Knowledge and attitude of house officers regarding rubber dam use

Rubber dam is considered as a standard of care for tooth isolation during dental procedures since long. Rubber dam offers utmost protection to both, the dentist and the patient. The aim of the study was to determine the knowledge and attitude of house officers in regard to placement and usage of rubber dam, identifying the problems encountered in its use. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted from August to September 2017 in seven dental hospitals in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Using the convenience sampling technique the questionnaire was distributed among the house officers of all the hospitals. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0.The overall response rate from all the seven hospitals was 71%. A total of 220 house officers participated in the study.90% of house officers believed that rubber dam improves vision during restorative or endodontic procedure, 83.2% thought that it improves access to the tooth, 96.8% knew that it improves isolation and 86.4% believed that the procedures performed under rubber dam are more successful in terms of their longevity and clinical standards.51.4% of the house officers used rubber dam in restorative and endodontic procedures sometimes while 45% did not use rubber dam and only 3.6% always used rubber dam in the endodontic and restorative procedures. The major causes of not using rubber dam in clinical practice by the house officers were extra time required for the rubber dam placement, difficult placement procedure and lack of adequate training. This study shows that greater emphasis should be placed on advantages of using rubber dam in clinical dentistry and continuing education for updating knowledge about rubber dam is required

Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition of patients seeking orthodontic treatment in Bara Kahu

The aim of the study was to determine the frequency and distribution of carious lesions in patients seeking orthodontic treatment. A total of 100 patients including both males and females were recruited consecutively during a one year period. Patients' pretreatment orthodontic records including charts, radiographs and photographs were examined carefully for the presence of carious lesions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Prevalence of caries was high in the maxilla as compared to mandible. Most frequently involved teeth in both the arches were first molars followed by second molars. An assessment of caries risk of the patients is mandatory before initiating orthodontic treatment in order to gain favorable outcomes of the treatment

Distribution of dental caries and its relationship to risk factors

The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of caries in the oral cavity and its relationship to risk factors. A total of 115 patients including both males and females were randomly selected for the study. Information about risk factors was collected by face to face interviews. Oral examination was performed to evaluate distribution of caries. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Mean DMFT index of the studied population was calculated to be 5.04. The value was higher in females than males. Prevalence of caries was high in the mandible as compared to maxilla. Most frequently involved teeth were first and second molars and occlusal surface was the commonly affected surface. There was a significant relationship between caries and risk factors. Distribution of dental caries in the oral cavity follows a specific pattern. Risk factors influence the caries susceptibility of the individuals

bilateral occurrence of dental caries in mandibular first molar of 15-20 year old adolescents

To determine the bilateral occurrence of dental caries in mandibular first molars of 15-20 year old adolescents. This cross sectional comparative study was conducted at Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry, Rawalpindi between October 2005- March 2006. Five hundred patients including 250 boys and 250 girls were examined for dental caries using visual and tactile inspection in conjunction with bitewing radiographs. A right-tail Z-test was used to test the bilaterality levels. The bilateral occurrence of dental caries in mandibular first molar was calculated to be 66%. There was no significant difference in the bilaterality of dental caries in boys and girls. The distribution of caries was similar on the right and left sides of the oral cavity. Bilateral occurrence of dental caries was high in mandibular first molars