An evaluation of knowledge and performance of pregnant women in Isfahan regarding common oral lesions during pregnancy

Background. Most common oral lesions during pregnancy are subjected to oral hygiene and gaining knowledge about them can improve oral health during this period. Thus, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of pregnant women in Isfahan about common oral lesions. Methods. This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study included 210 pregnant women aged 18-45 years who were non-dentists referring to private offices in three areas in Isfahan. A researcher-made questionnaire was used for data collection which determined the average knowledge and performance scores of the subjects as well as the relationship between knowledge and age, education, pregnancy, occupation, and their living area. Also, a one-way analysis of variance as well as Pearson correlation coefficient and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. Results. The knowledge and performance levels of most women were average. The knowledge level of pregnant women were directly related to their performance. That is, the more knowledge level, the higher performance score. The knowledge score was not related to age, employment in the non-healthcare section and being a housewife, place of residence and birth, but was directly related to employment in the healthcare section and education. The performance score was related to age, employment in the healthcare section, place of residence and education, but was notrelated to birth rank. Conclusion. The knowledge of pregnant women in Isfahan was moderate and needed to be increased. This knowledge was not much different in various groups of society, thus it should be increased in different ways. Practical Implications. Increasing the knowledge of pregnant women about the types of lesions and their prevention methods can reduce their prevalence which also will lead to a decrease in worries during this period

The salivary alpha-amylase concentration in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A case–control study

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases. Previous studies have reported an association between stress and salivary alpha-amylase. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of salivary alpha-amylase in patients with RA (by elimination of stress factor). Materials and Methods: In this case–control study, we enrolled 50 patients with RA and 48 healthy patients as the control group. The perceived stress scale questionnaire was used to evaluate scores of stress in both case and control groups, and then the participants with high scores of stress were excluded from the study. Moreover, the alpha-amylase activity kit was used for the assessment of the levels of salivary alpha-amylase. In all analyses, the significance level was considered to be < 0.05. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed by SPSS22. Results: Our results indicated a high score of stress in the case group (19.42 ± 5.83 units) compared with the control group (18.02 ± 6.07 units) which was not statistically significant (P 312 alpha-amylase concentrations, were 80% and 46%, respectively. Conclusion: In general, we indicated that the alpha-amylase concentration in patients with RA is higher than the healthy controls, and can be used as a codiagnostic factor