Undergraduate Dental Clinic Research Articles

Can patient gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomics affect their attitude toward rubber dam? A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Using rubber dam (RD) is essential during restorative and endodontic procedures. It aids in avoiding instrument or restorative material aspiration and helps the operator in achieving a clean and dry operating site. This study aimed to determine patient attitudes toward the use of RD in a Malaysian subpopulation based on their gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (household income and educational level). Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted on the east-coast patient population of Malaysia, receiving restorative and endodontic treatments with a RD at the undergraduate dental clinics of the School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Data were statistically analyzed. Results: A total of 106 patients participated and answered the questionnaire based on their satisfaction with RD use. Randomized convenience sampling was done. The satisfaction levels with the use of RD were not significantly different among males and females. However, satisfaction levels were found to be statistically significant based on the level of comfort of different ethnic groups (P = 0.001) and recommendation to friends or relatives (P = 0.004). Satisfaction with RD usage based on level of education was also reported as statistically significant (P = 0.006). There was a statistically significant association between patients’ satisfaction on preference and recommendation to their friends or relatives (P = 0.005) based on household income. Conclusion: A patient who was well-educated and earned a reasonable income was more satisfied and prone to accepting and recommending RD usage.

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.

Integration of an evidence-based caries management approach in dental education: The perspectives of dental instructors.

Evidence-based caries management (EBCM) has developed into an internationally recognized tool for integration of comprehensive non-surgical caries treatment in dental education. However, uptake of the EBCM approach remains uneven across Canadian dental schools. Our project sought to understand how dental instructors perceive the challenges and solutions to the integration of the EBCM approach in undergraduate clinical education. Using a qualitative descriptive design, we recruited a purposeful sample of clinical instructors supervising undergraduate dental students in caries-related dental care. Semi-structured, online interviews focused on the main characteristics of EBCM. Interviews were analyzed using the awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement (ADKAR) change management model to understand challenges with EBCM implementation in undergraduate education. The analysis process started with verbatim transcription; then, transcripts were coded deductively based on the interview guide and the ADKAR model domains, and inductively to generate emergent codes. Finally, thematic analysis was used to develop themes and subthemes. We interviewed 11 dental instructors with a wide range of clinical experience. Our results show that participants had sufficient awareness regarding the need for the EBCM approach and portrayed a strong desire to participate in bringing curricular changes. Knowledge and ability of participants depended on their training, experience, and involvement in continuing education courses. A lack of standardized caries management practices, less chairside time, and poor remuneration for instructors were major barriers in EBCM clinical implementation. Potential solutions suggested included providing continuing education courses, credits for students for non-surgical caries management, and remunerating instructors for implementation. In conclusion, most participants were aware of the need for a substantive change toward EBCM and demonstrated the desire to participate and improve its implementation. Our analysis showed that to facilitate full integration of the EBCM approach into the undergraduate dental clinics, organizational focus needs to be placed on the individual's knowledge and ability, with tailored efforts toward reinforcement.

Lisans Öğrencileri Tarafından Manuel Aletlere Karşı Döner Aletler Kullanılarak Gerçekleştirilen Kök Kanal Tedavisinin Teknik Kalitesi: Bir Retrospektif Çalışma

Background: The technical quality of root canal treatment (RCT) may impact on the outcome. The quality of education received during undergraduate school may be linked to the quality of treatment provided in general dental practice.
 Objective: To compare the technical quality of RCT where rotary or manual step-back canal preparatory technique was employed in an undergraduate dental clinic in Turkey. Additionally, the present study aimed to compare radiographically commonly seen complications in both instrumentation systems.
 Materials and Methods: Dental records of 270 patients who received RCT undertaken by dental students were investigated by retrospective chart review. 565 root canals belonging to 270 patients were randomized into two groups [(rotary, n=280, and manual hand instruments, n=285)]. Root canal obturation was evaluated on the basis of the length of obturation being >2mm from the radiographic apex, with uniform radiodensity and good adaptation to root canal walls. Inadequate root canal obturation included cases containing procedural errors such as perforation, ledge, transportation, instrument separation. Descriptive statistics were used to define categorical variables (n, %) and the level of significance was set at 0.05. 
 Results: The technical quality of RCT performed by undergraduate dental students was classified as 'adequate' in 75% and 53.7% of the cases, respectively for rotary and manual groups, respectively (p < 0.05). The highest procedural errors were seen in molars. Occurrence of procedural errors differed significantly between the groups, being 6.4% in rotary group and 12.3% in manual group (p = 0.017). However, occurrence of ledge formation was higher in manual group than that of rotary group (p = 0.007). 
 Conclusion: In view of our findings, RCT performed by undergraduate dental students using rotary instrumentation systems is of higher technical quality and also has fewer procedural errors than manual instrumentation.

Comparison of Clinical-related Characteristics of Endodontic Patients Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To compare patient-related and clinical-related characteristics of endodontic patients, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
 Methods: The study population comprised 506 patients (teeth: n=674) aged 13–81 years who attended undergraduate dental clinics in the Endodontics Department of the Faculty of Dentistry at Biruni University for endodontic treatment. Patient-related and clinical-related data were compared at two time intervals: before the first COVID-19 case was reported in Turkey and after the first COVID-19 case was reported in Turkey
 
 Results: There were no significant differences in terms of age and sex of the patients attending the clinics before versus during the pandemic. The incidence of reported pain before the pandemic was significantly lower than that reported during the pandemic (p=0.041). Periapical health before the pandemic was significantly better than that during the pandemic (p

Radiographic assessment of endodontic mishaps in an undergraduate student clinic: a 2-year retrospective study.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to compare the occurrence of instrumentation and obturation related endodontic procedural mishaps following the use of either, stainless steel hand or engine-driven rotary instrumentation techniques.MethodsFrom a computerized hospital database, a total of 730 dental patient records who had received endodontic treatment by undergraduate dental students between August 2018 to September 2020 were retrieved. The inclusion criteria were primary (non-surgical) endodontic treatment on permanent teeth with complete radiographic records. Following record screening, a final sample of n = 475 dental records were included. Radiographic records were evaluated for both instrumentation and obturation related mishaps. The data was analysed using multiple logistic regression analysis (α = 0.05).ResultsEngine-driven rotary instrumentation resulted in a significant decrease in the overall occurrence of instrumentation related endodontic mishaps by 40% compared to hand instrumentation (Odds Ratio = 0.59 [0.36–0.97], p = 0.04). In particular, rotary instrumentation decreased ledge formation, perforation and obturation related mishaps, with minimal effect on the limitation of zipping.ConclusionThe use of rotary instrumentation techniques may reduce the incidence of instrumentation and obturation endodontic mishaps in the undergraduate dental clinic.

Patient’s Satisfaction With Dental Treatment Provided By Undergraduate Students Of The College Of Dentistry

Backgrounds: The patient’s satisfaction is considered as a direct measure to assess the performance of clinicians and the clinics.The present study was, therefore, conducted to evaluate the level of patients’ satisfaction with treatment services provided by undergraduate students at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University. The main purpose of this investigation was to explore opportunities for further improvement in the BDS program as well as undergraduate dental care training at the College. Methods: Patients’ feedback was sought through cross-sectional research wherein a specialized questionnaire was circulated among all undergraduate clinics located at male and female campuses of the college. A total of 3200 survey forms were distributed among patients who were treated in the undergraduate clinics. The supervisors were requested to clarify any questions or ambiguity encountered by their patients in filling in the survey forms. The questionnaire consisted of 19 questions addressing all aspects of the patients’ care. Five-point Likert scale varying from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree' was used to evaluate the feedback. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 21 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) Results: The 2558 patients participated in the present investigations representing 80% of the total population. The highest level of patient's satisfaction was observed for preparedness, knowledge, and helpfulness of the young doctors by 88.97% of patients (n=2048). Only 9.6% (n=221) and 1.31% (n=33) patients attributed moderate and low levels of satisfaction to this question, respectively. Likewise, 86.78% (n=1963) patients were found highly pleased with the young doctors who explained all procedures before and during their treatment. The percentage of patients with a moderate and minimal level of satisfaction to this attribute was 11.67% (n=264) and 1.55% (n=35), respectively. The lowest satisfaction was observed concerning waiting time, followed by the comfort of the waiting room and knowledge of young dentists about the accurate estimation of expenses incurred in case some material was required wherein 61.44% (n=1388), 63.75% (n=1486) and 77.91% (n=1552) patients associated high satisfaction level, respectively. In fact, these questions proved as areas for further improvement. Conclusions: Results of the present investigations provided benchmark data to map and compare patients’ satisfaction with their treatment in undergraduate dental clinics. Most patients in the present investigations were found satisfied with the quality and standard of care provided to them in the undergraduate clinics. The survey results further reported that most patients had trust in the knowledge, capabilities, and skills of the undergraduate dental students. However, they showed dissatisfaction over waiting time, comfort in the waiting rooms and students’ knowledge about the accurate estimation of correct expenses concerning the dental materials required for treatment procedures.

Association of Vital Pulp Therapy Outcomes with Tooth Type, Arch Location, Treatment Type, and Number of Surfaces Destroyed in Deciduous Teeth: A Retrospective Study.

There is a paucity of information concerning vital pulp treatment outcomes in the undergraduate teaching setting. This study aimed to determine which type of deciduous molar, arch location, type of vital pulp therapy, and the number of carious surfaces involved had a better prognosis when carried out by undergraduate dental students. The method used was the review of clinical records of 590 patients with 600 deciduous molars, that visited the outpatient undergraduate dental clinics for vital pulp therapy. Statistical analysis used to determine the associations of tooth type, arch location, treatment type, and the number of carious surfaces involved in successful outcomes was logistic regression analysis with significance set at p < 0.05. According to the regression analysis model results, there was a significant association based on tooth type (p < 0.05) and arch location (p = 0.003). In addition, there was a significant association based on the type of treatment performed (p = 0.036). However, there was no significant association in success rates based on the number of carious surfaces involved (p = 0.873). In conclusion, second deciduous molars and maxillary deciduous molars had a better overall prognosis, and indirect pulp therapy was revealed to be more highly associated with successful treatment outcomes in comparison to ferric sulfate pulpotomy in our setting.

Partial pulpotomy without age restriction: a retrospective assessment of permanent teeth with carious pulp exposure

ObjectivesThis study aimed to retrospectively evaluate clinical and radiographic outcomes of partial pulpotomy performed in permanent teeth with carious pulp exposure.Materials and methodsRecords of patients undergoing treatment at an undergraduate dental clinic between 2010 and 2019 were screened for partial pulpotomies in teeth with a presumptive diagnosis of normal pulp or reversible pulpitis. The follow-up had to be ≥ 1 year. Patient data were retrieved and analyzed using Mantel-Cox chi square tests and Kaplan–Meier statistics. The level of significance was set at α = 0.05.ResultsPartial pulpotomy was performed in 111 cases, of which 64 (58%) fulfilled the eligibility criteria. At the time of partial pulpotomy, the mean age was 37.3 (± 13.5) years (age range 18–85). The mean observation period was 3.1 (± 2.0) years. Two early failures (3.1%) and five late failures (7.7%) were recorded. The overall success rate of maintaining pulp vitality was 89.1%, with 98.4% tooth survival. The cumulative pulp survival rates of partial pulpotomy in patients aged < 30 years, between 30 and 40 years, and > 40 years were 100%, 75.5%, and 90.5%, respectively, with no significant difference between the age groups (p = 0.225). At follow-up, narrowing of the pulp canal space and tooth discoloration were observed in 10.9% and 3.1% of cases, respectively.ConclusionsAcross age groups, partial pulpotomy achieved favorable short and medium-term outcomes in teeth with carious pulp exposure.Clinical relevanceAdequate case selection provided, partial pulpotomy is a viable operative approach to treat permanent teeth with deep carious lesions irrespective of patients’ age.

Survival of Single-Unit Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal (PFM) and Metal Crowns Placed by Students at an Australian University Dental Clinic over a Five-Year Period.

The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the survival rate of single-unit porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) and metal crowns placed by dental students at an Australian university undergraduate dental clinic over a five-year period. Complications and the incidences of crown failures were recorded. Clinical records pertaining to single-unit PFM and metal crowns inserted over a five-year period were reviewed, including patient-related, tooth-related, and procedural factors for each crown. Crowns were evaluated as surviving, surviving with complications, or failed. Kaplan–Meier statistical analysis was used to estimate survival rate., This study is based on a sample of 232 (78.4%) PFM crowns and 64 (21.6%) metal crowns inserted between 2014 and 2018. Cumulatively, 224 (75.7%) were surviving, 48 (16.2%) were surviving but previously had complications, and 24 (8.1%) failed. The 5-year cumulative survival rate of all PFM and metal crowns was 83.9% (0.839 ± 0.038, Kaplan–Meier). The average survival time for all crowns was 4.432 ± 0.089 years. Comparatively, PFM crowns had a higher survival rate at 1 year (0.972 ± 0.010) and 2 years (0.919 ± 0.017), compared to metal crowns at 1 year (0.964 ± 0.011) and 2 years (0.894± 0.018). The survival rate of metal crowns remained constant from 2 years to 4 years and thereafter, whereas there was a continued decline in the survival rate of PFM crowns to 83.2% (0.832 ± 0.038) at 4 years and thereafter. Crowns placed on premolars had the highest cumulative survival rate whereas those placed on molars exhibited the lowest survival rate for the duration of the study period. Despite single-unit PFM crowns having a higher 1- and 2-year survival rate compared to metal crowns, metal crowns had a higher survival rate at 4 years and thereafter. Survival rates are comparable to previous studies.

COVID-19 e atenção a pessoas com deficiência e grupos especiais na clínica-escola de Odontologia

O presente artigo tem como finalidade abordar orientações e sugestões para o atendimento odontológico de pacientes com necessidades especiais (pessoas com deficiência) e idosos nas clínicas de graduação, considerando as implicações da COVID-19. A partir da publicação de orientações nacionais e internacionais de biossegurança, cuidados em saúde bucal e condutas odontológicas, foram elaboradas diretrizes para esta abordagem clínica. Espera-se a disseminação do conhecimento, informações e adaptações necessárias no ensino para uma melhor assistência e contribuição educacional aos graduandos, além da realização das atividades práticas de maneira segura no ambiente universitário.

Radiographic Evaluation of Iatrogenic Errors of Root Canal Treatments Performed in an Undergraduate Dental Clinic

Introduction: Iatrogenic errors may occur during root canal treatments (RCTs) performed by undergraduate students. The current study explores the iatrogenic errors of RCTs made by undergraduate students at Gorgan School of Dentistry, Golestan, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using 236 randomly selected treatment records of RCTs performed on first molars by undergraduate dental students. Periapical radiographs were independently explored for the following errors: overfilling, underfilling, legde formation, and apical transportation. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0, and a Chi-square test at the 0.05 level of significance. Results: Periapical radiographs of 236 endodontically treated first molars were assessed. The results showed that 87.1% of root canals were adequately filled to the working length. Among the teeth treated by fifth- and sixth-year students, 62.5% and 66.4% of teeth were adequately filled to the working length, respectively, resulting in no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). In respect to the prevalence of ledge formation and apical transportation errors, there was no statistical difference either between the treatments performed by fifth- and sixth-year students (P>0.05) or the location of the treated tooth (mandible or maxilla) (P>0.05). Conclusion: Within the limitations of the present study, the results showed a rather low, but non-negligible prevalence of procedural errors in RCTs performed by fifth- and six-year undergraduate students at Gorgan School of Dentistry. Prevalence of errors made by fifth- and six-year students was similar.

Qualitative Analysis of Root Canal Treatments performed by Undergraduate Students: A Retrospective Study

Objective: Toanalyze the technical quality of endodontic treatment carried out at the undergraduate dental clinics. Material and Methods: Random radiographic records of 92 patients’ were selected who received endodontic treatment by the undergraduate students from June 2018 to July 2019. The quality of root canal filling was determined in relation to the adequate density, length, and taper. Statistical analysis was performed by using GraphPad (Prism 5), and to determine the association between different variables Chi-square test was used. Results: Adequate technical quality of canal obturation conducted by the undergraduate students was found in less than 65% of the cases. The frequency of adequate root canal taper was significantly greater in maxillary teeth (75%) as compared to mandibular teeth (33%); however, adequacy of acceptable density was found more in maxillary teeth (62%) as compared to mandibular teeth (55%).A statistically significant difference was seen in the quality of root canal fillings between anterior and posterior teeth (p=0.001). Conclusion: The root canal therapy performed by undergraduate students was less than optimum in terms of technical quality. Hence, it is suggested that the endodontic training courses delivered at pre-clinical and clinical levelsfor undergraduate students must be thoroughly revised.

Quality Assurance Audit of Digital Intraoral Periapical Radiographs at the Undergraduate Dental Clinics.

To assess the quality of digital intraoral periapical radiographs by investigating the percentage of radiographic images that satisfied the good quality standards. An audit. Undergraduate Dental Clinics, Qassim University College of Dentistry, Saudi Arabia, from April to September 2018. This standard-based audit was conducted at the clinics of undergraduate dental school. A total of 506 intraoral periapical radiographs taken by dental students were graded, according to the standards set by Health Protection Agency, by two evaluators after the necessary calibration to reduce the inter-evaluator differences.In addition to the grading of radiographs, the documentation of errors like coning off, foreshortening/elongation, contact overlap, poor contrast, and image blurring was done. The data analysis was carried out with Microsoft excel software by utilising simple descriptive statistics. Out of the 506 digital periapical radiographs, 231 (45.7%) radiographs were categorised as Grade 1, 190 (37.6%) radiographs were categorised as Grade 2, and 85 (16.7%) radiographs were categorised as Grade 3, requiring a repeat radiograph; and were diagnostically unacceptable. Considering the aforementioned results, the findings of the first cycle fell short of the required standards. According to the results of the quality assurance audit, the radiographs were below the standards set by the Health Protection Agency. Recommendations were made for improvement measures in the radiology department, and re-audit was planned after one year. Key Words: Quality assurance, ALARA, Radiation protection, Audit, Digital dental radiography.

Evaluation of Image Quality of Bitewing Radiographs taken by UiTM Dental Students

Objectives: To evaluate the quality of bitewing radiograph taken by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) dental students during daily clinical practices and to evaluate the difference in caries lesions found on bitewing radiographs and clinical examination. Materials and method: 120 patients who attended the undergraduate dental clinic for dental examination were included in this study. The inclusion criteria were patients within the age range of 17-45 years old, possessing at least three sets of posterior teeth, with bitewing radiographs taken by undergraduate dental students. The number of caries lesions detected by clinical examination, bitewing radiographs, and a combination of both methods were recorded. The quality of 240 bitewing radiographs was classified into three categories; excellent, acceptable, and unacceptable. The frequency of radiographic errors; foreshortening/elongation, horizontal overlapping, inadequate film coverage, non-ideal centering and inadequate contrast and density were also evaluated. Results: The quality of bitewing radiographs are mostly accepted to be used as a diagnostic tool and one of the factors which commonly affected the quality of the bitewing is the overlapping of adjacent teeth. The highest number of caries lesions were detected radiographically (74%) compared with 25% caries by clinical examination. The majority of radiographs (71%, n=171) were deemed to be of acceptable quality, 39(16%) were excellent, and 30(13%) were diagnostically unacceptable. “Horizontal overlap” was the most common error detected on the radiographs (n=139, 57.9%), followed by “non-ideal centering” (n=93, 38.8%), “inadequate contrast” (n=46, 19.2%) and “inadequate film coverage” (n=24,10%). The highest number of caries lesions were detected radiographically (74%) compared with 25% caries by clinical examination. Conclusion: The quality of the majority of bitewing radiographs taken by undergraduate dental students in this institution is acceptable. However, given that more than half of the radiographs possessed horizontal overlapping error, caries diagnosis may have been underestimated. Further training and periodic audits are required to reduce the percentage of errors in bitewing radiographs amongst undergraduate dental students.

A prospective clinical study of the efficacy of Hyflex CM rotary instruments in an endodontics undergraduate program

Background/Aim: To investigate the incidence of procedural errors with the use of a novel nickel-titanium rotary system (Hyflex CM, Coltene/ Whaledent, Altstätten Switzerland), evaluate the technical quality of root canal treatments and assess a questionnaire completed by the participants themselves in an undergraduate dental clinic between 2014 and 2017 (Department of Endodontology, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki). Material and Methods: 118 undergraduate students in their first year of clinical practice performed a root canal treatment on a patient's molar (maxillary/mandibular). None of the participants had previous experience in rotary instrumentation. The periapical radiographs were taken with the use of the paralleling technique for standardization and were collected and evaluated by the investigator. After the root canal treatment was performed the students completed a questionnaire in order to evaluate their training on rotary instrumentation. Results: The overall incidence of instrument separation, apical perforation, root perforation, straightening and ledges was 0.8%, 4.4%, 2.3%, 5.5% and 29% respectively on root canal level. Ledges were detected more often in mandibular mesiobuccal canals. The frequency of root canals with an 'acceptable' filling was 68.4%, while overfilled and underfilled canals were found to be 8.6% and 16.2% respectively. The response rate was high (94.9%), 35% of the participants encountered no difficulty in the use of rotary instrumentation and 98.2% would use it again. Conclusions: The incidence of procedural errors was considerably low and the technical quality of the filled root canals was superior to that of similar studies. The responses of the questionnaire demonstrated a positive attitude toward rotary instrumentation.

Anxiety in patients attending dental university clinics

Este estudo objetivou investigar a ansiedade em pacientes atendidos em clínicas odontológicas universitárias. O presente estudo transversal incluiu 49 pacientes recrutados nas clínicas odontológicas da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, campus Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brasil, de setembro de 2016 a agosto de 2017. Informações sobre sexo, idade, renda familiar, escolaridade, frequência de consultas odontológicas e procedimentos odontológicos causadores de desconforto foram coletadas por meio de questionário. O nível de ansiedade foi avaliado pela Dental Anxiety Scale. Observou-se um nível de ansiedade leve (mediana = 6), com mínimo de 4 (não ansioso) e máximo de 19 (extremamente ansioso). As mulheres apresentaram maior ansiedade que os homens (p = 0,047). Indivíduos com 9 a 11 anos de escolaridade apresentaram menor nível de ansiedade odontológica do que aqueles com 0 a 8 anos de estudo (p = 0,025). Os participantes que atribuíram maior desconforto às cirurgias e ao uso de alta rotação apresentaram maior ansiedade (p = 0,002). Conclui-se que a ansiedade leve está presente em pacientes submetidos a tratamento odontológico em clínicas universitárias, sendo as mulheres mais ansiosas do que os homens. Pacientes com maior grau de instrução foram menos ansiosos. O relato de maior desconforto com cirurgias e procedimentos alta rotação pode estar associado a uma maior ansiedade.

Assessing the association between unstimulated whole salivary flow rate (UWSFR) and oral health status among healthy adult subjects: A cross-sectional study.

BackgroundThis study aimed to test the association between the unstimulated whole salivary flow rate (UWSFR) and the oral health status represented by dental and gingival status among healthy adult subjects.Material and MethodsThis work was a cross-sectional study of patients attending the undergraduate dental clinics at AlFarabi College for Dentistry and Nursing, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study population consisted of 502 systemically healthy adults aged 18–35 years. UWSFR was collected for all study participants and expressed as ml/min. Oral health status was estimated using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI) and the Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S). The number of decayed teeth and the number of available teeth were also calculated to evaluate dental status.ResultsThe mean UWSFR was 0.42 (±0.3) ml/min, and the male participants significantly had more UWSFR than the females. UWSFR was significantly affected by CPI, OHI-S, body mass index (BMI) and gender as indicated in the univariate analysis. However, multiple regression analysis revealed that only gender was a significant predictor of UWSFR. The male subjects were shown to have a higher average of 0.133 ml/min than the females.ConclusionsHigh BMI scores, moderate-to-severe gingivitis and low level of oral hygiene increased UWSFR. However, further longitudinal studies are recommended to test the role of salivary cytokine levels to validate the exact association between the UWSFR and the oral health status. Key words:Cross-sectional study, Saliva, oral health, CPI, OHI-S.

Evaluation of complications of root canal treatment performed by undergraduate dental students

ABSTRACTThis study evaluated the technical quality of root canal treatment (RCT) and detected iatrogenic errors in an undergraduate dental clinic at the College of Dentistry, Taibah University, Saudi Arabia. Dental records of 280 patients who received RCT between 2013 and 2016 undertaken by dental students were investigated by retrospective chart review. Root canal obturation was evaluated on the basis of the length of obturation being ≤2 mm from the radiographic apex, with uniform radiodensity and good adaptation to root canal walls. Inadequate root canal obturation included cases containing procedural errors such as furcal perforation, ledge, canal transportation, strip perforation, root perforation, instrument separation, voids in the obturation, or underfilling or overfilling of the obturation. In 193 (68.9%) teeth, RCT was adequate and without procedural errors. However, in 87 (31.1%) teeth, RCT was inadequate and contained procedural errors. The frequency of procedural errors in the entire sample was 31.1% as follows: underfilling, 49.9%; overfilling, 24.1%; voids, 12.6%; broken instruments, 9.2%; apical perforation, 2.3%; and root canal transportation, 2.3%. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in the type or frequency of procedural errors between the fourth- and fifth-year students. Lower molars (43.1%) and upper incisors (19.2%) exhibited the highest and lowest frequencies of procedural errors, respectively. The technical quality of RCT performed by undergraduate dental students was classified as ‘adequate’ in 68.9% of the cases. There is a need for improvement in the training of students at the preclinical and clinical levels.

Success and Survival Rates of Dental Implants Restored at an Undergraduate Dental Clinic: A 13-Year Retrospective Study with a Mean Follow-up of 5.8 Years.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical, radiographic, and patient-based outcomes of dental implants placed at an undergraduate student dental clinic. A retrospective study was performed to determine the success and survival rates of dental implants placed at the undergraduate dental clinic at Dalhousie University between January 1999 and January 2012. Only patients with a minimum of 1-year follow-up were included. Clinical and radiographic assessments determined implant success and survival rates. Questionnaires recorded patients' satisfaction with esthetics, comfort, and ease of hygiene. Of the 352 patients (n = 591 implants) who received implants over 13 years, 165 patients completed the clinical and radiographic examinations. By the end of the study period, demographic information and implant characteristics were collected for 111 (n = 217 implants; 47.5% in the maxilla, 52.6% in the mandible) of these patients. Of those assessed clinically, 36.4% were males and 63.6% females, with a mean age of 56.1 ± 14.15 years (range, 17 to 86 years) at the time of implant placement. The mean follow-up period was 5.8 years (range, 1 to 13 years). The overall implant success and survival rates were 88.0% and 97.2%, respectively. No observable bone loss was evident in 88.0% of the surviving implants. There were no implant fractures. Most patients (91.2%) were very satisfied with the implant restoration appearance, 88.0% were very comfortable with the implant, 92.6% were very satisfied with their ability to chew, and 84.8% reported easy hygiene maintenance at the implant sites. Implant success and survival in an undergraduate student clinic were comparable to those reported in the literature. It seems that inexperienced students were able to provide restorations that were very satisfying to the patients.