from the public. A few statements were statistically different by specialty and gender. Conclusion: There is a variability of attitudes about e-professionalism among medical and dental professionals in Saudi Arabia, with some alarming issues requiring national guidelines to ensure patient rights, privacy, and confidentiality.

Accuracy and perceptions of teledentistry in KSA during the COVID-19 pandemic: A single-centre randomised controlled trial.

Objective: Teledentistry conveniently delivers dental care when in-person visits are restricted, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess Saudi Arabian patients' accuracy, perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and challenges regarding teledentistry used for diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its accuracy, versus traditional dental visits. Methods: A single-blind, parallel-group randomised controlled trial design was used. The 70 participants were randomised equally into study and control groups. While the control group waited, the study group received teledentistry diagnoses which were compared with baseline clinical examinations retrieved from the UQU dental hospital, Makkah, KSA. After the intervention was completed, all participants answered a questionnaire. Results: There were no significant differences between the groups in knowledge or attitudes regarding teledentistry. However, study group participants had more favourable experiences with teledentistry. They reported good accuracy with diagnosis and recording of their chief complaints (74.3%), number of missing teeth (74.3%), number of filled teeth (71.4%), and oral hygiene status (65.7%). Additionally, moderate accuracy was reported on recording of health complaints (51.4%) and number of decayed teeth (40.?%). The number of decayed teeth and the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMF) index scores reported using teledentistry were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than reported in the baseline examinations. Conclusion: Teledentistry is widely accepted by patients and can be efficient for preliminary examinations, particularly during pandemic lockdowns or in more frequently occurring situations such as severe weather conditions, but subsequent clinical examination is necessary for maximally accurate diagnoses.

Social media as a learning tool: Dental students' perspectives.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the perceptions of dental students in Saudi Arabia for implementing social media as an educational tool. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among dental students in 3 governmental dental schools in the western region of Saudi Arabia. A validated questionnaire was used to explore social media use and student perceptions on the advantages and disadvantages of implementing social media in dental education. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's' χ2 , Kruskal-Wallis, and Fishers' exact tests were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The survey included 1034 students from third to sixth year and dental interns. WhatsApp was the most used social media platform (97.5%), followed by Snapchat (90.5%), Twitter (85.2%), and Instagram (83.4%). Social media was used for entertainment (81.4%), dental learning (70.8%), searching for general information (63.3%), exchanging general ideas (63.1%), and community general discussion (55.8%). The predominant advantages of using social media in learning were assistance in gaining more information on different subjects, making education more engaging, affording a better chance to access new resources, improving the ability for creativity and innovation, and improving research skills. In contrast, the predominant disadvantages were distraction from studying, increasing addictive potential, increased time spent, and concerns over no direct contact with the instructors. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that students report social media can be a valuable learning tool in dental education if appropriately used. A proper understanding of social media and its usefulness in supporting learning can benefit both students and faculty members.

Periodontal Disease as a Predictor of Undiagnosed Diabetes or Prediabetes in Dental Patients.

OBJECTIVES: The study investigates whether periodontal parameters can identify subjects with undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) or pre-DM in patients seeking dental treatment at a university dental hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adults older than 35 years, not being diagnosed with DM before and have at least one of the risk factors of DM were included in the study. All subjects received a complete periodontal examination, filled a medical history survey, and a fasting blood glucose measurement was obtained. A multiple logistic regression test using a backward elimination method to assess factors that predict if the participant is healthy, prediabetic or diabetic was done. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: A total of 61 subjects were enrolled with an average age of 42.9 ± 9.4 years. Having a family member diagnosed with DM was reported by 64.5% of the subjects; 59% were diagnosed with advanced periodontal disease. The final logistic regression model included smoking, hypertension, family history of DM, and percentage of clinical attachment loss >3 mm was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The model explained 47.7% of the diabetes condition and correctly classified 69.4% of cases. Participants with a family history of diabetes are 4.98 times more likely to exhibit prediabetic or diabetic status. Each unit increase in the percentage of clinical attachment loss increases the likelihood of participant to be prediabetic or diabetic by 1.104 times. CONCLUSION: Dental patients presenting with severe clinical attachment loss and family history of DM have increased likelihood of undiagnosed DM or pre-DM and would benefit from screening at the dental office.

Nordic Assessment of Occupational Disorders among Dental Students and Dentists in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: Ergonomics and the avoidance of occupational or work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are crucial for a future dentist's career, as studies have linked WRMSDs to some serious complications, including early retirement. This study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge and awareness about ergonomics and the prevalence of WRMSDs among dental students and dentists in Makkah province, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 322 dental students and dentists from two universities in Makkah province, Saudi Arabia, using a self-report questionnaire to measure ergonomic awareness and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire to measure WRMSDs. RESULTS: Among the respondents, only 4.82% could correctly explain ergonomics, 14.16% had attended a course or workshop on ergonomics, 55.12% were familiar with preventive techniques for WRMSDs, and 37.95% were familiar with remedies/treatment for WRMSDs. Females were significantly more aware of WRMSDs than males. There was 81.33% who had trouble (pain, aches, or discomfort) in one or more parts of their body during the previous 12 months. The most common sites for WRMSDs were the upper back (48.19%), wrists/hands (44.27%), lower back (43.98%), neck (36.45%), and shoulder (33.43%). In most body parts, WRMSDs were more common among males and participants from a governmental university than among females or those from a private university. CONCLUSION: Both dental students and dentists in Saudi Arabia lacked awareness of ergonomics and experienced high levels of WRMSDs. More educational efforts and attempts are needed to boost dental professionals' knowledge about musculoskeletal disorders related to dental profession and built the skills to cope with them.

Awareness of, Beliefs about, Practices of, and Barriers to Teledentistry among Dental Students and the Implications for Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 and Coronavirus Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: Saudi Arabia launched multiple initiatives to overcome the problem of health-care access. The recent coronavirus pandemic created urgent demand to deal with the problem using nonconventional venues such as telehealth and teledentistry. This study aimed to investigate teledentistry knowledge, attitudes, and practices, and barriers to its use among dental students and teaching staff in Makkah province, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 314 dental students participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a validated self-reported questionnaire to measure teledentistry awareness, attitude, practices, and barriers to teledentistry. The study was approved by Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: Only 17.2% were aware of the term "teledentistry." However, after it was explained, participants were able to correctly answer 25.16%-62.42% of items about teledentistry. A total of 67.83% would practice teledentistry, and 70.7% support using teledentistry on a national scale for Vision 2030. Only 25.16% used teledentistry before, but 56.05% did dental consultations via smartphone. The most common barriers were patient satisfaction requiring a dentist's physical presence, violation of patient privacy, and low levels of population education. CONCLUSION: Dental students seem to know little about teledentistry. However, they are open to learning and using it. It is encouraged to include the topic in continuing dental education, including how to use it during health disasters such as the coronavirus pandemic.

The Effectiveness of Online Course Intervention to Improve Knowledge of Antimicrobial Resistance among Dental Students, in Comparison to Reference Group Using a Randomized Controlled Trial.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a recognised antimicrobial resistance (AMR) online module on knowledge and perception among dental students, using a randomised controlled trial study design. METHODS: Dental students (n = 64, aged 21-25 years) in clinical years agreed to participate in this triple-blinded, parallel, randomised controlled trial. There were 34 students in the study group and 30 students in the control group. The study group participated in an online course covering information about AMR, while students in the control group received another online course about microorganisms in dentistry. Both groups were assessed three times using online questionnaires: before the intervention (T1), after the intervention (T2), and two months later (T3). Each one of T1, T2 and T3 had 22 questions. The questions were repeated each time in T1, T2, and T3 asking about AMR but with different question format, to avoid the possibility of students to memorise the answers. RESULTS: The mean (m) of correct answers for all students on T1 was 12.56, with standard deviation (SD) of 3.2. On T2, m = 14.03 and SD = 3.85, and on T3, m = 14.36 and SD = 3.71. Scores ranged from 0 to 22. The participants in the study and control groups showed significant score improvements from T1 to T2, immediately after the intervention, but there was no significant difference between T2 and T3. The study group students' scores did not improve significantly from T1 to T3, in contrast to the control group students' scores. More importantly, there was no significant difference in improvement from T1 to T2 when comparing the study and control groups. CONCLUSION: Online courses might not be reliable learning methods for ensuring the optimal levels of AMR knowledge that are needed by dental practitioners.