Self-reported preparedness of final year undergraduate dental students and interns in Saudi Arabia: a multi-institutional study.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary undergraduate dental education aims to equip the dental students with clinical competence, empathy, and professionalism to enable them to deliver safe and effective dental care to the communities. The purpose of this study was to assess the self-reported preparedness of final year dental students and interns at three Saudi dental institutions, using the pre-validated Dental Undergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale (DU-PAS). METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was employed to assess the self-reported preparedness of the participants using the DU-PAS. Following ethics approval, a probability sampling technique was used to recruit undergraduate dental students and interns from three dental institutions in Saudi Arabia. The data was collected online on Google Forms and all participants provided their consent to participate in the study prior to providing their responses to DU-PAS. RESULTS: Responses were received from 397 participants including 171 males and 226 females yielding a response rate of 60.3%. The total mean score of the participants was 81.85 ± 13.11. Although higher scores were reported in males, the interaction between gender and DU-PAS scores were not significant. Interaction between DU-PAS scores and stage of education showed significant effect of the stage of education with interns reporting higher overall scores. The participants reported that they were able to perform most clinical procedures independently. However, low confidence was reported in performing multi-rooted endodontics, fabrication of removable dentures and orthodontic assessment. The participants also expressed their confidence in a wide range of behavioural attributes related to communication, teamworking and professionalism. However, lack of experience was noted in referral for oral cancer, interpreting research, and evaluation of new dental products using an evidence-based approach. CONCLUSION: The study provides useful insights into the self-reported preparedness of undergraduate dental students and interns in three dental institutions. While the overall preparedness of the participants was comparable to their international peers, the findings underscore the need for further enhancements to the teaching and training of undergraduate students particularly in multirooted endodontics, removable prosthodontics and orthodontics.

Effectiveness of propolis in maintaining oral health: a scoping review.

Background: Research has revealed that periodontal diseases are caused by inflammation that results from a dysbiosis of the oral microbiome where oral bacteria multiply into larger communities referred to as dental biofilm. To help control this overgrowth of bacteria, a variety of toothpastes, dentifrices, and mouthwashes have been developed. Although not as common in North American toothpastes, propolis as an active ingredient in dentifrices has begun to emerge, as laboratory studies have suggested it has anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic properties. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore the literature on the effectiveness of propolis in maintaining oral health. Methods: This review used the following criteria: Population: studies involving healthy humans; Intervention: propolis in the form of toothpaste, dentifrice, and mouthwash; Comparison: fluoride, chlorohexidine, and placebo; Outcomes: plaque and gingival indices, improvement in oral hygiene, and inhibition of bacteria. Relevant research articles were selected from Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus databases using the search parameter "propolis[tw] AND (toothpaste*[tw] OR dentifrice*[tw] OR mouthwash*[tw])". Only original articles published after 2009 and written in the English language were included. Results: A total of 19 original papers met the criteria and showed varying levels of success achieved with the use of propolis. It was responsible for a significant lowering of specific plaque and gingival indices, inhibited the growth of bacteria, reduced oral flora diversity, and consistently improved periodontal condition, oral hygiene, and oral health. Conclusion: Propolis may play a role in initiating, sustaining, and maintaining oral health as its desirable properties have the potential to improve various oral hygiene related indices.

Contexte: Les recherches ont révélé que les maladies parodontales sont causées par de l'inflammation résultant d'une dysbiose du microbiome buccal, lorsque les bactéries buccales se multiplient en communautés plus importantes appelées biofilm dentaire. Afin d'aider à maîtriser cette prolifération de bactéries, une variété de pâtes dentifrices, de dentifrices et de bains de bouche ont été conçus. Bien qu'elle ne soit pas aussi courante dans les pâtes dentifrices de l'Amérique du Nord, la propolis commence à émerger comme ingrédient actif dans les dentifrices, puisque les études de laboratoire ont suggéré qu'elle a des propriétés anti-inflammatoires, immunomodulatrices, antioxydantes, antimicrobiennes et antidiabétiques. Le but de cet examen de la portée était d'explorer la littérature sur l'efficacité de la propolis dans le maintien de la santé buccodentaire. Méthodes: Cette revue a utilisé les critères suivants : Population : études portant sur des humains en bonne santé; Intervention : propolis sous forme de pâte dentifrice, dentifrice et bain de bouche; Comparaison : fluorure, chlorohexidine et placebo; Résultats : indices de plaque et de gencive, amélioration de l'hygiène buccodentaire et inhibition des bactéries. Les articles de recherche pertinents ont été sélectionnés dans les bases de données de Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE et Scopus à l'aide de paramètres de recherche « propolis[tw] ET (pâte dentifrice*[tw] OU dentifrice*[tw] OU bain de bouche*[tw]) ¼. Seuls les articles originaux publiés après 2009 et rédigés en anglais ont été inclus. Résultats: Un total de 19 articles originaux ont répondu aux critères et ont montré des taux de succès variables, atteints à l'aide de la propolis. Elle était responsable d'une diminution considérable des indices propres la plaque et aux gencives, de l'inhibition de la croissance de bactéries, de la réduction de la diversité de la flore buccale et de l'amélioration constante de l'état du parodonte, de l'hygiène buccodentaire et de la santé buccodentaire. Conclusion: La propolis peut jouer un rôle dans l'initiation, le maintien et l'entretien de la santé buccodentaire, car ses propriétés intéressantes ont le potentiel d'améliorer divers indices liés l'hygiène buccodentaire.

Light-activated disinfection in endodontics: A comprehensive review.

Light-activated disinfection (LAD) has emerged as a novel approach toward antimicrobial disinfection within the root canal. This approach is based on the concept that porphyrins and photosensitizers (PSs) can be activated by light to produce cytotoxic elements that induce the desired therapeutic effect. Unlike antibiotics, LAD can act on multiple targets within a bacterial cell, including membrane lipids, genomic DNA and various proteins, including enzymes, thus reducing the ability of the organism to acquire resistance.The aim of this review was to develop an understanding of the potential use of LAD in endodontics and to suggest strategies to maximize the antibacterial effects of LAD.The electronic searches of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane databases were complemented by a manual hand search. A total of 303 studies were evaluated for essential parameters, which included the origin, types/variations, methodology, and application of LAD in in vitro and in vivo studies.It can be concluded that LAD is effective against the vast majority of bacterial pathogens, including antibioticresistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, along with several yeasts, viruses and protozoan species. The literature tends to suggest that LAD can be used either as a substitute or an adjunct to the conventional antimicrobial treatment regimens that are implemented to battle polymicrobial biofilms.

Light Curing Units And Their Intensity Output In Dental Setups Of Islamabad And Rawalpindi.

BACKGROUND: Dental composites are commonly used to restore teeth. However, to ensure adequate physical properties and biocompatibility, they require sufficient light intensity with the help of light curing units (LCU). This study aimed to evaluate the type and intensity of LCU being used in the dental setups of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. METHODS: Dental clinics were visited and the type of the LCU was noted. Three consecutive intensity measurements were taken using a radiometer. For Quartz tungsten halogen (QTH) LCU, a light intensity below 300mW/cm2 was considered unsatisfactory, while for light-emitting diode (LED) LCU, a reading below 600mW/cm2 was considered unsatisfactory. To analyse the difference between the output intensities of the two LCU, Mann-Whitney U test was used (p<0.05), while Fisher's Exact test was used for the association between the type of LCU and clinical acceptability of output intensity. RESULTS: A total of 96 LCU were evaluated, out of which, eight were QTH and 88 were LED. A total of 16.7% LCU were considered unsatisfactory. Amongst them, 62.5% QTH had intensity less than 300mW/cm2, while for LED, 12.5% had intensity below 600mW/cm2. The mean intensity for LED was statistically significant compared to QTH LCU (p<0.05). A statistically significant association existed between the type of LCU and their intensity (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: A trend towards the use of LED LCU in the dental setups of Islamabad and Rawalpindi was observed. LED LCU showed greater mean light intensity than QTH LCU. Periodic evaluation of LCU using radiometers is suggested to ensure optimal intensity output.

Flexural Strength of Glass Carbomer Cement and Conventional Glass Ionomer Cement Stored in Different Storage Media over Time.

OBJECTIVES: Glass ionomer cement (GIC) is routinely placed as a restorative material in dentistry. However, due to its poor physical properties, its use is limited to cases where the level of stress on restoration is minimal. Improved formulations of GIC have been developed to overcome these drawbacks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate flexural strength of a conventional GIC (Fuji IX) against a newly developed glass carbomer cement (GCP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: For Fuji IX and GCP, a total of 80 blocks were prepared and divided into 16 groups (n = 5). These groups were further categorized according to the storage medium (artificial saliva and Vaseline) and time intervals (24 h and 1, 2, and 4 weeks). A 3-point bending test was carried out, and statistical analysis was done using ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests. RESULTS: Fuji IX showed a mean flexural strength of 25.14 ± 13.02 versus 24.27 ± 12.57 MPa for GCP. There was no significant statistical difference between both materials when compared under storage media. Both materials showed the highest value for flexural strength at 2 weeks of storage and lowest at 4 weeks. CONCLUSION: The storage media do not affect the flexural strength of the specimens with reference to time. Time is the unique factor with relative influence on mean resistance to fracture. Further testing is required to evaluate the true potential of the newly developed GCP.