ABSTRACT
This systematic review evaluates current evidence regarding the feasibility of using needleless jet injection instead of a conventional local anesthetic needle. EBSCO, ProQuest, PubMed, and Scopus databases were used to identify relevant literature published in English from 2005 to 2020. Ten studies were selected. Five of them were randomized clinical trials, 3 case-control studies, and 2 equivalence trials. Using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist, 6 studies scored between 67% and 100%, and 4 studies scored between 34% and 66%. According to Jadad’s scale, 2 studies were considered strong, and 8 studies were considered moderate in quality. The results of the 10 studies showed differences in patient preference for needleless jet injection. Needleless injection technique has been found to be particularly useful in uncooperative patients with anxiety and needle phobia.Needleless jet injection is not technique sensitive. However, with needleless jet anesthesia, most treatments require additional anesthesia. Conventional needle anesthesia is less costly, has a longer duration of action, and has better pain control during dental extraction. Needleless jet anesthesia has been shown to be moderately accepted by patients with a fear of needles, has a faster onset of action, and is an efficient alternative to conventional infiltration anesthesia technique.
ABSTRACT
Amalgam waste from dental clinics is a significant source of mercury released into the environment when it is washed down a drain or disposed of improperly. Mercury is of particular concern because of its potential adverse effects on humans and the environment. As a consequence, several measures have been adopted by dental clinics worldwide to reduce mercury discharge into the environment. The aim of this study was to quantitatively asses the mercury burden in the wastewater discharged from some dental clinics in the United Arab Emirates using a cold-vapour atomic absorption spectrometry technique. Wastewater samples were collected from 28 public cfe at Sharjah and Abu Dhabi over a period of 10-14 days. The average concentration of mercury in all samples was 317.7 microg/l, with a standard deviation of 379.7 microg/l and a range from below the method detection limit [MDL] to 1535.2 microg/l. The results show some variation in mercury concentrations between samples, depending on the type and nature of dental operations undertaken at the specific clinic from which each sample originated. Most of the wastewater released from dental clinics in the study area contains concentrations of mercury which, although lower than levels ported elsewhere in the literature, are unacceptable according to local and international environmental standards. This implies that such wastewater should not be discharged without adequate pretreatment in order to reduce wry pollution in the environment