Oral health survey of school children of gohawa village, lahore

This descriptive, cross sectional oral health survey was carried out to document the oral health status of underprivileged school children of a trust school iri Lahore

The sample consisted of all the school children [n = 389]. Each student was examined randomly by one of three calibrated examiners and the findings were recorded on a modified WHO oral health assessment form. In addition to DMFT index, oral hygiene status was recorded and the students who needed fillings, scaling or orthodontic treatment were referred for treatment

In the permanent dentition, mean DMFT was 0.13, 95% CI = 0.09-0.18 [9.6% of the students had carious teeth] while in the deciduous dentition, draft was 0.94, 95% CI = 0.76-1.11 [34.1% of the students had caries]. One hundred and ten students [28.3%] were referred for fillings. Oral hygiene status was poor in 6.2% and 7.2% were referred for scaling. There was only one filled tooth in the entire sample

The oral health status of these students from lower socioeconomic strata was good. Caries prevalence and treatment need was lower than most studies done the world over

Musculoskeletal disorders among dentists and dental students

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders [MSD] have been a longstanding problem among dental practitioners and are known to affect their daily life. The present study was aimed to determine the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders among dental students and dentists at the Institute of Dentistry CMH Lahore Medical College, and the relationship of MSD with their quality of life and dental work. A self-reporting questionnaire was responded by 108 dental students [from first, third and fourth year] and 42 dentists [house officers and faculty members]. The questionnaire included questions regarding demographics, past musculoskeletal pain [MSP], the site, frequency and intensity of MSP, effects of MSP on the respondents' daily activities and whether they perceived their work in dental clinics as the cause of their pain. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Respondents included 109 females and 41 males. The mean age of the respondents was 22 years [SD +/- 3.05]. Majority of the respondents worked 16-30 hours per week. Musculoskeletal pain was reported by 74% dentists and 51% dental students [p=0.011]. The most common complaint was lower back [43%] followed by neck [32%] and shoulder [28%]. Medical treatment was sought by 41% of the respondents and 13% took sick leave. Daily activities were affected in 27% of the respondents with MSD. Quality of life was significantly more affected in dentists, and 64% of respondents perceived work in the dental clinic as the cause of their MSD

Staff perception of the quality of education in a dental college

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of education in a dental college in Lahore, Pakistan. Eight performance indicators for teaching and learning were modified from the UK code of quality for higher education and used for a staff survey. Respondents were asked to either agree or disagree with each of the eight indicators. There were 42 responses; 23 faculty members and 19 house surgeons. Response rate was 59%. Majority of staff agreed with six of the eight indicators. Faculty and house surgeons had similar views for seven of the eight indicators. The perceived strengths of the institute were: shared strategic vision well resourced faculty equal opportunities for students to achieve learning outcomes. Room for improvement was perceived in providing information and feedback to students, and in providing appropriate learning environments. Lack of evidence based teaching practices and lack of resources to support learning were perceived as challenges for the future. Staff identified strengths, opportunities and weaknesses in the quality of teaching and learning. There was an overall positive perception of the quality of education in the college

Leadership styles of dental college principals in Lahore, Pakistan

Leadership has many dimensions. Bolman and Deal synthesized the diverse body of leadership theory into four cognitive perspectives, or frames, which they labeled structural, human resource, political and symbolic. Effective educational leaders use multiple frames according to need, and consistently use the political frame. This study was undertaken to determine leadership styles of dental college principals in Lahore, using Bolman and Deal's leadership frames model, and to relate the leadership style to effectiveness of leadership and management. A questionnaire was administered to 43 faculty members in two dental colleges. Scores for the four leadership frames were calculated and related to effectiveness of leadership and management. Faculty perceived dental college principals to be strongest in the structural frame, followed closely by the human resource and symbolic frames, suggesting a multi-frame leadership orientation. The political frame was perceived as the weakest, but with high variance in ratings. The principals were perceived to be significantly more effective in management compared to leadership. There were no significant relationships between leadership frames and effectiveness of leadership and management

Efficacy of peripheral glycerol injection in the management of trigeminal neuralgia

To evaluate the degree and duration of pain relief obtained with peripheral glycerol injection in patients with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Interventional, Clinical trial. Fifty [50] medically resistant and non-surgically treated patients were selected. In the study group twenty five [25] patients received 1 ml glycerol injections in the involved peripheral nerve, after administration of local anaesthesia. The control group of twenty five [25] patients received 1 ml normal saline injections. All the patients [25] in the control group [normal saline] had no pain relief. Out of the 25 patients who received glycerol injections 24 [96%] patients had pain relief for 3 months. At six months nineteen [76%] patients had pain relief. At one-year follow up eleven patients [44%] continued to have pain relief. Another eleven [44%] patients were pain free with minimal dose of medication. There were no significant complications reported after the glycerol injections. The combination of efficacy and decreased morbidity makes peripheral glycerol injections a useful treatment modality for medically intractable Trigeminal Neuralgia patients

Patterns of tooth loss in mandible arch - a study conducted at lahore medical and dental college, Lahore

The objective of this study was to report on the prevalence of the patterns and extent of tooth loss in the mandible arch, of patients belonging to a lower socioeconomic group of a rural area of Pakistan. A cross-sectional study using a pro forma for collecting information from the selected population. The study conducted at Prosthodontic Department of Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore over a period extended from March 2002 to March 2003. Data collected from five hundred patients reporting for treatment at Prosthodontic Department and fulfilling the selection criteria. The gender distrib ution of the study population was male 48.6% and female 51.4%. The largest population group was above 60 years [26%] and the smallest group of those less than 20 years [2%]. Partial tooth loss in the lower arch was seen in 3 7.6% and complete edentulism seen in 3%. This study shows the rural area of Pakistan has a poor oral health status, according to WHO standards

Edentulous patients among lower socio-economic group of rural lahore area - a cross sectional study

The objective of this study was to report on the incidence of edentulous patients among the lower soc ioeconomic group of a rural area of Lahore. A cross-sectional study was done using a proforma for collecting information from the selected population. The study was conducted at Prosthodontic Department of Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore, over a period from March 2002 to March 2003. Data was collected from five hundred patients who reported for treatment and fulfilled the selection criteria. The gender distribution of the study population was male 48.6% and female 51.4%. The largest population group was above 60 years [26%] and the smallest group of those less than 20 years [2%]. Complete edentulousness was seen in 49.2%. This study shows that the rural area of Lahore has a poor oral health status when compared with WHO standards