ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate radiation exposure in dental open clinics in King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) using thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs) to check if it exceeds the annual assigned exposure limit and to assess students' practices regarding radiation protection measures and their knowledge regarding the application of digital remote-control settings and TLDs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This pilot institutional-based observational study was conducted among the clinical year students and interns at KSAU-HS College of Dentistry open clinical areas using TLDs and questionnaires. Sixteen lithium fluoride TLDs (TLD-100) were distributed evenly in the clinical areas occupied by clinical year dental students and interns for 24 working days from September 15 to October 20, 2019. Each TLD was labeled with a serial number and fixed at the assigned clinic of each specialty. The TLDs were placed in a zigzag manner at the right corner of the selected clinic to prevent overlapping of the area coverage by each dosimeter. RESULTS: The mean monthly TLD readings were found to be 69.265 uSv with a higher mean value in the female clinical area (74.2975 uSv) than the male clinical area (64.234 uSv). Taking into account the 8 months of clinical exposure during the academic year, the expected annual radiation exposure would be 0.554 mSv which is significantly lower than the annual limit of radiation exposure recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, i.e., 1 mSv. CONCLUSION: TLD readings concluded that radiation exposure was within safe limits with an estimation of 0.544 mSv per year. However, students require further education regarding protective and safety measures and the utilization of radiation equipment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The lack of studies regarding the amount of radiation exposure from dental imaging and the safety of intraoral radiographic machines present in open clinics in any educational institute necessitates conducting this kind of study.
ABSTRACT
AIMS: The aim of this research is to assess the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and evaluate the risks and symptoms in children seeking orthodontic treatment in a Saudi dental center. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: It is a cross-sectional survey-based study. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Pediatric sleep questionnaire (PSQ) was used to survey 285 children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years old who are undergoing orthodontic screening in a Saudi Dental Center. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: PSQ scores were tested with multiple variables including gender, parents' education, academic performance using Mann-Whitney-U test. Correlation of study sample scores with age were calculated using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (rho). RESULTS: In this study 136 (47.7%) of the participants were deemed to be high risk for developing SDB and 149 (52.3%) were low risk, males were significantly at higher risk compared to females (P ≤ 0.05). Participants with previous adenoidectomy surgery were more likely to be identified as high-risk for SDB (P-value = 0.000) as well as participants with a family history of snoring (P-value = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disordered breathing was prevalent among Saudi children seeking orthodontic therapy, it is important to screen children and adolescents in dental pediatric and orthodontic clinics for SDB risk as this is a prevalent disorder among this population, early detection of SDB will improve patients' quality of life and prevent future complications associated to this disorder.
