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Background and ObjectiveClinicians must possess a comprehensive understanding of variations in canal morphology and configuration during endodontic procedures to enhance treatment success. This study aims to assess and analyze the canal configurations of maxillary first premolars using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography within the sub-population of Western Saudi Arabia. Materials and MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, following the acquisition of ethical clearance from Batterjee Medical College in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a retrospective examination of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scans of maxillary first premolars in adult patients was conducted. The study focused on quantifying the number of canals and characterizing their configurations, with classification based on Vertucci’s categorization. ResultsThe study examined 399 CBCT images of maxillary first premolars, revealing that type IV canal configurations were the predominant morphology (56.9%), followed by type V (24.6%). Significant gender-related disparities were observed, with females displaying a higher incidence of types I and V canals. At the same time, males exhibited a greater prevalence of types IV and VI canals. Notably, no substantial associations were discerned between canal types and age groups. ConclusionWithin the context of maxillary first premolars, type IV canal configuration emerged as the most prevalent. Gender-based distinctions were evident, with females predominantly presenting types I and V canal configurations, whereas males displayed a higher occurrence of types IV and VI canal configurations.

Dental therapists encounter patients with various systemic diseases of which cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients form a significant segment. Relation between oral health and cardiac diseases has been well established. Common cardiac disorders encountered in a dental practice include arterial hypertension, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, infective endocarditis, stroke, and cardiac pacemaker. Patients with CVDs pose a significant challenge to dental therapy. These patients need special considerations and an adequate understanding of the underlying cardiovascular condition to provide safe and effective dental treatment. Based on the cardiac condition, an appropriate modification in dental care is crucial. A multidisciplinary approach including the patient's cardiologist can potentially reduce complications and improve dental treatment results. This review aims at unfolding the risks associated with the dental management of a cardiac patient and outlines the measures to be undertaken for optimum dental treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Outreach activities are one of the essential components of dental education that would help the students understand the community's oral health needs. The study aimed to engage dental undergraduate students in measuring their oral health status using four dental indices among middle school students. Subjects and Methods: The study was conducted as a part of an oral health education program in two public schools in Jeddah. Consent was obtained from both school students and parents. Two calibrated examiners measured the dental status using Ramfjord's calculus index, decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index, simplified debris index, and modified gingival index. An independent statistician did data analysis using SPSS ver 23. Results: Male students showed statistically significant higher scores for debris index, calculus index, and gingival index compared to female students (P < 0.001). The mean D and M component DMFT indices were significantly higher in female students (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The variations in oral health status between students can be attributed to differences in oral hygiene practices and other sociodemographic factors, including ethnicity and socioeconomic status. This study showed a positive learning experience for dental students in assessing the oral health status of schoolchildren. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) uses a holistic approach that finds natural solutions that help the immune system to fight off infection and diseases. In conventional medicine, the diseases are treated as a series of symptoms developed and not its actual cause or etiology, but CAM commonly targets the exact cause of the disorder thereby stimulating the body's healing process. This is based on an integrative literature review of methods and techniques used as complementary and alternative approaches for oral health care. A comprehensive electronic database search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google, Google Scholar, and SCOPUS. Medicinal plants such as Medicago Sativa, Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera), and Trifolium Pratense (Red Clover) have excellent applications in treating gum disorders, prevent tooth decay, and have demonstrated good antifungal activity in the oral cavity. Homeopathic medicines such as Belladonna, Antimonium crudum, and Chamomilla have useful applications in relieving toothache. In Chinese medicine, various acupressure points (Acupuncture) have been used to relieve pain related to tooth, head-and-neck region, sinusitis, etc. Dental professionals can utilize these treatment modalities in their practice along with other conventional procedures as an integrative treatment approach to achieve better outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE), along with resin restoration or cementation, is often a debatable topic in dentistry. This systematic review is aimed to explore the effect of ZOE on various properties of resin-based dental materials. Materials and Methods: An electronic research was carried out using the relevant keywords in different search engines such as MEDLINE/PubMed, Ebscohost, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and EMBASE SciFinder based on PRISMA guidelines. Only articles in the English language were included along with other specific inclusion criteria. Results: The entire articles were assessed for the eligibility and final review included 30 studies that were then classified according to the type of test conducted on the resin-based material. Conclusion: There is no consensus on the deleterious effect of ZOE on resin-based dental material. However, all the tests conducted were in vitro and most of them showed a significant reduction in the quality of resin restorative and cement materials when used with ZOE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Clinical photographs have become an important entity in contemporary dental education in Saudi Arabia. The study assessed the knowledge and skills related to clinical photography among final-year undergraduate dental students in different dental schools in the Western province of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A face-to-face interview was conducted using a pretested and validated questionnaire after obtaining relevant consent from the college administration and the students. Trained and calibrated data collectors interviewed the dental students between November 2019 and February 2020. Results: The knowledge related to clinical photography was "good" only in 17.2% of the participants, and most of the students demonstrated "poor" knowledge (58.9%). Digital single lens-reflex (DSLR) camera was used by only 43.9% of the students for taking clinical photographs. The practice of taking informed consent from patients for taking and using clinical photographs was reported in 77.6% of the dental students. Conclusion: The knowledge related to dental clinical photography was not satisfactory, and students need to improve the understanding of the proper functioning of digital cameras and also the medicolegal issues related to clinical photography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dentists are exposed to a high level of stress at the workplace and are at higher risk of experience burnout. Burnout has profound consequences on quality of life, patient care, and also on the health-care system. Aim: The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of burnout among dentists and identify its relationship with the work-setting factors in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted using a pretested and structured questionnaire. A mixture of convenience and snowball sampling was used to collect the responses from dentists using two versions of the 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale that had three domains: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and feeling of decreased accomplishment. Dentists with scores on EE ≥ or DP ≥10 were considered to have the manifestation of burnout. Results and Discussion: The prevalence of burnout in dentists was found to be 33.4% and Saudi dentists experienced more burnout than non-Saudi dentist (P < 0.05). Among different dental specialties, prosthodontists and endodontists showed more prevalence than any other specialties (P < 0.05). Dentists who worked in clinical settings and also who worked more than 40 h/week experienced more burnout than others (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of burnout among dentists working in Saudi Arabia was found to be 33.45%, and it was significantly more among Saudi dentists than expatriate dentists. Occupational burnout among dentists is a serious problem and should be dealt with appropriate interventions such as stress management training, coping up skills, organizational or structural change to reduce workload, and effective use of leisure time activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dental caries status in children is influenced by a number of risk factors such as sex, age, socioeconomic status, diet, and oral hygiene practices. The objective of the study was to assess and compare the prevalence of dental caries and calculus in 12-13 year old school children. Materials and methods: A sample of 761 children aged 12-13 years of both sexes from government and private schools. Clinical examination was carried out using the DMFT index for assessing the caries prevalence and Calculus component of Simplified-Oral Hygiene Index was used for assessing calculus in these children. Results: The prevalence of dental caries was seen more in children studying in government schools than in private schools which was statistically significant (p=0.018). When the gender differences were compared it was seen that girls showed a higher prevalence of dental caries (66.37% in private schools; 87.58% in government schools) than boys (64.47% in private schools; 71.98% in government schools). There was no significant difference seen in the prevalence of calculus between government and private school children. Conclusion: High prevalence of dental caries was found in these school children which suggested a poor performance of oral hygiene practices in them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Bio-medical wastes are of great importance due to its potential environmental hazards and health problems. The waste produced in the course of health care activities carries a higher potential for infection and injury than any other type of waste. It is estimated that annually 0.33 million tons of hospital waste is generated in India. The objective of this study is to analyze the medical waste management practices in different health care settings, analyze the risk perceptions of health care personnel and assess the attitude towards the waste management policies. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study is conducted using a pre-tested questionnaire to assess the awareness, knowledge and practices on medical waste management among health care personnel in different health care settings in Mangalore city. Results: Doctors, nurses, and laboratory technicians have better knowledge than sanitary staff regarding biomedical waste management. Knowledge regarding the color coding and waste segregation was found to be better among nurses and laboratory staff as compared to doctors. Conclusion: The management of hospital waste requires its segregation and removal from the health care establishments in such a way that it will not be a source of health hazards to those who are directly or indirectly related to the hospital environment. The segregation of waste in almost all hospitals is not satisfactory. Proper and judicious handling of Bio-medical waste continues to be a matter of serious concern for health authorities in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the clinical behavior of different bleaching products - the hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), carbamide peroxide (CP), and titanium dioxide bleaching systems. Methods Three bleaching systems with different concentrations (H 2 O 2 15%, 38%, CP 15%, 35%, and titanium dioxide 20% H 2 O 2 ) were used. Sixty participants with discolored teeth were enrolled and equally divided into six groups. Each group was rendered the assigned bleaching protocol against the control group, which received plain dentifrice polishing. Each case was evaluated immediately, two weeks, three months, six months, and one year after the bleaching treatment. The clinical evaluation was made for color change by (shade guide and digital images with L*a*b* parameters), tooth sensitivity, gingival irritation, and participants' satisfaction. Results All bleaching systems showed color improvement after bleaching regimens with significant effect showed by in-office titanium dioxide 20% H 2 O 2 followed by 38% H 2 O 2 with Δ=10.26 and Δ=6.52, respectively, when compared to other bleaching techniques. Higher sensitivity was recorded in group III with 50% of the participants reporting postoperative sensitivity. Higher gingival irritation was recorded in group IV (15% CP) where 60% of the patients reported gingival irritation. Thirty-five of the 60 participants (58.5%) recorded that the treatment whitened their teeth "moderately" and "a lot" while seven participants recorded "a slight" difference. There was a highly significant difference in participants' satisfaction between all bleaching groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion It is evident that there is a development of dental sensitivity and gingival irritation irrespective of the bleaching system used. The color assessment showed that the desired result can be achieved with variable levels of patient satisfaction with excellent overall results with the titanium dioxide system., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Research Unit, Batterjee Medical College issued approval RES-2023-0028. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Elnawawy et al.)

The digital implant impression technique (DIT) and conventional implant impression technique (CIT) workflows in implant-supported fixed partial dentures (FPDs) have not been extensively compared in prior studies. Moreover, there is no agreement on the more accurate method that entails less time in the laboratory and during the clinical phases of fabrication and delivery of the prosthesis, respectively. This review aimed to assess the precision of the imaging procedure and overall fabrication time of the DIT and CIT for the implant-supported FPDs. An electronic search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Oral Health Group, and Dentistry and Oral Science Source databases through EBSCO for relevant studies from January 2014 to April 2023. Following the preliminary screening, the studies that met the inclusion criteria underwent full-text review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias appraisal tool and Newcastle-Ottawa scale were applied to assess the quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized prospective clinical studies, respectively. The initial search yielded 332 studies, and after excluding duplicates, 241 papers were available for screening. Titles and abstracts were reviewed, and 97 articles were chosen for full-text review by two authors independently. Furthermore, 89 articles were excluded in compliance with the PICOS question, and eight studies were chosen for qualitative analysis. Hence, the review comprised two RCTs and six prospective clinical studies. The time efficiency of the implant-supported FPDs was examined in four investigations, three of which used the Trios 3 scanner and one used the Intero scanner. The three-dimensional accuracy of DIT and CIT was compared in six clinical comparative studies. One of the RCTs was rated to have a high risk of bias and the other with a moderate quality of evidence. The six prospective studies were rated to have high-quality of evidence. The findings of this review indicate the prospective applicability of future intraoral scanning systems. The DIT was reported to be outstanding in terms of patient preferences and total fabrication time efficiency. Additional in vivo studies are needed to establish the therapeutic usefulness and time efficiency of integrating DIT in more comprehensive settings., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Pullishery et al.)