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Background: The era of digitalization has arrived in the field of dentistry. Teledentistry (TD), the use of digital solutions in dentistry, is already used in practice; however, only some possibilities are considered. During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote patient monitoring and patient communication had to be solved with TD, thus causing a rapid spread of new tools. In addition to digital workflows, patient communication, AI, and online forums are also available., Methods: An online self-administered survey was developed for the study. The Hungarian Medical Chamber contacted potential respondents in a newsletter or e-mail. The Evasys survey system was used. The weighting procedure was executed for gender, age group, and type of settlement. A digital dental index variable was created and built with a linear regression model as a dependent variable. Explanatory variables are advantages, disadvantages, what would be necessary, experienced needs from the patients, and age., Results: A total of 171 dentists completed the survey. The best-known digital technologies are online conferences (96.5%), E-prescriptions (94.6%), and digital impressions (86.0%). Unawareness is the highest in the field of artificial intelligence in dentistry (50.5%), store-forward solutions (43.5%), and real-time solutions (41.8%). The digital dental index is 14.24 (standard deviation (SD) = 5.5), with a high power of the model., Conclusion: Hungarian dentists need to be made aware of all the possibilities of TD. In addition to digital workflows, store-forward and real-time solutions can be beneficial to substitute face-to-face visits. TD can be used effectively to monitor oral cavity changes and develop dental confidence and proper oral care habits. Our survey suggests that it is necessary and inevitable to integrate TD into both graduate and postgraduate education, which may form the basis of primary health care in the next decade., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Throughout history, Osijek and Slavonia were parts of numerous empires and states. In this paper, the authors depict dental health care of the inhabitants of Osijek and Slavonia throughout their history, since the ancient prehistoric times when dental medicine and medicine in general were 'in the hands' of gods and medicine men, throughout the period of the Roman Empire and Middle Ages, as well as the Turkish sovereignty, all the way to the modern era when Osijek and Slavonia became part of the Austrian Empire and many novelties were introduced in the society, among other things, and for those times, modern procedures of medicine and dental protection. Those were the true beginnings of medicine and dental protection. The authors illustrate the work of various 'dentists' who worked in Osijek, from military and town surgeons, barbers, and especially the work of doctors that needed to have formal school and specialist education after the reforms implemented in the 19 th century. Thanks to the reforms of the Austrian, and later the Austrian-Hungarian authorities, the practice and work of people who were allowed to perform dental procedures started being regulated, prices were established, and punishments introduced for those who performed dental procedures without having the proper qualifications.

Dentists in Spain reached equal gender representation in 2012 and the number of female dentists has continued to grow (until 57.3% in 2020). This study aims to increase evidence about the gender distribution on the high responsibility positions and opinion leaders of the dental profession and academia. Composition of the executive comities of the main dental institutions of Spain (regional professional associations, national dental association, and scientific societies), members of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Granada in 2020 and speakers of the main dental congresses of 2019 (due to the lack of congress in 2020) were recorded and analyzed by genders using chi-squared test ( P  < .05). Mean representation of female dentists in executive committees of professional associations was 35.6%. More than 70% of presidents and vice-presidents of professional colleges and more than 60% of these positions in scientific societies were occupied by male dentists. None of dental congresses of 2019 reached equal gender participation, being 81.3% of lecturers presenting on main auditoriums male dentists. Although dental workforce in Spain is slightly overrepresented by females, leadership positions and figures among Spanish dentists doesn't seem to reflect the gender distribution of the collective. There is a lack of women occupying high-level positions in dentistry that proves the existence of the so-called "glass ceiling effect" on the profession. Further studies about sociodemographic aspects of dental workforce are needed to develop evidence-based policies for the collective.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate dentists' working conditions and the policies implemented for dentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, effects of working in private practice or governmental practice in terms of pandemic are also evaluated in the manuscript., Methods: A questionnaire was prepared to elicit dentists' working conditions during the pandemic and analyze and evaluate the policies implemented for dentistry. The questionnaires were sent to the dentists registered in the Turkish Dental Association (TDA) via e-mail, and collected between September 30, 2020, and October 20, 2020. Descriptive statistical methods, validity and reliability analysis, and regression analysis were applied for data analysis., Results: Seven hundred thirty-four dentists registered in the Turkish Dental Association took part in the study. 47% of respondents examined five or fewer patients per day during the pandemic. Dentists working in private practice examine more patients per day during the pandemic. 80.8% of the respondents experienced anxiety while examining patients during the pandemic. While the dentist's anxiety level increased with increasing the number of patients examined per day (β: 0.399), it decreased with increasing the dentist's age (β: -0.065). Respondents were not satisfied with the pandemic's management, with the decisions taken regarding dentistry, and with the supports provided to the dentists. 85.8% of the respondents were concerned about their professional future, which is higher among dentists who work in governmental practice (p < 0.05, ANOVA)., Conclusions: Increasing dentists' representation in the management of the pandemic and the future policy-making process, taking steps for the future by creating planning processes will eliminate the uncertainties and dissatisfaction and ensure to be ready for new pandemics., (© 2021 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Dental Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Overseas-trained dentists comprise at least one-fourth of the overall Australian dental workforce. This study examined characteristics and practice differences between Australian- and overseas-trained dentists to identify key predictors that best differentiate their dentistry practices., Methods: Data for the study were from the Longitudinal Study of Dentist Practice Activity (LSDPA), a survey of a nationally representative random sample of dentists in Australia commencing in 1983-1984 and repeated every 5 years. Dentists were surveyed on a wide range of items including participant characteristics, practice patterns, practice inputs, direct demand, and productivity measures. Data were weighted to provide national estimates by age, sex, and practice type. Discriminant function analysis was used to examine the predictor variables that best distinguished between the two groups. Analysis was limited to the most recent wave of the study., Results: A total of 1148 dentists (response rate = 67%) responded to the survey in 2009-2010; 648 cases were available for the discriminant analysis. The discriminant functions for the full sample and each of the 3 age groups (<35 years; 35-50 years; and 50+ years) were found effective to separate dentists into 2 groups (Australian and overseas), with the proportion of cases correctly classified being highest for the oldest age group (89.7% for 50+ years). Female gender, type of practice (working in public sector), and working in disadvantaged areas were significant predictors, with more prominence in the 35- to 50-year age group. Practice inputs, demand, and productivity measures offered less discriminative capacity between the dentists., Conclusion: Overseas-trained dentists contribute towards providing dental care to underserved populations, the public sector, and in rural and remote locations. This study provided basis to argue that policies to encourage overseas-trained dentists to contribute towards areas of need locations have been successful, and key productivity measures were also similar to Australian-trained dentists., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None disclosed., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The present study was aimed at assessing the impact of teledentistry, its application, and trends in uplifting dental practice and clinical care around the world. Material and Methods . The present observational study comprised of an electronic survey distributed among dental professionals around the globe. The validated survey form consisted of a total 26 questions with 5-point Likert scale response. The questionnaire used was divided into four domains: usefulness of teledentistry for patients, its usefulness in dental practice, its capacity to improve the existing practice, and the concerns attached to its use. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-25. ANOVA test was used to assess the effect of independent variables on dependent variables. A p value of ≤0.05 was taken as statistically significant., Results: A total of 506 dental professionals participated in the study with the response rate of 89.39%. More than half of the participants (50-75%) endorsed that teledentistry is a useful tool for improving clinical practice as well as patient care. Two-thirds of the participants (69.96%) considered that teledentistry would reduce cost for the dental practices. On the other hand, about 50-70% of dental professionals expressed their concerns regarding the security of the data and consent of patients. The most preferred communication tool for teledentistry was reported to be videoconference followed by phone. The majority of participants recommended the use of teledentistry in the specialty of oral medicine, operative dentistry, and periodontics. There was a significant difference between the age, experience of dentists, and their qualifications with domains of teledentistry., Conclusions: The overall impact of dental professionals towards teledentistry was positive with adequate willingness to incorporate this modality in their clinical practice. However, the perceived concerns pertaining to teledentistry are significant impediments towards its integration within the oral health system. An in-depth study of its business model and cost-benefit needs of time, especially in the context of developing countries, in order to avail the optimum benefits of teledentistry., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Afsheen Maqsood et al.)

Little is known about the extent to which dentists have implemented COVID-19 infection control guidelines and the factors influencing this process in daily practice. This national online survey assessed the implementation of enhanced infection control guidelines in daily practice, and explored dentist related factors influencing their application, more specifically dentist infection status and their perceived risk of cross-infection in the dental setting. The survey was validated, pretested and carried out in 2020. A total of 1436 dentists participated, of whom 9.1% presumably had COVID-19 infection experience. At least 75% of dentists complied with the core part of the recommended protective measures protocol. For each patient treated during the pandemic, an additional cost of 10-30 EUR (86.7%) and an extra time of 10-30 min (70.7%) was estimated. A stepwise binary logistic regression analysis revealed that dentists assumed to have experienced COVID-19 reported a higher self-perceived risk of virus acquisition (β = 2.090; p = 0.011), lower concern of getting infected (β = 0.576; p = 0.027), and lower confidence in being able to prevent disease transmission in the dental setting (β = 0.535; p = 0.022). Some parts of the protective measures were more difficult to apply than others; however, there was no indication of increased disease acquisition in the dental setting.

Objective: To assess patients' knowledge and attitude towards different dental materials used in private and public dental facilities in an urban setting., Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Islamabad Dental and Medical College, Islamabad, Pakistan, from February to July 2019, and comprised individuals at private dental clinics and teaching hospitals. Data was collected using a pre-validated structured questionnaire that recorded socio-demographic information as well as patients' perception on evidence-based dentistry using visual analogue, trust on the dentist, quality of materials and the source of information. Data was analysed using SPSS 21., Results: Of the 269 participants, 151(56.1%) were females with a mean age of 33.87±12.63 years, and 118(43.9%) were males with a mean age of 33.28±13.71 years. Overall, 208(77.3%) respondents were in favour of using materials with long-term scientific data; 201(74.7%) recognised a difference in quality of materials used at private clinics and teaching hospitals; 128(63.7%) believed that poor quality materials were used in teaching hospitals; 229(85%) trusted their dentists for using high-quality materials; and 108(40%) identified dentists as the source of information. There was a significant relationship between patient's education level and realising the importance of using dental materials supported by scientific evidence (p≤0.01)., Conclusions: Majority of subjects believed that poor quality materials were used in teaching hospitals compared to private dental facilities.

Currently, SARS-CoV-2 is the primary pathogen worldwide, disrupting most of our everyday activities. The study aim was to evaluate its impact on the Polish dental community, standards of care, health, and welfare., Methods: A Google Forms survey was conducted among 303 dental practitioners., Results: Of respondents, 54.93% curbed the number of patients in the last six months, 34.21% declared no changes, and 10.86% reported an increase; whereas 70.7% of the respondents reported a treatment price increase within the same period (27.96% and 1.32% reported no changes and a decrease, respectively). Of the respondents, 15.5% did not close their businesses during the first wave of the pandemic. Most declared 1 or 2 month break, 30.7% and 34.7%, respectively. Some reported 3, 4, or 5 month breaks (15.84%, 1.32%, and 0.99%, respectively), and only two respondents (0.66%) did not admit patients at all. Headache episodes were more frequent among female dentists before the pandemic; after the pandemic, headache frequency increased among both sexes. Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) were more frequent among women ( p = 0.017)., Conclusions: Most Polish dentists followed SARS-CoV-2 recommendations and restricted their practices to admitting only patients with pain or incomplete treatment. Decreased sleep parameters, head, back, and neck pain, were observed. This situation may affect dental health conditions in Polish society over time.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at risk for oral health disparities. With the dramatic rise in ASD prevalence to 1 in 54 children, it is likely that an increasing number of dental practitioners will encounter or be asked to treat children with ASD. This paper reviews explanations related to the increasing prevalence of ASD, provides reasons why children with ASD are at increased risk for poor oral health, and discusses unique interprofessional collaborations between dental practitioners and occupational therapists. Occupational therapists and dentists can work together to plan modifications to the dental environment or adapt dental protocols to reduce some of the barriers encountered by those with ASD, provide desensitization strategies before the clinic visit, or help a child with emotional regulation during clinical treatments.

Background: The highly contagious nature of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), besides the fact that dental procedures commonly generate blood and saliva droplets that could lead to the contagion have resulted in the closure of many dental clinics. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on dental practice by conducting an online questionnaire among the Iranian dental practitioners and finding their perspectives on the subject., Methods: This report is based on a questionnaire that was conducted among Iranian dentists. The survey included questions that evaluate the dentists' perceptions and attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on their personal life, financial status, and the quality of dental services for patients., Results: Overall, 240 dentists contributed to this study (214 general dentists and 26 specialists). The majority of the participants (n = 170, 70%) did not perform non-emergency procedures during the pandemic. The dental practitioners have suggested several strategies to decrease the risk of contagion, such as reducing treatment sessions (n = 90, 37%), strict triage of patients (n = 156, 64%), and using personal protective equipment (n = 108, 45%). However, most of the dentists (n = 210, 87%) had problems, providing personal protective equipment during the pandemic. Moreover, 97% (n = 234) of the participants reported that they encountered a decrease in their financial income since the eruption of the pandemic., Conclusion: Dental health care workers are at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19. Thus, dental practitioners ought to execute the standard protocols more cautiously during the pandemic. They could also lower their work hours and limit dental procedures to emergency treatments to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Besides, the public organizations should provide proper equipment for the dental practitioners to decrease the risk of contagion.

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is impacting the way in which dental services are provided. The aim of this narrative review was twofold: to summarize key areas from the Canadian protocols available for the reopening and restructuring of dental services across the country and to critically review these protocols based on existing evidence. A narrative review of the existing Canadian protocols, written in English and French, was undertaken between April 15 and July 13, 2020. The protocols were obtained by searching through regulatory bodies and websites from professional organizations, and from personal contacts through academic institutions and policy leaders. The data extraction form focused only on protocols related to dentistry, and the information was compiled by a hired assistant. Content was categorized via group discussions with the research team on eight areas: office management and procedures, patient and staff screening, treatment procedures, office layout, risk reduction, personal protective equipment, supporting information, and length and readability. Thirteen protocols were identified and offered substantial variation in the level of details provided. All but two protocols specified proper donning/doffing of personal protective equipment, while all protocols recommended daily monitoring of COVID-19 related signs and symptoms in staff and patients. They varied in terms of recommended mask types, eye and face shield protection, and head coverings. While all protocols aimed at restructuring emergency dental services, their recommendations were often not based on the published evidence. This narrative review summarized key areas from 13 provincial and territorial protocols in Canada to help oral health care providers plan the reopening of their services. The information conveyed across all documents was clear, but variance highlights the need for a coordinated effort to develop an evidence-based document for dental practitioners.

Impact Statement: Dentists have always been taught how to protect themselves and their patients from potential blood-borne pathogens, but the Coronavirus pandemic has brought a new unprecedented challenge to the world of dentistry; we therefore reviewed the literature to provide suggestions on how to accordingly change dental practice prevention.

The COVID-19 outbreak has raised concerns about infection control all over the world. Among health workers, dentists are particularly exposed to the COVID-19 infection risk. The aim of this paper is to present a workflow to manage dental procedures already in use at the Dental Unit of the University Hospital of Messina. The proposed workflow accounts for the many aspects of dental practitioners' risk in the COVID-19 era, and focuses on the assessment of patient risk level, a two-phase dental procedure management (remote and face-to-face), and the use of specific preventive measures. No cases of COVID-19 infection were detected among patients and staff of the dental unit in a two-month period of time while using this protocol. This workflow seems a promising and effective solution to manage dental procedures during the COVID-19 outbreak, and could be implemented in both public and private practices until the emergency is contained.

Background: Australia faces an ageing population which is more medically complicated than in years past, and it is important that we meet public expectations of management of medical emergencies in the dental clinic. No research before has examined in depth the public perception of dentists' medical emergency management., Aim: To qualitatively assess the publics' perception of medical emergencies in dentistry and their expectations of medical emergency management by dentists., Methods: Twelve members of the public associated with a university clinic participated in two focus groups of six persons, where semi-structured discussions were carried out, audio recorded and transcribed, and subsequently underwent comprehensive thematic analysis., Results: Key findings included a high expectation of dentists' general medical knowledge, as well as potential concern regarding a lack of routine medical assessment prior to undertaking dental treatment., Conclusions: Participants expected dentists to be highly proficient at managing medical crises and support the concept of medical emergency management certification for dentists., (© 2019 Australian Dental Association.)

Health care-associated infections may not only occur in a hospital setting, but also in dental clinics. Insufficient environmental decontamination could be one of the risk factors. In this retrospective study, we documented and analyzed the results of surface microbial contamination in a dental university-based department over an observation period of ten years. It was the aim of this investigation to identify general tendencies and potentially problematic sites on a long-term basis allowing suggestions for further improvement. Surface microbial contamination in the Department of Reconstructive Dentistry at the University Center for Dental Medicine in Basel, Switzerland, was evaluated on a regular basis using contact plates. Data gained between January 2007 and December 2016 was collected and summarized for statistical analysis. Although the overall surface microbial contamination was relatively low during the observation period, significant differences depending on localization and test sites were detected. Certain sites, such as the handle of the dentist’s chair and computer surfaces, remained problematic. Continuous monitoring of surface microbial contamination can help to improve the hygiene level in a dental set-up. Further improvement might be achieved by avoiding hand-touch handles whenever possible and by relying on flat and easy-to-clean surfaces within the reach of the bacterial aerosol. However, during interventions that may pose a higher risk for the patient, additional measures should be taken by working under almost sterile conditions and by avoiding direct hand contact with problematic sites.

Background: Increasing the reach of messages disseminated through Twitter promotes the success of Twitter-based health education campaigns., Objective: This study aimed to identify factors associated with reach in a dental Twitter network (1) initially and (2) sustainably at individual and network levels., Methods: We used instructors' and students' Twitter usernames from a Saudi dental school in 2016-2017 and applied Gephi (a social network analysis tool) and social media analytics to calculate user and network metrics. Content analysis was performed to identify users disseminating oral health information. The study outcomes were reach at baseline and sustainably over 1.5 years. The explanatory variables were indicators of popularity (number of followers, likes, tweets retweeted by others), communication pattern (number of tweets, retweets, replies, tweeting/ retweeting oral health information or not). Multiple logistic regression models were used to investigate associations., Results: Among dental users, 31.8% had reach at baseline and 62.9% at the end of the study, reaching a total of 749,923 and dropping to 37,169 users at the end. At an individual level, reach was associated with the number of followers (baseline: odds ratio, OR=1.003, 95% CI=1.001-1.005 and sustainability: OR=1.002, 95% CI=1.0001-1.003), likes (baseline: OR=1.001, 95% CI=1.0001-1.002 and sustainability: OR=1.0031, 95% CI=1.0003-1.002), and replies (baseline: OR=1.02, 95% CI=1.005-1.04 and sustainability: OR=1.02, 95% CI=1.004-1.03). At the network level, users with the least followers, tweets, retweets, and replies had the greatest reach., Conclusions: Reach was reduced by time. Factors increasing reach at the user level had different impact at the network level. More than one strategy is needed to maximize reach., (©Maha El Tantawi, Asim Al-Ansari, Abdulelah AlSubaie, Amr Fathy, Nourhan M Aly, Amira S Mohamed. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 13.09.2018.)

The future of evidence-based dentistry in developing Africa heavily depends on a sustainable establishment of a vibrant dentist-scientist workforce. A dentist scientist is saddled with the responsibility of carrying out robust cutting edge research projects that are inspired by clinical experience. Currently, there are no pipelines in place to systematically train such dentists, neither are there programs in place to allow trained African dentists choose such a career pathway. A dentist-scientist is a person who studied oral, dental, maxillofacial (or craniofacial) diseases, prevention, and population sciences (obtaining a medical degrees such as bachelor of dental surgery [BDS] or BChD) alone; or in combination with other advanced degrees such as doctor of dental surgery (DDS)/doctor of philosophy (PhD) or BDS/PhD. This situation has resulted in overdependence of African clinical practice on research findings from technologically advanced Western countries and a decline in clinical research capacity building. The career path of a dentist-scientist should involve research along the spectrum of basic biomedical sciences, translational, clinical and public health sciences. There are several factors responsible for the ultra-low count of dentist-scientist in the heterogeneous African communities such as: poor biomedical research infrastructure; lack of funding; absence of structured dentist scientist career pathways; lack of personnel, inter alia. Hence, this review hopes to discuss the opportunities of setting up a dentist-scientist training pathway in Africa (as obtains in most developed world settings), identify opportunities and prospects of developing an African dentist-scientist workforce, and finally discuss the challenges involved.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the acceptance and assessment of work shadowing carried out by students and dentists in dental practices. Furthermore, the extent to which students perceive an improvement in their specialised, communication and social competencies, was to be examined., Methods: 61 dental students in their clinical semesters at a German university participated in work shadowing placements at 27 different general dental practices. Before beginning, they received checklists of various competencies that they self-assessed using school grades (from 1 = 'very good', to 6 = 'failed'), which they also repeated after completion. The dentists supplemented this with their external assessments. In addition, the students were requested to fill out a 54-item questionnaire and compose a freely-structured report after the work shadowing; the dentists filled out a questionnaire containing 16 items. The statistical analysis was carried out by means of the Friedman Test, including a post-hoc test (Bonferroni-Holm correction)., Results: The analysis showed a significant overall improvement in the students' self-assessed competencies by 0.71* ± 0.43 grades. With an average of 0.33* ± 0.36, the dentists' external assessment proved significantly higher than the self-assessment. The greatest improvements were perceived by the students in the areas of accounting (1.17* ± 0.77), practice organisation (1.05* ± 0.61) and dentist's discussions (0.94* ±0.80) [*p < 0.05]. The students confirmed experiencing an expansion of knowledge, an improvement in their communication skills and indicated a high degree of satisfaction in regard to the dentists (school grade 1.58 ± 0.93). A maximum amount of satisfaction towards the work shadow students was demonstrated by the dentists, and this form of teaching was assessed with a school grade of 1.69 ± 0.89., Conclusion: Both students and dental practitioners demonstrated a high level of satisfaction in regard to the work shadowing. The students felt their knowledge had increased, viewed the dentists as motivating role models and acknowledged a significant improvement in their specialised, communication and social competencies. Work shadowing in dental teaching practices presents a sensible addition to academic teaching at a university.

The incidence of oral cancer is increasing worldwide. Malignant neoplasms of the mouth and pharynx have been rated as the 10th most common cancer in men and 7th in women, though geographical variations exist. 1 Generally, in a society, oral cancer is not properly understood. The sign and symptoms are frequently overlooked in the initial stages when it is responsive to treat.

Background: In Germany, about 86.7 % of the dentists have stated to suffer from pain in the neck and shoulder region. These findings are predominantly based on surveys. Therefore the objective of this study is to conduct a kinematic analysis of occupational posture in dentistry., Methods: Twenty one dentists (11 f/10 m; age: 40.1 ± 10.4 years) have participated in this examination. The CUELA-System was used to collect kinematic data of the activities on an average dental workday. A detailed, computer-based task analysis took place parallel to the kinematic examination. Through the synchronization of data collected from both measurements, patterns of posture were arranged chronologically and in conjunction with the tasks performed: (I) "treatment" (II) "office" and (III) "other activities". For the data analysis, characteristic data of joint angular distributions (percentiles P05, P25, P50, P75 and P95) of head, neck and torso at pre-defined tasks were examined and assessed corresponding to ergonomic standards., Results: Forty one percent of tasks executed on an average dental workday can be categorized as the treatment of patients. These tasked are most frequently performed in "straight back" positions (78.7 %), whereas 20.1 % were carried out in a "twisted or inclined" torso posture, 1.1 % "bowed" and only 0.1 % "bowed and twisted/inclined to the side" upper body position. In particular, it can be observed that in the area of the cervical and thoracic spine the 75th and 95th percentile show worse angular values during treatment than during non-dental tasks. For the period of treatment (at a standardized dental chair construction), a seated position with a strong inclination of the thoracic spine to the right while the lumbar spine is inclined towards the left is adopted., Conclusion: The kinematic analysis of dentists illustrates typical patterns of postures during tasks that are essential to the dental treatment of patients. The postures in the area of the cervical and thoracic spine have higher angular values during treatment compared to other dental tasks. Consistently, appropriate ergonomic design measures to optimize the dental chair and equipment as well as integrated training in ergonomics as part of the study of dentistry to prevent musculoskeletal are recommended.

Since the working medical personnel including dentists and dental technicians mainly use their hands, it is understandable that the most common occupational disease amongst medical personnel is contact dermatitis (CD) (80%-90% of cases). Development of occupational CD is caused by contact of the skin with various substances in occupational environment. Occupational etiologic factors for dental personnel are foremost reactions to gloves containing latex, followed by various dental materials (e.g., metals, acrylates), detergents, lubricants, solvents, chemicals, etc. Since occupational CD is relatively common in dental personnel, its timely recognition, treatment and taking preventive measures is needed. Achieving skin protection at exposed workplaces is of special importance, as well as implementing necessary measures consequently and sufficiently, which is sometimes difficult to achieve. Various studies have shown the benefit of applying preventive measures, such as numerous protocols for reducing and managing latex sensitivity and other forms of CD in dentistry. Active involvement of physicians within the health care system, primarily dermatologists, occupational medicine specialists and general medicine doctors is needed for establishing an accurate medical diagnosis and confirmation of occupational skin disease.

The practice of dentistry involves laborious high finesse dental preparations, precision and control in executions that require a particular attention, concentration and patience of the dentist and finally the dentist's physical and mental resistance. The optimal therapeutic approach and the success of practice involve special working conditions for the dentist and his team in an ergonomic environment. The meaning of the posture in ergonomics is the manner in which different parts of the body are located and thus the reports are established between them in order to allow a special task execution. This article discusses the posture adopted by dentists when they work, beginning with the balanced posture and going to different variants of posture. The ideal posture of a dentist gives him, on the one hand the optimal working conditions (access, visibility and control in the mouth) and on the other hand, physical and psychological comfort throughout the execution of the clinical acts. Although the theme of dentist posture is treated with great care and often presented in the undergraduate courses and the continuing education courses on ergonomics in dentistry, many dentists do not know the subject well enough nor the theoretical issues and therefore nor the practical applicability. The risk and perspective of the musculoskeletal disorders related to unbalanced postures should determine the dentists take postural corrective actions and compensation measures in order to limit the negative effects of working in a bad posture.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in student selection criteria at The University of Adelaide effected a change in motivation and influencing factors to study dentistry by comparing cohorts., Methods: Online questionnaire completed by first-year dentistry students at The University of Adelaide between 1993-1996 and 1997-2005., Results: All 666 students completed the questionnaire with 647 suitable for analysis. The likelihood of students being motivated for a career in dentistry because it 'fits with family' was greater for the 1997-2005 cohort (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.14-2.49, p < 0.01) than it was for 1993-1996 enrollees, whereas 'status' became less important (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.30-0.73, p < 0.01). Being influenced by a dentist (OR = 2.41, 95% CI = 1.63-3.55, p < 0.001) or a dental employee (OR = 3.19, 95% CI = 0.90-4.85, p < 0.001) was much greater for the 1997-2005 group than it was for the 1993-1996 cohort. Where students came from, parents' level of education and gender were not significant in the multivariate analysis of factors associated with motivation and influences of students' career choice., Conclusions: Changes to the selection procedure were associated with increased emphasis on lifestyle factors and the dental profession, but not with the desire to help people or the importance of the work itself in students' decision to study dentistry., (© 2014 Australian Dental Association.)

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the relationship of task variation during dental work history with pinch grip strength among dentists., Methods: We measured pinch grip strength among 295 female Finnish dentists aged 45-63 years. Variation in dental work tasks during work history was empirically defined by cluster analysis. Three clusters of task variation emerged: low (most work time in restoration treatment/endodontics), moderate (about 50% in the former and 50% in prosthodontics/periodontics/surgery), and high (variable tasks including administrative duties). Hand radiographs were examined for the presence of OA in the wrist and each joint of the 1-3rd fingers. Information on hand-loading leisure-time activities, and joint pain was obtained by questionnaire. Glove size was used as a proxy for hand size. BMI (kg/m2) was based on measured weight and self-reported height., Results: Dentists with low variation of work task history had an increased risk of low pinch grip strength in the right hand (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2-4.3), but not in the left (1.13, 0.62-2.08), compared to dentists with high task variation, independent of age, hand size, hand-loading leisure-time activities, BMI and symptomatic hand OA., Conclusion: The dentists with the most hand-loading tasks were at an increased risk of low pinch grip strength, independent of e.g. symptomatic hand OA. It is advisable among dentists to perform as diverse work tasks as possible to reduce the risk of decreased pinch grip strength., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.)

Societal expectations raise the issue of the nature of a profession and a profession's relationship with society. Influential policy leaders want reform of the oral health workforce and delivery system in such a manner as to ensure that improvements are made for accessing care, particularly for vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, especially children. This essay is based on a presentation to the House of Delegates of the California Dental Association on Nov.13, 2009.

Background: The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal complaints in dentists is high and the past two decades have witnessed a sharp rise in the incidence of various disorders. The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain ranges between 64% and 93%. The most effected regions have been back and neck. Various studies have been done to record stress levels and health-related behaviors of dentists in other countries but limited data is available among the Indian dentists., Materials and Methods: Therefore a questionnaire survey was carried out among 102 Indian dentists belonging to different fields having at least one musculoskeletal disorder in last 6 months., Results: The total sample consists of 80 males and 22 females. Out of the 102 over 97 of dentists had sought medical advice for these disorders during the previous 06 months and 74 of them also consulted the physiotherapist for exercises and ergonomic advice. The number of sessions taken for regular physical exercises was minimum 6 till 44 the most. The percentage of improvement in symptoms varied between 20% and 80%., Conclusions: A significant direct correlation between the number of sessions taken for physical activity and the self-perceived improvement in the symptoms was found using the Pearson correlation test. The work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists not only decrease their efficiency but also is a major concern among them. Self-awareness and benefits of regular exercise is the need of the hour.

The objective was to identify dental professionals' attitudes and awareness on evidence based dentistry (EBD), and to elucidate perceived barriers and views on how to move towards EBD. A questionnaire was sent to 290 dental professionals (dental hygienists, general dentists, specialist dentists) in the county of Halland, Sweden. The questionnaire consisted of closed questions and free text sections, related to attitudes, awareness and skills on databases, EBD, and terms related to scientific publications, as well as perceived barriers towards EBD. A majority of the respondents had a welcoming attitude towards EBD. The respondents perceived their colleagues less positive towards EBD. The respondents considered EBD, at least partly, useful in daily dental practice. With the exception of general dentists in private practice, a vast majority of the dental professionals thought that EBD would improve the care of their patients. Dental professionals in the county of Halland, in Sweden, had a welcoming attitude towards EBD, and indicated an open attitude for learning more about interpretation of evidence from scientific publications. The most commonly perceived barriers towards EBD, were 'lack of time' and 'poor availability of evidence'.