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Abstract: Introduction: The role of dental auxiliaries in collaborative care of patients with special needs is compelling. This study was undertaken to investigate the perceptions of Special Needs Dentistry (SND) education and practice amongst students enrolled in Australian programmes in dental auxiliary, namely dental hygiene, dental therapy and oral health therapy (DH/DT/OHT). Materials and methods: All Australian institutions offering DH/DT/OHT programmes (n = 14) were invited to participate in a self‐administered questionnaire survey, conducted online, involving students across all academic years. Twelve institutions agreed to participate, but only five institutions were included in the final analysis, with a student response rate of 31.1%. Answers to open‐ended questions were coded and grouped for measurement of frequencies. Quantitative data were analysed via chi‐squared and Fisher's exact tests (significance taken as P < .05). Results: The majority of students could not define SND (87.0%) were not aware of the existence of this specialty (53.5%) and did not have clinical experience treating patients with special needs (68.9%). Nevertheless, they felt comfortable and positive about treating these patients independently. Most agreed that they should receive clinical and didactic education in SND, with many of them expressing interest in pursuing a specialty training in this field. Conclusion: DH/DT/OHT students’ comfort levels, positive attitudes and supportiveness for SND suggested positive implications for these practitioners to partake in multidisciplinary management of patients with special needs, thus indicating the need for standardised training requirements and practice guidelines in this area of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Saudi Initiative for Asthma (SINA) provides up-to-date guidelines for healthcare workers managing patients with asthma. SINA was developed by a panel of Saudi experts with respectable academic backgrounds and longstanding experience in the field. SINA is founded on the latest available evidence, local literature, and knowledge of the current setting in Saudi Arabia. Emphasis is placed on understanding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, medications, and clinical presentation. SINA elaborates on the development of patient-doctor partnership, self-management, and control of precipitating factors. Approaches to asthma treatment in SINA are based on disease control by the utilization of Asthma Control Test for the initiation and adjustment of asthma treatment. This guideline is established for the treatment of asthma in both children and adults, with special attention to children 5 years and younger. It is expected that the implementation of these guidelines for treating asthma will lead to better asthma control and decrease patient utilization of the health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]