Based on the current emphasis on competency-based education, as a part of need assessment phase of dental curriculum revision in Iran, in the present study the dental graduates' perspective concerning the minimum competency requirements for an Iranian general dentist has been investigated.Based on the three available major competency documents in the literature a questionnaire was developed in which the participants were asked to indicate their opinion about the necessity of each of the 142 stated competencies for an Iranian general dentist (Yes/No), and to state the degree to which they believed the current curriculum covers each competency (Completely, Partially, Not at all). In an annual meeting in June 2008, the provincial chief dental managers were asked to distribute the questionnaires among general dentists in their province (10 questionnaires in each province). The managers posted back the completed questionnaires to the researchers.Of 300 questionnaires distributed in the 30 provinces of the country, 250 questionnaires (83%) were returned. While most of the participants considered the competencies as necessary for an Iranian dentist, less than 40% of the respondents believed that the graduates acquire the most required competencies of the profession during the current educational program.A necessity exists for curriculum revision. In addition to clinical skills, in this revision more emphasis also should be placed on the non-clinical part of the curriculum.
Students' motives for studying Dentistry have been a subject of interest for years because of the potential for understanding the psychological makeup and subsequent job satisfaction for the dentist. It is also useful in identifying expectations of the profession. This study therefore tried to identify study motives and career preferences of dental students especially with respect to the practice of paediatric dentistry. This was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire. The final year students in six dental schools in Nigeria were required to fill the questionnaire. Students were asked to rank their motives and career preferences on a Likert like scale with points ranging from 0–5 where 0 represented a factor that had no influence on their decision and 5 represented a very influential factor. The underlying dimensions for study motives, career preference, impression about and motive for interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry were identified using factor analysis. One hundred and seventy nine of 223 students (80.3%) participated in this study. Motives for the practice of dentistry included characteristics of the profession, altruism and intellectual challenges, existence of artistic theme in dentistry and parent's recommendation. Overall, 67.1% of respondents indicated interest in postgraduate studies and 50.8% were interested in paediatric dentistry practice. The main motives for showing interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry were 'personal interest, professional interest and interest of significant others in children', and 'family influence'. Significantly more males than females were interested in the practice of paediatric dentistry though the motives for interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry did not differ significantly by sex or age. The non-significant sex difference in the motives for interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry is a possible reflection of changes in strong cultural themes in the motives for career choices in Nigeria.
Abstract Background Continuing education aims at assisting physicians to maintain competency and expose them to emerging issues in their field. Over the last decade, approaches to the delivery of educational content have changed dramatically as medical education at all levels is now benefitting from the use of web-based content and applications for mobile devices. The aim of the present study is to investigate through a randomized trial the effectiveness of a smart phone application to increase public health service physicians’ (PHS physicians) knowledge regarding pediatric oral health care. Method Five of all seven DHCs (District Health Center) in Tehran, which were under the supervision of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Iran University of Medical Sciences, were selected for our study. Physicians of one DHC had participated in a pilot study. All PHS physicians in the other four centers were invited to the current study on a voluntary basis ( n = 107). They completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding their knowledge, attitudes, practice in pediatric dentistry, and background. PHS physicians were assigned randomly to intervention and control groups; those in the intervention group, received a newly designed evidence-based smartphone application, and those in the control group received a booklet, a CME seminar, and a pamphlet. A post-intervention survey was administered 4 months later and t-test and repeated measures ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance) were performed to measure the difference in the PHS physicians’ knowledge, attitude and practice. Results In both groups, the mean knowledge scores were significantly higher ( p -Value < 0.001) in post-intervention data compared to those at baseline. Similar results existed in attitude and practice scores. Although the scores in knowledge in the intervention group indicating potentially greater improvement when compared to those of the control group, the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant (dif: 0.84, 95% CI − 0.35 to 2.02). Conclusion In the light of the limitations of the present study, smart phone applications could improve knowledge, attitude and practice in physicians although this method was not superior to the conventional method of CME. Trial registration Our clinical trial had been registered in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (registration code: IRCT2016091029765N1 ).
Objective Previous studies have shown the lack of oral health content in medical school programs.The aim of our study is to investigate knowledge and attitude of pediatric oral health care among public health physicians in non-affluent areas in 2016.Methods Our sample was public health physicians in non-affluent areas of Tehran (n = 107) and the data collection tool was a selfadministered questionnaire.Knowledge and attitude toward pediatric oral health, tendency and perceived necessity to gain oral health information, demographic characteristics and practice background were sections of our questionnaire. ResultsThe response rate was 79%.Knowledge scores of 19.5% and attitude scores of 45.3% of the participants were in the highest quartile while the correspondent highest quartile scores for the necessity and tendency of gaining oral health information were 74.1 and 13%, respectively.Those with more knowledge of pediatric oral health, feeling more necessity and reporting more tendency to gain oral health information were more likely to have positive attitude toward pediatric oral health. ConclusionThe irrefutable lack of pediatric oral health care knowledge was seen among public health physicians of non-affluent areas of Tehran.If an understanding of preventive care in children become more relevant among public health physicians, they will show better dental health.
Abstract Background Oral health behavior (OHB), one major factor contributing to proper oral health status, has been addressed insufficiently in addiction literature. The aim of our study was to investigate OHB and its determinants among drug addicts in withdrawal treatment. Methods Through a stratified cluster sampling method, we collected the data from 685 patients in withdrawal treatment in Tehran using self-administered questionnaires on OHB components and conducting interviews about patients’ characteristics and addiction history. The T-test, ANOVA, and a linear regression model served for statistical analysis. Results Of the patients, 48% reported brushing their teeth less than once a day, more than 90% used fluoride toothpaste almost or always, and 81% flossed their teeth rarely or never. Eating sugary products twice a day or more was reported by 57% of the patients and 85% of them were current smokers. Poor OHB was associated with male gender, lower education, being addicted mainly to crystalline heroin, starting drug abuse at a younger age, and having a longer history of addiction ( p < .05). Conclusion Poor OHB was found among the participants in drug withdrawal treatment. Preventive strategies on oral health should be planned and be integrated into other health promotion programs for addicts along with their withdrawal treatment taking into account special groups at higher risk.
One of the goals of the World Health Organisation goal is to ensure increased uptake of preventive oral self-care by 2020. This would require the design public health programmes that will ensure children place premium on preventive oral health care uptake. One effort in that direction is the need for countries to define baseline measures on use of preventive oral self-care measures by their population as well as identify factors that impact on its use. This study aims to determine the prevalence and the impact of age and sex on the use of recommended oral self-care measures by pupils in Southern Nigeria.Pupils age 8 to 16 years (N = 2,676) in two urban sites in Southern Nigeria completed a questionnaire about recommended oral self-care (use of fluoridated toothpaste, flossing, regularity of consuming sugary snacks between main meals), time of the last dental check-up and cigarette smoking habit. Chi square was used to test association between age (8-10years, 11-16 years), sex, and use of recommended oral self-care. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of use of recommended oral self-care.Only 7.8% of the study population practiced the recommended oral self-care. Older adolescents had an 8.0% increased odds (OR: 1.08; CI:0.81-1.43; p = 0.61) and males had a 20.0% decreased odds (OR: 0.80; CI:0.60-1.06; p = 0.12) of practicing recommended oral self-care though observed differences were not statistically significant. Very few respondents (12.7%) had visited the dental clinic for a check-up in the last one year. Majority of the respondents (92.2%) were non-smokers.The use of a combination of oral self-care approaches was very low for this study population. Age and sex were predictive factors for the use of components of the oral self-care measures but not significant predictors of use of recommended oral self-care. Future studies would be required to understand 'why' and 'how' age and sex impacts on the use of caries preventive oral self-care measures to be able to design effective prevention educational programmes for the study population.
Introduction. The variety of the genetic factors playing role in development of dental caries calls for further research in this regard. The aim of the present study was to investigate the differences between caries-free adults and adults with dental caries in terms of polymorphism of caries-related genes (AMELX and ENAM). Methods. The present case-control study was performed on 81 adults aged 18–24 years, 41 caries free, and 40 with a DMFT ≥ 4. A questionnaire containing background and demographic information (such as age, gender, time and type of latest dental check-ups, parent’s education, oral self-care, and the place of residence in the first 12 years of life) was completed by participants at the time of examination. The blood sample was taken from each participant in the EDTA tube, and PCR was performed. Gene diversity of AMELX and ENAM genes was compared between the two groups. Results. Regarding AMELX gene, in the caries-free group 33 (80.5%) and in the group with DMFT ≥ 4, 33 (82.5%) students had TT genotype, but this difference was insignificant. For ENAM gene, in the caries-free group 34 (82.9%) and in the group with DMFT ≥ 4, 39 (97.5%) students had TT genotype, but this difference was insignificant ( value = 0.048, CI 95%:0.02–1.27, and OR = 0.145). Conclusion. There was no relationship between TT and TC genotypes of single nucleotide polymorphism of AMELX and ENAM gene and susceptibility to dental caries, but with increasing sample size, there may be a relationship between SNP of ENAM gene and being caries free.
Abstract Background Global crises and disease pandemics, such as COVID-19, negatively affect dental care utilization by several factors, such as infection anxiety, disrupted supply chains, economic contraction, and household income reduction. Exploring the pattern of this effect can help policy makers to be prepared for future crises. The present study aimed to investigate the financial impact of COVID‐19 disruptions on dental service utilization. Methods Data on the number of dental services offered in Dental School Clinics of Tehran University of Medical Sciences was collected over a period of two years, before and after the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. School of Dentistry operates two clinics; one with competitive service fees and one with subsidies. Regression analyses were performed to determine the effect of the pandemic on the number of dental services divided by dental treatment groups and these clinics. The analyses were adjusted for seasonal patterns and the capacity of the clinics. Results There was a significant drop in dental services offered in both clinics across all dental groups in the post-COVID period (on average, 77 (39.44%) fewer services per day). The majority of the procedure loss happened in the Private clinic. Adjusting for seasonal patterns and the service capacity, regression results documented 54% and 12% service loss in Private and Subsidized clinics following the pandemic, respectively. Difference-in-difference analysis documented that the Subsidized clinic performed 40% more treatments than the Private clinic in the post-COVID period. Conclusions Pandemic –reduction in dental care utilization could have long-term ramifications for the oral health of the population, and policymakers need to provide supportive packages to the affected segments of the economy to reverse this trend.
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