ABSTRACT
Background: An increase in the number of medically compromised patients in dental clinics may cause serious problems for practicing dentists all over the world. When a dentist does not understand well the relationship between oral and systemic diseases, dental care may become a quite complicated issue. The present study was conducted to analyse the level of general dentists’ knowledge about systemic disease management in Shiraz, Iran. Materials and Methods: As a cross-sectional descriptive survey of private dental practitioners, the current study was conducted in Shiraz, Iran, from September through November 2010. In order to evaluate general dentists' knowledge, experience and perceptions of medical emergencies in dental offices, a cross-sectional questionnaire approach was applied. Results: Out of 120 general dentists, only 57 filled out the questionnaire. Among these, 15 dentists (25.86%) had good knowledge, 21 (36.20%) had moderate knowledge and 22 (37.93%) had a poor level of knowledge. The knowledge score differences of males and females were not statistically significant (p=0.439). No significant relationship was observed between the dentists' knowledge and their school of graduation (p=0.256). When treating patients with systemic diseases, 43% of the dentists mentioned that they consulted with their medical colleagues. A total of 68 last-year students also filled out the questionnaire. Among them, 65 students (95.58%) had good knowledge about systemic disease management and only three (4.42%) were at the moderate level. The knowledge scores of the students were significantly higher than that of practitioner dentists (p=0.005). Conclusion: The knowledge of some Iranian dentists regarding the management of medically compromised patients is not at an acceptable level, and continuing post-graduate education courses beyond dental school seems necessary. It is also recommended to think about broadening the scenario for practice during undergraduate courses.
ABSTRACT
Background: Odontogenesis begins from the sixth week of fetal life; meanwhile, the subsequent evolution is very complex and takes a long time. As a part of odontogenesis, amelogenesis can be altered by local and systemic factors. Systemic factors include the change of and reduction in tissue oxygenation, metabolic disorders, gamma ray, fever, infections, as well as vitamin A&D deficiency. There are few investigations demonstrating the effect of gestational diabetes on enamel defects. The current study aims to compare enamel hypoplasia and DMFT (Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth) index of children born to diabetic mothers with gestational diabetes with those of healthy mothers. Methods: In this retrospective study, 50 children born to diabetic mothers aged between 3 and 12 were selected as the study group and 50 age- matched children with healthy mothers as the control one. The presence of enamel hypoplasia, the involved surfaces and DMFT index were recorded. The data were collected and analyzed using SPSS software version 15, NPar, Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square tests. Results: The results obtained from the current study revealed that the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia and mean DMFT index in children of diabetic mothers was significantly higher than in the control group p=0.03. Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia and mean DMFT in children of gestational diabetic mothers were significantly higher than that of the controls.
ABSTRACT
Background: Streptococcus mutans is a Gram-positive bacteria which plays a major role in tooth decay. S. mutans is among the bacterial agents that initiate biofilm formation on the tooth surface and other bacteria will added then to the attached bacteria to make dental plaque. Some of these secondary bacteria are important agents in halitosis Objectives: To compare the presence of Streptococcus mutans in saliva of patients with halitosis and control group, using culture method. Materials and Methods: Saliva specimens of 100 patients referring to diagnosis ward of Shiraz medical school were collected. 51 patients (34 female and 17 male) complaining of halitosis were considered as study group and 49 patients (31 female and 18 male) without halitosis as control group. All specimens were cultured on MSB agar media and isolates were identified as S. mutans by traditional tests. The number of S. mutans was determined as cfu/ml in each patient saliva. An organoleptic evaluation was carried out during the initial consultation with the distance of operator to patient (1 m =grade 3) and (30 cm =grade 2 and 10 cm =grade 1). Results: Of 51 patients with halitosis in 11 (21.61%) patients saliva S. mutans were detected. In 49 patients of control group, 14 subjects (28.6%) showed growth of S. mutans. There was no Statistical difference between halitosis group and control group in the frequency of Streptococcus mutans detection (OR= 0.69, 95% C.I: 0.28-1.71, p=0.419). Statistical analysis also did not show any significant difference between the number of S. mutans colonies per ml of saliva between halitosis and control groups (p=0.287). Conclusion: Our findings showed that there was no association exists between halitosis and the Streptococcus mutans presence in saliva.