Appraisal of Schoolchildren's Feelings and Attitudes towards Dentists and Their Potential Impact on Oral Health.

AIM: To assess schoolchildren's feelings and attitudes towards dentists and their potential impact on oral health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 7902 schoolchildren (12 and 15 years old) attending public and private schools completed a questionnaire that assessed their feeling and attitude toward dentists. DMFT and CPI indices were used to assess dental caries and periodontal diseases respectively according to the World Health Organization method and criteria. RESULTS: 79.7% of all schoolchildren who participated in this study had been to the dentist. 24.7% reported that they are afraid of dental visits, pain being the main reason for this disturbing feeling (88, 2%). Of the children, 81.4% preferred a female dentist; 82.3% preferred a dentist with a colored coat and 80.3% favored a renovated dental facility. 91.1% of the children are irritated by the noises in the dental clinic. The mean DMFT and CPI scores were significantly higher in patients with dental fear, and in patients who never had a dental visit. CONCLUSION: Meeting patient's perceptions and preferences regarding their dentist may help to reduce the potential dental anxiety and thus ensure the delivery of a high-quality dental treatment leading to better oral health status. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Patient perception about dentists is affected by a series of factors related to the dentist, the patient, and the dental clinic. Patients who experience the worst perceptions of dental professional tend not to seek dental care, which leads to a bad oral health status, hence the importance of further studies in this area to improve such perceptions, and promote attitudinal changes toward positive health-seeking behavior.

Prevalence and Etiological Factors of Dental Trauma among 12- and 15-Year-Old Schoolchildren of Lebanon: A National Study.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic dental injuries represent nearly 5% of children and adolescents' injuries leading to serious medical and psychological issues. This current study aims to evaluate the prevalence of dental trauma and its potential association with different predisposing factors among 12-and 15-year-old schoolchildren in Lebanon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 7902 schoolchildren, 3806 male and 4096 female aged 12 years (n = 3985) and 15 years (n = 3917), were recruited by a stratified multistaged randomized cluster sampling method from public and private schools and were clinically examined in a national cross-sectional study. WHO criteria were used to assess anterior permanent teeth; the nature of trauma, the tooth involved, the size of the incisal overjet, and the type of the lip coverage were furthermore assessed. Data regarding age, sex, and causes of TDI were recorded through a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental trauma to anterior teeth was 10.9%. Maxillary central incisors (83.7%) were commonly affected. The most common type of injury was enamel fracture (68.3%), falls being the main reason (52.5%). Increased overjet (OR = 2.32, p = 0.034), deficient lip coverage (OR = 5.73, p = 0.019), and gender (OR = 5.36, p ≤ 0.001) were significant predisposing factors for dental trauma. CONCLUSION: This research highlighted many predisposing factors for dental trauma that affect commonly the anterior teeth. Based on these results, the implementation of strategic preventive measurements targeting especially the identified risk groups remains crucial.

Clinical and Patient-Centered Outcomes Following Treatment of Multiple Gingival Recessions Using Acellular Dermal Matrix Allografts.

The aim of this case series was to evaluate clinical and patient-centered outcomes when treating multiple recessions (Miller Class I, II, and III) affecting five or more teeth in a single procedure using acellular dermal matrix in 18 eligible participants (mean of 7.4 ± 1.7 recessions/patient). Low mean visual analog scale pain scores (0.7 ± 0.8) and analgesic consumption (2.3 ± 2.5 tablets) were reported from days 0 to 6 postoperatively. Mean baseline recession depth was 2.1 ± 1 mm. At 1 year postsurgery, mean percent root coverage was 87.1% ± 18.3%, and complete root coverage was achieved in 61.7% of recessions with statistically significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers.

Efficacy of micronized acellular dermal graft for use in interproximal papillae regeneration.

The aim of this study was to evaluate interdental papillary reconstruction based on a micronized acellular dermal matrix allograft technique. Thirty-eight papillae in 12 patients with esthetic complaints of insufficient papillae were evaluated. Decreased gingival recession values were found postoperatively (P < .001). Chi-square analysis showed significantly higher postoperative Papilla Index values (chi-square = 43, P < .001), further supported by positive symmetry statistical analysis values (positive kappa and weighted kappa values). This procedure shows promise as a method for papillary reconstruction.