Intervention of White Spot Lesions. A Contemporary Review of 20 years

@#White spot lesion is incipient caries and it manifests as white opacity lesion on the demineralised enamel surface. White spot lesions are a common adverse effect among post orthodontic patients. The prevalence of white spot lesions in post orthodontic patients varies from 2% to 97%. Therefore, it is imperative for dental practitioners to be able to manage white spot lesions. Thus, this article is a contemporary review on the management of white spot lesions. After reviewing this article, it comes to a consensus that non- invasive treatments should be the first line management of white spot lesions. Non-invasive treatments such as patient education, motivation, oral hygiene reinforcement, and attempts to remineralise with various forms of fluoride preparation should be prioritised in the treatment plan. If the white spot lesions fail to respond more invasive treatment options might be considered.

Prevalence of erosive wear lesions in Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease patients - A case series

@#Extra esophageal manifestation of Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) include erosive wear dental lesions. Early erosive wear lesions in this group of patients can be easily missed as they are accompanied by few clinical signs and hardly any symptoms. This case series aims to report the prevalence and severity of erosive wear lesions amongst a sample of GERD patients in Malaysia. Eleven subjects with well characterized GERD, diagnosed based on modified Reflux Disease Questionnaire (RDQ) or via endoscopy, were included in this case series. A standardized intra oral clinical examination was performed to assess presence and severity of erosive wear lesions on tooth surfaces using Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index. Majority of BEWE score 1 lesions were distributed in maxillary anterior teeth, followed by maxillary posterior and mandibular teeth. BEWE score 2 lesions were most prevalent in maxillary anterior teeth and there were no BEWE score 3 lesions observed. Based on the clinical findings, more erosive wear lesions were found on the buccal surfaces of maxillary and mandibular teeth in GERD patients. This case series further confirms the link between GERD and erosive wear lesions. The authors would like to highlight the need for both medical and dental practitioners to be aware of early clinical presentations of GERD and erosive wear lesions. Early diagnoses allow for intervention and conservative management of these conditions.

The Trends of Endodontic and Prosthodontic Treatment by Postgraduate Students in University of Malaya

@#This study is aimed to provide an insight into the types of treatment carried out by postgraduate students in the past 10 years. A retrospective study was carried out between November 2019 and February 2020 by deriving data from postgraduate students’ clinical logbooks of three different cohorts of Master of Clinical Dentistry (Restorative Dentistry in Conservative Dentistry) in 2010, 2013 and 2016. This retrospective data was systematically extracted from the records and tabulated categorically using an Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Office Excel 2019). A descriptive analysis was carried out to further evaluate the results. Overall, the types of treatment carried out in the field of endodontics and fixed prosthodontics has changed in the past 10 years. An increasing trend is seen in the placement of all ceramic crowns and primary root canal treatment procedures, while a decreasing pattern is evident for secondary root canal procedures and placement of dental bridges.

An audit of infection control practices amongst dental students in University of Malaya, Malaysia

A study was done to assess and compare the levels of infection control practices amongst Year 3, 4 and 5 undergraduate dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia. This study also compared the levels of infection control practices between the operators and the assistants performing a similar task. A checklist was designed based on the Infection Control Guidelines published by the Faculty of Dentistry. The audit checklist criteria were specific to the operators and assistants or common to both. 10 pairs of students (operators and assistants) were randomly selected from Polyclinics A, B and C, representing Year 3, 4 and 5 students respectively (n=60). The subjects were audited as soon as they entered the clinic, during treatment and up until they exited the polyclinic. The data collected were analysed using SPSS and Rasch model. Year 3 students performed better infection control practices (1.43 logit) followed by Year 5 (0.96 logit) and Year 4 (0.94 logit) students. The operators in Year 5 and the assistants in Year 3 and 4 were more compliant to infection control practices. 100% of students complied with removal of gown before leaving the clinic. However, only 1.7% of dental students wore protective goggles or face shield during treatment and disinfected prostheses before and after inserting into patient’s mouth. Introduction and reinforcement of infection control practices should be incorporated at the beginning of each academic year for all students to allow for better practice and delivery of treatment to patients.