Dental visit patterns and oral health outcomes in Saudi children

Background: Health education advocates regular dental visits to improve oral health. There is a need to verify the outcomes associated with various dental visits patterns. Objective: To assess the relationship of reported and clinically assessed oral health outcomes in Saudi children with their dental visits' pattern. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 6–12-year-old schoolchildren from six cities in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia in 2015. Parents responded to a questionnaire about dental visit patterns. Through a clinical examination, the presence of caries, sealants and need for referral was assessed. Univariate and multivariate regression was used to assess the association between dental visit patterns and pain in the past 6 months, presence of untreated caries and need for referral after controlling for confounders. Results: Of the 3000 questionnaires distributed, 2306 (76.9%) parents responded. Significantly higher odds of pain were associated with visiting when in dental pain (odds ratio = 6.81) and never visiting a dentist (odds ratio = 3.44), whereas significantly lower odds were associated with regular checkups (odds ratio = 0.28). No significant association was observed with visits after recall by dentists. Conclusion: Regular checkups initiated by parents are associated with better reported oral health outcomes in terms of pain, while recall by dentists has no impact on oral health

Effect of first week-intermittent fasting during Ramadan on the severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia: A prospective study

Background: Fasting has been well-reported as an adjunctive therapeutic approach in some chronic pain syndromes.Aim of the workTo study the effect of Ramadan intermittent fasting (RIF) on the severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia.Patients and methodsThis prospective observational study was conducted on 130 females with primary fibromyalgia eligible to fast the first week of Ramadan. The included patients were requested to answer the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire twice; the first targets the last week of Shaaban, while the second targets the first week of Ramadan.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 42.3 ± 11.03 years. The percentage of patients who improved in pain scores was 47.7%, depression (58.5%) and anxiety (55.4%) after the first week of RIF. The median value for the percent of improvement in pain, depression, and anxiety scores were 20%, 25%, and 25%, respectively. On the other hand, most patients showed worsening in the scores of energy level (56.9%) and sleep quality (60%) after the first week of RIF. The median value for the percent of worsening in the energy level and sleep quality scores were 33.3% and 36.7%, respectively. The percentage of patients who showed no change in stiffness scores was 40%, memory problems (67.7%), tenderness to touch (60.8%), balance problems (88.5%), or sensitivity to loud noises, bright lights, odors, and cold (66.9%) after the first week of RIF.ConclusionRIF may improve pain, anxiety, and depression, while it has deleterious effects on sleep and fatigue among patients with fibromyalgia

The impact of smartphone addiction on attention control and sleep in Egypt—an online survey

Abstract Background The widespread use of smartphones makes it imperative for researchers to study the adverse effect of smartphone addiction. We aimed to study the risk factors of smartphone addiction, insomnia, and attention deficit among smartphone users among a sample of Egyptian adolescents and adults. Methods An online survey was disseminated among Egyptian social media groups. Participants were requested to complete Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scale, and attention control scale (ACS). Results Two-thousand seven-hundred sixteen responded to our survey with a mean age of 31.4 ± 10.3 years. Smartphone addiction was documented in 2386 (87.8%) participants, with a median daily time for smartphone use of 5 h (IQR: 3–7). A significant association was found between smartphone addiction and younger age, higher educational levels, and urban residency (unadjusted or adjusted). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the only factor affecting the probability of moderate to severe insomnia was the higher SAS-SV score, either unadjusted (OR = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.08–1.1) or adjusted (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.08–1.11). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that higher scores on SAS-SV (P < 0.001) and ISI (P < 0.001), being female (P < 0.001), and being of rural residency (P = 0.025) were associated with lower total scores on ACS. On the other hand, older age (P < 0.001) and longer intervals between smartphone cessation and bedtime (P = 0.004) were found to increase the attention score. Conclusion Smartphone addiction is prevalent in Egypt, which deserves special concern as it may have negative consequences such as insomnia and poor attention control, particularly in younger age groups

Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital with and without respiratory symptoms

Background: COVID-19 is primarily known as a respiratory illness; however, many patients present to hospital without respiratory symptoms. The association between non-respiratory presentations of COVID-19 and outcomes remains unclear. We investigated risk factors and clinical outcomes in patients with no respiratory symptoms (NRS) and respiratory symptoms (RS) at hospital admission. Methods: This study describes clinical features, physiological parameters, and outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, stratified by the presence or absence of respiratory symptoms at hospital admission. RS patients had one or more of: cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose or wheezing; while NRS patients did not. Results: Of 178,640 patients in the study, 86.4&nbsp;% presented with RS, while 13.6&nbsp;% had NRS. NRS patients were older (median age: NRS: 74 vs RS: 65) and less likely to be admitted to the ICU (NRS: 36.7&nbsp;% vs RS: 37.5&nbsp;%). NRS patients had a higher crude in-hospital case-fatality ratio (NRS 41.1&nbsp;% vs. RS 32.0&nbsp;%), but a lower risk of death after adjusting for confounders (HR 0.88 [0.83-0.93]). Conclusion: Approximately one in seven COVID-19 patients presented at hospital admission without respiratory symptoms. These patients were older, had lower ICU admission rates, and had a lower risk of in-hospital mortality after adjusting for confounders