Abstract Background Dental curriculums require regular revision to stay up to date in scientifical and societal fields. Senior dental students are among the main stakeholders of such curriculums. The present study investigated the opinions of Iranian senior dental students regarding the adequacy of their dentistry program and the national dental curriculum in training a competent dentist, the program’s content, and its structure. Methods A previously designed and validated questionnaire on the opinion of senior dental students regarding curriculum adequacy was sent to a representative in each of the country’s dental schools. Before the COVID pandemic terminated data collection, a total of 16 schools (438 students) managed to respond (37%). The questionnaire asked the students to assess the adequacy of the training received in curriculum’s theoretical and practical competencies with the help of a five-point Likert scale that ranged from “Completely inadequate” to “Completely adequate”. It also questioned them on its teaching methods and intensity. SPSS software version 24 and Chi-square test served for statistical analysis. Results In total, the study has 438 participants, 245 female and 193 male. Significant sex differences were spotted in the responses concerning both theoretical and practical training. Regarding general training adequacy, 50 (22.6%) female students and 50 male ones (30.7%), P = 0.08 agreed that the program was acceptable. The numbers for students of old (more than 15 years of activity) and new schools were 47 (21.7%) and 53 (31.7%), respectively ( P = 0.03). Nearly one-third deemed the teaching methods appropriate. Regarding the duration of curriculum phases, 33 students (8.3%) believed that basic science required extension, while 108 (28.6%) and 266 (69.1%) reported such need for pre-clinical and clinical phases. The school’s years of activity emerged as significant, as 38.1% of students from new schools versus 21.7% of those from old ones deemed the extension of pre-clinical phase necessary ( P < 0.001). Conclusion A significant number of Iranian senior dental students found the undergraduate dental curriculum inadequate regarding competencies, content, and teaching. Further investigations will determine whether it’s the curriculum or its implementation that warrants revision.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the smoking behaviour and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) among the students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBUMS).
Methods: This survey was conducted using a self-administered anonymous questionnaire mainly based on the Persian version of the Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire. The students of eight disciplines (Dentistry, Environmental health engineering, Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, and Public health) of SBUMS were invited to participate in this study. Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, and logistic regression served for statistical analyses. The P-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 290 students (151 male) participated in the study. About 1.4% of the participants were 15-18 years old, 85.5% were 19-24, 8.6% were 25-29, 3.4% were 30 or older, and 1.0% of them did not report their age. Among all the disciplines, dental students reported the highest prevalence (52.0%) for current cigarette smoking while public health students reported the lowest (0.0%). Regarding the prevalence of exposure to ETS, nutrition students reported the highest (96.4%), and nursing students reported the lowest (57.1%). Current cigarette smoking was reported by 34.4% of the participants. This rate was significantly higher in men when compared to women (PË‚0.001). Among participants, 78.6% had been exposed to ETS. The frequency distribution of exposure to ETS was statistically significantly different between males and females (P Ë‚ 0.001).
Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence of current cigarette smoking and/or the prevalence of exposure to ETS among the students of SBUMS were alarming. These results have further highlighted the importance and necessity of planning to reduce tobacco use and increase awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco products on overall health among the students of SBUMS.
Background: Conclusive evidence exists about associations between several life-threatening diseases and passive smoking. The objective of our study was to investigate the prevalence of passive smoking among Iranian dental students, to assess their attitudes towards tobacco control programs, and to explore the association between these two and tobacco use. Methods: In eight randomly selected dental schools, all fourth-year students were surveyed by means of a self-administered anonymous questionnaire in December 2010. The Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire served as the data collection instrument. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was assessed during the previous week. Chi-square test, logistic regression, and linear regression served for statistical analyses. Results: The response rate was 84% (325 students, 66% female). Exposure to ETS was reported by 74% of the participants. Men were significantly more exposed to ETS at home, and in other places than were women. Most of the students agreed on queried tobacco control policies. The lowest agreement (72%) was for banning smoking in coffee shops and teahouses. A logistic regression model showed that adjusted for gender, passive smoking at home is significantly associated with current tobacco use. A linear regression model suggested that the total score of attitudes is significantly associated with passive smoking at home, passive smoking in other places, tobacco use experience, and current tobacco use. Conclusions: The study reports high exposure to ETS among dental students, and its association with current tobacco use and attitudes towards tobacco control.
A national survey was conducted to provide up-to-date data on current and ever use of tobacco among Iranian dental students.All 4th-year students of 8 randomly selected dental schools were surveyed anonymously in December 2010 using the Global Health Professions Student Survey questionnaire.Of 325 participants, 54.2% were ever users of tobacco products (73.0% of males versus 44.4% of females); 50.8% had used waterpipes, 34.2% cigarettes and 9.3% other products.The most common age at first use was 20-24 years for both sexes.Current tobacco use was reported by 20.6% of respondents, cigarette smoking by 10.8% and waterpipe smoking by 15.8%.Regression models showed that current cigarette and waterpipe smoking were significantly associated with male sex but not with type of dental school (state/private).Current waterpipe smoking was also associated with age at first experience.In view of the important role of dentists in tobacco control, the prevention of tobacco use should be stressed among Iranian dental students.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an educational poster on elementary school health teachers' knowledge about emergency management of traumatic dental injuries.
Background . Health professionals play an essential role in tobacco control. Our objective was to assess Iranian dental students' attitudes towards tobacco control. Methods . Eight dental schools were randomly selected, and a survey using Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) instrument was conducted among dental students in 2010 in Iran. The chi-square test served for statistical analyses. Results . Of the participants (325 students, 66% female), about one-fifth (21%) were current tobacco (including cigarettes and waterpipe) users. A clear majority (over 80%) of the students agreed as to the responsibility of health professionals on serving as role models for patients and the public, routinely advising patients using tobacco to quit, and giving patients advice about smoking cessation. Over 75% believed that cigarette-smoking health professionals are less likely to advise their patients to stop smoking. Current tobacco users were significantly less likely to agree with these beliefs (P<0.05). Conclusion . Future oral health professionals have generally positive attitudes towards tobacco control. However, their own current tobacco use has a significant negative impact on these attitudes, an impact which ought to be taken into account in tobacco control.
Background: Dentists are at higher risk of exposure to blood-borne pathogens including HBV (hepatitis B virus), HCV (hepatitis C virus), and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge about post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against HBV/HCV/HIV among the general dentists working in Mashhad in 2016. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample (141 persons) of the general dentists working in Mashhad. The data gathering tool in this study was a self-administered questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was assessed by a group of relevant specialists. The reliability of the questionnaire was also tested by a test-retest method with a two-week interval. The agreement between the two steps (test and retest) was at least 70%, and Cronbach’s alpha was 0.74. The total score of each person’s knowledge ranged from -20 to +20. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t test were used for statistical analyses. Results: Out of 141 dentists selected randomly, 101 subjects (69.3% male) participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 42.3 years, And the mean duration of dental practice experience was 16.3 years. Regarding the mean age (P = 0.11), and the mean duration of dental practice experience (P = 0.12), there was no statistically significant difference between the two genders. The mean score of knowledge among the participants was -2.8, and there was no statistically significant difference between the two genders in this regard (P = 0.72). Conclusions: This study indicated that the level of knowledge about PEP against HBV/HCV/HIV was very low among the general dentists working in Mashhad. Therefore, improving knowledge of general dentists working in Mashhad through appropriate educational interventions seems necessary.
Background: The analysis of complaints against health professionals assists in improving health care services. The objective of this study was to evaluate complaints against dentists working in Mashhad, Iran during 2012-2017. Methods: In this study, all the available completed dental complaint cases from the archive of the Mashhad Medical Council addressed within a six-year time period (from 2012 through 2017) were reviewed. The required information was extracted based on a checklist including variables such as the gender of dentists and complainants, the age of dentists and complainants, dentists’ degree, the place of service provision, the type of services provided, the causes of complaints, and the sentences issued to dentists (conviction or non-conviction). Results: A total of 208 cases were evaluated, and in 67 (32.2%) cases, dentists had been found guilty. Most cases involving convicted dentists were associated with male dentists, female complainants, general dentists, and in-office services. In the cases of convicted dentists, the most common service provided was endodontic treatment and the most common cause of complaint was failed or incomplete treatment. Conclusion: To reduce the growing number of complaints against dentists, their skills should be improved, especially in endodontic treatment services. It is advisable for general dentists to consider referring patients to specialists either for more skilled treatments or to allow their patients’ expectations to be better met.
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