Face-to-face and e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Pakistani dental undergraduates perspective.

BACKGROUND: Globally, educational institutes have been obliged to make a quick transition from traditional face-to-face teaching to e-learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has purportedly created various barriers to achieving desired learning outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to assess the perceptions of undergraduate dental students regarding online and physical learning in Pakistan. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2022. The study comprised dental students from 1st to 4th years who were above the age of 18 and of either gender. The Google Forms questionnaire was created to evaluate the quality and efficiency of online and physical learning among dentistry undergraduates. RESULTS: In a survey of 246 students, 70.3% strongly agreed that they would prefer face-to-face instruction over e-learning. There was a statistically significant difference in the improvement of students' technical skills (p = 0.01), accessibility to instructors (p = 0.01) and classmates (p = 0.02), value of technology (p = 0.03), improvement of oral communication skills (p = 0.01), promotion of hybrid model learning after the pandemic (p = 0.01), and utilization of tutorial services (p = 0.04) between different year of study. CONCLUSION: Pakistani dental students indicated satisfaction with numerous aspects of e-learning, such as technical skills, accessibility to instructors and classmates, the value of technology, improvement of oral communication skills, promotion of hybrid model learning, and utilization of tutorial services compared to face-to-face education concerning the year of study.

Dental Caries and Oral Health Status of Psychoactive Substance Abusers.

Substance-abuse disorders are universally associated with comorbid illness. Tobacco is a widely abused substance across the globe and presents a critical public health problem. The precise correlation between tobacco use and dental caries remains unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the correlation between tobacco use and dental caries. METHODOLOGY: Based on selection criteria, a total of 270 (age 20-50 years) participants were included in the study, and were categorized as group A (n = 135), consisting of tobacco users, and group B (n = 135), comprising healthy controls (non-users). The Decayed, Missing, and Filled index (DMFT) was used to measure caries status. The Simplified Oral Hygiene index was used to evaluate oral health. RESULTS: The tobacco group reported the use of cigarettes; smokeless tobacco in indigenous forms, such as gutka (areca nut, tobacco, and slaked lime), betel nut chewing; and a combination. Individuals with tobacco habits had a higher prevalence of dental caries (Mean DMFT 4.73 ± 4.32) compared to the non-habit group (Mean DMFT 3.17 ± 3.11 (p = 0.001). The Oral Hygiene index was significantly higher (indicating bad/poor oral hygiene) in tobacco abusers than those of non-users (p = 0.0001). Duration and frequency of tobacco use were correlated with the levels of moderate and severe caries (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Psychoactive substance abuse, such as smoking/smokeless tobacco consumption, is associated with higher prevalence of dental caries.

Reliable Sea Water Ro Operation with High Water Recovery and No-Chlorine/No-Sbs Dosing in Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia.

For providing advanced desalination the combination of the improvement of water recovery ratio in the reverse osmosis (RO) process and the No-Chlorine/No-Sodium Bisulfite (SBS) Dosing process was studied. In order to prevent membrane fouling even in high recovery water operations, an advanced two-stage design was implemented to (1) control the permeate flux through the RO membrane module, (2) optimize the system to reduce contaminant build-up and (3) eliminate the use of chlorine and SBS, which can accelerate membrane fouling. The system was evaluated by monitoring the biofouling and the microorganisms proliferation on the membrane surface based on membrane biofilm formation rate (mBFR). The pilot plant was operated in the condition of a water recovery rate of 55%. As a result, the system was operated for longer than four months without membrane cleaning (clean in place; CIP) and the possibility of operation for seven months without CIP was confirmed by the extrapolation of the pressure values. In addition, the mBFR is a reliable tool for water quality assessment, based on a comparison between the fouling tendency estimated from the mBFR and the actual membrane surface condition from autopsy study and the effectiveness No-Chlorine/No-SBS Dosing process was verified from mBFR of pretreated seawater.

Evaluating suitability of source water for a proposed SWRO plant location.

SWRO membranes are characterized by their ability to reject particles of larger than 0.001 µm diameter and approximately 200 molecular weight. This indicates the selectiveness of the SWRO membranes and the relative ease by which they can be clogged or fouled. For this reason, membrane filtration needs the cleanest possible feed water. Without extensive feed water purification, the reverse osmosis (RO) technology of simple filtration under pressure could be fraught with problems. The quality of source water determines the pretreatment regimen and consequently success or failure of a SWRO plant. The present study evaluated the suitability of source water for a proposed SWRO plant on the Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia. Various physico-chemical and biological parameters were assessed: temperature, pH, salinity, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), silt density index (SDI), turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), total hardness, total alkalinity, total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved carbohydrates and proteins, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chlorophyll-a, bacterial count, major ions, and trace metals. With the exception of total suspended solids, chemical and physicochemical variables measured in this study had concentrations typical of the Arabian Gulf water and seawater in general. Average TSS values were slightly higher than those reported for Gulf coastal waters, and more importantly they were highly variable. This variability may result in episodes of filtration problems for the SWRO plant. The plant should seek deeper sea water a distance from shore as the location of its intake. The study allowed recommendations for treatment options to assure more successful operation of the plant.

Impact of pharmacovigilance on adverse drug reactions reporting in hospitalized internal medicine patients at Saudi Arabian teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence, diversity of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and impact of pharmacovigilance on reporting it. METHODS: This prospective and retrospective study was carried out in the Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January to December 2011 in 600 patients of ADR. Data regarding age and gender distribution of the patients, incidence rate, drugs, body systems/organs involved in ADR, time of occurrence of adverse drug reactions, total number of drugs administered, and impact of pharmacovigilance on finding the incidence rate of ADR were recorded. Comparison of the 2 data was carried out to determine the impact of pharmacovigilance. RESULTS: Incidence rate of ADRs in retrospective study was 3.1% and 5.5% in the prospective study. The highest incidence of ADR (retrospective 15% and prospective 14.5%) was observed in both groups in patients receiving more than 10 drugs. The frequency of ADR in relation to age in both groups was highest in patients of age >60 years; it was 52.7% in retrospective study and 54.5% in prospective study. Antibiotics were the more frequently involved in ADR, (48.5% in prospective study and 36.9% in retrospective study). The system most commonly involved in ADR was gastrointestinal tract 47.4% in retrospective study and 57.6% in prospective study. None of the ADR proved to be fatal. CONCLUSION: Low incidence of hospitalized ADR in our study (5.5%) is due to lack of awareness in healthcare professionals in reporting ADR. Undoubtedly, pharmacovigilance brought more patients with ADR to record.