Oral hygiene status of Kuwaiti schoolchildren.

A national epidemiological survey of children aged 5-14 years was conducted in all 5 governorates of Kuwait in 2001 to determine the oral hygiene status of Kuwait in schoolchildren. Clinical examinations were carried out by calibrated dentists according to World Health Organization criteria. The debris index simplified (DI-S) score was used to assess oral hygiene status. Of the 3294 children, 3.9% were judged to have good oral hygiene (DI-S score: 0.3-0.6), 67% fair (score 0.7-1.8) and 29.1% poor (score 1.9-3.0). The overall level of oral hygiene in the schoolchildren surveyed was fair (mean score 1.5). DI-S scores were significantly higher for boys than girls (mean score 1.6 versus 1.5) but DI-S did not vary much by age. There were variations in DI-S scores across different governorates. Oral hygiene measures need to be reinforced for the schoolchildren in Kuwait and should form part of the school curriculum.

Oral hygiene status of Kuwaiti schoolchildren

A national epidemiological survey of children aged 5-14 years was conducted in all 5 governorates of Kuwait in 2001 to determine the oral hygiene status of Kuwaiti schoolchildren. Clinical examinations were carried out by calibrated dentists according to World Health Organization criteria. The debris index simplified [DI-S] score was used to assess oral hygiene status. Of the 3294 children, 3.9% were judged to have good oral hygiene [DI-S score: 0.3-0.6] 67% fair [score 0.7-1.8] and 29.1% poor [score 1.9-3.0]. The overall level of oral hygiene in the schoolchildren surveyed was fair [mean score 1.5]. DI-S scores were significantly higher for boys than girls [mean score 1.6 versus 1.5] but DI-S did not vary much by age. There were variations in DI-S scores across different governorates. Oral hygiene measures need to be reinforced for the schoolchildren in Kuwait and should form part of the school curriculum

The dentist workforce in Kuwait to the year 2020.

AIM: To project the future demand for dentists in Kuwait for the years 2007 to 2020 based on the period 1994 to 2006. The study addresses the supply of and demand for dentists in Kuwait in the light of emerging variables such as increasing population, economic growth, changes in dental care, education strategies, and changes in demographics of dentists. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: Population projections for the years 2007 to 2020 were derived using the average annual natural increase rate of the 1994-2006 populations. The future demand for dentists for the years 2007 to 2020 was projected using the average dentist to population ratios of the years 1994-2006. RESULTS: The average annual growth rate of indigenous Kuwaiti dentists during the period 1994-2006 was 5.58% compared to 31.9% for non-native expatriot dentists. There is a gap between the numbers of native and foreign dentists. In 2006, native dentists constituted 44.4% of the dental workforce in Kuwait, this is likely to affect the quality of provided dental care owing to language, religious and sociocultural barriers between foreign dentists and patients. The disparity between the total number of dentists needed and the number of native dentists is expected to decline from 54.41% in 2007 to 24.67% in 2020. CONCLUSIONS: The supply of native dentists is likely to remain insufficient to meet the projected demand until the year 2020. The supply of indigenous dentists should be increased through improvement in recruitment and retention of Kuwaiti national dentists and dental students.

Dental caries experience of Kuwaiti kindergarten schoolchildren.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine the caries free proportions, caries experience and restorative care received in Kuwaiti kindergarten schoolchildren. METHODS; A national epidemiologic survey of the 4- and 5-year-old kindergarten schoolchildren (n = 1,277) was conducted in the five govemorates of Kuwait. Five trained and calibrated dentists examined the children. Dental caries was scored using WHO diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: The percentage of 4- and 5-year-old children with dft = 0 was 32% and 24% respectively. The corresponding mean dft/dfs for 4- and 5-year-olds were 3.7/6.9 and 4.8/9.6. The decayed score was the major component in the mean scores. There was a significant difference in caries experience by governorate, but no difference by gender. The restorative index for 4- and 5-year-olds was 9.4% and 14.1% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Caries levels are lower or similar to those in neighbouring and other Middle East countries. A high percentage of carious maxillary incisors indicate an early childhood caries pattern in these children. An extensive prevention programmme in preschool and kindergarten children is now in place.

A study of the dental pulp cavity of mandibular first permanent molars in the Kuwaiti population.

This study documented the complexity of the root canal system in the mandibular first permanent molar. Forty-nine plastic replicas were used from mandibular first permanent molars obtained from young Kuwaitis. Results revealed that the tooth had 2 canals, 3 canals, and 4 canals 6.1%, 67.4%, and 26.5% of the time, respectively. The number, distribution, and apical exit of the canals were compared with the results of previous related reports. Several recommendations were given to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of extra root canals.

Electrosurgery in dentistry.

Electrosurgery has been used in dentistry for several decades, but the technique is not widely practiced. This article briefly explains the principles of electrosurgery and attempts to clear up some misunderstandings about the healing of electrosurgical wounds. Clinical application of electrosurgery for the management of some common oral conditions is also described.

Misdiagnosis and mismanagement of a nasopalatine duct cyst and its corrective therapy. A case report.

A case is presented in which a nasopalatine duct cyst was misdiagnosed. Its subsequent mismanagement was further compounded with improper endodontic therapy. It was finally managed by corrective endodontic and surgical therapy.

Unusual foreign objects in the root canal.

Removal of foreign objects from the root canal is often a very difficult procedure. The procedure is even more complicated if the foreign body is unusual. To cases are presented in which the foreign objects were removed with minimal loss to the intracanal space.

Amalgam restorations: a new approach.

A conservative approach to amalgam restorations is presented for using a chemomechanical method for softening and removing decay and using a dental adhesive resin for bonding amalgam to tooth structure, reducing the need for mechanical retention and preserving sound tooth structure.