Saudi dental hygienists' opinions regarding establishing a professional association.

AIM: To assess the opinions of dental hygienists in Saudi Arabia regarding the establishment of a professional association including the role it should have to meet their professional needs. METHODS: A cross-sectional electronic survey using Qualtrics was utilized. IRB exemption was obtained prior to distribution. Although there are 298 licensed Saudi dental hygienists in Saudi Arabia, email addresses were only available for 101 respondents: those obtained previously by direct contact for the purpose of initiation of a professional association and those referred by the direct contacts. Subjects were emailed a link to the survey. RESULTS: Seventy-seven subjects responded fully to the survey yielding a response rate of 70.3%. Most 91.5% (n = 65) of the respondents favoured the establishment of a Saudi dental hygiene professional association. Eighty-eight per cent (n = 59) responded that such an association would promote development of the profession in the country at least somewhat and 86.6% (n = 58) agreed that their professional needs could be met by its establishment. Interestingly, half of those who did not support the creation of the professional association believed it would promote development of the profession and meet professional needs. CONCLUSIONS: A representative sample of dental hygienists in Saudi Arabia support the establishment of a professional association and feel that it would advocate and promote the dental hygiene profession in the country and meet their professional needs.

Differential requirement of CAAX-mediated posttranslational processing for Rheb localization and signaling.

The Rheb1 and Rheb2 small GTPases and their effector mTOR are aberrantly activated in human cancer and are attractive targets for anti-cancer drug discovery. Rheb is targeted to endomembranes via its C-terminal CAAX (C=cysteine, A=aliphatic, X=terminal amino acid) motif, a substrate for posttranslational modification by a farnesyl isoprenoid. After farnesylation, Rheb undergoes two additional CAAX-signaled processing steps, Ras converting enzyme 1 (Rce1)-catalyzed cleavage of the AAX residues and isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase (Icmt)-mediated carboxylmethylation of the farnesylated cysteine. However, whether these postprenylation processing steps are required for Rheb signaling through mTOR is not known. We found that Rheb1 and Rheb2 localize primarily to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. We determined that Icmt and Rce1 processing is required for Rheb localization, but is dispensable for Rheb-induced activation of the mTOR substrate p70 S6 kinase (S6K). Finally, we evaluated whether farnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTS) blocks Rheb localization and function. Surprisingly, FTS prevented S6K activation induced by a constitutively active mTOR mutant, indicating that FTS inhibits mTOR at a level downstream of Rheb. We conclude that inhibitors of Icmt and Rce1 will not block Rheb function, but FTS could be a promising treatment for Rheb- and mTOR-dependent cancers.

Utilization of evidence-based teaching in U.S. dental hygiene curricula.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to survey U.S. dental hygiene program directors to determine: (1) demographic information, (2) specific Evidence-Based (EB) student instruction methods used, (3) if and how programs use an EB philosophy, (4) perceptions of faculty skills in incorporating EB instruction, and (5) opinions and attitudes regarding future need to incorporate EB philosophies in dental hygiene education. METHODS: Data were gathered by surveying all 235 United States dental hygiene program directors in 1999. The survey included 20 closed items and 1 open-ended item. Initially, the survey was pilot tested using a convenience sample of seven U.S. dental hygiene program directors. A final, revised survey was mailed to the cohort population. A response rate of 70% (n = 164) was achieved after two mailings, and responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The demographic results of this study revealed the majority of respondents were from associate degree/certificate dental hygiene programs (77%). Results revealed that most dental hygiene programs are beginning to include some fundamental EB concepts and skills into their curriculum, primarily by incorporating analysis of scientific literature. Most programs provide students with formal library orientation (88%), instruct students in the use of library indices or library databases (86%), and teach the use of the Internet for conducting literature searches (79%). Respondents indicated the major barriers for fully incorporating an EB approach in their dental hygiene program were: lack of faculty skills (37%), no available time (34%), lack of financial resources (33%), and lack of technical support (28%). CONCLUSION: Findings of this study suggest dental hygiene educators have made small strides in creating an EB philosophy dental hygiene curriculum. However, the future of dental hygiene education must address the need for faculty development and training in areas such as computer utilization in core dental hygiene courses, strategies to improve the curriculum to stimulate students' critical thinking skills, and to develop educators' skills in the use of evidence for clinical decision-making.

Career satisfaction and job characteristics of dental hygiene master's degree graduates.

PURPOSE: The primary objectives of this study were to assess career and degree satisfaction as well as job characteristics of individuals graduating from programs awarding the master of science in dental hygiene or dental hygiene education degree. METHODS: A pilot-tested questionnaire was mailed to all 252 individuals who graduated between 1980 and 1995 from eight dental hygiene master's degree programs (MSDH). The questionnaire included both closed- and open-ended items regarding career history/career path, career satisfaction, professional involvement, and opinions/perceptions about the graduate program the participant attended. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and two-way tables. RESULTS: After three complete mailings, the response rate was 69% (n = 174). The majority of respondents reported currently working approximately five days per week (54%), with 62% having annual salaries over $40,000. Eighty-six percent were satisfied overall with their career choices, although 30% stated that they would not pursue the same degree again. CONCLUSION: Overall, graduates from MSDH programs are satisfied with their degree choice as well as the opportunities it has afforded them. These findings serve to expand the knowledge base of graduate dental hygiene education and of the graduates from these programs as well as provide suggestions for improvement to graduate dental hygiene programs.

Periodontitis and cytokine expression in CD14 deficient patients.

Patients with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) are deficient in monocytic CD14. The aim of this research was to determine the interrelationships among periodontal disease status, local levels, and monocytic secretion of inflammatory mediators in patients with PNH and matched controls. This study utilised a cross sectional, non-randomised design. PNH patients and matched controls (age, race, gender) were assessed for periodontal status, levels of PGE2 and IL-1beta within the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), and levels released from lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated peripheral blood monocytes in culture. Results indicate no statistical differences in extent and severity of periodontal disease or GCF mediator levels between the two groups. Monocyte responses to LPS demonstrated significant differences in PGE2 (P = 0.0009) and IL-1beta (P = 0.003) secretion with PNH monocytes secreting significantly less than controls. A significant positive association was found between the monocytic and GCF levels of PGE2 for all subjects (P = 0.003), PNH (P = 0.015), and control (P = 0.049) groups. This study demonstrated that GPI anchor deficient monocytes have reduced expression of inflammatory mediators in vitro.

Effectiveness of a calculus scaling gel.

This study evaluated the effect of a calculus scaling gel (SofScale) on time and ease of the scaling procedure in a double-blind, split-mouth clinical study of 32 subjects. The Volpe-Manhold calculus index was used to quantify the distribution and amount of calculus deposition on the lingual aspect of the mandibular 6 anterior teeth at baseline. The gel was applied directly to the calculus and subgingivally to the area to be scaled. Pre- and post-treatment gingival and stain indices were taken. Operator and subject questionnaires were completed immediately after treatment to determine ease of the scaling procedure. Results were analyzed with paired t-tests. The time difference in scaling between the product and placebo side was not significant. This study found that SofScale is safe to gingival tissues and does not promote tooth sensitivity. However, this study did not find significant differences in scaling time between product and placebo when using a 2-minute gel contact time.

Comparative evaluation of the three commercially available transdermal nitroglycerin delivery systems.

We comparatively evaluated the patient preference for each of the three commercially available transdermal nitroglycerin delivery systems using a randomized crossover study design. Preference was determined by ease of application, adhesion, occurrence of local irritation at the site of application, and systemic toxicities. In addition, we recorded the number of nitroglycerin tablets taken and angina attacks reported per treatment course. Each treatment course was one month long, with each patient participating for a total of three months. This allowed all patients to be exposed to each of the three products for one treatment course, thereby serving as their own controls. Thirty-eight patients completed the three-phase crossover and expressed a preference. Results showed that Transderm-Nitro was significantly preferred over both Nitro-Dur and Nitrodisc (p less than 0.005). Most of the preferences were based on cosmetic appearances or adhesive qualities. Additionally, results showed that there was no difference in efficacy among the three products when number of angina attacks reported and number of nitroglycerin tablets taken were compared.