Pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst clinical dental students

Training dentists today is challenging as they are expected to provide a wide range of dental care. In the provision of good dental care, soft skills are equally important as clinical skills. Therefore in dental education the development of soft skills are of prime concern. This study sought to identify the development of soft skills when dental students are paired in their clinical training. In this perception study, four open-ended items were used to elicit students’ feedback on the appropriateness of using clinical pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills. The most frequently cited soft skills were teamwork (70%) and communication (25%) skills. However, both negative and positive behaviours were reported. As for critical thinking and problem solving skills, more positive behaviours were reported for abilities such as to explain, analyze, find ideas and alternative solutions, and make decisions. Leadership among peers was not evident as leading without legitimate authority could be a hindrance to its development. If clinical pairing is to be used as an effective instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst students, clear guidelines need to be developed to prepare students to work in a dental team and the use of appropriate assessment tools can facilitate the development of these soft skills

Angiogenic potential of human platelet rich concentrates on dental pulp stem cells in an in Vitro Inflammation Model / Priyadarshni Bindal

Background: Healing of inflamed dental pulp by stimulating angiogenesis forms the basis of dental pulp regeneration. Dental pulp vitality is paramount for tooth longevity and function. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are mesenchymal stem cell population present in cell rich zone of dental pulp and demonstrate multilineage differentiation potential in healthy and inflamed microenvironment. Platelet rich concentrates (PRCs), a concentrated suspension of growth factors (GFs) are recognised as promoters of tissue regeneration through their paracrine action. Recently, PRCs has been introduced in the field of oral-maxillofacial and implant dentistry as a treatment modality. However, its effect on DPSCs in inflamed microenvironment is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to gain an insight into the healing and angiogenic potential of two types of PRCs namely human platelet lysate (HPL) and platelet rich plasma (PRP) on DPSCs in an inflamed state. Objectives: Firstly, the mesenchymal properties of DPSCs isolated from human adult dental pulp were characterised. Secondly, optimal concentration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation in DPSCs was investigated, followed by determination of two types of PRCs to maintain viability and induce angiogenesis in DPSCs. Finally, we compared the effect of the optimized concentrations of PRCs to induce angiogenesis in DPSCs in inflamed state (iDPSCs). Methods: DPSCs were isolated from dental pulp tissue extirpated from healthy premolars of patients indicated for orthodontic extraction and were characterised for their mesenchymal characteristics. Next, LPS was used in different concentrations to induce inflammation in DPSCs. Following this, DPSCs were treated with different concentrations of HPL and PRP to investigate their effect on cell viability and angiogenic effect on DPSCs. Effect of all the treatments given to DPSCs were validated via cell viability assay, gene expression analysis as well as analysis at protein level. Capacity of DPSCs to form tube-like structures after PRCs treatment was investigated by matrigel based functional assay. Results: Isolated DPSCs demonstrated positive mesenchymal characteristics. LPS for 24 hours considered optimum to induce inflammation in isolated DPSCs as evidenced by expression of pro-inflammatory markers at gene and protein level. 10%, 15%, 20% HPL and 5% PRP treatment on DPSCs maintained the cell viability and morphology, as compared to foetal bovine serum (FBS). It was noted that 20% HPL showed highest expression of angiogenic and cell adhesion surface markers, and capacity of DPSCs to form tube like structures. In iDPSCs, 20% HPL demonstrated significantly high cell viability and angiogenic potential. Conclusion: DPSCs could be induced to inflamed state by 1μg/mL LPS treatment for 24 hours. Viability of DPSCs was maintained in-vitro by 5% PRP, 10%, 15%, 20% HPL. Potential angiogenic effect on normal and inflamed DPSCs was demonstrated at 20% HPL. Clinical relevance: PRCs exhibit potential pro-angiogenic effect on DPSCs in inflamed state. Hence, they can be considered for potential pulp regenerative therapy in inflamed pulp

Dental treatment and special needs patients (SNPs): Dentist's point of view in selected cities of Malaysia

This study was aimed to investigate the perception of dental practitioners in Malaysia regarding the treatment needs and the hitches clinicians face in providing dental care to Special Needs Patients ( SNPs) including the challenges faced by them. Self-administered survey forms were distributed to 150 randomly selected private dentists in Malaysia. The survey consists of 16 questions where 13 were close-ended questions and 3 were open-ended questions. The data were analysed using SPSS software version 12.0. Response rate was 68%. 81.4% of the dentists stated that they are willing to treat SNPS and mostly provide emergency treatment, extractions and restorations to SNPs. 87.2% of the dentists encountered less than 5 SNPs within a period of one month, and only 2% of dentists had seen more than 11 patients. 63.7% of dentists were not aware of the act for persons with disabilities. Dentists identified behavioural management, insufficient skills, lack of training, financial issues, time constraint, physical barriers, inadequate referral facilities, inadequate exposure during undergraduate studies and insufficient financial reimbursement were the main barriers to provide dental care to SNPs. Most of the dentists agreed that no ground floor surgery, steps at clinic entrance, no lift to access 1st floor clinic, and lack of equipment as the physical barriers for SNPs to access their clinic. Our results conclude that the training acquired by dentists in special needs dentistry should be enhanced to provide comprehensive dental care to SNPs

Beta Adrenergic Receptors Stimulation Attenuates Phosphorylation of NF-κB and IκBα in Hyperglycemic Endothelial Cells

Background/Aims: NF-κB induces transcription of a number of genes, associated with inflammation and apoptosis. In this study, we have investigated the effect of β-adrenergic receptor stimulation on NF-κB and IκBα in HUVECs. Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in high and low glucose concentrations. All HUVECs were treated with different concentrations of isoproterenol and propranolol for different time periods. The analytical procedures consisted of Western Blot, ELISA, DCFH-DA and TUNEL assays. Results: Isoproterenol (agonist of a beta-adrenergic receptor) significantly reduced phosphorylation at Ser-536 of NF-κB; and Ser-32 and Ser-36 of IκBα in hyperglycemic HUVECs. Isoproterenol also significantly reduced apoptosis and ROS generation. No effect of IκBα was observed on Tyr-42 phosphorylation. The effect of isoproterenol was reversed by the antagonist propranolol. We also checked if NF-κB inhibitor MG132 causes any change at the level of apoptosis. However, we observed an almost similar effect. Conclusion: Given data demonstrates that beta-adrenergic receptors stimulation has a protective effect on HUVECs that might be occuring via NF-κβ and IκBα pathway

Clinical pairing revisited: a study at the University of Malaya, Malaysia

This study is part of ongoing educational research conducted by the Department of Conservative Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia, to evaluate the perception of clinical pairing. A thirteen-question survey was distributed to 148 dental students after they had experienced four-handed dentistry. The objectives were to identify the advantages, disadvantages, and the acceptance of the implementation of clinical pairing from the students' point of view. The responses from the open-ended questions were categorized into six main themes (areas of interest): quality-related (Q), patient-related (PT), partner-related (P), lecturer-related (T), infection control (IC), and learning environment (L). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 18. Results indicated that the students perceived they possessed enough knowledge regarding clinical pairing. However, it was found that they still preferred to work independently as compared to working in pairs. The benefits of clinical pairing may not be viewed in the same vein by both dental students and teachers. The quality-related theme was perceived by students as the main advantage of clinical pairing, whilst the partner-related theme was perceived otherwise. The study also revealed that students may have some preconceived notions about pairing that may have impaired their acceptance. As a consequence, some reluctance was seen in their responses

Clinical pairing revisited: a study at the University of Malaya, Malaysia

This study is part of ongoing educational research conducted by the Department of Conservative Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia, to evaluate the perception of clinical pairing. A thirteen-question survey was distributed to 148 dental students after they had experienced four-handed dentistry. The objectives were to identify the advantages, disadvantages, and the acceptance of the implementation of clinical pairing from the students' point of view. The responses from the open-ended questions were categorized into six main themes (areas of interest): quality-related (Q), patient-related (PT), partner-related (P), lecturer-related (T), infection control (IC), and learning environment (L). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 18. Results indicated that the students perceived they possessed enough knowledge regarding clinical pairing. However, it was found that they still preferred to work independently as compared to working in pairs. The benefits of clinical pairing may not be viewed in the same vein by both dental students and teachers. The quality-related theme was perceived by students as the main advantage of clinical pairing, whilst the partner-related theme was perceived otherwise. The study also revealed that students may have some preconceived notions about pairing that may have impaired their acceptance. As a consequence, some reluctance was seen in their responses

Clinical pairing revisited: a study at the University of Malaya, Malaysia

This study is part of ongoing educational research conducted by the Department of Conservative Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia, to evaluate the perception of clinical pairing. A thirteen-question survey was distributed to 148 dental students after they had experienced four-handed dentistry. The objectives were to identify the advantages, disadvantages, and the acceptance of the implementation of clinical pairing from the students' point of view. The responses from the open-ended questions were categorized into six main themes (areas of interest): quality-related (Q), patient-related (PT), partner-related (P), lecturer-related (T), infection control (IC), and learning environment (L). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 18. Results indicated that the students perceived they possessed enough knowledge regarding clinical pairing. However, it was found that they still preferred to work independently as compared to working in pairs. The benefits of clinical pairing may not be viewed in the same vein by both dental students and teachers. The quality-related theme was perceived by students as the main advantage of clinical pairing, whilst the partner-related theme was perceived otherwise. The study also revealed that students may have some preconceived notions about pairing that may have impaired their acceptance. As a consequence, some reluctance was seen in their responses