Evaluation of Knowledge on Emergency Management of Avulsed Teeth Among Turkish Medical and Dental Students

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of medical and dental students regarding the emergency management of avulsed teeth. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional survey study was performed on 1841 students. Medical (n=746) and dental (n=845) students from different universities were included in this study. A questionnaire about the emergency management of avulsed teeth was conducted on the students. Also, 250 medical students from 3rd grade were included in the study and trained. The questionnaire was applied twice, before and after the training on the subject. Results: The mean correct answer scores were similar among the medical students in different grades (p>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the trained medical students and clinical dental students' correct answer scores, but there was a significant difference between the pre-clinical (1st-2nd-3rd years) and clinical (4th-5th years) dental students (p<0.01). Conclusion: Medical and preclinical dental students had lack of knowledge about the emergency management of avulsed teeth, while clinical dental and trained medical students were very knowledgeable. This result indicates the importance of education (AU).

Evaluation of Residual Monomer Release After Polymerization of Colored Compomer Materials

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the amount of residual monomers released after polymerization by the compomers in different colors and viscosities over time. Material and Methods: The compomer samples of different colors and viscosities (flowable compomers; blue-pink and packable compomers; A2-blue-pink-gold) were prepared in molds with an inner diameter of 5 mm and a height of 2 mm. In polymerization of samples, a LED unit was used. The amount of monomers released from the samples kept in 75% ethanol/water solution was measured by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument in the 10th minute, in the 1st hour, and in the 1st, 7th, and 14th days. For statistical analyses, the paired sample t-test, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test were used. Results: The amount of residual monomers released from all materials increased over time. At the end of the 14th day, the most released monomer from all compomer samples was BisGMA. The total amounts of released monomers from the packable compomers were Gold>A2>blue>pink. The amount of residual monomers released from flowable compomers was higher in blue than in pink. Conclusion: The color and the viscosity are the factors affecting the residual monomer release in compomers.

Impact of Dental Rehabilitation Under General Anesthesia on Oral Health-Related Quality-of-Life and Dental Anxiety in Turkish Children

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze children's and parents' oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and children's dental fears before and after the dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia (DRGA). Material and Methods: 104 parents and their 3 to 13-year-old children (5.90 ± 2.42) who received DRGA were surveyed before and after DRGA. The children were divided into two groups: Group 1 - healthy children (n=43) and Group 2 - children with medical problems (n=61). After recording their socio-demographic information, parents completed a self-administered questionnaire named Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), which includes two main parts - Child Impact Section (CIS) and Family Impact Section (FIS). On the other hand, the children received a dentist-administered questionnaire named Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) and Frankle Behavior Scale (FBS). For statistical analyses, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank, Mann Whitney-U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman's Correlation tests were used. Results: A statistically significant decrease in all CIS, FIS, ECOHIS and CFSS-DS scores was observed after DRGA (p<0.01). This decline was greater in healthy children than in children with systemic problems (p<0.01). Conclusion: Children's and parents' OHRQoL showed better results after DRGA. The decreases in dental anxiety in children were observed after DRGA.

Children's Primary Dental Treatment Needs According to Their Parents

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the children's primary dental treatment needs reported by the parents and pediatric dentists. Material and Methods: 125 children (36 girls and 89 boys) and their parents participated in this study. The children's decayed-missing-filled teeth/teeth surfaces scores were recorded. A questionnaire about their children's primary dental treatment needs was conducted with the parents. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test the normality of the data. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the clinical findings according to the categorical variables. The Chi-Square test was used to compare the categorical data. Also, multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of some variables on children's dmft/DMFT scores. The significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Results: The average age of the children who participated in the study was 7.59 ± 2.36 years. The main reason for applying to the paedodontics clinic was dental caries (38.4%), followed by dental pain (33.6%). As for the primary dental treatment needs, 28% of the parents said they needed dental filling, while 19.2% said they needed orthodontic treatment. According to the pediatric dentists, while the treatment rate of dental caries was 47.2% as the primary treatment need, it was only 4.8% for the orthodontic treatments. Conclusion: Turkish children who were admitted to paedodontics clinics were too old and dental caries and dental pain were the most common reasons for these visits to the clinics. The children's needs for primary treatment varied according to parents and pediatric dentists. There is a need for more comprehensive studies about the subject.

Investigation of Turkish dentists clinical attitudes and behaviors towards the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey study

Abstract Currently, the whole world is under the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, and dentists are at high risk. The aim of this study was to investigate what kind of precautions Turkish dentists take in dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study population consisted of dentists in Turkey. An online questionnaire (23 questions-57 items) was sent to a sample of Turkish dentists from March 16 to March 20, 2020. The questionnaire comprised a series of questions about dentists' demographic characteristics, their concerns, and the measures taken in dental clinics against COVID-19. This study included a total of 1,958 Turkish dentists. A total of 1,274 (65.1%) were general dentists, and 684 (34.9%) were specialists. Five hundred twenty-two (26.7%) dentists attended an informational meeting on COVID-19. Of these dentists, 69.8% were aware of COVID-19 according to their self-assessed knowledge scores. More than 90% of the dentists were concerned about themselves and their families. Only 12% of the dentists wore an N95 mask. Although Turkish dentists took some precautionary measures, they did not take enough precautions to protect themselves, the dental staff, and other patients from COVID-19. As the number of COVID-19 cases increased, the measures taken slightly increased in dental clinics as well. Dentists are strongly recommended to take maximum precautions in the clinical setting. The guidelines about the COVID-19 pandemic should be sent to all dentists by the regional and national dental associations.