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This study aimed to compare and evaluate the accuracy of the Demirjian (DE) and the London Atlas (LAE) dental age estimation methods in a Saudi population sample. This retrospective cross-sectional study used digital radiographs from electronic health records in three different dental institutes. In total, 357 male and 354 female (ages 5-15 years) digital orthopantomograms were selected for age estimation. The mean difference between the chronological age (CA) and age estimation method among males and females was 0.03 ± 0.34 and 0.00 ± 0.34, respectively, for LAE and 0.55 ± 0.84 and 0.76 ± 0.51, respectively, for DE. The mean difference between the LAE and DE methods among males and females was 0.52 ± 0.89 and -0.76 ± 0.57, respectively. No statistically significant difference between CA and LAE was found in either males ( p = 0.079) or females ( p = 0.872). A statistically significant difference was found between CA and DE in both genders ( p < 0.001). A statistically significant difference was found between the LAE and DE groups ( p < 0.001) in both genders. An overestimation of dental age was observed with DE compared with that in CA. LAE showed higher accuracy than CA, with no clinically significant difference. Although the difference between the LAE and DE methods was insignificant, the LAE method proved to be more accurate.

Objective: To describe the patterns of authorship, collaboration, study type, specialty, and funding status of articles published in Saudi dental journals., Methods: All articles published in Saudi dental journals in English from their inception to 31st December 2023 were identified. The following data were extracted using pre-pilot forms: publication date, number of articles, study type, authorship patterns, nature of collaboration, article specialty, and funding status. Descriptive statistics included the calculation of frequencies and percentages., Results: Five Saudi dental journals were identified, with a total of 2574 published articles. The journal with the highest number of studies published was the Saudi Dental Journal (33 %), followed by the Saudi Journal of Oral and Dental Research (25 %), Saudi Endodontic Journal (17 %), Journal of Orthodontic Science (14 %), and Saudi Journal of Oral Sciences (11 %). The first authors of most studies were academics (89 %) and from Asian countries (84.3 %). The average number of authors per publication was four (standard deviation = 2). Approximately 13.13 % of the articles were solo-authored. International collaboration was observed in 14.76 % of the identified studies. One-quarter (24.3 %) of the studies were cross-sectional, and just under half of the publications were in the fields of endodontics and orthodontics. Furthermore, 8 % of the studies were funded., Conclusion: The research output of Saudi dental journals was produced mainly by academics and involved national-level collaborations with a limited number of funded studies. Therefore, there is a need to encourage the publication of high-quality research and international research partnerships., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 THE AUTHORS.)

This study aims to examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) symptoms in allied dental professionals (ADPs) in Saudi Arabia and risk factors for MSDs. The study also explores ADPs' opinions and attitudes about the effect of MSD symptoms on the quality of life and potential mitigatory measures. This is a prospective cross-sectional study. Participants were 355 licensed dental staff (average age 33.6 ± 8.1 years, 69% women) working as assistants, lab technicians, radiology technicians, or sterilization technicians with at least six months' work experience. The self-administrated questionnaire comprised socio-demographics, work-related factors, and items from the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Multivariate and univariate logistic regressions were conducted to investigate risk factors for MSD symptoms. Overall, 93% of ADPs complained of MSD symptoms in at least one body site in the past 12 months. Factors related to work conditions (e.g., 'keeping an uncomfortable posture for long periods of time', 'lifting heavy objects') and years of experience were proven to be significant risk factor for developing MSDs. The cohort of ADPs showed a high MSD symptoms prevalence. Efforts are imperative in addressing the risk factors of ergonomics and the workplace environment, and more rigorous studies are needed to further investigate risk factors.

Despite having a high prevalence of functionally compromising malocclusions, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities do not regularly receive necessary orthodontic treatment. Patients with behavior challenges are unlikely to be offered this treatment option. However, with appropriate behavior management interventions and pharmacologic sedation, orthodontic treatment becomes a possibility for clinicians to consider. Parents will likely seek out clinicians who can provide this type of advanced orthodontic care. Additional training is now becoming available as accredited Fellowship Programs in Craniofacial and Special Care Orthodontics are developed. Hopefully, the clinical examples described in this article will no longer be unique in the area of special care dentistry., (© 2014 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)