The association of empathy and the work-family conflict in doctors of dental medicine.

OBJECTIVES: Work-family conflict is a growing problem worldwide, because of changing work-family demographic trends and the spread of technology. Empathy, as the ability to understand and share the feelings of other people, is the essential component of emotional intelligence that plays a crucial role in healthcare settings. This study aimed to assess the level of emotional empathy and investigate its relationship with work-family role conflicts among dental medicine doctors.  Materials and methods: In this study participated 589 doctors of dental medicine from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The questionnaire included general and demographic data, the Emotional Empathy Scale questionnaire and the Work and Family Role Conflict Assessment Scale questionnaire.  Results: The research results indicate no significant association between empathy and conflict between work and family roles (R = 0.032, p = 0.435). Women have achieved significantly higher scores in Emotional Empathy Scale (p ≤ 0.001), while there was no difference in Work and Family Role Conflict Assessment Scale according to gender (p = 0.194). A difference in emotional empathy was observed depending on where the respondents were employed (p = 0.045) and depending on the specialisation of the dental medicine (p = 0.021).  Conclusion: Female doctors of dental medicine demonstrated higher emotional empathy while the work-family role conflict is experienced equally by both genders.

Influence of Dentifrices pH on Enamel Microhardness In Vitro.

Purpose was to evaluate the effect of toothpastes pH on enamel remineralization. Six fluoride toothpaste and one without fluoride were applied to the enamel slabs. Twenty eight enamel slabs were divided into seven groups and subjected to a daily cycling regimen with brushing treatments, demineralization and remineralization in artificial saliva. The surface microhardness (SMH) was calculated from the mean values obtained from six indentations (Vickers hardness number (VHN)) on the enamel surface at baseline and after 12 days. pH of the dentifrices was determined in a slurry with deionized water (1:3). Changes of the enamel surface microhardness at baseline and after remineralization stage were measured and analyzed using the Student t-test and one-way ANOVA. All groups treated with fluorides showed higher SMH values compared to control group. Toothpastes with lower pH (Pronamel, Sensodyne F, Sensodyne Rapid) were statistically superior to other fluoride dentifrices and control group after 12 days pH-cycling regimen (p < 0.001). Obtained results showed that slightly acidified fluoridated toothpastes may have a positive influence on enamel remineralization process.

Dental caries experience among primary school children in the Eastern Region of the Republic of Macedonia.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of dental caries experience among primary school children (sixth and seventh grades) in Eastern Region of the Republic of Macedonia. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, primary school children from sixth and seventh grades (N=396) were selected from 9 Central and 13 Regional Primary Schools. Participants dental status was evaluated using the 1997 World Health Organization caries diagnostic criteria for Decayed, Missing or Filled Teeth (DMFT) by 2 calibrated examiners. RESULTS: The total number of children in the sample was 396, comprising 201 (50.8%) females and 195 (49.2%) males. The mean DMFT was 3.467, with standard deviation (SD) of 2.904 and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 3.180-3.754. Significant caries (SiC) index was 6.765. The prevalence of caries-free children was 21.21%. The percentage of untreated caries or the ration of D/DMFT was 0.5324 (53.24%). CONCLUSIONS: Dental caries experience was seen to be high among primary school children (sixth and seventh grades) in Eastern Region of the Republic of Macedonia.

Dental age estimation using Demirjian and Willems methods: cross sectional study on children from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

To evaluate applicability of Demirjian and Willems methods for calculating dental age of children in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia we analyzed panoramic radiographs of 966 children (485 female and 481 male, aged 6-13 years) treated at the University and Community Dental Clinics in Skopje using four Demirjian methods and a Willems method for determining dental ages. Intra-rater and inter-rater agreement of mineralization stages were 0.86 and 0.82, respectively. All methods significantly overestimated dental age when compared to the chronological age (p<0.001). In males, the lowest overestimation was shown using Willems method (0.52±0.87 years), followed by Demirjian methods from 1976 using PM1, PM2, M1, M2 teeth (0.69±0.92 years) and using I2, PM1, PM2, M2 teeth (0.80±0.98 years). The greatest overestimation were shown using Demirjian methods using 7 teeth from 1976 (0.92±0.99 years) and method from 1973 (1.06±1.07 years). In females, the lowest overestimation was shown using Willems method (0.33±0.83 years) than the Demirjian method using PM1, PM2, M1, M2 teeth (1.00±1.01 years), following methods from 1976 using 7 teeth (1.03±1.01 years) and I2, PM1, PM2, M2 teeth (1.12±0.96 years). The greatest overestimation was for method from 1973 using 7 teeth (1.17±0.98 years). Willems method was the most accurate while Demirjian's methods for dental age calculation are not suitable on children from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.