Fissure sealants: Knowledge and practice of Yemeni dental practitioners.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate Yemeni dental practitioners' knowledge and practices concerning fissure sealants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A modified questionnaire consisted of 25-items was distributed to 500 dentists working in Sana'a City. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square/Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: The response rate was 74%. Most of the respondents were male (61.3%), general practitioners (84.2%), and had <5 years of clinical experience (48.3%). The respondents showed a reasonable level of knowledge about sealants, with the majority (88%) believed that there is strong scientific evidence about fissure sealants effectiveness and around 90% showed a good understanding of sealant placement instructions. On the other hand, respondents showed insufficient knowledge about sealants clinical practice. CONCLUSION: Although a high proportion of dental practitioners showed adequate knowledge about dental sealant, following guidelines and standardized procedures in clinical practice is lacking. These emphasize the need for regular continuing education courses for dental professional.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice of Infection Control among Dental Students at Sana'a University, Yemen.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding infection control procedures among senior dental students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 145 4(th)- and 5(th)-year dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, Sana'a University, Yemen. The self-administered questionnaire was comprised of 20 open- and close-ended items regarding barrier techniques, vaccination status, infection control practices, and awareness. Data were analyzed with a Chi-square test. A P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The response rate was 72% (145 out of 204 potential respondents). Overall, 71.7% of the students had been vaccinated for hepatitis B and only 9.5% were tested for post-hepatitis B virus immunization serology. While the vast majority (96.6%) reported always wearing gloves for all dental procedures, the use of face masks and eyewear were reported by only 53.8% and 14.0% of students, respectively, with no significant difference between genders and year of study (P > 0.05). A significantly higher percentage of 5(th)-year students (58.9%) showed positive attitudes toward the treatment of patients with infectious diseases, as compared to only 31.0% of 4(th) year students (P < 0.01). A great number of students (62%) reported non-sterile occupational percutaneous and mucous injuries while treating their patients. CONCLUSIONS: These unsatisfactory findings highlight the necessity of continued infection control education in order to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding infection control among dental students at Sana'a University.

Oral mucosal lesions in elderly dental patients in Sana'a, Yemen.

OBJECTIVES: With aging, the oral mucosa becomes more susceptible to external stimuli. The aims of this study were to obtain baseline data on the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions (OMLs) in a population of elderly Yemeni patients and to investigate differences in the presentation of these findings in relation to age, gender, education level, and the wearing of dentures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The prevalence of OMLs was assessed by clinical examination of a sample of 310 elderly Yemeni patients aged 60 years and older. A single examiner performed detailed oral examinations of the oral cavity according to international criteria and the World Health Organization codes. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of OMLs was 77.1%, with a significant difference (P < 0.05) between men (80.3%) and women (69.6%). The prevalence rate of OMLs indicated a significant decrease with advancing age. The most frequently observed lesions were fissured tongue (34.2%), benign tumors (17.1%), hairy tongue (16.5%), and qat-induced white lesions (12.6%). Hairy tongue, qat-induced white lesions, and shammah keratosis were associated with men (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, and P < 0.05, respectively), whereas geographic tongue was associated with women (P < 0.05). The presence of one or more lesions was significantly associated with low education level (P < 0.05). Certain OMLs showed a significant association with smoking and qat chewing (P < 0.05). No association was found between the occurrence of OMLs and denture wearing (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study has shown a high prevalence of oral lesions among Yemeni elders.