Parental attitude toward behavioral management techniques in dental practice with school children in Kuwait

The objective of this study was to evaluate the parental attitude toward different management techniques used during dental treatment of schoolchildren in Kuwait. One hundred and eighteen parents who accompanied their children to the clinics of Hawally School Oral Health Program in Kuwait participated in this study. The parents viewed a videotape which showed scenes of different behavioral management techniques [BMTs] and then completed a questionnaire. Positive reinforcement, effective communication, tell-show-do, distraction, modeling and nonverbal communication were considered was the most approved techniques. Hypnosis and parental separation were moderately approved techniques. Voice control, nitrous oxide sedation, protective stabilization [physical restraint], general anesthesia, hand-over-mouth technique and conscious sedation were the least approved techniques. A majority [99%] of parents regarded the use of various BMTs as a key factor for successful dental care for their children. Acceptance of each BMT was not related to parental age, gender, nationality, educational level or occupation. Most parents preferred the nonpharmacological techniques to pharmacological techniques. Techniques employing drugs and restraint were considered as least acceptable. Further studies comparing the effectiveness of various BMTs are required

Oral hygiene status of Kuwaiti schoolchildren

A national epidemiological survey of children aged 5-14 years was conducted in all 5 governorates of Kuwait in 2001 to determine the oral hygiene status of Kuwaiti schoolchildren. Clinical examinations were carried out by calibrated dentists according to World Health Organization criteria. The debris index simplified [DI-S] score was used to assess oral hygiene status. Of the 3294 children, 3.9% were judged to have good oral hygiene [DI-S score: 0.3-0.6] 67% fair [score 0.7-1.8] and 29.1% poor [score 1.9-3.0]. The overall level of oral hygiene in the schoolchildren surveyed was fair [mean score 1.5]. DI-S scores were significantly higher for boys than girls [mean score 1.6 versus 1.5] but DI-S did not vary much by age. There were variations in DI-S scores across different governorates. Oral hygiene measures need to be reinforced for the schoolchildren in Kuwait and should form part of the school curriculum

Maxillary canine-to-first premolar bilateral transposition in a female with down syndrome [Case Report]

Objective and Importance: To report a case of the bilateral transposition of the maxillary canines with the premolars in a 17-year-old female with Down syndrome. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 17-year-old female presented with moderate mental retardation; she was short and of small stature, and she had a round cherubic face and a broad forehead. Clinical intraoral examination revealed bilateral malpositions of the maxillary canines and premolars as transposition. She had an open mouth, macroglossia and a protruding tongue. The case required the combined orthodontic and prosthetic treatment to achieve an acceptable morphologic and esthetic occlusion. However, the parents refused to accept the proposed treatment. Extractions of the roots and caries treatment were done as these were considered priority for the patient. This rare and severe positional anomaly represents an orthodontic challenge and its correction involves treatment risk and requires a great deal of control and carefully applied mechanics

Dental health knowledge, attitudes and behaviour among students at the Kuwait University Health Sciences Centre

The aim of the study was to determine the extent of dental health knowledge among students at the Kuwait University Health Sciences Centre [HSC], as well as their attitudes toward dental health and their oral hygiene habits. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 450 of the 800 students enrolled in 3 faculties of the HSC from March to April 2000. The questionnaire was completed anonymously by the students. Four hundred and ten students [91.1%] completed the questionnaire. Of these, 64.6% believed that the main cause of tooth decay was 'not brushing properly'. Only 19.3% of the students believed that sugar could cause dental decay. Half of the students did not know if sugar-free drinks are harmful to their teeth, and 29.5% did not know about any measures to prevent gums from bleeding. Self-assessment questions showed that 84.5% of the students were satisfied with their dental health. A large majority of the students [94.8%] brushed their teeth at least once a day. Female students brushed their teeth more frequently than male students, as did those students who had visited a dentist in the past 6-12 months and those who rated their dental health to be very good. The main reason given for a dental visit was toothache [70.0%]. Coffee was consumed daily by 68.9% of students, 76.6% of whom added sugar to their coffee. Conclusions: The findings indicate that although most of the students at the HSC seem to be satisfied with their dental health, they did not have correct knowledge about the causes and prevention of dental diseases. In general, female students were more aware and concerned about dental health issues and more engaged in dental behaviour than male students

Intra-uterine insemination with superovulation in the treatment of male infertility

The value of intra-uterine insemination [IUI] coupled with Superovulation was studied in two groups of couples infertile because of male subfertility. IUI was carried out on 38 women during 78 treatment cycles after stimulation of ovulation with Clomid and human menopausal gonadotrophin [HMG] and on 29 women during 79 treatment cycles without stimulation. The pregnancy rate per patient [28.9%] and per treatment cycle [14.1%] was significantly higher in the stimulated group [p = 0.05 and p = 0.01, respectively]. This could be attributed to a significantly higher number of follicles recruited [p < 0.001], since there was homogeneity between the two groups for other confounding factors. It is concluded that Superovulation improves the pregnancy rate in couples with male subfertility treated with IUI