Dental Teaching Institution Research Articles

Occupational Hepatitis B Exposure: A Peek into Indian Dental Students' Knowledge, Opinion, and Preventive Practices.

Objective. To determine the level of knowledge, opinions, and preventive practices followed by dental students against Hepatitis B. The study also explored if any correlation existed between knowledge, opinion, and preventive practices score. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a dental teaching institution. The subjects comprised 216 dental students. The study was conducted using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was prepared to assess knowledge, opinion, and preventive practices against Hepatitis B. Kruskal-Wallis and Kendall Tau test were performed. Results. The study found that only 44.4% of the students were vaccinated with Hepatitis B vaccine. 59.3% of the students reported washing their hands after contact with patient's body fluids. 63.9% used personal protective measures like facemask, aprons, head cap, eye shields, and so forth, while treating patients. Median knowledge, opinion, and practice scores were found to be 5.00, 3.00, and 3.00, respectively. Significant correlation was obtained between knowledge and preventive practices score (r = 0.385, p value <0.0001). Conclusion. Effective measures need to be taken to improve preventive practices of the students to prevent them from risk of Hepatitis transmission. Mandatory vaccination against Hepatitis B needs to be implemented.

Cross-year Peer Tutoring in Healthcare and Dental Education: A Review of the Literature

Cross-year peer tutoring (CYPT) programs show promise of potential benefits not only to the tutees and tutors, butalso to the entire dental education field. A critical review of the literature was performed to determine thecharacteristics of studies assessing CYPT programs in the healthcare field, to see if there are adequate resources inthe literature to aid dental institutions in making evidence-based decisions about their curriculum.A PubMed literature search was conducted to identify pertinent research. Only those articles that demonstratedprograms that paired junior and senior students were included. A total of twenty articles were identified and analyzedfor the characteristics of the CYPT program, the study groups compared, and the outcomes assessed. In the fewstudies that examined qualitative outcomes, many found success measured in positive outcomes for the tutors.However, there are too few studies that examine the qualitative outcomes of tutor interest in careers in dentaleducation.With more contributions to literature in the dental field that specifically target preclinical dental education and tutorinterest in careers in education, published within the context of the curriculum, dental education institutions canbegin making more evidence-based decisions on the incorporation of CYPT programs into their curricula.

Comprehensive Implementation of the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) in a Dental School and University Oral Health Centre: A Stepwise Framework

ICDAS (the International Caries Detection and Assessment System) is a new approach to the detection and classification of dental caries, starting with the stage showing the earliest visual changes. Methodology: This article describes the implementation of the ICDAS at the School of Dentistry, International Medical University, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in a step-by-step systematically planned process. Beginning with the setting up of a Task Force in 2011 for the evaluation and preparation of the training resources and the running of exploratory training exercises, it finally culminated in carrying out training workshops for the entire staff and students. After the internal processes had been completed, an international expert (KE) was invited to evaluate the process and conduct another workshop using the resources developed within the University, including a reference set of carious teeth. The overall time taken was one and a half years. Conclusions: The implementation of the ICDAS has been comprehensively set into motion within the context of our local curriculum and oral healthcare delivery arrangements. However, this will be an ongoing process with further quality assurance measures being required clinically together with the continuing training of new staff. Sharing this ‘framework’ of the ICDAS implementation process should considerably ease the path and reduce the time period of future implementations by other dental teaching institutions.

Knowledge and awareness regarding biomedical waste management in dental teaching institutions in India- A systematic review.

Objectives: Proper handling, treatment and disposal of biomedical wastes are important elements in any health care setting. Not much attention has been paid to the management of Biomedical Waste (BMW) in recent years, in dental colleges and hospitals in India. The present systematic review was conducted to assess knowledge and awareness regarding BMW management among staff and students of dental teaching institutions in India. Material and Methods: A systematic review of relevant cross-sectional studies was conducted regarding BMW management in India in dental teaching institutions in India. Six studies were finally included in the present review after conducting both electronic and manual search like Pubmed, EMBASE etc. and after making necessary exclusions. Potential biases were addressed and relevant data was extracted by the concerned investigators. Results: Six studies were finally included in the review. Colour coding of wastes was not done by 67% of the subjects in one of the studies conducted in Haryana. Almost all the subjects agreed to the fact that exposure to hazardous health care waste can result in disease or infection in another study. According to another study reports, none of the respondents was able to list the legislative act regarding BMW when asked. Conclusions: The results of the present review showed that knowledge and awareness level of subjects was inadequate and there is considerable variation in practice and management regarding BMW. There is a great need for continuing education and training programmes to be conducted in dental teaching institutions in India. Key words:Biomedical waste, knowledge, awareness, dentists, institution.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of oral health care personnel regarding airborne spread of infection in Davangere, India

Introduction: Oral health care professionals (OHPs) are population with a high risk of infections, as they are exposed to an array of microorganisms in saliva and other body fluids during treatment. The aerosolized oral fluids during treatment may form a potent pool of infection. Objective: The objective was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) about airborne infection and their precaution among OHPs in Davangere, India. Materials and Methods: A cross‑sectional study was carried out in two dental teaching institutions of Davangere. The questionnaire contained questions related to KAP on airborne infection, its spread, and precaution. All the scores were summed and reported on a scale of 0-9 for knowledge, 0-4 for attitude and practice questions were scored on a 5‑point Likert‑Scale. Result: A response rate of 95.27% was observed. All the respondents knew that the infection was spread through aerosols during treatment. There was a significant improvement in KAP as the years in clinical practice increased. There was a linear correlation between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.171, P < 0.001), and knowledge and practice scores (r = 0.142, P < 0.00l) when all groups (dental faculty, postgraduate, and students) were combined, but there was no correlation between attitude and practice scores of individuals. Conclusion: This study reflects an increased knowledge and practice as the professionals move higher in the hierarchy. But there exists some disparity between the isolation precautions followed by the respondents of the current study and those from the recommended guidelines.

Assessment of noise levels in clinical and laboratory areas of dental teaching institution, Ahmedabad

Aim: To measure and assess the noise levels produced by different dental equipments. Materials and Methods: Measurement of the noise level was performed in preclinics, clinics, and dental laboratory of different departments of Ahmedabad Dental College and Hospital. The noise levels were determined using a Mini sound meter (CEM USA), which was placed at the dentist's and laboratory technician's ear level and at a distance of 1 m from a main noise source. The level of noise was measured in decibel (dB) while the instruments were at maximum running speed. Results: In dental laboratory, the nosiest dental equipment was gypsum lathe trimmer with the noise level ranging from 87.36 to 98.3 dB. In preclinical area, the sound produced by low-speed air-rotor ranges from 66.68 to 69.28 dB. In clinical areas, the highest noise produced was by high-speed air-rotor (73.36 to 81.8 dB). The noise created by suction pump when in contact with mucosa was in range from 73.1 to 80.32 dB. The noise levels generated during cutting were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of noncutting, which was proved in the course of the measurements. Conclusion: At the end of the study it can be concluded that the sound levels are below that causes damage to the human ear (85 dB). However, dental technicians and other personnel working all day in noisy laboratories could be at risk of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss if they did not choose not to wear ear protection.

Survey of patient opinion on tobacco cessation counseling and services in a dental teaching institution and hospital.

The objective of this study was to assess the opinion of dental patients who use tobacco towards receiving tobacco cessation counseling and services in a dental college and hospital setting. A cross-sectional descriptive survey method using a structured questionnaire was used in this study. Participants were patients attending The Oxford Dental College, Hospital, and Research Center, Bengaluru, India. Each patient in the clinic waiting room was asked by the investigator to complete a 29-item self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis using Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analysis of the data. Ninety-six percent (n = 770) of tobacco users had previously attempted to quit tobacco and 95.7% were willing to quit. Sixteen percent (n = 132) of respondents reported that they currently used tobacco. About 83% of tobacco users agreed that the student dentist should ask patients whether or not they use tobacco, 79.4% agreed that the student dentist should advise tobacco users to quit, and 81.4% agreed that student dentists should offer information on quitting tobacco to patients who want to quit. Only 12.5% (n = 100) of the patients who use tobacco were aware of the community resources available to quit tobacco. This study shows that patients expect and felt comfortable with receiving tobacco cessation counseling services by oral health professionals in a dental hospital setting.

Assessing Use of a Standardized Dental Diagnostic Terminology in an Electronic Health Record

Although standardized terminologies such as the International Classification of Diseases have been in use in medicine for over a century, efforts in the dental profession to standardize dental diagnostic terms have not achieved widespread acceptance. To address this gap, a standardized dental diagnostic terminology, the EZCodes, was developed in 2009. Fifteen dental education institutions in the United States and Europe have implemented the EZCodes dental diagnostic terminology. This article reports on the utilization and valid entry of the EZCodes at three of the dental schools that have adopted this standardized dental diagnostic terminology. Electronic data on the use of procedure codes with diagnostic terms from the three schools over a period from July 2010 to June 2011 were aggregated. The diagnostic term and procedure code pairs were adjudicated by three calibrated dentists. Analyses were conducted to gain insight into the utilization and valid entry of the EZCodes diagnostic terminology in the one-year period. Error proportions in the entry of diagnostic term (and by diagnostic category) were also computed. In the twelve-month period, 29,965 diagnostic terms and 249,411 procedure codes were entered at the three institutions resulting in a utilization proportion of 12 percent. Caries and periodontics were the most frequently used categories. More than 1,000 of the available 1,321 diagnostic terms were never used. Overall, 60.5 percent of the EZCodes entries were found to be valid. The results demonstrate low utilization of EZCodes in an electronic health record and raise the need for specific training of dental providers on the importance of using dental diagnostic terminology and specifically how to use the terms in the electronic record. These findings will serve to increase the use/correct use of the EZCodes dental diagnostic terminology and ultimately create a reliable platform for undertaking clinical, outcomes, and quality improvement-related research.

The importance of ‘student voice’ in dental education

Although much published school and higher education research have established a strong conceptual foundation for eliciting student feedback, this element is relatively poorly developed in dental education research. This paper examines 'student voice' as a conceptual/theoretical framework and justification for attending to students' perspectives in dental education. The aims of this review paper were: to explore the concept of student voice, including some pragmatic considerations and key critiques of listening to student feedback; to critically analyse key debates about the importance of a research focus on student perceptions using themes from the seminal and contemporary educational literature on student voice from the school, higher and dental educational sectors; to identify gaps in the dental education literature in relation to students' perceptions of their learning, and highlight some practical implications drawn from the 'student voice' literature for dental education; and to assist dental educational researchers in developing a strong rationale for listening to student voice in dental educational institutions. This paper is intended to assist dental educational researchers in justifying future research projects which require eliciting dental student feedback/perceptions.

Perceived sources of stress amongst final year dental under graduate students in a dental teaching institution at Bangalore, India: A cross sectional study

Dental schools are known to be highly demanding and stressful learning environments. Dentistry involves an acquisition of required academic, clinical and interpersonal skills during the course of learning. Practicing dentistry requires clinical skills and patient management skills, which also add to the stress perceived by the students. Identifying sources of stress represents the crucial first step towards advocating policy changes and strategies to alleviate the stressors and enhance students' stress coping skills. The aim of this study was to identify self-reported sources of the stress among the final year [4 th year] dental undergraduate students in a Dental Teaching Institution in Bangalore, India. A 38 items, 4-point Likert Scale item modified Dental Environmental Stress (DES) questionnaire, addressing 5 stressor domains (living accommodation, interpersonal relationships, academics, clinical skills and miscellaneous) was administered to all final year undergraduate dental students of the Institution. Items and domains were considered to be perceived as "stressful", when students classified them as 'slightly', 'moderately' or 'severely stressful'. Descriptive and bivariate analyzes based on chi square tests were performed. Out of the 38 items, 19 items were reported to be "stressful" by >70% of the students. Of these, examinations, difficulty in managing difficult cases, lack of patient co-operation, difficulty and amount of course work and completing clinical requirements were reported to be "stressful" by >85% of the students. Personal physical health, difficulty in making friends, staying with roommates, narcotic substance dependencies were least commonly reported to be "stressful". The stress provoking factors among >70% of the students are quite similar to those reported by the researchers' worldwide. Curricular changes, student support mechanisms at departmental/institutional level with appropriate policy changes need to be considered to assist the students in coping with identified stressors.

The Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants Among Dental and Dental Hygiene Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the nonmedical use of prescription attention deficit disorder (ADD) stimulant medication among dental and dental hygiene students. A questionnaire was used to examine demographic information, student experiences, and perceptions of prescription stimulant medication and to determine if students used a prescription stimulant nonmedically. In 2008, 401 surveys were mailed to dental education institutions in the south-central region of the United States, and 243 surveys (61 percent) were returned. The survey found that 12.4 percent of these students used a prescription stimulant nonmedically and, of those, 70 percent took it to improve attention and/or concentration. The most commonly reported stimulant medication used nonmedically was Adderall (77 percent). The majority (87 percent) of the students obtained the medication through friends, and 90 percent began using the drug in college. Even though 74 percent of the students reported being stressed, chi-square analysis found no significant association between nonmedical use of ADD stimulant medication and stress level (p=0.585). Sixteen percent of the students surveyed felt it was easy to obtain stimulant medication for nonmedical use at their school, and 17 percent thought it was a problem within their institution. These results may help administrators and faculty members become aware of potential problems with the misuse of ADD stimulant medication.

Polarization of dental caries amongst 3rd year dental students in a Dental Teaching Institution in Bangalore, India - A cross sectional survey

Polarization of dental caries amongst 3rd year dental students in a Dental Teaching Institution in Bangalore, India - A cross sectional survey

Assessment of noise levels of the equipments used in the dental teaching institution, Bangalore

In dental practical classes, the acoustic environment is characterized by high noise levels in relation to other teaching areas, due to the exaggerated noise produced by some of these devices and use of dental equipment by many users at the same time. To measure, analyze and compare noise levels of equipments among dental learning areas under different working conditions and also to measure and compare noise levels between used and brand new handpieces under different working conditions. Noise levels were measured and analyzed in different dental learning areas that included clinical, pre-clinical areas and laboratories selected as representatives of a variety of learning-teaching activities. The noise levels were determined using a precision noise level meter (CENTER® 325 IEC 651 TYPE II) with a microphone. The mean of the maxima was determined. The data were collected, tabulated, and statistically analyzed using t tests. The noise levels measured varied between 64 and 97 dB(A).The differences in sound levels when the equipment was merely turned on and during cutting operations and also between used and brand new equipments were recorded. The laboratory engines had the highest noise levels, whereas the noise levels in high-speed turbine handpieces and the low-speed contra angle handpieces were decreased. The noise levels detected in this study are considered to be close to the limit of risk of hearing loss.

The WHO’s action plan for oral health

The oral health action plan, recommended for adoption to the Sixtieth World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization in January 2007, included many of the necessary components. Had fissure sealants been added to the list of prevention methods and the roles of dental educational institutions and hygiene community better clarified, the action plan would have made a more viable and realistic package for the ministries and their directors of national programmes receiving the support of the World Health Organization and partners. Sealants remain under-utilized, few dental hygienists are integrated in the primary oral health team and fewer dental graduates have had service-learning experiences--all contradictory to the evidence in the literature. Translating research findings into public health action programmes is one of the recommendations made in the action plan and one way we can begin this is by implementing sealant programmes in 'Health Promoting Schools' that are WHO's brain child and borne of the wisdom of using schools as 'platforms' for the promotion and delivery of health care to the community.

Causes and Patterns of Loss of Permanent Teeth among Patients Attending a Dental Teaching Institution in South India

The aims of the present study are to determine the causes and pattern of loss of permanent teeth among patients attending a dental teaching institution in southern India. Data collected from patients attending the outpatient wing of the Sri Sankara Dental College, Kerala, during a three month period was used for the study. The cause for extraction was classified as follows: (1) caries and its sequelae, (2) periodontal disease, (3) orthodontic purposes, (4) impactions, (5) prosthodontic purposes, and (6) other reasons. A total of 1791 permanent teeth were extracted of which 708 (39.5%) teeth were extracted due to caries and its sequelae, 508 (28.4%) due to periodontal disease, 347 (19.4%) for orthodontic purposes, 29 (1.6%) due to impactions, 155 (8.7%) for prosthodontic purposes, and 44 (2.5%) for other reasons. The results of the present study suggest caries and periodontal disease are the major causes of tooth mortality in the study population. Data regarding the causes of tooth loss indirectly provides invaluable information on the pattern of oral health in a population which can be utilized for planning public health policies designed to address the burden of oral diseases.

Staff recruitment, development and global mobility

This paper considers issues that relate to staff recruitment, staff development and global mobility of dental academics. Published literature, which has a North American bias, is reviewed. Recommendations, which may be applicable world-wide, are made to address evident and pertinent areas of concern in terms of the availability of quality dental teaching staff in dental teaching institutions so as to sustain the global dental academic enterprise at appropriately high levels of achievement.

Occupational Exposures Occuring among Dental Students in two Dental Teaching Institutions of Davangere City, India

Occupational Exposures Occuring among Dental Students in two Dental Teaching Institutions of Davangere City, India

Strategies for Student Services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students in Dental Schools

The purpose of this article is to explore issues that pertain to the needs of gay men, lesbians, and bisexual and transgender (GLBT) students as a subgroup in U.S. dental schools. The increasing visibility of GLBT persons in all aspects of life is one aspect of the changing face of the U.S. population. Increasingly, there is dialogue about issues related to GLBT persons, their nontraditional families, and their full engagement in society. Recent court decisions, changing policies in states and municipalities, and increasing acceptance in society promote inclusion. Likewise, this dialogue has extended into academic life. In medicine and nursing, GLBT issues include the needs of GLBT patients, the mentoring of faculty and administration, and acculturation of students in a dynamic college environment. Increasing the acceptance of GLBT persons and enhancing the value of diversity throughout the community and within the profession are challenges that must be met. In addition, fostering positive behaviors in a multicultural environment is a priority that is recognized in business and academe. In an effort to assess the present situation in U.S. dental schools, a survey was developed to gather data about support services provided for GLBT students. Based on the results of the survey, a series of recommendations are made to meet the needs of GLBT students, faculty, staff, and administrators in dental education institutions.

Impact of Underreporting on the Management of Occupational Bloodborne Exposures in a Dental Teaching Environment

The objectives of this study were to determine the rates of bloodborne exposures experienced by junior and senior dental students at a large dental teaching institution during 2001-02 and the percentages of these bloodborne exposures that were reported by the students to their designated counselors. Two hundred and four third- and fourth-year students voluntarily and anonymously filled out a questionnaire on the numbers of bloodborne exposures they had experienced and reported. Sixty-seven (32.8 percent) reported experiencing 109 occupational exposures (OEs) to blood or other potentially infectious materials. This corresponds to an OE rate of 80 +/- 7.7 exposures/100 person-years, far in excess of the highest recorded student rate (7.18 +/- 0.52) in a previous study. Twenty-six students (39 percent) reported two or more exposures each. Only 19 percent of exposures were reported to the school counselor, with 35 percent reported by third-year students and only 14.5 percent by fourth-year students. Thus the large differential in reported exposure rates between third- and fourth-year students found in our earlier study might have been an artifact of the sharply different reporting rates of these two groups. These results suggest an urgent need to reexamine the reliability of the present reporting system for such OEs. Also this study indicates that the gender differences in OE rates reported in our earlier study were due primarily to differential reporting by male and female students, not differences in their underlying OE rates.

Analysis of paediatric dental care provided under general anaesthesia and levels of dental disease in two hospitals

To compare the level of dental disease and the pattern of dental treatment under controlled airway general anaesthesia for ASA I and II children and ASA III and IV children in two hospitals. Prospective analysis. Hospital and postgraduate dental teaching institution, UK 1996 - 2000. During a four-year period (1996-2000), data were collected on children aged 1 to 16 years who were admitted for treatment of dental caries under general anaesthesia. Outcome measures Levels of dental disease (dmft/DMFT), treatment provided. A total of 515 ASA I and II and 430 ASA III and IV children were treated. The dmft and DMFT values of the ASA I and II children were significantly higher than those of the ASA III and IV children (p = 0.03). A significantly greater number of restorations and fissure sealants were carried out for permanent teeth in ASA III and IV children (p < 0.001). The number of extractions for both primary and permanent teeth was significantly greater in the ASA I and II group (p < 0.05). The ASA III and IV children had significantly lower levels of dental caries than the ASA I and II children and received a higher level of preventive and restorative care.