Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Periodontal and Dental Diseases During Pregnancy Among Obstetricians and Dentists in King Saud University Medical City.

BACKGROUND: Providing effective dental treatment during pregnancy is related to controlling oral diseases and helps maintain a healthy oral cavity. One of the possible treatment options for endodontic disease is to treat the odontogenic infection, maintain a healthy oral environment, and minimize the expected complications that can occur later in pregnancy or during the postpartum period. Sufficient awareness among obstetricians and dentists is essential to delivering appropriate preventive and curative care to pregnant patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this cross-sectional study is to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding oral health care and providing dental treatment among King Saud University Medical City obstetricians and dentists during pregnancy and the association of dental and periodontal disease with adverse pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: This study was conducted in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, from December 2022 to June 2023 (six months). The data were collected from 381 participants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January 2023 to June 2023. The study targeted male and female general dentists and obstetricians living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and excluded those who are not dentists and obstetricians or not living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. RESULT: Out of a total of 381 completed responses, 281 (73.8%) of the participants were dentists, while 100 (26.2%) were obstetricians. It was observed that the majority of the participants agreed that oral health is a part of prenatal care, while the minority did not agree (0.3%). Of the 281 (73.8%) respondents, most of them reported periodontal disease can cause preterm birth, low birth weight, and gestational diabetes (73.2%), while only 0.5% answered no. Two hundred and seventy-eight of the participants answered that it is essential to consult with an obstetrician before treating pregnant patients. CONCLUSION: The overall knowledge of dentists and obstetricians was adequate regarding dental disease during pregnancy. However, more education should be assessed and continuously improved regarding the treatment options, as well as future recommendations regarding the medications used in dental clinics and awareness programs promoting dental health care in pregnant patients.

Changes in Pharyngeal Airway Space and Oxygen Saturation Following Mandibular Setback Surgery: A Narrative Review.

Orthognathic surgery can alter the dental, skeletal, soft tissue, and dimensional changes in the oropharyngeal region. Studies have shown a posterior positioning of the hyoid bone and tongue position after mandibular setback surgery, this in turn can have a negative influence on the upper airway space that could lead to breathing problems such as obstructive sleep apnea. Mandibular setback surgery is commonly used for functional and aesthetic correction in mandibular prognathism patients. There are still some controversial opinions regarding the effect of mandibular setback surgery on the pharyngeal airway space and oxygen saturation. This study aims to review and illustrate the changes in pharyngeal airway space and oxygen saturation following mandibular setback surgery.

Approach for Mandibular Reconstruction Using Vascularized Free Fibula Flap: A Review of the Literature.

Mandible reconstruction is one of the major challenges that face any maxillofacial surgeon worldwide. Different approaches and methods are used for mandible reconstruction, including pedicle flaps, titanium reconstruction plates, and bone grafts. A free fibular flap is used commonly and is considered the gold standard in mandibular reconstruction with a good success rate. Advantages of the free fibula flap include the long pedicle, flexible skin island, good length of dense cortical bone, consistent bone shape, minimal donor site morbidity, superior union rate, anti-collapse effectiveness, segmental blood supply, the potential for two skin paddles, and ease of harvest with a flap survival rate up to 95%. This current review aims to illustrate the approach for mandibular reconstruction using a vascularized free fibula flap.

Evaluation of Parents' Awareness about the Effect of Prolonged Exposure to Milk or Sugary Liquids during Bedtime in the Development of Rampant Caries in Preschoolchildren and Infants.

Background: Nursing caries (NC) is a specific type of dental rampant caries with an infectious and transmissible potential that usually affect preschool children or infants that are still in the nursing phase. Prolonged exposure to milk or sugary liquids or other cariogenic substance during bedtime has shown to be the most common cause of rampant caries in preschoolchildren and infants which contributes to lowering of both functional and cosmetic appearance. Aim and objective: This study aims to evaluate parents' awareness about the effect of prolonged exposure to milk or sugary liquids during bedtime in the development of rampant caries (NC) in preschool children and infants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: The research design is an observational quantitative cross-sectional with a sample size of 303 participants. The targeted subjects were Saudi parents' males and females, older than 20 and living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and those under 20 years old, non-Saudi without children, and not living in Riyadh were excluded. Results: A sample of 303 parents was analyzed. Comparison between NC knowledge and gender showed that a higher percentage of mothers (71.0%) knew that bottle-feeding during bedtime can increase the incidence of caries compared to the fathers (51.9%), p value 0.003. The relation between NC awareness and previously heard about NC showed that those who heard about NC before knew more about bottle feeding during bedtime can cause NC, p value < 0.001. Most of the parents (88.7%) who previously heard about NC also knew that oral hygiene follow-up is important in preschool children, p value < 0.001. A significant difference in knowledge existed between those who heard about NC and those who are not in terms of the proper time to follow-up with a child's oral hygiene (p value < 0.001), and the proper time to visit a dentist (p value 0.012). Conclusion: Our study showed that the parents are significantly aware of the incidence of NC during childhood (90.4%). In addition to the significant awareness among the parents who have previously heard about NC. However, (61.7%) of the parents acknowledged the most common leading cause of early childhood caries. How to cite this article: Fatani B, Fatani OA, Kalantan R. Evaluation of Parents' Awareness about the Effect of Prolonged Exposure to Milk or Sugary Liquids during Bedtime in the Development of Rampant Cariesin Preschoolchildren and Infants. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(2):227-232.