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Introduction: Malpractice is one of the most significant hazards to patient safety in healthcare and is considered the second factor associated with the overall quality of the healthcare system. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of malpractice in dentistry and its possible causes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during 2009-2015. Methodology: A cross-sectional retrospective analysis of the dental complaints filed by the patients in the general directorate of forensic medicine centers in Riyadh was reviewed, and the data was collected. Descriptive statistics of frequency distribution and percentages were calculated using the collected data. The Chi-square test for categorical variables was performed with a significance level set at P < 0.05. Results: The Riyadh region reported 168 (14.5%) dental malpractice cases during 2009- 2015. The highest number of malpractice cases was reported in 2010 (18.45%), and the least number of cases was reported in 2011 (10.1%). Prosthodontic specialty had the highest number of lawsuits (32.4%), followed by orthodontics (20.2%) and endodontics (15.8%). The Chi-square test showed no association between the different specialties and types of malpractice (P = 0.881) and between compensation and the type of malpractice (P = 0.832). Among the 114 cases, financial compensation was the most common retribution. Conclusion: Dental malpractice prevalence was high in the private sector, followed by the government and military sectors, with the highest number of cases registered against the prosthodontic specialty. Dental malpractice is a serious concern that can be prevented by fair and honest policies and thorough patient education.
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OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of distal caries in second permanent molars in the presence of third molar among patients attending university dental clinics in Riyadh City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical and radiographic data (orthopantomographs and right and left bite wings) from 313 patients attending Riyadh Elm University dental clinics, department of oral diagnosis were collected and analyzed for the presence of third molars and caries on the distal surface of the second molar. Descriptive statistics of frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation, and binary logistic regression analysis were applied to assess the association between distal surface caries on second molars and impaction status of the teeth. RESULTS: The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth score of the study participants was found to be very high, that is, 23. The prevalence of caries affecting the distal aspect of the second molar was 48.6% (n = 609) in the population. The prevalence of distal caries was significantly high in patients with fully erupted wisdom teeth followed by vertical, horizontal, and mesial impacted third molars (P < 0.05). Wisdom teeth with mesioangular, vertical, and horizontal impactions showed significant association with distal caries of second molars below the contact point, whereas, fully erupted and vertically impacted wisdom teeth showed significant association with distal surface caries of second molars above contact point. Similarly, vertically impacted wisdom teeth were found to have significant association with caries of distal surface of second molars on noncontact areas (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the distal surface of the second molars is at risk of caries in the presence of third molars. However, this risk depends on eruption status, type of angulation, and contact between third and second molars. All the preventive measures should be taken to avoid caries on distal surface of second molar.
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OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to evaluate the surface roughness, nanomechancial properties the color stability of three brands of coated (rhodium, epoxy, and Teflon) nickel-titanium (NiTi) esthetic archwires. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three brands of coated (rhodium, epoxy, and Teflon) esthetic NiTi archwires and three brands of uncoated (NiTi) archwires from the same manufactures were evaluated for the surface roughness, nanomechanical properties, and color stability. The specimens with 20 mm length (n = 5) were cut from the straight buccal segments of the coated and uncoated archwires. The specimens with 20 mm length (n = 10) were subjected to color measurement after immersion in a coffee staining solution. The color measurement was evaluated after 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after immersion in staining solution using color eye 7000 spectrophotometer. The experimental data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analyses of variance, and Tukey's post hoc test. RESULTS: Epoxy (1.517 ± 0.071) and rhodium (0.297 ± 0.015) coated archwires showed the highest and lower value of surface roughness. All the intergroup comparisons showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) in surface roughness except between rhodium and control group (P = 0.998). There were significant differences between control and the experimental groups for both nanohardness and elastic modulus was observed. All the three NiTi-coated esthetic archwires demonstrated trace" (extremely slight change) color changes as measured by the National Bureau of Standards units after 4 weeks of immersion. CONCLUSION: Surface roughness of rhodium-coated archwires was almost similar to that of uncoated wires. Whereas Teflon and epoxy coated archwires showed a significant difference in surface roughness compared to uncoated archwires. Uncoated archwires showed higher nanohardness values compared to the coated archwires. Teflon-coated archwires demonstrated significantly slight color change after 4 weeks of immersion in staining solution.
