Assessing Moral Skills in General and Post-Graduate Dental Students in the Southeast of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To assess the level of moral skills in dental students and residents. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted on dental students and residents of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, selected by census sampling. Data collection tools included a demographic information checklist (age, gender, marital status, educational level (before basic sciences, after basic sciences, residency), and Moral skills inventory questionnaire. The data were analyzed using a T-test and multiple regression analysis at a confidence level of 95%. Results: The total score of the moral skills questionnaire was about 44 out of 80, and there was no difference between males and females in moral skills (p=0.79). However, there was a significant difference in moral sensitivity between married and single students (p=0.036). Residents gained significantly higher moral integrity scores than students (p=0.046). Conclusion: The study highlights that the level of professional moral skills in Kerman dental students and residents was acceptable. Single students got higher scores in the moral sensitivity domain, although residents got the highest scores in the moral integrity domain. There was no significant correlation between gender and the level of moral skills

Impact of Laughter Therapy on Anxiety and Pain in Pediatric Dentistry: A Double-Blinded Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial

Objective: To evaluate the effect of laughter therapy on reducing anxiety and pain during dental procedures in children 5‒7 years of age. Material and Methods: 48 children aged 5‒7 years were included in this cross-over double-blinded clinical trial after the parents completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorder questionnaire (SCARED). After allocation into two groups: laughter intervention (A) and neutral intervention (B), the anxiety as well as pain were determined by Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale Faces questionnaire (MCDASF) and the Wong-Baker Faces Scale, respectively. Also, the child’s behavior during the treatment was recorded using the Sound, Eye, Motor scale (SEM). Data were analyzed by SPSS 21 using Paired t-test, Independent t-test, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon’s test. Results: The mean score of anxiety in the laughter intervention group (17.42±2.74) was significantly less than (22.06±2.16) in the neutral intervention group (p=0.000) and lower in boys in both groups (p=0.000, p=0.047). The mean pain severity reported by the children in the neutral intervention group (5.33±1.81) was higher than in the laughter intervention group (2.38±1.87; p=0.00) and higher in girls in both groups (p=0.02; p=0.03). Conclusion: The laughter intervention before dental procedures had a significant effect on reducing anxiety and pain during dental treatment

Assessment of Mental and Spiritual Health Among Iranian Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To investigate the relationship between mental health and spiritual well-being among general and post-graduate dental students. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study conducted on 268 general and post-graduate dental students. Data collection tools included the Mental Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28: General Health Questionnaire) and the Spiritual Health Questionnaire. The data were analyzed by the SPSS version 25 using Independent Samples t-test, One-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, Multiple linear regression with a significant level at 0.05. Results: The total score of the Spiritual Health Questionnaire was 71.48 ± 0.507 and the Mental Health Questionnaire was 40.31±0.65. There was a significant difference in the spiritual health status between the general and post-graduate students (p=0.009). Overall, there was a significant positive relationship between the students' spiritual health and mental health (p=0.045), although a significant relationship was evident between mental health and age of the students (p=0.019). Conclusion: The spiritual health was high in the dental students and Kerman University of medical sciences residents. Also, there was a positive significant relationship between spiritual and mental health

Assessing the Knowledge of Students about Dental Bleaching in Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran

Statement of the Problem: An attractive smile and white teeth give self-confidence and provide impression of health, which help individuals for social and interpersonal success. Increasing demand for tooth bleaching and lack of relevant information on the other hand, necessitate a new investigation to assess the knowledge of the students about dental bleaching in Kerman. Purpose: This study was designed to assess the overall knowledge of the students of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman regarding dental bleaching and their tendency to perform it. Materials and Method: This cross-sectional study enrolled 384 students who were selected by simple random sampling. A valid and reliable self-administered researcher-made questionnaire was employed to collect data about demographic information, health behavior, tooth bleaching, and the tendency to perform .This tool contained 8 questions with the focus on the knowledge of dental bleaching. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 21 and regression analysis at a significant level of 0.05. Results: Overall, 59.55% of participants were male and 40.45% were female students. Most likely, the source for gaining information was internet. In this regard, 29 individuals were dissatisfied with tooth color, 27 ones with the appearance of teeth, 13.5% have done tooth bleaching, and 69% had tendency to do that. The preferred knowledge was about the difference between scaling and root planning (SRP) and bleaching. There was no significant difference between age, gender, and marital status variables with the knowledge of dental bleaching. Tooth color satisfaction increased the tendency to do bleaching about 1.87 times. Conclusion: The study highlights that 69 % of the students had a tendency to do the bleaching, their knowledge was moderate, and there was no statistical relationship between knowledge, gender, and marital variables. Color variable had an overall positive effect on the tendency to do the bleaching

Assessing Moral Skills in General and Post-Graduate Dental Students in the Southeast of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To assess the level of moral skills in dental students and residents. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted on dental students and residents of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, selected by census sampling. Data collection tools included a demographic information checklist (age, gender, marital status, educational level (before basic sciences, after basic sciences, residency), and Moral skills inventory questionnaire. The data were analyzed using a T-test and multiple regression analysis at a confidence level of 95%. Results: The total score of the moral skills questionnaire was about 44 out of 80, and there was no difference between males and females in moral skills (p=0.79). However, there was a significant difference in moral sensitivity between married and single students (p=0.036). Residents gained significantly higher moral integrity scores than students (p=0.046). Conclusion: The study highlights that the level of professional moral skills in Kerman dental students and residents was acceptable. Single students got higher scores in the moral sensitivity domain, although residents got the highest scores in the moral integrity domain. There was no significant correlation between gender and the level of moral skills