Dental Anomalies in Primary Dentition among Arabian Children: A Hospital-Based Study.

An observational study was carried out in a teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia to determine the occurrence of dental anomalies among Arabian children. The study included children of Saudi nationality with primary teeth. The study assessed the prevalence of dental anomalies in their primary dentition. The assessment and data collection were conducted by a single examiner, utilizing clinical examination and intra-oral radiographs. A comparative analysis was conducted to examine dental anomalies in relation to gender (boys and girls) and arch type (maxillary and mandibular). In addition, the study explored the occurrence of gender-specific dental anomalies depending on arch type. The data analysis was conducted using IBM Statistics (version 21.0) with a significance level of p < 0.05. In total, there were 245 children included in the final analysis. The study population consisted of boys (66%) and girls (34%), with an average age of 4.87 ± 0.9 years. Taurodontism was the most prevalent dental abnormality, occurring in 2.8% of the individuals in the study sample. The study sample exhibited hypodontia in 2%, supernumerary teeth in 2.4%, double teeth in 2%, and microdontia in 1.2%. Talon cusp and macrodontia have a relatively low incidence of 0.4%. Boys exhibit supernumerary teeth, microdontia, macrodontia, talon cusp, and taurodontism, whereas hypodontia and double teeth were more frequent in girls.

Influence of Tooth Brushing and Previous Dental Visits on Dental Caries Status among Saudi Arabian Children.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dental caries status and its association with tooth brushing frequency and previous dental visits among Arabian children. METHODS: Arabian school children attend a specialty pediatric dental clinic at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. Only children of Saudi origin with primary dentition were included in the study, and only one examiner was involved in the assessment and data collection. The parents of children completed a questionnaire to investigate possible explanatory variables for caries status, including tooth brushing frequency and previous dental visits. Dental caries were diagnosed according to the criteria recommended by the World Health Organization (2013). The comparison performed was based on sex, age, tooth brushing frequency, and previous dental visits. The descriptive statistics were carried out using SPSS (version 21.0) with a p-value of <0.05 significance. RESULTS: The study involved 268 Saudi children with a mean age of 4.6 ± 1.1 years. The caries prevalence was 78.8%, and the mean dmft was 5.82 ± 4.48, while the overall mean scores for decayed, missing, and filled were 3.903 ± 3.69, 1.18 ± 1.69, and 0.73 ± 1.35, respectively. The mean dmft scores for the <3 years, 3.1-6 years, and >6 years old children were found to be 1.74, 6.58, and 4.58, respectively. Among the children, the females reported higher dmf scores (7.51 ± 4.18) compared to males (4.97 ± 4.39) with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Fifty percent of the children had tooth brushing habits of once daily, followed by never (22.4%), twice daily (15.7%), and rarely (11.2%) brushed their teeth. Statistically significant correlations were found between the children's dental caries status, age, and dental visits, while sex and tooth brushing did not find a correlation. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dental caries among Arabian preschool children was higher. Mandibular second molars were commonly affected by dental caries, while mandibular central incisors were less frequently affected. The child's age and frequency of dental checkups were positively related to the prevalence of dental caries.

Modern modified aerosol box: Isolation aid for oral health care professionals during dental procedures.

COVID-19 affected healthcare professionals globally, especially dentists, which is airborne and transmitted through contact. Most dental procedures are aerosol generated and these aerosols in dental practice tend to transmit acute respiratory infections like COVID-19. Recently, a few authors recommended using the aerosol box to reduce the aerosol count in a dental setting. However, the study aims to describe and recommend a reformed aerosol box desand to practice safe dentistry.

Correlation between BMI and Oral Health Status (DMFT, PI, mSBI, and Salivary 1,5-AG) among the Pediatric Population in Saudi Arabia: A Clinico-Biochemical Study.

The study aimed to investigate the association of varying body mass index (BMI) with oral health status among children aged 5−14 years and correlate the concentration of salivary levels of 1,5-AG with varying BMI, dental caries, and periodontal disease. This cross-sectional study was conducted on subjects aged 5 to 14 years. The children were recruited from the Pediatric Dental Clinic, College of Dentistry, Majmaah University, by convenient sampling method. Sociodemographic details and clinical parameters, including body mass index (BMI), DMFT/def (deciduous decayed tooth (d), deciduous extracted tooth (e), deciduous filled tooth (f), permanent tooth decayed (D), permanent missing tooth (M), and permanent filled tooth (F)), plaque index (PI), and modified sulcular bleeding index (mSBI), were evaluated. Salivary 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) was analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for all the subjects. Statistical analyses performed using SPSS v. 27 (IBM Statistics, Chicago, IL, USA) and the Kruskal−Wallis and chi-square tests were used for comparisons. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to examine the association between the study subjects' independent variables, BMI, and caries activity. The mean def score, PI, and mSBI scores were higher in obese children. PI score, mSBI score, and salivary concentrations of 1,5-AG between the BMI categories were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The study emphasizes promoting preventive oral health regimes, health awareness campaigns, and nutritional educational programs among the pediatric population.

Comparison of Salivary IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and CTX with Periodontal Status among Patients Belonging to Various Skeletal Maturity Groups.

PURPOSE: To compare the levels of salivary IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and CTX with periodontal status among patients belonging to various skeletal maturity groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 80 participants 6 to 25 years of age. Based on skeletal maturity, the participants were categorised into 3 different stages: prepubertal, pubertal, and post-pubertal stages. The periodontal status of the participants was assessed using the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and community periodontal index (CPI). The saliva samples were examined for IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and CTX using the respective ELISA kits. One-way ANOVA was used to determine statistically significant differences of means across the study groups for continuous variables. RESULTS: The study demonstrated statistically significant differences for the parameters OHI-S, bleeding on probing, PPD, CPI, and CAL (p < 0.05) depending on skeletal maturity stage. ANOVA test showed a statistically significant difference by stage in IGF-1, IGFPB3, and CTX (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: An association exists between periodontal status and levels of salivary IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and CTX in patients belonging to various skeletal maturity groups.

Correlation between Salivary Levels of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, IGF-1/IGFBP3 Ratio with Skeletal Maturity Using Hand-Wrist Radiographs.

Objective: The relevance of growth determination in orthodontics is driving the search for the most precise and least invasive way of tracking the pubertal growth spurt. Our aim was to explore whether minimally invasive salivary estimation of biomarkers Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) could be used to estimate skeletal maturity for clinical convenience, especially in children and adolescent age groups. Materials and Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted on 90 participants (56 girls and 34 males) with ages ranging from 6 to 25 years. Each subject's hand-wrist radiograph was categorized based on skeletal maturity, and saliva samples were estimated for IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 using the respective ELISA kits. Kruskal−Wallis nonparametric ANOVA was applied to compare different skeletal stages. Results: The study demonstrated low salivary IGF-1 levels at the prepubertal stage, with increase during pubertal onset and peak pubertal stage followed by a decline during pubertal deceleration to growth completion. Spearman's correlation coefficient demonstrated a strong positive association (r = 0.98 p < 0.01) between salivary IGF/IGFBP-3 ratio and different stages of skeletal maturity. Conclusion: Salivary IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and IGF/IGFBP-3 ratio could serve as a potential biochemical marker for predicting the completion of skeletal maturity.

Assessment of the prevalence and configuration of middle distal canals in the mandibular molars in a Saudi subpopulation using Cone-Beam computed tomography.

PURPOSE: The prevalence of the middle distal (MD) canal in the mandibular molar is significantly low among countries including the USA, Spain, Turkey, and Jordan; however, analysis of its prevalence and configuration has not been performed in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we aimed to assess the prevalence and configuration of the MD canal in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 132 cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images was performed to evaluate the presence of the MD canal in patients visiting the Radiology Department of The College of Dentistry in King Saud University between July 2018 and July 2019. The canal was examined if it was confluent with the distobuccal (DB) or distolingual (DL) canals, fin, or independent. Moreover, the distances from the MD canal to the DL and DB canals and cementoenamel junction (CEJ) were recorded. RESULTS: One MD canal (0.7%) was observed in 145 teeth. It was confluent with the DL canal. No statistical significance was observed among sex and age. The distances from the MD canal to the DL canal, DB canal, and CEJ were 1.4 mm, 1.9 mm, and 3.1 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of the MD canal was significantly low in a Saudi subpopulation (0.7%). Careful evaluation of CBCT images and the pulpal floor is significantly important to detect the MD canal to ensure a good prognosis.

Morphometric Analysis of Permanent Canines: Preliminary Findings on Odontometric Sex Dimorphism.

AIM: This study aims to investigate the morphometrics of permanent canines in establishing sexual dimorphism in the native Arabian population. METHODS: Thirty (male = 12; female = 18) native Arabian subjects, with ages ranging between 20-45 years. The mesiodistal (MD), cericoincisal (CI) and labiolingual (LL) widths of the teeth 13, 23, 33, and 43 and the inter-canine distance in maxillary (MaxICW) and mandibular (ManICW) arches were measured using a digital caliper. The gran method was used for establishing sex dimorphism among the study subjects. Descriptive statistics were employed using SPSS version 20.0 (Armonk, NY, USA, IBM Corp.). RESULTS: The comparison of either of the measurements (MD, CI, LL, MaxICW and ManICW) were shown to be statistically significant (p > 0.05). The overall mean values of teeth 13, 23, 33, and 43 for CI, LL, MaxICW, and ManICW were lower for females than males (p > 0.05). The MD width was higher in females than that of males (p > 0.05). The sex dimorphism value for teeth 13, 23, 33, and 43 were 0.98, 0.99, 1, and 0.99, respectively. The standard canine index was high for mandibular teeth and lower for mandibular teeth, and SCI values for teeth 13, 23, 33, and 43 were 0.219, 0.218, 0.257 and 0.256, respectively. CONCLUSION: The morphometrics of permanent canines are helpful in sex determination with the aid of odontometric analysis.

Preference of Dental Practitioners toward the Use of Local and Topical Anesthetics for Pediatric Patients in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND: Local anesthesia administration techniques are slightly challenging to perform and master on the basis of experience. It is always delicate to adjust to the first patient injection, especially in children. This study investigated dental practitioners' preferences toward topical and local anesthetics for children in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was sent through google forms to the participants, including sociodemographic characteristics, as well as perceptions of local anesthesia and topical anesthesia. The details for each demographic variable were based the gender, occupation, and experience years. Descriptive statistics were carried out using SPSS (version 24.0), where a p-value of 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval was considered significant. RESULT: A total of 274 responses were received from Saudi Arabian dental practitioners, whereby 92.3% preferred lidocaine, and, while choosing local anesthesia, most participants (57.7%) considered precise bodyweight. The majority of the participants selected 27 gauge needles for infiltrations (46.3%) and blocks (63.9%). Short needles were preferred by the majority (93.4%) of the dental practitioners for infiltration, while long needles (83.9%) were chosen for nerve blocks. Benzocaine (68.2%) was preferred by the majority of the dental practitioners for topical anesthesia, and 55.8% of them were not aware of the brand of the topical anesthesia. The majority of dental practitioners felt that topical anesthesia was effective prior to administration of local anesthesia, and 83.6% of the Arabian dental practitioners expressed that patients complained regarding the taste of topical anesthesia. There were mixed opinions observed among the genders and occupations of dental practitioners regarding anesthetics used. CONCLUSION: The dental practitioners' perceptions and preferences demonstrate that the most commonly preferred type of local anesthetic was lidocaine, whereas the most preferred type of topical anesthetic was benzocaine in gel form. Moreover, the most widely used factor in deciding the dosage of local anesthesia was precise body weight among Saudi dentists. The majority of participants preferred short needles for infiltrations and long needles for nerve blocks. The 27 gauge needle was chosen by the majority of the participants for both infiltration and nerve blocks.

Molar and Incisor Hypomineralization.

Molar and incisor hypomineralization is a developmental defect that is systemic in origin that affects one or more than one permanent first molars, and is often associated with permanent incisors. It is usually characterized by well demarcated opacities and qualitative enamel defects caused by decreased inorganic enamel components, and reduced mineralization. It can cause esthetic, functional, psychological, and behavioral problems in children. Its reported prevalence varies widely, from 2.5% to 40.2%. Multiple aspects of dental treatment for it are challenging, such as behavior management, difficulty in achieving adequate local anesthesia, tooth hypersensitivity, and retention of restorations. This review discusses the most important considerations pertaining to its prevalence, severity, etiology, differential diagnosis, and some of the challenges and treatment modalities applicable in young patients. Data is collected from PubMed, Medline, and Embase databases.

Perceptions and Preventive Practices Regarding COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak and Oral Health Care Perceptions during the Lockdown: A Cross-Sectional Survey from Saudi Arabia.

AIMS: The study aimed to evaluate perceptions and preventive practices regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and oral health care perceptions during the lockdown in the Saudi Arabian population. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study was performed by collecting the data from individuals belonging to various parts of the Saudi Arabian Population through an online self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire had two main parts: first comprised of demographic data include the region of residence, gender, nationality, age, the number of family members, monthly income of the family, and the second was further divided into three sections of perception (P), practice (PRA) and oral health care practice (D) questions. All these (P, PRA, and D) were analyzed by comparing all of the demographic characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS IBM (version 21.0), and statistical significance was set at a 5% level. RESULTS: Overall, 2013 participants (54% males and 46% females) contributed to the Saudi Arabia study. Only 5% of non-Saudis live in Saudi Arabia were participated in the study, while the majority of participants were of 21-40 years age group (45%), 59% of having more than five family members, and 60% of them had ≤10 K Suadi riyal monthly income respectively. The majority of the participants were from Riyadh (33.7%) and Asir (25.1%) in the study. Overall, 89.5% of the participants were aware of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The majority of the participants (55%) from Saudi Arabia utilized the Ministry of Health website, a source of information regarding COVID-19. However, 56.5% of the participants had COVID-19 related perception, and 74.3% followed an appropriate preventive practice. Approximately 60% had good oral health practice. The study participants showed mixed opinions on perceptions regarding COVID-19, preventive practice, and oral health practices. CONCLUSION: The present study suggested that the Saudi Arabian population has good attention to COVID-19, but preventive practice and oral health perception need better awareness to control this novel virus spread. The Ministry of Health website utilized as a significant source of information among the Saudi Arabian population regarding COVID-19.

Etiological Factors of the Midline Diastema in Children: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Midline diastema in children is a prevalent developmental entity, and this pathological condition may remain in many children due to various factors. Nonetheless, the evidence on etiological factors of the midline diastema in children is minimal. PURPOSE: To evaluate the etiological factors of midline diastema causes in children below 12 years of age from the published data. METHODS: A literature search was confined to the English language using MeSH terms conferring to PICO format in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Ovidsp covering the period from January 1960 to December 2019. Search in Google Scholar, grey literature, and hand search on references were performed to find additional data. Suitable studies were selected based on the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality analysis of the chosen studies conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) adapted for cross-sectional studies. RESULTS: Only eight studies were available for final analysis among those four studies from India, two studies from Korea, one study from Brazil, and another study from Canada. The most common etiology for midline diastema was supernumerary teeth followed by morphology labial frenum and nasal airflow condensation. The quality analysis of these studies based on NOS showed one study with unsatisfactory, four studies with satisfactory, and three with good quality. CONCLUSION: Morphology of frenum, pre-maxillary supernumerary teeth, and nasal airflow condensation seem to be the most common causes of midline diastema in children below 12 years.

Dentistry Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Among the Saudi Arabian Dental Students.

Background: The recent pandemic outbreak has created a huge impact on dentistry. Dental students and dental professionals are at a higher risk because dental practice comprises close communication and widespread exposure to blood, saliva, and other body fluids. It is imperative to evaluate the knowledge and perceptions regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) among budding dentists. Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of dental students regarding dental practices during COVID-19. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among undergraduate students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire consisting of demographic, knowledge, and attitude-based questions were circulated among the study population, and the responses for the knowledge and attitude were scored. Their mean scores were then calculated. Chi-square test and nonparametric tests were computed using SPSS version 21 software, and p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: 388 undergraduate dental students have participated in the study from Saudi Arabia. 68% of the respondents believed that they had sufficient knowledge regarding COVID-19. The mean score for knowledge was 5.84 out of 7. Females (6.24) scored statistically significantly higher than males (5.55, p < = 0.001). The mean attitude score was 6.34 out of 9. 93% were using PPE models, while 95% maintained social distancing. Out of all the participating dental students, only 16% were willing to treat patients during the pandemic, and 28% did not want to treat patients, 28% preferred teledentistry. The majority (44%) of dental undergraduates were willing to handle only emergency cases. Conclusion: Accurate knowledge and attitude regarding COVID-19 and diversified opinion on preventive practices during the pandemic period among budding dental professionals evident from Saudi Arabia. Mixed opinions were witnessed among them in seeking help from professional societies. The majority of dental undergraduates were willing to handle only emergency cases.

Bilateral occurrence of bimaxillary bi-rooted primary canines: a rare case report with review of the literature.

Multiple roots in anterior teeth are very rarely reported in the literature. The occurrence of multi-rooted canine in primary dentition is an infrequent entity. This unusual abnormality is an accidental finding on routine examination. Radiographic examination plays a significant role in the identification of this anomaly. This rare anomaly has been reported very infrequently reported and has not been published in a Saudi Arabia population. Therefore, the purpose of the present case report is to describe a case of an 8-year old Saudi boy presented with the bimaxillary occurrence of bi-rooted primary canine. This report discusses this unique occurrence in the context of the published literature.

Knowledge and Perceptions Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) among Pediatric Dentists during Lockdown Period.

AIM: To assess the knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19 among pediatric dentists based on their dependent source of information. METHODS: A descriptive-analytical cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire with 23 questions was sent via Google forms to pediatric dentists. All participants were divided into three groups [postgraduate residents (PGs), private practitioners (PP), and faculty (F)]. The comparison of knowledge and perception scores was made based on occupation, source of information, and descriptive statistics used for the analysis using SPSS 21.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). RESULTS: A total of 291 pediatric dentists completed the survey, and the majority of them were females (65%). Overall, good mean scores were obtained for knowledge (9.2 ± 1.07) and perceptions (5.6 ± 1.5). The majority of the participants used health authorities (45%) to obtain updates on COVID-19, while social media (35.1%) and both (19.6%) accounted for the next two. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was found among different pediatric dentists groups for relying on the source of information. CONCLUSION: Overall good pediatric dentists showed sufficient knowledge regarding COVID-19. The pediatric dentists' age, occupation, and source of information influenced knowledge regarding COVID-19, whereas perceptions were influenced by age and gender of the participants. Health authorities successfully educated pediatric dentists than the social media.