The impact of sinusitis on dose distribution in a radiotherapy plan by in silico study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of changes in sinus aeration on dose variation in nasopharyngeal cases using a single beam with various field sizes and real patient computed tomography (CT) images. METHODS: The calculations were carried out on a computer equipped with an Intel Xeon (R) Gold 5118 processor operating at 2.30 GHz in 2022 at Taibah University, Al Madinah Al Munawwarah for a retrospective nasopharyngeal case. At the patient level, the impact on dose distribution was examined for different field sizes by comparing the percentage depth dose. The dose discrepancy was evaluated by comparing the dose delivered without considering the anatomical changes observed in the initial fraction to the dose adjusted to account for these changes using a 2D gamma analysis. With a criterion of 1% dose difference and 1 mm distance to agreement, the gamma level for analysis was set at 95%. RESULTS: The study findings indicated that the observed effect diminished by approximately 50% for both 5 cm x 5 cm and 10 cm x 10 cm field sizes compared to the 3 cm x 3 cm size, where there was an overlap between the planning target volume and sinusitis. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that the impact of dose discrepancy was more pronounced in smaller field sizes.

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Oral Hygiene Practices of Secondary School Students in Al-Qunfudah District, Saudi Arabia.

Background Oral health is closely related to general health awareness and good oral hygiene practices, which makes it an important aspect of general health and well-being. The current study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of oral hygiene among secondary school students in Al-Qunfudah district, Saudi Arabia. Methods A convenient sample of 383 male and female secondary school students in the Al-Qunfudah district, Saudi Arabia, was included in this descriptive cross-sectional study. The research data were collected from the study sample through a self-administered online survey via WhatsApp and Telegram electronic applications. Finally, the collected data were coded and analyzed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) and expressed in frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were applied to assess the relationship between the participants' knowledge and practice scores of oral hygiene and their demographic characteristics. A P-value of less than 0.05 was regarded as significant. Results In this study, female students represented 70% of the sample, and most of them were Saudi (97.0%). Many of them identified the great impact of oral hygiene on overall health (89.2%), and more than two-thirds indicated that brushing their teeth regularly would prevent oral problems (89.2%). Nearly two-thirds of them perceived that dental problems would affect their school attendance; however, 59.1% ignored the important role of schools in maintaining students' oral hygiene. The poor practice of dental care was observed among students, as 47.5% brush their teeth twice daily and a third replace their brushes every three months. Despite the fact that the majority of the study population had adequate knowledge (44.4%) and a positive attitude (78.6%) toward oral hygiene, only 39.9% could effectively apply it. The knowledge of oral hygiene was significantly better among females (P = 0.005), older students (P = 0.001), those at a higher academic level (P = 0.016), and students from Al-Qunfudah city (P = 0.007). Furthermore, older pupils, those with a higher academic level, and those from Al-Qunfudah city performed better in terms of dental hygiene than their peers (P-value was 0.001 for each). Conclusion  Secondary school students generally have adequate awareness levels and positive attitudes toward oral hygiene, but they practice it with remarkably little consistency. Schools should emphasize their crucial roles in enhancing oral health among their students of different education levels through their curriculum and frequent monitoring of students. Persuasive and realistic oral health education initiatives are recommended for schoolchildren and their family members or caregivers, with a particular emphasis on males, younger children, and those living in rural areas.