An assessment of preclinical removable prosthodontics based on multiple-choice questions: Stakeholders' perceptions.

PURPOSE: Item analysis of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is an essential tool for identifying items that can be stored, revised, or discarded to build a quality MCQ bank. This study analyzed MCQs based on item analysis to develop a pool of valid and reliable items and investigate stakeholders' perceptions regarding MCQs in a written summative assessment (WSA) based on this item analysis. METHODS: In this descriptive study, 55 questions each from 2016 to 2019 of WSA in preclinical removable prosthodontics for fourth-year undergraduate dentistry students were analyzed for item analysis. Items were categorized according to their difficulty index (DIF I) and discrimination index (DI). Students (2021-2022) were assessed using this question bank. Students' perceptions of and feedback from faculty members concerning this assessment were collected using a questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Of 220 items when both indices (DIF I and DI) were combined, 144 (65.5%) were retained in the question bank, 66 (30%) required revision before incorporation into the question bank, and only 10 (4.5%) were discarded. The mean DIF I and DI values were 69% (standard deviation [Std.Dev] = 19) and 0.22 (Std.Dev = 0.16), respectively, for 220 MCQs. The mean scores from the questionnaire for students and feedback from faculty members ranged from 3.50 to 4.04 and from 4 to 5, respectively, indicating that stakeholders tended to agree and strongly agree, respectively, with the proposed statements. CONCLUSION: This study assisted the prosthodontics department in creating a set of prevalidated questions with known difficulty and discrimination capacity.

Perspectives of Indian dental residents on novel online practical examination during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the graduating dental residents' perspectives on the online clinical examination format. METHODS: The questionnaire used to assess the perspectives was developed via a focus group discussion and was validated for face and content validity, readability testing, and pilot testing for the online version. This self-administered, online questionnaire integrated 15 Likert-scale-based multiple choice questions and one open-ended question. It was distributed to the residents across 16 dental schools after the clinical examination was completed. The perspectives regarding examination preparation, the ability to transition to online mode, and the performance in the examination were assessed. Descriptive statistical analysis (counts and percentages) was performed. RESULTS: A total of 256 subjects participated in the study by returning the online survey. In the preparation phase, 70.7% (n = 181) residents reported anxiety and 56.1% (n = 144) reported stress. During the examinations, only 13.6% (n = 35) of the participants reported difficulty with internet speed. The majority, 64.6% (n = 165) of the participants reported that the absence of an external examiner face-to-face reduced anxiety. The compiled answers to the open-ended question revealed that residents expressed inconvenience in digitizing the academic logbooks and clinical work. The poor quality of sound and images affected the display of skills. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed a moderate level of acceptance for the novel online practical examination method. The residents reported stress before and during the examination due to the sudden transition to an online examination. The online practical examination with modifications might be a viable alternative to the in-person clinical examination.

Evaluating the efficacy of different magnification variables during root planing procedure under a surgical operating microscope in chronic periodontitis: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The journey in the field of periodontics has destined from macrodentistry to microdentistry. The success of periodontal therapy always depends on better visual access and debridement which are prerequisites for achieving a clean and smooth root surface in attaining new attachment. Magnification is something which provides good hand-eye coordination resulting in better treatment outcomes. The aim of our study is to assess the effectiveness of magnification variable under a surgical operating microscope while performing root planing procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was conducted on 45 patients who were diagnosed with mild-to-moderate chronic periodontitis and were treated under the surgical operating microscope with three different magnification variables (0.4, 0.6, and 1). Plaque index, gingival index (GI), and probing pocket depths (PPDs) were assessed from baseline to 4 weeks, whereas healing index was assessed after 2 weeks of root planing procedure. RESULTS: The results of our study under the three magnification variables (0.4, 0.6 and 1) have shown no significant reduction in plaque or GI after 4 weeks of therapy. However, a significant reduction PPDs was observed after 4 weeks and improved healing index was observed after 2 weeks under all the three magnification variables with the variable 0.6 demonstrating more effective results. CONCLUSION: Even though all the three magnification variables have shown better treatment outcome and ergonomics, 0.6 magnification variable, i.e., ×3.5 - ×5, has demonstrated a more significant effect while performing root planing procedure.

Salivary visfatin concentrations in patients with chronic periodontitis: An analysis before and after periodontal therapy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Visfatin, also known as pre-B-cell colony enhancing factor, is secreted from a variety of cells and is thought to have some proinflammatory and immunomodulating effects. It is indicated that serum/plasma levels of visfatin increase in a number of inflammatory disorders. The present study aims to assess salivary visfatin concentrations and investigate its relationship in patients with chronic periodontitis before and after periodontal therapy. METHODS: This prospective clinical study included a total of 20 subjects who were divided into two groups with 10 patients in each viz Group A: Periodontally healthy subjects, Group B: Chronic periodontitis subjects. In group B, the subjects were further assigned as T1 and T2 groups before and after periodontal therapy. Periodontal parameters including plaque index, gingival index, sulcus bleeding index, probing depth and clinical attachment level were recorded at baseline and patients were subjected to periodontal therapy. An ELISA analysis was performed to measure the visfatin levels in saliva in study groups before and after 12 weeks of periodontal therapy. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The results were evaluated statistically using Student t-test, one way ANOVA, Post-hoc Tukey's test and Pearson's rank correlation method. RESULTS: The salivary visfatin concentrations were reduced significantly after periodontal therapy. There were statistically significant differences elicited in salivary visfatin levels of Group A and T1 of Group B and also between T1 and T2 of Group B. CONCLUSIONS: Salivary levels of Visfatin are reduced after periodontal therapy to the levels comparable with those found in healthy individuals. Therefore, the salivary visfatin levels may have the potential to be a target marker for assessment of responses to periodontal therapy.

Do dental research journals publish only positive results? A retrospective assessment of publication bias.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to determine the presence of publication bias in the top five dental journals with high impact factor published during 2007-2016. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The journals included are Journal of Clinical Periodontology, Dental Materials, Clinical Oral Implant Research (COIR), Journal of Endodontics, and Journal of Dental Research (JDR). The content of these journals was hand searched by two authors for scouring the proportion of positive or negative results. Articles showing two outcomes (primary and secondary) were registered depending on the primary result. RESULTS: The present study revealed higher percentage of statistically significant results in the published dental literature. Of five journals, JDR has shown fewer tendencies toward publication of nonsignificant results, whereas COIR has evidenced the highest publication of nonsignificant results. The journals with higher impact factor showed significantly different acceptance rate for research with positive results. However, year-wise publication (2007-2016) did not depict any significant difference. CONCLUSION: In dental research journals, articles with positive results are finding a better way in getting published compared to articles with negative results.

"Quirky Bulb" On the Lower Jaw: An Organizing Haematoma.

Organizing Haematoma is a rare, non/neoplastic benign lesion with locally destructive behaviour that may mimic a malignancy. Usually symptoms do not occur, while the lesion remains localized. An Organized Haematoma is an encapsulated blood clot undergoing neovascularization and fibrosis. It has also been referred to as a hemophilic pseudotumour and/or a haematoma like tumour, which is rarely found in the head and neck region. Other reported cases have been related to trauma or an underlying haemangioma. However, most of the cases have no identifiable underlying pathology, trauma or systemic disease. We are reporting an unusual presentation of Organizing Haematoma over the edentulous mandible.

Hemostasis and Post-operative Care of Oral Surgical Wounds by Hemcon Dental Dressing in Patients on Oral Anticoagulant Therapy: A Split Mouth Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Hemostasis is a fundamental management issue post-operatively in minor oral surgical procedures. To ensure safety and therapeutic efficacy in patients, under oral anti coagulant therapy, is complicated by necessity for frequent determination of prothrombin time or international normalised ratio. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine whether early hemostasis achieved by using Hemcon Dental Dressing (HDD) will affect post-operative care and surgical healing outcome in minor oral surgical procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 30 patients, aged 18 years to 90 years, except those allergic to seafood, who consented to participate, were enrolled into this study. Patients were required to have two or more surgical sites so that they would have both surgical and control sites. All patients taking Oral Anticoagulation Therapy (OAT) were included for treatment in the study without altering the anticoagulant regimens. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained for the same. The collected data was subjected to statistical analysis using unpaired t-test. RESULTS: All HDD surgically treated sites achieved hemostasis in 1.49 minutes and control wounds in 4.06 minutes (p < 0.001). Post-operative pain at HDD treated sites (1.87,1.27 on 1st and 3rd day respectively) was significantly lower than the control sites (4.0,1.87 on 1st and 3rd day respectively) p-value (0.001, 0.001 respectively). HDD treated oral surgery wounds achieved statistically significant improved healing both at 1st and 3rd post-operative days (p <0.0001). CONCLUSION: The HDD has been proven to be a clinically effective hemostatic dressing material that significantly shortens bleeding time following minor oral surgical procedures under local anaesthesia, including those patients taking OAT. Patients receiving the HDD had improved surgical wound healing as compared to controls.

Dental patient anxiety: Possible deal with Lavender fragrance.

OBJECTIVE: The pure essence of plants (essential oils) provides both psychological and physiological benefits when used accurately and safely. Conventionally, Lavender oil is known for relaxing, carminative, and sedative effects. Hence, an attempt was made to know the effect of Lavender essential oil on dental patient anxiety. METHODS: The present study included two comparison groups (Lavender and control group), each comprising five dental clinics. In Lavender group, the ambient odor of Lavender essential oil was maintained with the help of a candle warmer in the reception area and in the control group, candle warmer with normal water was used. A total of 597 patients, aged above 18 years were included. A questionnaire comprising demographic information, and a modified dental anxiety scale was given to the patients in waiting room, and data regarding anxiety levels was recorded. FINDINGS: Student's t-test (unpaired) showed a significant reduction in anxiety scores of Lavender group compared with the control group. Analysis of variances test showed reduction in anxiety scores as age increased in Lavender group. CONCLUSION: Fragrance of Lavender oil at reception area may effectively reduce the patient's state or current anxiety. This practice on routine usage can improve the quality of dental treatments.

Immunolocalization of CD34 Positive Progenitor Cells in Diabetic and Non Diabetic Periodontitis Patients - A Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: Little research has been documented to determine the CD34 positive cells in healthy periodontium, chronic periodontitis and in chronic periodontitis with diabetes mellitus individuals. AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the CD34 positive progenitor cells of the gingiva in patients with healthy periodontium, chronic periodontitis and chronic periodontitis with Diabetes Mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total number of 75 patients were divided into 3 groups which included Group I (healthy periodontium), Group II (chronic periodontitis) and Group III (chronic periodontitis with diabetes mellitus). Periodontal examination included Plaque index, Gingival index, Gingival bleeding index, Probing pocket depth and Clinical attachment levels. Gingival biopsies were collected from each participant and they were fixed in formalin embedded in paraffin which was later subjected to immunohistochemical procedure with anti-CD34 (a stemness marker). T-Test and Regression analysis (R-square) was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: The mean number of CD34 positive cells were higher in group III (5.71±1.97) compared to Group chronic periodontitis group I (4.98± 2.08) and II (4.48± 1.24). CONCLUSION: Although CD34 is a non specific stemness marker, results suggest that there is a significant difference in the number of CD34 positive progenitor cells between Group II and Group III but no significant difference was observed between Group I, II and Group I, III.