Malocclusion and Esthetic Perception Among Young Adults in Riyadh Region of Saudi Arabia.

Aim: To assess the malocclusion and esthetic perception among young adults in Riyadh region. Methodology: A total of 667 subjects aged above 6 years were included in this study. Link containing questionnaires were sent through social media, email, and WhatsApp. Questions were related to the effect of malocclusion on oral health such as dental caries, gum disease, difficulty in tooth brushing, perception of their teeth in the way of alignment, and smile personality. Results: 54.1% of participants said malocclusion can cause dental caries, 63.3% said it will lead to gum disease, and 72% were of the opinion that it will make tooth brushing difficult. 27.9% of study subjects were not happy with the alignment of their teeth. None of the responses were found to be statistically significant according to age (P > 0.05). Most of the questions were statistically significant according to gender (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Majority of study subjects had good knowledge about malocclusion and oral health. Perception about esthetics was more among women than men. More than 90% of subjects thinks beautiful smile is a part of personality.

High Occurrence Among Calves and Close Phylogenetic Relationships With Human Viruses Warrants Close Surveillance of Rotaviruses in Kuwaiti Dairy Farms.

Rotavirus, one of the main pathogens causing morbidity and mortality in neonatal dairy calves worldwide, is responsible for 30-44% of cattle deaths. It is considered to be the most common etiologic agent of diarrhea in neonatal dairy calves and children, the dominant type being group A. Two hundred seventy animals from 27 farms from 2 regions of Kuwait were tested for the presence of Rotavirus serogroup A (RVA) using latex agglutination test (LAT) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain (RT-PCR) testing. RVA non-structural proteins NSP1-2, NSP4-5 and capsid protein genes VP1-7 were characterized by next generation sequencing. LAT was positive in 15.56% of the animals, and RT-PCR in 28.89%. Using RT-PCR as a reference method, LAT was 100% specific but only 83.33% sensitive. ANOVA analysis showed correlation only with the location of the farms but no significant correlation with the age and sex of the animals. Although there was a tendency of clustering of RVA positive animals, it did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.035 for LAT). The phylogenetic analysis showed that Kuwaiti isolates of group A rotavirus clustered with human rotaviruses. Taken together, it seems that rotavirus was present in most of the dairy farms in Kuwait. The high occurrence of the virus in calves in Kuwaiti dairy farms and the close phylogenetic affinity with human isolates warrants urgent action to minimize and control its spread between calves in farms.