Barriers to the Accessibility of Emergency Pediatric Dental Care Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in Mashhad, Iran.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate barriers to the accessibility of emergency pediatric dental care services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic from the viewpoint of parents in Mashhad, Iran. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study was conducted on a purposive sample of parents seeking emergency dental care for their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The participants were asked, "Were there any barriers encountered when seeking emergency dental care for your child during the COVID-19 pandemic?". If any barrier was faced, the parents were asked to explain about it. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The thematic content analysis of the transcripts began after the first interview, and the interviews and analysis process continued until data saturation was achieved. Results: In total, 26 parents were interviewed. The thematic content analysis of the transcripts led to the recognition of three main categories of barriers: "fear of COVID-19", "financial constraints", and "dentists' less occupational activity". "fear of COVID-19" had two subcategories: "fear of contracting COVID-19" and "fear of transmitting COVID-19 to others". "financial constraints" also had two subcategories: "increased costs" and "decreased income". Conclusion: From the viewpoint of parents seeking emergency dental care for their children in Mashhad, Iran, there were various barriers to the accessibility of emergency pediatric dental care services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The barriers were not limited to the fear of COVID-19 and were partly outside the control of dentists and parents.

Evaluation of national dental curriculum in Iran using senior dental students' feedback.

BACKGROUND: Dental curriculums require regular revision to stay up to date in scientifical and societal fields. Senior dental students are among the main stakeholders of such curriculums. The present study investigated the opinions of Iranian senior dental students regarding the adequacy of their dentistry program and the national dental curriculum in training a competent dentist, the program's content, and its structure. METHODS: A previously designed and validated questionnaire on the opinion of senior dental students regarding curriculum adequacy was sent to a representative in each of the country's dental schools. Before the COVID pandemic terminated data collection, a total of 16 schools (438 students) managed to respond (37%). The questionnaire asked the students to assess the adequacy of the training received in curriculum's theoretical and practical competencies with the help of a five-point Likert scale that ranged from "Completely inadequate" to "Completely adequate". It also questioned them on its teaching methods and intensity. SPSS software version 24 and Chi-square test served for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In total, the study has 438 participants, 245 female and 193 male. Significant sex differences were spotted in the responses concerning both theoretical and practical training. Regarding general training adequacy, 50 (22.6%) female students and 50 male ones (30.7%), P = 0.08 agreed that the program was acceptable. The numbers for students of old (more than 15 years of activity) and new schools were 47 (21.7%) and 53 (31.7%), respectively (P = 0.03). Nearly one-third deemed the teaching methods appropriate. Regarding the duration of curriculum phases, 33 students (8.3%) believed that basic science required extension, while 108 (28.6%) and 266 (69.1%) reported such need for pre-clinical and clinical phases. The school's years of activity emerged as significant, as 38.1% of students from new schools versus 21.7% of those from old ones deemed the extension of pre-clinical phase necessary (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A significant number of Iranian senior dental students found the undergraduate dental curriculum inadequate regarding competencies, content, and teaching. Further investigations will determine whether it's the curriculum or its implementation that warrants revision.

Are Iranian graduating dental students prepared to act as future role models of good oral health behaviour? A 10-year study.

INTRODUCTION: Dentists by their professional knowledge of prevention have a key role in providing a positive role model for oral health-promoting behaviours. We aimed to investigate the health behaviour of Iranian senior dental students in terms of oral self-care and tobacco use during a 10-year period to assess their preparedness to act as role models for health-promoting behaviours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed in six dental schools selected through stratified cluster random sampling to have a representative sample of all dental schools in Iran. Data were collected in four occasions in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2015. Senior dental students (N = 1188) were invited to voluntarily complete a self-administered anonymous questionnaire about their oral self-care and tobacco use. Recommended tooth-brushing habit (RTH) was defined as at least twice a day brushing with fluoridated toothpaste. Three separate questions about cigarette, pipe and waterpipe use were applied to assess the students' reported use of tobacco. RESULTS: The response rate was 81%. Female students reported more frequently RTH than males (p < .001). The reported RTH was more prevalent among nonsmokers. In 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2015, 22.5%, 26%, 28.5% and 24.6% of the students reported smoking, respectively. The trend of reported smoking had the least variation among female students. This was true also for male students regarding RTH. CONCLUSION: The status and trend of oral self-care and tobacco use among Iranian dental students call for more emphasis on adopting health-promoting behaviours during dental education.

Comparison of the effect of hemihydrate calcium sulfate granules and Cerabone on dental socket preservation: An animal experiment.

Background. Early bone loss due to tooth extraction can be significantly reduced by socket preservation. The aim of this study was to compare the in vivo effects of hemihydrate calcium sulfate granules (an alloplastic material) and Cerabone (a bovine-derived xenograft) on socket preservation in dogs. Methods. Six male Mongrel dogs were randomly divided into 2 groups (n=3) for sacrificing and histological evaluation 4 and 8 weeks after a surgery. The second and third premolars on both sides of the lower jaw were extracted surgically. The sockets on one side were filled with Cerabone, and with calcium sulfate on the opposite side. In the slides, the ratio of the area of newly formed bone to the area of the entire cavity, and the ratio of the area of fibrous connective tissue to the area of the entire cavity were measured. The presence of inflammation was also examined. Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Sign test and McNemar test were used for statistical analyses (ɑ=0.05). Results. The means of new bone proportion were 11% and 8% for Cerabone and calcium sulfate, respectively (P=0.58). The means of connective tissue proportion were 29% and 33% for Cerabone and calcium sulfate, respectively (P=0.72). No inflammatory cells were observed in the Cerabone group, although 50% of the samples in the calcium sulfate group showed inflammation (P=0.50). Conclusion. The effects of calcium sulfate and Cerabone on socket preservation in dogs on bone formation, fibrous connective tissue and inflammation levels were not significantly different at 4- and 8-week postoperative intervals.

The effect of using an educational poster on elementary school health teachers' knowledge of emergency management of traumatic dental injuries.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an educational poster on elementary school health teachers' knowledge about emergency management of traumatic dental injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Before poster presentation, a questionnaire was distributed to 40 health teachers (30 in the study group and 10 in the control group). One month after poster distribution, the subjects were re-evaluated in both groups using the same questionnaire. RESULTS: The percentage of participating health teachers who answered the questions correctly after poster distribution regarding crown fracture was 93.3% in the test group vs. 60% in controls; for management of luxation and avulsion, the percentages for cases and controls were 63.3% vs. 40% and 100% vs. 60%, respectively. One month after distribution of the educational poster, rate of correct responses increased in management of crown fracture, luxation, and avulsion in the test group, but there was no improvement in controls (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Use of an educational poster enhanced the knowledge of health teachers. Use of posters is an effective way to inform teachers of the management of traumatic dental injuries.

Passive smoking and attitudes towards tobacco control programs among Iranian dental students.

BACKGROUND: Conclusive evidence exists about associations between several life-threatening diseases and passive smoking. The objective of our study was to investigate the prevalence of passive smoking among Iranian dental students, to assess their attitudes towards tobacco control programs, and to explore the association between these two and tobacco use. METHODS: In eight randomly selected dental schools, all fourth-year students were surveyed by means of a self-administered anonymous questionnaire in December 2010. The Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire served as the data collection instrument. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was assessed during the previous week. Chi-square test, logistic regression, and linear regression served for statistical analyses. RESULTS: The response rate was 84% (325 students, 66% female). Exposure to ETS was reported by 74% of the participants. Men were significantly more exposed to ETS at home, and in other places than were women. Most of the students agreed on queried tobacco control policies. The lowest agreement (72%) was for banning smoking in coffee shops and teahouses. A logistic regression model showed that adjusted for gender, passive smoking at home is significantly associated with current tobacco use. A linear regression model suggested that the total score of attitudes is significantly associated with passive smoking at home, passive smoking in other places, tobacco use experience, and current tobacco use. CONCLUSIONS: The study reports high exposure to ETS among dental students, and its association with current tobacco use and attitudes towards tobacco control.