Dentists’ attitude and perceived educational barriers to oral health promotion among patients with disabilities

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Individuals with disability usually suffer from complex oral problems and marked physical limitations, and therefore need special dental care. The dentists’ attitude and perceived educational barriers for oral health promotion among the individuals with disabilities were evaluated in the present study. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 193 dentists participating in the 54th International Congress and Exhibition of Iranian Dental Association in 2014 were invited to complete a valid and reliable questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions on attitude, satisfaction with training courses, perceived barriers to learn about oral health of patients with disabilities, age, gender, office location (city), and experience of treating patients with disabilities. The results were analyzed in SPSS software using linear regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 177 questionnaires were collected. The mean age of the participants was 35.5 (10.1) years, and 53.8% of the participants were men. The mean score of attitude and perceived barriers was 27 out of 52, and 13.6 out of 24, respectively. Dentists were not satisfied with education they had received. The most important barrier was the shortage of experts for training (52.1%). The linear regression model controlling the confounders revealed a better attitude among dentists with higher satisfaction with their academic education and among those perceiving less barriers in receiving the related academic educations. CONCLUSION: The dentists’ attitude towards the oral health promotion of patients with disabilities was not in a desirable level. The dentists satisfied with their training during academic education had a better attitude towards treating these patients, indicating the need for more extensive interactive training programs. KEYWORDS: Dentistry for Disabled; Attitude; Barrier; Dentist; Oral Healt

Ki-67 expression predicts locoregional recurrence in stage I oral tongue carcinoma

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is an aggressive cancer associated with poor prognosis. Methods for determining the aggressiveness of OTSCC from analysis of the primary tumour specimen are thus highly desirable. We investigated whether genomic instability and proliferative activity (by means of Ki-67 activity) could be of clinical use for prediction of locoregional recurrence in 76 pretreatment OTSCC paraffin samples (stage I, n=22; stage II, n=33; stage III, n=8; stage IV, n=13). Eleven surgical tumour specimens were also analysed for remnants of proliferative activity after preoperative radiotherapy. Ninety-seven percent of cases (n=72) were characterised as being aneuploid as measured by means of image cytometry. Preoperative radiotherapy (50–68 Gy) resulted in significant reduction of proliferative activity in all patients for which post-treatment biopsies were available (P-value=0.001). Proliferative activity was not associated with response to radiation in stage II patients. However, we report a significant correlation between high proliferation rates and locoregional recurrences in stage I OTSCC patients (P-value=0.028). High-proliferative activity is thus related to an elevated risk of recurrence after surgery alone. We therefore conclude that Ki-67 expression level is a potentially useful clinical marker for predicting recurrence in surgically treated stage I OTSCC

Design, Implementation, and Assessment of Virtual Training of Dental Students in Elderly Dentistry Topic

Objectives&nbsp; To achieve better oral health care for the growing elderly population it requires education of dentists who have attitudes; knowledge and skills. With regard to the benefits of web-based training, the present study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate a short virtual course in geriatric dentistry for the senior dental students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and compare it with traditional method.&nbsp; Methods & Materials&nbsp; In the present interventional study, 64 senior dental students participated. In one group (n=31) educational content presented through virtual method and in the other group (n=33) via traditional manner. A standard questionnaire was completed by both groups before and after the educational intervention. The questionnaire included questions on general knowledge and attitudes of aging and knowledge, attitude and performance about geriatric oral health. Statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS software using covariance and regression tests. Results No significant difference found between the mean scores of general knowledge and attitudes of aging and knowledge and attitudes about geriatric oral health of two groups. The mean scores of geriatric oral health practice in the traditional and virtual groups increased from 45.4+20 to 56.9+26 and from 52.9+20 to 75.4+21, respectively, after the intervention (P<0.05). Regression analysis on the scores of students before the intervention showed that the general attitude of aging was related to &ldquo;living with the elderly at the present time,&rdquo; however no significant relationship was observed in other areas such as between students&rsquo; scores and their background factors.&nbsp; Conclusion The virtual method is effective in gaining educational insights about geriatric dentistry compared with traditional method and can be used as an alternative for teaching gerodontology to dental students

Senior dental students’ training on oral health care for geriatric patients: an interventional study

Objective We aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice of senior dental students by providing a course entitled “Geriatric Oral Health Care” at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The increasing population of the elders in both developed and developing countries highlights the importance of geriatric dental education. Methods The intervention group (n = 68) filled in a self-administered questionnaire about their background, knowledge, attitude, and practice of geriatric oral health care before and after the course. The course consisted of lectures, group discussions, and oral health examination and instructions for elderly patients. The control group completed the same questionnaire without receiving any courses on geriatric oral health care. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, one-way ANOVA, chi-square test, and linear regression modeling. Results Most of the participants (88.1%) had previously treated elderly patients and 35.1% had the experience of living with the elders. A considerable improvement was observed in both knowledge and self-reported practice of the students following the course (P 0.05). Conclusions A short-term training program on geriatric oral health care has a great impact on the students’ knowledge and practice, supporting the necessity of incorporating a geriatric dentistry course in the dental curriculum. Keywords geriatric dentistry, oral health, dental education, dental student