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INTRODUCTION: In endodontics, the number of umbrella reviews has increased significantly over the last few years, but there is no evidence that they were methodologically sound. The aim of the current study was to appraise the methodological quality of umbrella reviews in endodontics, and to identify possible predictive factors associated with methodological quality. METHODS: Umbrella reviews published in the discipline of endodontics until December 2023 were included. The methodological quality of the reviews was evaluated using a checklist consisting of 11 items. Each item in the checklist was evaluated by two independent assessors who assigned a score of '1' if it was fully addressed, '0.5' if it was partially ddressed, and '0' if it was not addressed. Bootstrapped multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between the total scores awarded and five predictor variables (a priori protocol registration, year of publication, number of authors, journal impact factor (IF) and continent of the corresponding author). The statistical significance level was set as 5%. RESULTS: A total of 27 reviews were included. Ninety-six per cent of the reviews adequately reported: eligibility criteria for selecting the reviews, details of the reviews, techniques for assessing the risk of bias or methodological quality of the individual systematic reviews they included. Only 30% of the reviews adequately managed overlapping primary studies within individual systematic reviews. Among the five predictors analysed, a priori protocol registration and journals with IFs were associated with significantly greater total methodological quality scores. DISCUSSION: Several methodological shortcomings in the umbrella reviews published within the field of endodontics were revealed. Umbrella reviews published in journals with IFs and those with protocols registered a priori had significantly superior methodological quality scores. CONCLUSION: In endodontics, authors intending to publish umbrella reviews should consider the limitations revealed in this study and follow the appropriate rules to ensure their reviews comply with the highest standards and provide accurate and dependable information and conclusions.
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OBJECTIVES: This randomized clinical trial compared the effectiveness of music and informative videos as distraction tools to reduce the anxiety of patients during root canal treatment and retreatment. METHOD AND MATERIALS: A total of 90 patients were enrolled in the study. The patients were randomly allocated to three groups: Group 1 listened to music during the treatment (n=30), Group 2 watched an informative pre-operative video (n=30) and a control group underwent treatment without a distraction method (n=30). Prior to treatment, the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and a visual analogue pain scale (VAS) were used to assess anxiety and pre-operative pain. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation (OS) were recorded before the intervention (T1), after the local anesthetic (T2), following pulp extirpation or removal of root fillings (T3), and immediately following rubber dam removal (T4). One-Way ANOVA, followed by post-hoc Bonferroni tests for multiple comparisons, were used to compare mean values of SBP, DBP, HR, and OS among the groups. A P-value of 5% was considered as significant. RESULTS: Listening to music reduced SBP, HR (P <.001) and DBP (P =.003) in patients undergoing root canal treatment and retreatment at T4 compared to the baseline (T1). Music (P <.001) and informative video (P =.003) groups had significantly lower post-operative VAS-pain scores. CONCLUSION: Listening to music during root canal treatment and retreatment reduced anxiety levels in patients compared to informative pre-operative videos and no distraction technique. Pre-registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12622000817741).
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BACKGROUND/AIM: The knowledge of dental students about managing traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) may not be uniform, depending on global location and dental education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge of undergraduate and postgraduate students specializing in endodontics and pediatric dentistry at 10 dental schools in 10 countries about the 2020 International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines regarding the management of TDIs. MATERIALS & METHODS: A previously published questionnaire was used in the current survey. It was an online survey with 12 questions regarding the management of TDIs and some additional questions regarding sociodemographic and professional profiles of the participants were added. The survey was distributed to final-year undergraduate students and postgraduate students in pediatric dentistry and endodontics from 10 dental schools. Simple frequency distributions and descriptive statistics were predominantly used to describe the data. Differences in the median percentage scores among the student categories were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dwass-Steel-Critchlow-Fligner pairwise comparisons. RESULTS: A total of 347 undergraduates, 126 postgraduates in endodontics, and 72 postgraduates in pediatric dentistry from 10 dental schools participated in this survey. The postgraduates had a significantly higher percentage score for correct responses compared with the undergraduates. No significant difference was observed between the endodontic and pediatric dentistry postgraduates. CONCLUSION: The knowledge possessed by undergraduate and postgraduate students concerning the IADT-recommended management of TDIs varied across the globe and some aspects were found to be deficient. This study emphasizes the critical importance of reassessing the teaching and learning activities pertaining to the management of TDIs.