Investigating Barriers to Promoting Oral Health in Students with hearing impairment from Mothers' Perspective: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Objectives Studies have shown the high prevalence of dental caries, negligence of oral health, and unmet dental care needs among children with hearing impairment compared to their healthy peers. This study was conducted to determine the barriers to oral health of children with hearing impairment from the perspective of their mothers. Methods In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 mothers based on purposive sampling in order to investigate the factors affecting compliance with oral health. Interviews were recorded, handwritten, coded and classified; and for content analysis, Graneheim and Lundman's qualitative approach was used. Results As a result of the data analysis, the three main themes of “the effects of general health status, the effects of instruction and learning, and problems in receiving dental health care services” were identified as barriers to good oral health. Moreover,  nine sub-themes of “inadequate education regarding oral health, parental insufficient supervision, shortages in dentistry service delivery systems, obstacles hindering mother from pursuing services, lack of guidelines for offering free periodical dental examinations for children with special needs, the impact of improper nutritional habits on oral health, children’s mental problems, unfavorable oral health conditions, and  the impact of oral health on the child’s general health" were obtained. Conclusion Inadequate education in the field of oral health and difficulties in receiving dental services were identified as the most important factors affecting oral health in children with hearing impairment from their mothers' perspective.

School-Based Oral Health Promotion: A Thorough Review

Objectives Schools are considered as important platforms for oral health promotion worldwide. Oral diseases are preventable and any focus on schoolchildren can minimize suffering, reduce inequity, and create productive years of healthy adulthood later on. Hence, we need to explore oral health promotion methods conducted within the school systems in different countries. This is especially required for developing countries with limited resources.Methods The PubMed database was searched for English peer-reviewed articles published from January 2000 to June 2017 with available abstracts, specifically focusing on primary school children aged between 7 and 12 years. “Oral health”, “health promotion” and “school” were used as keywords in our search strategy. Relevant papers  were selected and reviewed by two independent readers using predefined exclusion criteria, firstly on the basis of abstracts, secondly by assessing full-text papers.Results From a total of 257 articles, 22 were eligible for analysis. Of all oral health related activities implemented in schools, oral health education was mentioned in most studies (n=15) followed by supervised tooth brushing program in schools with fluoride toothpaste (n=5), administration of fluoride (varnish/gel) (n=3), provision of nutritious food (n=3), multimedia game or campaign (n=3), and tooth examination with screening (n=3).Conclusion Improvement of children’s oral health related to school-based oral health programs is the result of a combination of several interventions. The governments and other policy makers should consider implementing some appropriate health promotion schemes in schools, which take local needs and resources into accoun

Explaining Dental Students’ Experiences of Community-based Education: A Qualitative Study through Students’ Reflection Writings

Introduction: Evidence indicates that the customary way of teaching is not enough to improve students' skill and competence after graduation. This study aimed to explain the experiences of Dentistry students in relation to community-based education (education in the field), which was done through written reflection by the students. Methods: This study was carried out embracing qualitative approach in the academic year. 28 senior dentistry students according to the preplanned program visited the comprehensive centers of rural health in Gorgan, Golestan, Iran. At the end of the semester, students were asked to write their reflection on the outcomes of education in the field. The conventional qualitative content analysis was performed with the aim of extracting the experiences and views of students from the examination and management of oral mucosal lesions in the field. Results: Data analysis led to the extraction of 72 initial code concepts, the two main categories of "obtaining clinical experiences, gaining non-clinical experiences" and four sub-categories including "improving clinical skills, enhancing emotional / attitudinal skills, improving the skills of individual communication, and understanding the importance of organizational interaction”. Conclusion: The education in the field, along with traditional teaching methods can significantly increase students' learning ability and thus provide better quality services and promote community oral and dental health

Assessing the Correlation between Cephalometric Measurements In Patients with Class II Malocclusion

Background and purpose: Some measurements such as angles and planes drawn in lateral cephalometry have different relationships and correlation coefficients which help to distinguish different types of malocclusions. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between ANB, Wits, occlusal plane, and Y-axis cephalometric measurements in patients with class II malocclusion. Materials and methods: A descriptive-analytical and retrospective cross-sectional study was performed using the lateral radiographic images (n=156) in the archive of the Dental Clinic affiliated with Golestan University of Medical Sciences obtained from patients aged 14-18 years of age with class II malocclusion in 2018-2019. Results: There were 91 (58.3%) lateral radiographic images of female patients, and 65 (41.7%) of male patients. The highest correlation was found between ANB and Wits measurements (r= 0.61) followed by ANB and Y-axis (r= 0.53), Wits and occlusal plane (r= 0.36), and Y-axis and occlusal plane (r= 0.33) and the lowest correlation was seen between ANB and occlusal plane measurements (r= 0.23). Conclusion: According to current study, it seems that in addition to ANB angle, other cephalometric measurements such as Wits, Y-axis, and occlusal plane can be used to diagnose class II malocclusion (based on their correlation coefficient with ANB)

Methodological heterogeneity in dental fluorosis investigations: a critical review

Objectives The purpose of this investigation was to conduct a comprehensive and critical review of pertinent literature concerning dental fluorosis in order to examine the methodology used in different studies and report the potential sources of heterogeneity among identified reports. Methods The PubMed database was searched using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) for articles in English language, published between January 2000 and December 2016. The search was limited to human studies and having abstract available. Subsequently, potential sources of heterogeneity were categorized. Results Through PubMed search, a total of 56 articles were selected out of 2369 initially identified papers. Subsequently, 17 out of the 56 articles were excluded due to being irrelevant or no full text available. Likewise, genetic studies, in-vitro reports and those studies with no evidence of association were excluded as well. Therefore, 39 remaining articles were critically analyzed in order to identify the potential sources of heterogeneity in dental fluorosis studies. Quality assessment of the reviewed papers demonstrated the following categories as potential sources of heterogeneity in dental fluorosis investigations: “Different methods of fluoride exposure by children”, “Different characteristics of study samples under investigation”, “Methodological flaws in the fluorosis research design”. Conclusion Given the existing methodological heterogeneity, a consensus development is highly crucial for the standard diagnosis of fluorosis and improvement in homogeneity in future fluorosis investigations globally. Keywords dental, enamel, fluorosis, dental fluorosis, methodolog

Palatal Rugae Patterns in Fars, Turkmen, and Sistani Ethnicities in the Eastern Part of the Caspian Littoral of Iran

In forensic medicine, it is important to identify whole or fragmented bodies. This aim can be particularly challenging in mass disasters. Palatal rugae patterns can be used as a surrogate parameter in forensic medicine. This stems from the difficulty in falsifying these patterns, their resistance to trauma, to decomposition for several days postmortem, and to combustion under high-temperatures, as well as being distinguishable among different races. The present study aimed to analyze the differences in the palatal rugae patterns among three Iranian ethnicities (Fars, Turkmen, and Sistani). This retrospective study involved the use of archived materials. The study casts were selected from the database of patients who visited a private orthodontics clinic. A total of 309 dental casts (103 Fars, 103 Turkmen, and 103 Sistani) were assessed, which belonged to 181 females and 128 males aged between 12 and 30 years (mean: 16.86 ± 3.18 years). The difference in the mean number of palatal rugae in women between the three ethnicities was statistically significant. Also, the differences in the total number of straight rugae were significant between the three ethnic groups. The most common rugae shapes in the three ethnic groups were the straight and wavy shapes. The length of the palatal rugae in the primary and secondary rugae among the study subjects younger than 18-years-old was significantly different between the three ethnic groups. Thus, the present research highlighted the differences in palatal rugae patterns among three Iranian ethnicities. Therefore, palatal rugae can be used in forensic medicine as a complementary approach to human identification