Factors Affecting Oral Hygiene and Tooth Brushing in Preschool Children, Shiraz/Iran

Abstract Statement of Problem: Inadequate tooth brushing and inappropriate oral hygiene can lead to dental caries, the most common chronic diseases of childhood with several side effects. Objectives: To evaluate factors affecting on preschool children’s oral hygiene and tooth brushing in Shiraz, Iran Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we selected 453 children registered in Shiraz kindergartens in 2013 by randomized cluster sampling. The children’s tooth brushing and oral hygiene were assessed using a reliable and valid questionnaire and Simplified Debris Index (DI-S), respectively. A dental student examined all the children in each kindergarten to determine their DI-S. The relationship between the children’s demographic variables and their oral hygiene and tooth brushing status were evaluated. Results: Tooth brushing for 272 children (71.2%) had been started after the age of 2 years. The teeth in 96 children (24.2%) had been brushed lower than once daily. The mean of the children’s DI-S was 1.19 ± (0.77). The DI-S of only 126 children (31.8%) was found to be good and very good. After controlling the effect of confounding factors, we found that the children’s tooth brushing frequency was significantly associated with the number of children in the family and mothers’ employment status. The age at which tooth brushing had been started was significantly associated with the fathers’ education. Furthermore, the DI-S was associated with children’s age, number of the children in the family, and their mothers’ education. Conclusions: Oral hygiene and tooth brushing of the preschool children were not in a desirable status. Interventional procedures, especially educational programs, are recommended for children and their parents. These programs seem to be more necessary for older children, low socioeconomic families, and families with more than one child

Oral health-related quality of life in patients infected with HIV, Iran: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background The life expectancy of patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has increased, but its oral manifestations can affect the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) of these patients. This study aimed to evaluate OHRQoL in HIV-infected patients and determine its related factors. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 250 HIV-infected patients were randomly selected from Shiraz Voluntary Counseling and Testing center in 2019. OHRQoL was measured using the revised Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index for HIV patients. The associations between patients’ OHRQoL and demographic characteristics were examined. Results The mean score of the patients' OHRQoL was 24.55 ± 6.27. The lowest and highest scores belonged to the psychosocial and pain categories, respectively. In the univariate analysis, the OHRQoL was significantly associated with patients' age (p = 0.012), duration of the disease (p = 0.009), job (p = 0.006), edentulous status (p = 0.003), and wearing denture (p < 0.001). However, in the multiple linear regression analysis, a significant difference was found only between denture wearing and non-denture wearing patients (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions The OHRQoL of HIV-infected patients was not optimal since most of the patients were worried about their oral and dental health problems. The OHRQoL was significantly better in denture-wearing patients. This finding highlights the impact of unmet dental needs on OHRQoL in HIV-infected patients. Therefore, dental services coverage for patients with HIV is essential, so that they can have timely access to oral health care. Furthermore, dentures should be considered as an unmet healthcare need among HIV patients in public health policies

The effect of thermal and mechanical cycling on bond strength of a ceramic to nickel-chromium (Ni-Cr) and cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloys

Purpose: This study evaluates the effect of thermo-mechanical cycling (TMC) on the bond strength of a ceramic to three cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) and two nickel-chromium (Ni-Cr) alloys. Materials and Methods: One hundred metal-ceramic specimens were prepared. While half of the specimens from each metal-ceramic combination (n = 10) were tested after storage in water at 37°C for 24 hours, the other half were subjected to TMC before testing. The bond strength was evaluated by the flexural strength test according to ISO 9693:1999 (E) recommendations. Results: TMC decreased the bond strength of the tested metal-ceramic systems as compared to the water storage (control groups) (P=0.04). Although metal alloys were significantly different from each other in their bond strength with porcelain (P<0.001), the effect of TMC on the various metal-ceramic systems was not significantly different (P=0.99). Conclusion: It may be concluded that base metal-ceramic bond strength is affected by aging and the effect is relatively the same for all the tested porcelain-metal systems

Occupational Exposure of Shiraz Dental Students to Patients’ Blood and Body Fluid

Statement of the Problem: Exposure to patients’ blood and body fluids would prone the dental students to the risk of blood borne infections. Several studies have shown a high prevalence of these exposures in dental settings particularly in developing countries. However, few studies have evaluated the epidemiology of these exposures in dental students in Iran.\ud Purpose: To assess the epidemiology of occupational exposures among dental students and consequently designing the appropriate interventions in order to prevent these exposures. \ud Materials and Method: In this cross-sectional study performed during March to June 2011, all 191 Shiraz clinical dental students were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. This questionnaire included demographic information and experience of sharp injuries and mucocutaneous contaminations. Chi square and t-test were employed to evaluate the risk factors of exposure.\ud Results: 80%of the participants were exposed to the patients’ blood or body fluids during their clinical course. No association was found between the exposure and demographic factors. Injection needle and recapping were the most common causes of these injuries. The most common sites that were injured and caused mucocutaneous contamination were finger and face, respectively. The most frequent activity causing contamination was using high-speed rotary instruments. Only 6.4% of the exposures had been reported to the related authorities and the remains were underreported.\ud Conclusion: Blood and body fluid exposure in dental setting is common and a lot of them are not reported. To reduce the hazards of these exposures, infection control authorities should design interventions especially for mentioned high-risk conditions. They should change dental students’ behavior especially regarding not recapping injection needles and using eyewear. Dental schools seem to need a management center and a standard protocol for following up the exposures.\u