Does smoking really protect from recurrent aphthous stomatitis?

Faleh A SawairFaculty of Dentistry, University of Jordan, Amman, JordanPurpose: To study the effect of smoking on the prevalence of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and to examine whether intensity and duration of smoking influence RAS lesions.Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a random sample of 1000 students of The University of Jordan, Amman, between May and September 2008. Sociodemographic factors and details about smoking habits and RAS in last 12 months were collected.Results: Annual prevalence (AP) of RAS was 37.1%. Tobacco use was common among students: 30.2% were current smokers and 2.8% were exsmokers. AP was not significantly influenced by students’ age, gender, marital status, college, and household income but was significantly affected by place of living (P = 0.02) and presence of chronic diseases (P = 0.03). No significant difference in AP of RAS was found between smokers and nonsmokers. Cigarette smokers who smoked heavily and for a longer period of time had significantly less AP of RAS when compared to moderate smokers and those who smoked for a shorter period of time. The protective effect of smoking was only noticed when there was heavy cigarette smoking (>20 cigarettes/day) (P = 0.021) or smoking for long periods of time (>5 years) (P = 0.009). Nevertheless, no significant associations were found between intensity or duration of smoking and clinical severity of RAS lesions.Conclusion: The “protective effect” of smoking on RAS was dose- and time-dependent. When lesions are present, smoking had no effect on RAS severity.Keywords: recurrent aphthous stomatitis, smoking, prevalenc

Antibiotics prescribing practices in oral implantology among jordanian dentists. A cross sectional, observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In oral implantology, there is no consensus on the most appropriate regimen for antibiotics prescribing, the decision to prescribe antibiotic is usually based on procedure, patient and clinician related factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the rationale of antibiotic prescribing among Jordanian clinicians who practice oral implantology.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The target sample for the study was the 250 Jordan Dental Implant Group members. A five page questionnaire contained 41 questions, both closed and open questions were used to collect data. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Windows 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Descriptive statistics were generated.</p> <p>The response rate was (70.4%) 176/250. Mean age was 37.2 yrs, 49.4% always prescribe antibiotics mainly oral amoxicillin and amoxicillin with clavulinic acid. Antibiotics prescribing increased with flap raising, multiple implants and sinus or bone augmentation. Patient medical condition, periodontitis and oral hygiene were the most important clinical factors in antibiotic prescribing, non-clinical factors were; reading scientific materials, courses and lectures, knowledge gained during training, and the effectiveness and previous experience with the drug.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Wide variations in antibiotics types, routes, dose and duration of administration were found. Recommendations on antibiotic prescribing are needed to prevent antibiotic overprescribing and misuse.</p

The knowledge and attitude about HIV/AIDS among Jordanian dental students: (Clinical versus pre clinical students) at the University of Jordan

Abstract Background The present study aimed to address the suspected deficiency in the level of understanding of HIV/AIDS among clinical and pre clinical dental students at the University of Jordan. In this cross-sectional study, structured questionnaires were distributed to fifth year dental students (n = 121) and to third year dental students (n = 144) in the academic year 2008/2009. Findings Significantly higher percentage of fifth-year students compared to third-year students felt that the teaching they received on cross-infection precautions and barrier dentistry was adequate (P Significantly higher proportion of third-year students compared to fifth-year (39.2% vs. 26.3%) thought that HIV patients should be referred to other centers or support groups for treatment (P = 0.04). Conclusions The level of knowledge of Jordanian dental students about HIV and AIDS was generally acceptable; there were inadequacies, however, in their understanding regarding some aspects of AIDS epidemic which demands that dental school curriculum needs some improvement.</p

Exam evaluation in prosthodontics across preclinical and clinical years from students' perspective: a cross-sectional study

Introduction The purpose of this study was to explore the students' perceptions and performance in prosthodontics theory exam. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 560 (80.82%) students of different levels (third, fourth and fifth years) to explore their opinions and performance with regard to a number of issues on a prosthodontics theory exam (exam evaluation, exam preparation, exam material, exam timing). Demographic data were also collected. Descriptive statistics were generated and Chi-square test, independent sample t-test, ANOVA test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to examine the associations between different variables. The significance level was set at p < .05. Results Students' responses regarding exam evaluation was influenced by their gender, study level, high-school Grade Point Average (GPA) and undergraduate cumulative GPA. Perceived exam difficulty was significantly affected by gender (p = .03) and study level (p < .001), and negatively correlated to both high-school GPA (p < .001) and university GPA (p = .03). The vast majority (88.2%) depended on lecture hand-outs and lecture notes for study. Exam material and preparation were not significantly affected by any of the demographic variables with most respondents (76.8%) thinking that the lectures blended with prosthodontics laboratories/clinics would improve their understanding of the exam material. The suggested best time to conduct the exam was early afternoon (31.6%). Student performance was significantly affected by the study level (p < .001) and cumulative GPA (p < .001) with significant positive correlation between the high-school GPA and the mark in the exam (r = .29, p < .001) and by the amount of time students spent for exam preparation (p < .001). Those students who reported using textbooks to prepare for the exam got significantly higher marks (66.1 ± 8.7) compared to the students who did not (62.8 ± 9.7) (p = .03). Conclusions Course level, GPA and gender were identified as the most influential factors in different aspects of exam evaluation and students' performance. Regular study and use of textbooks were demonstrated to improve academic performance. Additional orientation and guidance relating to the exam (especially for third year students) would be welcomed, as would alternate teaching methods such as small group discussions or study groups

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on dental education: online experience and practice expectations among dental students at the University of Jordan

BACKGROUND: The quarantine associated with the COVID-19 pandemic forced dental schools to suspend their clinical training and to shift to distant learning methods. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of quarantine on the self-perceived preparedness of dental graduates and to explore the efficacy of online education from students’ perspectives. METHODS: The questionnaire distributed to dental students comprised of two main sections. The first part covered the online education experience, and the second part measured the level of self-perceived preparedness for a range of cognitive, communication and professional skills. RESULTS: The survey yielded a response rate of 72%. The majority of students (77%) agreed that they missed educational experiences as a result of the lockdown. More than half of them felt less motivated to follow-up with distant e-learning and believed that online assessment is not a good method for evaluation. A high percentage of the students (66%) thought that online group discussions had a positive value while 67% preferred online lectures compared to theatre lectures. Majority of students particularly 5th year (78.7%) (p &lt; 0.001) stated that the quarantine increased their collaboration with their colleagues. According to 87% of students, the experience most negatively affected was their clinical training. In general, students showed satisfactory self-perceived preparedness related to a range of attributes and professional skills. CONCLUSIONS:The data showed that students partially appreciated the online system, whereas they did not consider it a substitute for face to face clinical practice. The overall self-perceived preparedness level was promising; however students had reservations regarding independent practice following graduation

Maxillary Sinusitis of Odontogenic Origin: Prevalence among 3D Imaging&mdash;A Retrospective Study

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of maxillary sinus mucosal thickening and compare it to the presence of odontogenic pathology of adjacent teeth. Three hundred and twenty-one full maxilla cone-beam computed tomography scans were examined. The parameters investigated included signs of maxillary sinus mucosal thickening and the diagnosis and proximity of the adjacent teeth. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS version-16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Out of the 2001 teeth examined, 888 (44.4%) were associated with mucosal thickening with a significant difference between the different tooth types (p = 0.04). Mucosal thickening in a maxillary sinus was more likely if the neighboring teeth had apical disease. Interruption of the maxillary sinus floor was noticed more in specific teeth, particularly the first and second molars (p &lt; 0.001). Sinusitis of odontogenic origin can be more prevalent than clinicians expect. The treatment of odontogenic sinusitis should be straightforward, whereby the diseased tooth is root treated or extracted. The sinusitis will then resolve if there are no other etiological factors