ABSTRACT
Background: The risk of GERD is significantly associated with smoking which could increase the reflux symptoms
Objectives: Assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice [KAP] toward GERD among smokers at Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA]
Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study based on a questionnaire sheet that was conducted at Saudi Arabia, from March to July 2018.The study included 390 medical students randomly chosen from different faculties of medicine around KSA
Results: Most of the subjects have adequate knowledge and good attitude about the GERD disease, its causes, symptoms, the association of drinking and smoking with initiation of the disease and the effect of life style modifications on the management of GERD. The level of practice was inadequate among most of the participants as the majority of them won't stop smoking, change their lifestyle and eating habits even they had GERD
Conclusion: The Knowledge level was significantly adequate which resulted in positive attitudes among most of the subjects. However, the level of practice was insufficient which may result in impairing the quality of life and increasing the prevalence of the disease
ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to evaluate the caries prevalence, severity and pattern in female schoolchildren in Dhahran and Al-Khobar [Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia]. The study included 472 female schoolchildren from public schools and 667 female schoolchildren from private schools in Dhahran and Al-Khobar. All the participating students were clinically examined for dental caries, filled and missing teeth. The total number of female students examined in the study was 895; 472 from public schools and 423 from private schools. The overall caries prevalence was 80.73 % with a mean DMFT score of 4.4+/- 3.9. For public schools, the caries prevalence was 93.05% with a mean DMFT score of 7.87+/- 3.77, while for private schools, the prevalence of dental caries was 68.39% with a mean DMFT score of 2.31+/- 2.62. The results showed that prevalence of dental caries was 87.5%, 92.6% and 99.4% respectively in grade I, VII and X female schoolchildren from public schools. The mean caries scores were 5.94 +/- 4.14, 4.39 +/- 2.83 and 9.13+/- 4.34 respectively in grade I, VII and X public female schoolchildren. In private schools, the prevalence of dental caries was 62.3% for grade I, 70.27% for grade VII and 72.62% for grade X schoolchildren. The mean caries scores were 2.26+/-2.78, 2.12+/-2.39, and 2.54+/-2.69 respectively. The prevalence and severity of dental caries was found to be higher in public schools as compared to the private schools. It can be concluded that caries prevalence and se-verity were very high among female schoolchildren in Dhahran and Al-Khobar regions. The overall caries experience was higher in schoolchildren from public schools as compared to the private schools