Predicting the employment of teledentistry in clinical practice by the Saudi dental community using a theoretical model.

Introduction: There are very few scholastic studies applying a theory-driven methodology to analyse the employment of teledentistry in clinical practice by the Saudi dental community. The objective of this research was to predict the employment of teledentistry in clinical practice by the Saudi dental community using the UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) model. Methods: A countrywide survey was executed from November 2022 to April 2023 among the dental community (pre-graduate students, graduates, post-graduate students, general dentists, and specialist dentists) involved in clinical practice. The survey employed the UTAUT model, which has four fundamental constructs: performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI) and facilitating conditions (FC). These constructs are known to impact the user's behavioural intention (BI). The four fundamental constructs were independent, and BI was the dependent variable. A Likert scale with five scores was used to record each variable. Descriptive statistics were used to describe all the constructs. Cronbach's alpha scores were used to measure the inner consistency of the Likert scale. Simple linear regression and multiple linear regression were used to determine the correlation between all the constructs and the overall model's prediction. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was applied for analysis. The study had 80% power and an alpha threshold of .05. Results: The electronic survey was sent to 3000 participants, out of whom 2143 responded (response rate = 71.43%). PE (R2= 26%, p < .01) was the most significant predictor of the Saudi dental community BI to employ teledentistry in clinical practice, followed by SI (R2= 24%, p < .01), EE (R2= 19%, p < .01) and FC (R2= 6%, p < .01). With statistically significant predictive power, the UTAUT model explained 32% of the variance in the BI (R2= 0.32, p < .01). Conclusions: Each UTAUT construct and the entire model were significantly correlated with the employment of teledentistry in clinical practice by the Saudi dental community. PE had the most salient correlation, followed by SI, EE and FC. The participants have perceived the benefits of teledentistry, increasing the future likelihood of its utilisation. The Saudi government could consider the UTAUT constructs to promote teledentistry in tandem with Vision 2030.

Assessment of Polyetheretherketone Crown in Patients: An Original Research.

Introduction: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has a long history of usage in implant abutments, but it has not seen much applications in tooth-supported prosthetics. The purpose of this research was to examine the clinical performance of PEEK crowns as well as the level of patient satisfaction with them. The pilot study was designed as an in vivo longitudinal examination. Material and Methods: Twenty patients each received a PEEK crown during the procedure. In total, 22 implants were inserted, with 11 going into the maxilla and 9 into the mandible. One operator was responsible for carrying out each phase of the procedure. The resin cement was used to lute the crowns that were produced. Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the crowns were placed, they were evaluated for various parameters using Modified Ryge's Criteria. These evaluations were performed at intervals of 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. In addition, a questionnaire was used at the same time to assess the level of satisfaction felt by patients. Fisher's exact test was utilized in the process of analyzing the data that were gathered. Results: According to the findings, 92.5% of the crowns met the modified version of Ryge's criterion for a satisfactory rating. Three crowns had a fracture recorded. There was some chipping off observed in five of the crowns. There was not any significant difference in the other factors that were examined. The periodontal health of these three patients showed a slight degree of variance (P = 0.02). Conclusion: The capacity of PEEK crowns to create high-quality prostheses that were deemed satisfactory with a reasonably low rate of fracture during the relative mean duration of 1 year was established by the application of Modified Ryge's Criteria. The PEEK crowns demonstrated their ability to produce quality prostheses.

Estimation of serum immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin A levels in oral submucous fibrosis patients.

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a disabling, chronic, insidious potentially malignant condition of the oral cavity seen predominantly in the Indian subcontinent. Due to the idiopathic nature and various immunological changes seen in some OSMF patients, it can be considered an autoimmune disorder. Hyperimmunoglobulinemia is often seen with OSMF. Aim and Objectives: (i) To estimate the serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels in OSMF patients; (ii) to correlate the serum IgG and IgA levels with age and gender of OSMF patients; (iii) to correlate the serum IgG and IgA levels with clinical stages of OSMF; (iv) to correlate the serum IgG and IgA levels with the content of the habit in OSMF patients. Materials and Methods: Serum samples were collected from a total of 50 patients (25 OSMF cases and 25 controls) of both genders and IgG and IgA levels were estimated by NEPHELOMETRY. Results: As compared to the control group, the mean serum IgG level was marginally increased among the OSMF patients and the mean serum IgA level was marginally decreased among the OSMF patients, but this was not statistically significant. Furthermore, there was only a weak correlation between serum immunoglobulins and content of the habit and no significant correlation was found between the serum IgG and IgA levels and age and sex of the OSMF patients. Serum IgG was increased and IgA was decreased with increasing stages of OSMF. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggested that there is an alteration in serum immunoglobulin levels in OSMF patients as compared to the control group.

Efficacy of 1.5% Metformin Gel as an Adjuvant to Scaling, Root Planing, and Curettage for the Treatment of Infrabony Defects in Chronic Periodontitis Patients.

Context: To compare and evaluate clinically and radiographically the efficacy of 1.5% metformin (MF) gel and placebo gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) and Curettage for the treatment of infrabony defects (IBDs) in chronic periodontitis patients. Subjects and Methods: The study was conducted randomly on 15 patients of both the genders. Each patient contributed two sites (total 30 sites - Split mouth design) which was randomly assigned to one of the two treatments: (i) Site A (Control Site) in which SRP was done along with curettage and intrapocket application of Placebo Gel and (ii) Site B (Test Site) in which SRP was done along with curettage and intrapocket application of 1.5% MF Gel. The Periodontal status {which included plaque index (PI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), IBD Depth} was assessed both clinically and radiographically at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment. Results: It was found that there was statistically significant difference in the periodontal status (PI, SBI, PPD, CAL, IBD depth) of the two sites when compared from baseline to 6 months. Conclusions: Local delivery of 1.5% MF improves the clinical outcomes of traditional treatment (SRP) and curettage and should be considered particularly as an adjunct to it.

Assessment of Accessory Canals and Foramina in the Mandibular Arch Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography and a New Classification for Mandibular Accessory Canals.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study include the following: (i) to assess the presence of accessory canals and foramina in the body of the mandible using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), (ii) to evaluate the location, number, diameter, and length of accessory canals in the body of the mandible, and (iii) to propose a new classification for mandibular accessory canals based on the location. METHODS: A total of 50 (25 males and 25 females) CBCT scans were analyzed in three anatomical planes and three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions for the exact number, location, diameter, and accessory length canals and accessory foramina in the body of the mandible. The statistical analysis used was an independent t-test. RESULTS: Out of 50 CBCT scans, a total of 243 accessory canals and 245 accessory foramina were found. About 53% of accessory canals and foramina were found in males, while 47% were observed in females; 89% were evident in the anterior region, and only 11% were in the posterior region. The majority (64%) of the medial lingual canals had a diameter greater than or equal to 1 mm, while only 32% of accessory canals had a diameter of less than 1 mm (p < 0.05). The mean length of median lingual canals in females was 1.2910 ± 0.2582 mm and 2.6438 ± 0.5288 mm in male subjects. Mandibular accessory canals are classified broadly into anterior and posterior accessory canals, which have further subdivisions. CONCLUSION: CBCT plays a dynamic role in determining the mandible location of various neurovascular structures, including accessory canals and foramina. Female subjects were observed with more accessory canals and foramina and more common in the anterior region than in the posterior region.

Occupational Stress and Stress Busters Used Among Saudi Dental Practitioners During the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the stress levels, stress busters (stress relievers), and coping mechanisms among Saudi dental practitioners (SDPs) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak. METHOD: A self-administered questionnaire was sent to SDPs via Google Forms. Cohen's stress score scale was used for stress evaluation, and the mean scores were compared based on age, gender, qualification, and occupation. In addition, comparisons of the utilization of stress coping mechanisms and stress busters based on gender, age, and occupation were evaluated. Descriptive statistics were carried out using SPSS Version 21.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY). RESULTS: A total of 206 SDPs (69% males and 31% females) participated in the study. Male SDPs showed a higher score than females (P > 0.05). SDPs around age 50 years and above obtained high stress scores (25 ± 7.4) as compared with other age groups (P < 0.05). The occupational level showed higher stress scores (22.6 ± 4.6 than the other occupation groups (P < 0.05). The majority of the SDPs used watching TV/mobile/computer (80%) as a stress buster, followed by binge eating (64%), exercise (44%), smoking (32%), do-it-yourself (DIY; 23%), and meditation (17%). CONCLUSION: SDPs are experiencing stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Male SDPs above age 50 years and private practitioners showed higher levels of stress scores. An overall commonly used stress buster was smoking in males and meditation in females.

Comparative evaluation of efficacy of skin staples and conventional sutures in closure of extraoral surgical wounds in neck region: A double-blind clinical study.

Background: The development of the skin stapling technique for surgical wound closure is less time-consuming than the conventional sutures. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of skin staples and 4-0 prolene conventional suture in closure of extraoral surgical wounds in neck region in elective maxillofacial surgery. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on a total of 60 patients, who were equally divided into three groups. In Group 1, wound closure was done using skin staples; in Group 2, wound closure was done using 4-0 prolene suture, and in Group 3, wound closure was done using both skin staples and 4-0 prolene suture. These groups were compared in terms of rate of wound closure; early postoperative pain; pain on the removal of staple and suture; rate of removal of staple and suture; scar evaluation by the clinician, patient, and two-blind observers on 15th day, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. Results: The rate of closure was significantly faster in staple group than in suture group. There was no significant difference in the postoperative pain, pain on removal and rate of removal between the two methods of closure. However, within the groups, more postoperative pain was observed in wound with incision length of >5 cm. Initially, on 10th postoperative day, the appearance of scar was significantly better in suture group but after 6 months, scar was better in staple group. Conclusion: The staple method of wound closure appears to be better than conventional suture in terms of rate of closure and scar appearance.

Arabian undergraduates perceptions regarding barriers among the geriatric patients for failing to keep dental appointments: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Regular visits to the health care providers can develop a relationship that can extend beyond the physical health alone as the patient is transiting towards older age, adapting to changes in physical health, emotional health, and social connections. Apart from limiting access to health care services, the attitudes, beliefs, comfort level of the treating doctors towards the geriatric patients can motivate or demotivate them to access dental care. AIM: To explore the Saudi Arabian undergraduate students perception of geriatric patients and identify potential barriers that prevent the utilization of their dental appointment. METHODS: A close-ended questionnaire with one question and eight reasons was administered to the fifth year clinical students. The students were requested to specify their agreement with each question on a 5-point Likert scale. Among the barriers presented, each reason's approval was expressed as the percentage of the total number of responses. In addition, the gender comparison of mean scores was made, and an independent sample t-test was used to analyze the statements agreed by the students. All analyses were performed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 (IBM, USA) with the probability of statistical significance at 0.05 level. RESULTS: Fifty-one students recorded their perceptions on the questionnaire administered during their clinical posting in the fifth year of the geriatric dental education program. It was concluded that students believed that geriatric patients give overwhelming importance to other problems with minor importance to oral health care. In addition, gender comparison was more evident as the percentage expressed was more in females. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for more clinical exposure of geriatric patients during their clinical postings. Student's acquaintance with didactic and clinical settings appears to be a critical element towards positive knowledge and attitude towards the geriatric population.

Remote Management of Prosthodontic Emergencies in the Geriatric Population During the Pandemic Outbreak of COVID-19.

The global pandemic outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has put the world in a panic situation. It has been evident that the geriatric population is more susceptible to acquire this infection. Thus, due to this ongoing crisis, geriatric individuals cannot visit a dental operatory, and there is the possibility of their dental needs and emergencies to remain unattended. Partial or complete edentulism is very prevalent among the geriatric population, and prosthodontic management of these patients is essential for their well-being. However, the prosthesis can lead to various emergencies of the oral and its supporting structures. There are currently no available recommendations to address these prosthodontic emergencies in geriatric individuals during this pandemic period. Hence, the aims of this minireview were to discuss the common prosthodontic emergencies in the geriatric population and provide recommendations to manage these issues during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Knowledge, Perception, and Attitude on Conservative and Endodontic Practice on COVID Pandemic Situation: A Qualitative Research.

AIM: The purpose of our study was to analyze the knowledge and attitude of conservative as well as endodontic practice among dental professionals during coronavirus pandemic situation. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 3 months among 1256 dental surgeons, which included 400 MDS and 856 BDS dentists. Questionnaire assessed knowledge of the participants about COVID-19, risk assessment about the pandemic, preparedness of the participants, as well as specific precautions in cases which require conservative and endodontic treatment strategies against COVID-19. RESULTS: It was observed that around 83% of the study participants felt that rubber dams are a useful tool to prevent cross-infections, even COVID-19. However, COVID-19 prevention techniques such as use of low-speed handpiece and chemicomechanical techniques were preferred by a smaller number of participants: 25% of participants by former, only 12% for the latter. To prevent aerosol splatter, use of high-volume suction was preferred by 49% of dental surgeons. CONCLUSION: In our study, we concluded that dental surgeons, who come under high risk category; had good basic knowledge about COVID-19 disease process as well as transmission. However, it is imperative that these clinicians need to be extra cautious in handling cases during this pandemic time and limit the disease spread as well.

Covid-19 Knowledge and Perceptions Among Dental Specialists: A Cross-Sectional Online Questionnaire Survey.

BACKGROUND: The recent outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) caused a significant impact on dentistry. It is imperative to have sufficient knowledge of COVID-19 to manage patients in the dental operatory. AIM: To assess the knowledge and perceptions of dentists from different specialities about COVID-19 disease. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used a descriptive cross-sectional study design with a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included three sets of 23 questions [Demographic-4; Source of information-1; Knowledge-10 and Perceptions-8]. The comparison of mean scores of knowledge and perceptions were interpreted based on the occupation of dental specialists. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The association between demographic variables and dental specialists' knowledge and perception scores was carried out using SPSS (Version IBM 21.0, NY, USA). RESULTS: A total of 429 dentists from various specialties participated in the present study. The study had obtained a overall good knowledge score (92.7%) with a mean value of 8.86 + 0.22, and a perception score (70.7%) with a mean value of 5.4+0.3. The present study reports a statistically significant difference between age (p=0.03) and knowledge source (p<0.05). The multi variate regression analysis showed that dentists' specialty had no significant effect on knowledge and perception. CONCLUSION: The study reports sufficient knowledge and perception scores. Oral maxillofacial surgeons showed higher knowledge scores, while prosthodontics and periodontics achieved good mean scores for perception on COVID-19. Social media and health authorities played an equally important role in the overall knowledge of the source of information related to COVID-19.

Infected Multilocular Unicystic Ameloblastoma Involving Ramus and Coronoid Process: A Rare Case Report.

Ameloblastoma is a neoplasm that originates from the odontogenic epithelium. Unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) is a rare variant of ameloblastoma occurring usually in younger population. They are characterized by slow growth and are locally aggressive, with the main site of origin being the posterior portion of the mandible. Most commonly, UA appears on radiograph as a unilocular well-demarcated radiolucency present mostly in the mandibular posterior region. Here, we report a unique case of multilocular UA in a 22-year-old male patient involving the left side of whole length of the mandibular ramus and coronoid process with impacted third molar.

Indigenous digital intraoral Gothic arch tracer.

This paper describes indigenously developed digital Gothic arch tracer for the acquisition of centric jaw relation in patient. The developed tracer eliminates disadvantages of intra-oral tracing and makes it more suitable for recording centric relation in patients. The system also makes real-time monitoring of tracing possible in intraoral tracing. This also opens various avenues for research in removable prosthodontics.

Florid cemento-osseous dysplasia in a young Indian female: A rare case report with review of literature.

Florid cemento-osseous dysplasia (FCOD) is a reactive bone dysplasia that involves tooth-bearing areas of the jaws. It most commonly affects females and is seen less frequently in Caucasian and Asian groups. The age group may vary from 19 to 76 years and typically presents in the fourth and fifth decades. FCOD associated with impacted teeth and bony expansion is very rare and only a few familial cases have been reported in literature. Till date, <2% cases in Indians have been reported in literature. Here, we report a case of nonfamilial FCOD in a 27-year-old young Indian female with cortical plate expansion, one over-retained and one impacted teeth.

Orbital Prosthetic Rehabilitation in "ADAM Complex" Multiple Orofacial-Cleft Disruption Syndrome.

To be human is great; to look human is wonderful! It is nature's greatest gift! Mother nature's womb is the safest place on earth for any life, but the calamity strikes and no one knows how Hence, Treasure your exceptions!, since nature seems nowhere accustomed more openly to display, its secret mysteries than in cases where it shows traces of its workings apart from the beaten path. A dismorphological pattern of congenital oro-craniofacial and limb defects which is a rare form of amniotic rupture sequence required persistent coordinated efforts of multiple disciplines and had manifested as bizarre orofacial clefting, cat eye syndrome with an ectopic eye, and aberrant tissue band lesions on limb. The challenge was to meet the child's clamour for functional demands on premature exposure to open world and was overcome through a phased treatment implementation. Anophthalmos resulting from multiple ophthalmic surgeries for aberrant ectopic left eye and cat eye syndrome of right eye required a staged sequential preemptive planning for a successful outcome. Every phase of fabrication of orbital prosthesis comes with an impending challenge. Thus, a well-defined technique eliminating the common errors and creating a natural looking prosthesis, in the face of limitations, is imperative.