Dental School Clinic Research Articles

A Comparative Evaluation of New and Used Dental Explorer Working Tips

Abstract The dental explorer medical device assists multiple functions, including marginal assessment. The working tip quality of this instrument has been previously established as a factor affecting operator judgment. However, little data exists to demonstrate the actual quality of working tips in clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to investigate and quantify if any real, measurable differences of the explorer working tip dimension exist among such instruments currently in service and compare to published medical device industry standards. Twenty new #23 dental explorer instruments from two manufacturers served as controls and sixty-three instruments in circulation at a dental school clinic were observed using light microscopy. The instruments were measured 50 micrometers from the terminus. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to analyze values among groups. No statistically significant difference between the mean working tip dimension of new instruments was detected between brands. However, statistically significant differences between new and used instruments were detected regardless of brand. The range of values was 92.5–227.5 micrometers with average used instrument tip estimated over 50% wider than the average new instrument. These findings imply that other studies employing a dental explorer may be confounded if the instrument is not measured. Furthermore, the results of this study should serve as a motivating factor toward future research to update quality standards regarding the medical device with a goal of defining acceptable dimensions of the instrument working tip for certain applications in relation to clinical performance and expected outcomes.

Effect Modification by Obesity on Nonsurgical Periodontal Treatment.

Obesity is associated with increased periodontal disease prevalence and incidence. This retrospective cohort study examined whether body mass index (BMI) is an effect modifier of periodontal treatment outcomes in patients attending an urban dental school clinic. Data were extracted from electronic health records of 344 patients at a large urban dental school clinic who had at least 1 tooth with a probing pocket depth (PD) ≥5 mm at baseline and who subsequently received nonsurgical periodontal treatment. BMI was computed from self-reported weight and height and categorized as obese (≥30 kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2), or healthy (18-24.9 kg/m2). The primary treatment outcome of interest was defined as having no teeth with PD ≥5 mm in a quadrant on follow-up after nonsurgical periodontal therapy. That outcome was considered to represent treatment success in this study. Secondary outcomes included changes in mean PD and clinical attachment loss (CAL). Analyses included 879 treated quadrants among 344 patients (185 males, 159 females; mean age 49 ± 12 y at baseline; mean posttreatment follow-up of 6 ± 2 mo). Clinical outcomes in patients who were overweight or obese were compared to healthy-weight patients using generalized linear models for binary or continuous outcomes, accounting for clustering within patients. Covariates were age, gender, tobacco use, history of diabetes, insurance type, and number of baseline sites ≥5 mm. Obesity was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of successful nonsurgical treatment (odds ratio = 0.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.25-0.88) than healthy weight. Being overweight was not associated with treatment success. Posttreatment reductions in the percentage of sites with pockets ≥5 mm and CAL ≥5 mm were greater in patients with healthy weight as compared to those either overweight or obese. However, posttreatment changes in mean PD and CAL did not differ among the BMI groups. Obesity adversely modifies the effectiveness of nonsurgical periodontal treatment among dental school clinic patients. The results of this study may be used by dental providers to better understand and manage periodontal therapy in patients with obesity. Furthermore, patients will be better informed about their therapeutic options and outcome success.

Dietary questions in caries risk assessment and their relationship to caries.

This retrospective chart review evaluated the relationship between specific dietary questions used in caries risk assessment and planned restorative treatment among patients attending a dental school's clinic. Records for 6,218 adult patients attending the University of Iowa College of Dentistry who completed caries risk assessments and comprehensive oral examinations during 2018-2019 were included. The number of planned caries restorative treatments were compared between groups based on responses to specific dietary questions on the caries risk assessment. Analyses included chi-square and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and logistic regression for factors associated with caries treatments. About 20% of subjects needed caries treatment, and regression analyses found that younger age, having unstructured meals, drinking sugared beverages daily, and drinking them for more than 30 min were significantly (p < 0.01) associated with having caries. Specific and focused questions on dietary practices are strongly associated with caries, and may be useful in improving caries risk assessments.

Associations between periodontal disease severity and selected cardiometabolic risk factors.

To explore associations between periodontal disease (PD) severity and cardiometabolic risk factors, including body mass index (BMI), age, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) risk, sex, and hypertension (HTN) in patients at an urban dental school clinic. A cross-sectional study design was used to analyze electronic health record data, including periodontal status, demographic characteristics, cardiometabolic risk factors and the American Diabetes Association Diabetes Risk Test (DRT) Score. Chi-square tests and ordinal logistic regression were conducted using SAS 9.4. Of those with available data (n&#61;6,778), 44% were male, 70.2% were overweight/obese, and the mean age was 50.9 (SD&#61;16.6) years. Associations between PD severity and BMI, sex, age, DRT score, and HTN were statistically significant (all p<0.0001) in bivariate analyses. Using logistic regression, HTN (p&#61;0.0006), sex (p<0.0001), and age (p<0.0001) were significant predictors of severe PD which was most common in those with HTN (35.9%), males (31.7%), those >60 years (36.6%). The odds of having severe PD for those with HTN were 1.2 times that of those without HTN. Males were 1.7 times more likely to have severe PD than females. Those aged 40-49 years, 50-59 years, and >60 years were 2.9, 4.2, and 4.3 times more likely to have severe PD than those who were 18-39 years, respectively. All cardiometabolic risk factors were associated with PD severity in bivariate analyses. In the logistic regression model, being older, male, and having HTN were significant predictors of PD severity. Future research is needed with a more diverse sample.

Comparison of Implant-Retained Overdenture and Conventional Complete Denture: A Survey Study to Measure Patients' Satisfaction and Quality of Life in Dental School Clinics.

Patient satisfaction and quality of life are integral to assessing oral health care quality. For many Americans still using conventional complete dentures (CDs) or implant-retained mandibular overdentures (IODs), it remains essential to consider improving their oral health outcomes and quality of life. Due to inexperienced student dentists providing dental care to dental school patients, patient grievances are generally considered a problem. Patient feedback and satisfaction have proven valuable resources for monitoring and improving patient safety. While CDs and IODs are the 2 leading treatment options for edentulism, more comparative studies in the literature need to compare their outcomes in a school setting. The research question that guided this comparative analysis was, "Is patient satisfaction and quality of life affected by the type of prostheses and provider?" A validated questionnaire was mailed to 520 individuals selected from records of patients who had received treatment for edentulous mandible at a student prosthodontic clinic at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry from 2014 to 2016 with at least 1 year of follow-up time. A validated questionnaire for edentulous patients based on the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-19) was used. In addition, information on patients' oral health-related quality of life, including questions related to the edentulous patients' satisfaction with their dentures, was collected. The response rate was 33% (N = 171). The study's findings confirm previous findings, suggesting that IODs may significantly impact oral health-related quality of life. Data show that 76% of the IOD group reported improvement in experience when using the implants to retain the mandibular denture. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the OHIP scores between overall CD and IOD patient groups. Males with IODs had lower physical pain, limitations, and disability scores than males with CD. However, females with IODs reported more significant concerns associated with a social disability and handicap domains. Comparing users who had experiences with both treatment options, this study discerned essential characteristics that contribute to increased patient satisfaction with IODs and identified significance in outcomes by gender. These findings guide prosthodontic practitioners' patient care practices and identify a continuing need to discuss CD and IOD treatment protocols within dental school curricula.

A comparison of the caries risk between patients who use vapes or e-cigarettes and those who use conventional cigarettes: a cross-sectional study

Aims: Both conventional cigarette use and e-cigarette/vape use appear to have detrimental effects on oral health by promoting the development of both dental caries and periodontal disease. This study aimed to compare the effects of the two with regards to dental caries risk level. Methods: A cross-sectional study on patient records was conducted. 1251 patients who attended the dental school clinics and met the inclusion criteria were included. The Kruskal-Wallis test and multivariable ordinal logistic regression were used to compare the e-cigarette/vaping only, conventional cigarette use only, and dual e-cigarette/vaping and conventional cigarette use groups in terms of caries risk. Results: A total of 1251 patient records met the inclusion criteria. There were 130 reported active users of e-cigarettes/vapes, 1094 active users of conventional cigarettes and 27 active users of both e-cigarettes/vapes and conventional cigarettes. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed no statistically significant difference between caries risk level among the 3 groups with 88.9% of the dual smokers (both conventional and e-cigarettes/vapes), 83.1% of the e-cigarette/vape only users, and 82.5% of the conventional cigarette only smokers being placed in the high/extreme caries risk category (P=.693). The comparison was also not significant (P=.719) when adjusting for age and gender. Conclusion: Though the percentage of patients in the high/extreme caries risk category was highest in the dual smokers group, followed by the vaping/e-cigarette use group and lastly the conventional cigarette group, there was no statistically significant evidence of a difference between these groups.

Comparison of Implant-Retained Overdenture and Conventional Complete Denture: A Survey Study to Measure Patients' Satisfaction and Quality of Life in Dental School Clinics.

Patient satisfaction and quality of life are integral to assessing oral health care quality. For many Americans still using conventional complete dentures (CD) or Implant Retained-Overdentures (IOD), it remains essential to consider improving their oral health outcomes and quality of life. Due to inexperienced student dentists providing dental care to dental school patients, patient grievances are generally considered a problem. Patient feedback and satisfaction have proven valuable resources for monitoring and improving patient safety. While CD and IOD are the two leading treatment options for edentulism, more comparative studies in the literature need to compare their outcomes in a school setting. The research question that guided this comparative analysis was, "Is patient satisfaction and quality of life affected by the type of prostheses and provider?" A validated questionnaire was mailed to 520 individuals selected from records of patients who had received treatment for edentulous mandible at a student prosthodontic clinic at the [redacted for peer review] from 2014 to 2016 with at least one year of follow-up time. A validated questionnaire for edentulous patients based on the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-19) was used. In addition, information on patients' oral health-related quality of life, including questions related to the edentulous patients' satisfaction with their dentures, was collected. The response rate was 33% (N = 171). The study's findings confirm previous findings, suggesting that IODs may significantly impact oral health-related quality of life. Data show that 76% of the IOD group reported improvement in experience when using the implants to retain the mandibular denture. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the OHIP scores between overall CD and IOD patient groups. Males with IOD had lower physical pain, limitations, and concerns associated with a social disability and handicap domains. Comparing users who had experiences with both treatment options, this study discerned essential characteristics that contribute to increased patient satisfaction with IOD and identified significance in outcomes by gender. These findings guide prosthodontic practitioners' patient care practices and identify a continuing need to discuss CD and IOD treatment protocols within dental school curricula.

Dentition and weight status in community-dwelling older adults.

Tooth loss is common among older adults and can affect dietary intake and weight status. This study investigated associations between dentition status and body mass index (BMI) in older adults. This was a cross-sectional study of data from a convenience sample of older adults (65-89 years) treated at an urban U.S. dental school clinic. Clinical and demographic data were obtained from electronic health records. Dentition status was determined based on data from odontograms. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of having a non-normal weight status for each measure of dentition status, after adjusting for covariates. Patients (n = 1765) were 54.1% female, 51.5% White, 41.6% African American and 22.5% Hispanic/Latino. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 71 (67.0-75.0) years; the mean (±SD) BMI was 28.5 (±5.7) kg/m2 ; 72.5% were overweight or obese. The median (IQR) number of remaining teeth was 20.0 (13.0-24.0); the median numbers of anterior and posterior occluding pairs of teeth were 5.0 (2.0-6.0) and 2.0 (0.0-5.0), respectively; and 44.9% had a functional dentition (≥21 teeth). Having a higher number of remaining teeth and more posterior occluding pairs were associated with lower odds of obesity (OR = 0.980, 95% CI = 0.964, 0.997, p = .022 and OR = 0.931, 95% CI = 0.885, 0.980, p = .006, respectively). Lack of a functional dentition was associated with higher odds of obesity (OR = 1.400, 95% CI = 1.078, 1.818, p = .012), after controlling for covariates. Older adults with tooth loss - especially loss of posterior occlusion and lack of a functional dentition - were more likely to be obese than of normal weight.

Variation in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at US dental school clinics.

Although the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was the same at different US dental schools, the response wasn't. There is no study that documents the variation in mitigation strategies, COVID-19 transmission, and clinical educational changes at US Dental schools during the ongoing pandemic that began in 2020 in the US. The current study was approved as exempt research (project number HUM00199261). Our survey of Associate Dean's of Clinical Operations was individually emailed in July 2021. There were no reminders and descriptive statistics were calculated using Microsoft Excel. We received 46 completed surveys from the 68 sent out. Note that 65.2% of respondents reported requiring N95 masks for aerosol-generating procedures. Note that 38.9% of respondents said they required student partnering as chairside dental assistants for aerosol-generating procedures. Note that 37.7% of respondents began using alternate cubicles. A total of 6.52% of schools reported a transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus from patient to provider. There were no reported transmissions from provider to patient or from patient to patient. In our study, we found a lot of similarities between the approach taken by Dental School Clinics across the US to mitigate the risks of COVID-19, however, we also observed many differences.

Dental service utilization and the COVID-19 pandemic, a micro-data analysis

BackgroundGlobal crises and disease pandemics, such as COVID-19, negatively affect dental care utilization by several factors, such as infection anxiety, disrupted supply chains, economic contraction, and household income reduction. Exploring the pattern of this effect can help policy makers to be prepared for future crises. The present study aimed to investigate the financial impact of COVID‐19 disruptions on dental service utilization.MethodsData on the number of dental services offered in Dental School Clinics of Tehran University of Medical Sciences was collected over a period of two years, before and after the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. School of Dentistry operates two clinics; one with competitive service fees and one with subsidies. Regression analyses were performed to determine the effect of the pandemic on the number of dental services divided by dental treatment groups and these clinics. The analyses were adjusted for seasonal patterns and the capacity of the clinics.ResultsThere was a significant drop in dental services offered in both clinics across all dental groups in the post-COVID period (on average, 77 (39.44%) fewer services per day). The majority of the procedure loss happened in the Private clinic. Adjusting for seasonal patterns and the service capacity, regression results documented 54% and 12% service loss in Private and Subsidized clinics following the pandemic, respectively. Difference-in-difference analysis documented that the Subsidized clinic performed 40% more treatments than the Private clinic in the post-COVID period.ConclusionsPandemic –reduction in dental care utilization could have long-term ramifications for the oral health of the population, and policymakers need to provide supportive packages to the affected segments of the economy to reverse this trend.

Promoting Awareness Among New Generations of Dental Instructors about Essential Knowledge and Expertise for Recognizing and Managing Dental Patients with Somatic Symptom Disorder in Undergraduate Dental Clinics - A Review

Dental instructors are equipped with the fundamental dental knowledge and expertise to efficiently supervise dental students for managing their patients in the undergraduate dental school clinics. However, they do not have the basic knowledge for identifying and managing patients with Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) at chairside prior to initiating the dental treatment. Lack of such knowledge is a major reason for problems in diagnosis and management of these dental patients which could result in repeated, ineffective dental treatments, such as dental filling, root canal, or even extraction. The aim of this review is to promote awareness among new generations of dental instructors of the need to acquire the basic knowledge about SSD. Several recommendations are made to assist dental instructors in gaining the essential knowledge for assisting dental students at chairside in identifying and managing dental patients with such psychiatric disorder.

Medical emergencies in a dental school clinic - A 12-year review and lessons learned.

The aims of this study were to estimate the type and frequency of different medical emergencies that occurred over the study period (twelve years) and discuss the lessons learned and the modifications made in the curriculum to better equip dental students and faculty in their management. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate all medical emergencies that needed activation of the response team at our school from 2008 to 2020. The emergency response system was activated 250 times during the 12-year period. There were 132 medical emergencies in the pre-doctoral clinic and 105 events in the post-doctoral clinic (p 0.0680). Most of the emergencies occurred in patients between 45 and 64 years of age. Syncope occurs most often followed by adverse cardiovascular, respiratory, anxiety, and hypoglycemic events. Medical emergencies occurring in a dental school provide a unique opportunity for students to gain experience in their management. The key lies in preparing the students and faculty to prevent them from occurring, but should these occur, then they should be able to promptly recognize symptoms and institute prompt intervention.

Leveraging machine learning to create user-friendly models to mitigate appointment failure at dental school clinics.

This study had a twofold outcome. The first aim was to develop an efficient, machine learning (ML) model using data from a dental school clinic (DSC) electronic health record (EHR). This model identified patients with a high likelihood of failing an appointment and provided a user-friendly system with a rating score that would alert clinicians and administrators of patients at high risk of no-show appointments. The second aim was to identify key factors with ML modeling that contributed to patient no-show appointments. Using de-identified data from a DSC EHR, eight ML algorithms were evaluated: simple decision tree, bagging regressor classifier, random forest classifier, gradient boosted regression, AdaBoost regression, XGBoost regression, neural network, and logistic regression classifier. The performance of each model was assessed using a confusion matrix with different threshold level of probability; precision, recall and predicted accuracy on each threshold; receiver-operating characteristic curve (ROC) and area under curve (AUC); as well as F1 score. The ML models agreed on the threshold of probability score at 0.20-0.25 with Bagging classifier as the model that performed best with a F1 score of 0.41 and AUC of 0.76. Results showed a strong correlation between appointment failure and appointment confirmation, patient's age, number of visits before the appointment, total number of prior failed appointments, appointment lead time, as well as the patient's total number of medical alerts. Altogether, the implementation of this user-friendly ML model can improve DSC workflow, benefiting dental students learning outcomes and optimizing personalized patient care.

Estimation Of The Correction Factor To Assess The Chronological Age Of Ghanaian Children And Adolescents Using The Demirjian Method

Objective: To ascertain the correction factor for age estimation using the Demirjian method applicable to the study population in Accra, Ghana. Methodology: It is a cross-sectional study of a secondary data involving 255 participants made up of 115 boys and 140 girls age between 5 and 18 years, attending the University of Ghana Dental School Clinic, Accra, Ghana. Their medical records were scrutinized for chronological age and their dental orthopantomograms analyzed for dental maturity scores and converted to dental age. Results: Statistically, there was no significant difference between chronological age on one hand and both Demirjian age estimate and corrected factor predicted age. Factor predicted age however more closely matched chronological age. Above 15 years, the Demirjian method could not be applied to ascertain dental ages for boys. Conclusion: Application of the factor predicted estimate to the Demirjian method can reliably predict the chronological age in the study population.

Treatment deferral for elevated blood pressure at a dental school clinic.

Current guidelines by the American Dental Association (ADA) recommend deferral of elective dental care for elevated blood pressure. However, it is unknown how frequently this impacts dental treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate rates of asymptomatic hypertension and treatment deferral at a dental school clinic. This was a retrospective study with data extracted from a chart review of all patients presenting for care at a dental school teaching practice. Differences in dental procedures, the time between visits, and the number of antihypertensive medications were calculated between patients with and without a blood pressure reading exceeding current guidelines for elective treatment. Among 26,821 individuals, 1265 had a visit with elevated blood pressure. Blood pressure readings at the next visit were significantly lower (systolic blood pressure 137 [95% confidence interval {CI} 135-138] mmHg, diastolic blood pressure 82 [95% CI 81-83mmHg], p<0.001), although only 24 patients reported taking a new medication. Only 4.1% of these patients had a procedure deferred; for those that did, the average intervisit time was 88.2 days (95% CI 77.7-98.7 days). The majority of patients with blood pressure readings exceeding current ADA recommendations for treatment were treated without evidence of harm. Patients were also unlikely to return to the clinic with new medications for blood pressure after a visit with an elevated blood pressure reading. Oral health providers must weigh the risks and benefits of care deferral and can consider an expanded role in hypertension management in dental settings when caring for patients with elevated blood pressure.

Patient perceptions of the readability and helpfulness of bilingual clinical forms: a survey study

BackgroundPatients with limited English proficiency (LEP) are rarely provided with translated clinical materials. Typically, healthcare clinics cite high costs of translation and lack of professional translators as barriers to this service. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the perceptions of LEP dental patients regarding the readability, understanding, and helpfulness of translated clinical forms produced by dental student doctor translators.MethodsWe used a survey design and convenience sampling to recruit LEP patients from a dental school clinic. Participants completed a 9-question (8 Likert-type items and 1 open-ended item) paper survey about translated forms. The bilingual survey was a combination of English and 8 other languages (Arabic, Dari, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, or Vietnamese) and assessed the type of form received; self-reported literacy; design, readability, and helpfulness of the form; overall understanding of the form; understanding of medical and dental terms; helpfulness for patient-provider communication; and comfort level with dental care after receiving the form. Demographic characteristics of participants were collected from the clinic’s electronic health record. Survey responses were analyzed descriptively, and Spearman’s correlation was used to examine the relationship between outcomes.ResultsNinety-seven LEP patients (61.9% [60] female, 78.4% [70] Spanish speakers) completed 140 surveys for various translated forms in Dari, Pashto, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese. Participants positively rated translated clinical forms: range, 50.4% (70) for design of the form to 80.0% (112) for comfort level with dental care after receiving the form. For the open-ended item, participants indicated the translations were good, and no improvements were needed. They also thought providing the form was evidence of good customer service. When examining relationships between outcomes, positive correlations were found between self-reported literacy and readability (Spearman r = .57, P < .001), overall understanding and understanding of medical and dental terms (Spearman r = .58, P < .001), and type of form and helpfulness for patient-provider communication (Spearman r = .26, P = .005).ConclusionsStudy results suggested the translated clinical forms were perceived as helpful and beneficial by LEP dental patients. Similar approaches should be considered to reduce language barriers in healthcare.

A user-centered approach to the development of a diet education tool for older adults with tooth loss.

Tooth loss is associated with suboptimal nutrient intake and greater risk of malnutrition. To develop and field-test a stakeholder-informed diet education tool that addresses the unique needs of older adults with tooth loss who do not wear dentures. An iterative user-centered approach was used. Initial content was developed based on findings from previous research. Stakeholder panels of older adults with 20 or fewer teeth, and dentists, were conducted at two time points to obtain feedback on the tool, which was revised following each panel. The tool was field-tested in a dental school clinic and evaluated using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool; it was further revised based on feedback. A diet education tool entitled "Eating Healthier With Tooth Loss" was developed. Sections for fruits and vegetables, grains, and proteins food groups, and one addressing socioemotional aspects of eating with missing teeth were included. Panel members provided constructive, positive feedback; recommendations for editing text, images, design, and content were integrated. Field-testing in the dental clinic with 27 pairs of student dentists and their patients resulted in scores of 95.7% for understandability and 96.6% for actionability, with over 85% agreement with each item. The tool was revised based on field-testing feedback. A diet education tool for older adults with tooth loss was developed using a user-centered approach, integrating the 'patient voice' and patient experiences with US dietary guidelines. Use of this tool is feasible in a dental clinic setting. Future research should explore usage in larger settings.

Bridging the health gap: Measuring the unmet social needs of patients within a dental school clinic.

As safety-net clinics, dental school clinics are uniquely positioned to evaluate the unmet social need. There is evidence that patients treated in a safety-net type clinic, such as dental schools, report experiencing one or more of the determinants of health. However, there is limited evidence describing screening for Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in dental clinics. The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge of the types of social determinants of health that exist in a dental school clinic and how it is reflected in the geographic region of the school. This cross-sectional prospective study used a 20-item questionnaire assessed unmet social needs in a predoctoral clinic. The questionnaire contained multiple choice and binary yes/no questions, organized under SDOH domains: housing, food, transportation, utilities, childcare, employment, education, finances, and personal safety. Socioeconomic and demographic information was captured. The questionnaire was administered via iPad using Qualtrics XM. The data were descriptively and quantitatively analyzed at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. There were 175 respondents with a 93.6% response rate, males (49.7%), females (49.1%), and 1.1% nonbinary. Overall, 135 (77.1%) respondents reported having at least one unmet social need. The greatest number of unmet needs was in the domains of employment and finances, with 44% and 41.7% respectively. Respondents who were unable to work stated they often or sometimes worried about running out of food before getting money to buy more, (p=0.0002), and or the food didn't last before there was money to get more (p=0.00007). A comparison of annual incomes of respondents earning less than $40K with those earning $40K or more, demonstrated statistically significant differences in unmet social needs for housing (p<0.0001), food (p=0.0003, p<0.0001), utilities (p=0.0484), employment (p=0.0016), education (p<0.0001), and finances (p<0.0001). Screening patients in the dental clinic was an efficient way to uncover the level of unmet social needs. Annual household income was a predominant driver of unmet social needs: with the greatest number of unmet needs existing in the domains of employment and finances. The results suggest that screening for social determinants of health dental school clinics could be incorporated into routine patient data collection.

Comparing the Efficacy of Mobile Application vs. Educational Pamphlets in Awareness of Dental Trauma among Mothers Referring to Bojnourd Dental School and Private Clinics

Introduction: One of the issues that have always occupied the minds of dentists is the fate of teeth that are subjected to traumatic injuries. Parents are the primary source of timely management. Therefore, the final prognosis of an affected tooth mainly depends on the knowledge of parents, especially mothers. The present study aimed to investigate awareness of dental injuries among mothers referring to Bojnourd Dental School and private pediatric dental offices and compare the effect of two educational interventions, pamphlet and application, on dental injury management. Method: A total of 150 mothers were randomly assigned to two groups: pamphlet intervention and application intervention (n=75 in each group). After completing the informed consent forms, the questionnaires were provided to mothers. After collecting the questionnaires, pamphlets and applications with similar content regarding the management of dental injuries were provided to the two groups. One month after the interventions, the same questionnaire was completed by mothers. Therefore, pre-test and post-test results were compared. Results: A total of 146 mothers participated in this study. The mean awareness score in both the pamphlet and application groups increased significantly after the intervention (P&lt;0.05), while there was no significant difference in the mean awareness score between the two intervention groups (P&gt;0.05). Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, parents have insufficient information about dental trauma; therefore, practical steps should be taken to raise this awareness. In our study, both pamphlets and applications were equally effective in increasing mothers' awareness of dental injuries. Of note, finding a more efficient method needs further studies

Prevalence of Denture Stomatitis in Patients Using Denture in Sari City, Iran, in 2020-2021

Background and Purpose: Denture stomatitis is an inflammatory condition in the oral mucosa which develops under the removable denture and affects a considerable percentage of denture users. Due to insufficient studies on this issue in Iran, we investigated the prevalence of denture stomatitis in patients using dentures. Materials and Methods: In the current descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 130 patients referred to the dental school clinic and other dental clinics in Sari City, Iran, were examined using the census method. Demographic information about the patients, such as age, sex, systemic problems, and type of denture stomatitis (based on Newton’s classification), were recorded. The denture was also clinically examined for its suitability in the mouth. After entering the data in SPSS, version 20, the study variables were analyzed through bivariate correlation, descriptive analysis, and frequency analysis. Results: A total of 130 patients using dentures (85 male, 45 female) were studied. About 26.2% (n=34) of the patients had denture stomatitis, of whom 58.8% (n=20) were type II and 41.2% (n=14) were type III. There were significant differences between denture’s age (P&lt;0.001), patient’s age (P=0.049), denture use during the day (P=0.002), diseases (P&lt;0.001), denture cleaning frequency (P&lt;0.001), and duration of denture use (P&lt;0.001). Cigarette (P=0.093) and alcohol consumption (P=0.905), and sex (P=0.349) were not significantly associated with the prevalence of denture stomatitis. Conclusion: The results of the current study presented a high prevalence of denture stomatitis in patients using dentures. Also, the denture’s age, patient’s age, cleaning frequency, duration of denture use, and appropriate denture significantly affected the prevalence of denture stomatitis.