Oral potentially malignant disorders - An assessment of knowledge and attitude to future education in undergraduate dental students.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and clinical experience of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) in undergraduate dental students in six European countries (Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom) and assess student's attitude and preference to future education on the topic. A secondary aim was to identify gaps in student's knowledge and clinical practice. The study was a part of the Erasmus+ project "Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders: Healthcare Professionals Training" (Grant No: 2020-1-UK01-KA202-078917). MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online questionnaire was distributed to all final-year students in six partner universities. This consisted of four parts assessing: (1) knowledge on OPMDs, (2) clinical experience with this group of patients, (3) self-rated competence in the management of OPMDs and (4) preferences with regard to future education. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty final-year dental students from six partner universities responded to the questionnaire. Response rates varied from 12% to 92% between partner universities. Significant differences in clinical experience and knowledge were found between students. Students with more clinical exposure to OPMDs rated their knowledge and competence in the management of OPMDs higher than students with less clinical experience. The majority of students were interested in future education on OPMDs, preferably via short educational videos. CONCLUSION: The majority of students have received theoretical knowledge of OPMDs during their undergraduate studies, however, not all had clinical exposure to this group of patients. Students were open to further education on OPMDs. Important deficiencies in knowledge were identified that need to be addressed and it is anticipated that the e-learning platform and e-book that are in development by partner institutions will help to improve overall knowledge of OPMDs.

COVID-19 lockdown and recovery: a dental public health perspective from Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created novel barriers in providing and accessing all forms of healthcare, including dentistry. The national dental response during the first peak of the pandemic resulted in rapid changes in the provision of service, to safeguard providers and users of dental care.Such rapidly leveraged changes resulted in several issues in service delivery, requiring careful input from managers and commissioners within NHS England and Improvement, trainees and consultants in dental public health within Public Health England, and frontline dental teams working across the health and social care system. The local response from Lancashire and South Cumbria is outlined within this article.Teamwork, communication and reflexive, iterative learning from these groups ensured the delivery of an Urgent Dental Care service during the first lockdown of the pandemic.The impact of COVID-19 has enabled considerable learning which will inform future pandemic planning, alongside providing the opportunity to deliver meaningful change within NHS dentistry as the service continues to recover.

Does dental appearance impact on employability in adults? A scoping review of quantitative and qualitative evidence.

Background The importance of physical appearance in social and professional situations has been well studied. It has been suggested that improving dental appearance may increase employment prospects. This scoping review aims to map the current literature regarding the impact of dental appearance on employability.Methods A scoping review was carried out in accordance with guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed iteratively, databases were searched and decisions on inclusion made in duplicate. Data were charted in Excel and synthesised using a visual map, study summary table and narrative description.Results We identified 16 relevant articles: ten experimental simulation studies, two qualitative studies, one cross-sectional survey, one pre-/post-dental treatment survey, one retrospective cohort study and one narrative systematic review. Experimental simulations support the notion that visible dental conditions can negatively impact appraisals of employment-related personal characteristics. Negative impacts on job-seeking self-efficacy and willingness to apply for jobs have also been documented.Conclusions The applicability of this evidence base to the UK health system context is uncertain and demonstration of real-life impact on employment is lacking. Further research is needed before programmes to improve dental appearance could be justified on the basis of improving employment outcomes.

Assessing confidence in the understanding and management of oral cancer among medical and dental undergraduates at a UK university.

Introduction Oral cancer is the eighth most common cancer in the world and associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Appropriate and early diagnosis of the condition is associated with improved patient outcomes, and an improvement in five-year survival rates.Aims We aim to ascertain if dental and medical students have similar amounts of self-confidence in the understanding and management of oral cancer within a large UK university.Methods We invited 65 final-year dental students and 101 final-year medical students to undertake our study, with 50 dental students and 59 medical students opting to participate.Results We found final-year dental students to feel significantly more confident in their understanding and management of oral cancer when compared to their medical counterparts.Conclusions Medical students may benefit from additional teaching on oral cancer. Additionally, they should be encouraged to briefly screen the oral cavity of individuals who are at high-risk of the disease.

Web-Based Information on the Treatment of Tobacco Dependence for Oral Health Professionals: Analysis of English-Written Websites.

BACKGROUND: Studies have been conducted on the content and quality of Web-based information for patients who are interested in smoking cessation advice and for health care practitioners regarding the content of e-learning programs about tobacco cessation. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no such information about the quality of Web-based learning resources regarding smoking cessation dedicated to oral health professionals. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the quality of the content of webpages providing information about smoking cessation for oral health care professionals. METHODS: Websites were identified using Google and Health on Net (HON) search engines using the terms: smoking cessation OR quit smoking OR stop smoking OR 3As OR 5As OR tobacco counselling AND dentistry OR dental clinic OR dentist OR dental hygienist OR oral health professionals. The first 100 consecutive results of the 2 search engines were considered for the study. Quality assessment was rated using the DISCERN questionnaire, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, and the HON seal. In addition, smoking cessation content on each site was assessed using an abbreviated version of the Smoke Treatment Scale (STS-C) and the Smoking Treatment Scale-Rating (STS-R). To assess legibility of the selected websites, the Flesch Reading Ease (FRES) and the Flesch-Kinkaid Reading Grade Level (FKRGL) were used. Websites were also classified into multimedia and nonmultimedia and friendly and nonfriendly usability. RESULTS: Of the first 200 sites selected (100 of Google and 100 of HON), only 11 met the inclusion criteria and mainly belonged to governmental institutions (n=8), with the others being prepared by Professional Associations (n=2) and nonprofit organizations (n=1). Only 3 were exclusively dedicated to smoking cessation. The average score obtained with the DISCERN was 3.0, and the average score in the FKRGL and FRES was 13.31 (standard deviation, SD 3.34) and 40.73 (SD 15.46), respectively. Of the 11 websites evaluated, none achieved all the four JAMA benchmarks. The mean score of STS-R among all the websites was 2.81 (SD 0.95) out of 5. A significant strong positive correlation was obtained between the DISCERN mean values and the STS-R (R=.89, P=.01). CONCLUSIONS: The mean quality of webpages with information for oral health care professionals about smoking cessation is low and displayed a high heterogeneity. These webpages are also difficult to read and often lack multimedia resources, which further limits their usefulness.

A Festive Case Series of Emergencies, Admissions and Friendship at a Busy Oral and Maxillofacial Unit.

The festive season presents oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) dental core trainees (DCTs) with the challenges of managing an eclectic mix of emergencies. We present three such patients in this case series. First, Patient A, a 39-year-old homeless male who presented with a maxillary extra-oral draining sinus. Secondly, Patient B, a 38-year-old intra-venous (IV) drug user who suffered pan-facial fractures following an alcohol-fuelled assault. Finally, Patient C, a 38-year-old male who sustained a left zygomatic complex fracture a week previously, in attendance for corrective surgery. Despite the hardship, there was still festive cheer to be had by these individuals. Clinical relevance: Primary and secondary care practitioners should be aware of the advanced clinical presentation of dental and maxillofacial emergencies that occur over holiday periods.