Soukaina Ryalat

The knowledge and attitude about HIV/AIDS among Jordanian dental students: (Clinical versus pre clinical students) at the University of Jordan

BackgroundThe present study aimed to address the suspected deficiency in the level of understanding of HIV/AIDS among clinical and pre clinical dental students at the University of Jordan. In this cross-sectional study, structured questionnaires were distributed to fifth year dental students (n = 121) and to third year dental students (n = 144) in the academic year 2008/2009.FindingsSignificantly higher percentage of fifth-year students compared to third-year students felt that the teaching they received on cross-infection precautions and barrier dentistry was adequate (P < 0.001). Majority (84.2%) of fifth-year students were aware that individual carrying anti-HIV antibodies to be an HIV carrier, only 57.7% of third-year students were aware of this fact (P < 0.001). Majority recognized the association between Kaposi sarcoma, oral candidiasis and hairy leukoplakia with HIV/AIDS but knowledge of the association between HIV/AIDS with less frequent lesions was inadequate.Significantly higher proportion of third-year students compared to fifth-year (39.2% vs. 26.3%) thought that HIV patients should be referred to other centers or support groups for treatment (P = 0.04).ConclusionsThe level of knowledge of Jordanian dental students about HIV and AIDS was generally acceptable; there were inadequacies, however, in their understanding regarding some aspects of AIDS epidemic which demands that dental school curriculum needs some improvement.

Analysis of clinical records of dental patients attending Jordan University Hospital: Documentation of drug prescriptions and local anesthetic injections.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze clinical records of dental patients attending the Dental Department at the University of Jordan Hospital: a teaching hospital in Jordan. Analysis aimed at determining whether dental specialists properly documented the drug prescriptions and local anesthetic injections given to their patients. Methods: Dental records of the Dental Department at the Jordan University Hospital were reviewed during the period from April 3rd until April 26th 2007 along with the issued prescriptions during that period. Results: A total of 1000 records were reviewed with a total of 53 prescriptions issued during that period. Thirty records documented the prescription by stating the category of the prescribed drug. Only 13 records stated the generic or the trade names of the prescribed drugs. Of these, 5 records contained the full elements of a prescription. As for local anesthetic injections, the term “LA used” was found in 22 records while the names and quantities of the local anesthetics used were documented in only 13 records. Only 5 records documented the full elements of a local anesthetic injection. Conclusion: The essential data of drug prescriptions and local anesthetic injections were poorly documented by the investigated group of dental specialists. It is recommended that the administration of the hospital and the dental department implement clear and firm guidelines for dental practitioners in particular to do the required documentation procedure.

New form of administering chlorhexidine for treatment of denture-induced stomatitis

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the release of chlorhexidine as an antifungal drug from doped self-cured poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) acrylic resin and the effect of the drug released on the growth of Candida albicans. Methods: Release of chlorhexidine was evaluated using liquid chromatography, and the effect of the drug on the growth of C. albicans was investigated microbiologically using a “well” technique on Saboraud culture medium inoculated with a resistant strain of C. albicans. Results: Chlorhexidine leached steadily out of the acrylic resin into distilled water at mouth temperature, and the sustained drug release continued throughout the 28-day test period. The drug released also demonstrated antifungal activity against the resistant strain of C. albicans. Conclusion: The findings of this study support the use of chlorhexidine-impregnated self-cured PMMA chair-side resin as a new dosage form for the treatment of denture-induced stomatitis.

Prevalence of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders among Students of the University of Jordan

Background This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) among students of the University of Jordan. Methods Information about the symptoms of TMD and the possible risk factors were collected using specifically designed questionnaires. The collected data sets were treated statistically using the SPSS release 14 package. Results The results of the present investigation showed that pain in or about the ears or cheeks was the most prevalent symptom whereas locking of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) was the least prevalent. Nearly one-third of the investigated sample (31.4%, 346/1103) had no symptoms of TMD whereas 68.6% (757/1103) had at least one symptom. Students of health science studies had significantly the highest risk in developing TMJ clicking compared to students studying pure science or humanitarian studies. Conclusions TMD is of a high prevalence among students of the University of Jordan, particularly among students of health and science studies, which signify the role of stress in the development and/or progression of TMD. The findings of this study are alarming and entailing further investigations to identify risk factors associated with TMD in order to establish measures for prevention and treatment. Keywords TMD; Clicking; Health sciences; Humanitarian studies

The unstimulated salivary flow rate in a jordanian healthy adult population.

Background Early diagnosis of xerostomia is very important for oral health. The purpose of this study was to determine the unstimulated whole salivary flow rates (UWSFR) in a Jordanian Arab population aged 15 years and older. The effect of age, gender, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol consumption, and dental conditions, on UWSFR was also investigated. Methods The study was conducted on 244 subjects, 110 males and 134 females, with an average age of 33 ± 15.5 years. They were healthy, unmedicated, and with no history of dry mouth. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected during five minutes, and UWSFRs (ml/min) were determined. Data were analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariate regression analysis. Results The mean UWSFR was 0.46 ± 0.25 ml/min (range: 0.10-1.6 ml/min). Eighteen patients (7.4%) had UWSFR between < 0.20 ml/min. In univariate analysis, UWSFR was significantly affected by age, BMI, number of missing and restored teeth, and DMFT score. Regression analysis revealed that only age and number of missing teeth were of significance in explaining the variability of the UWSFR. Conclusions We established basic standard values of UWSFR to be used in the evaluation of Jordanian patients with complaints of xerostomia and to be compared to data reported in other studies. UWSFR 0.1 ml/min could be considered the cut-off value that distinguishes normal from abnormal salivary function in this healthy unmedicated population. Keywords Whole saliva flow rate; Unstimulated; Jordan

Effect of Oral Diseases on Mothers Giving Birth to Preterm Infants

Objectives: To determine the association between preterm birth (PTB) and maternal oral diseases during pregnancy. Subjects and Methods: This prospective study was performed by the neonatal and dental departments at Jordan University Hospital. The study included 100 women who gave birth to preterm singleton infants (born less than 37 complete weeks from last menstrual period) between January and July 2009. The control group included an equal number of women who delivered singleton, full-term infants on the same day or the day after the women in the study. The mothers’ demographic data were collected using a questionnaire, and an oral examination was conducted for each participant. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows release 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill., USA). Factors related to PTB were studied in univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Significantly higher DMFT (decayed, missing, filled teeth) index scores, Silness and Loe plaque index scores and Mühlemann tooth mobility index scores were associated with PTB. Mothers who did not have prepregnancy dental checkups had a significantly higher incidence of PTB. Fewer mothers in the PTB group visited dentists during their last pregnancy compared with controls. Conclusions: Oral health, especially healthy periodontium, is one reliable indicator for predicting a safe pregnancy outcome.

The Mental Foramen I: Radiographic Study of the Anterior-Posterior Position and Shape in Iraqi Population

Informacion precisa sobre la ubicacion horizontal y forma del foramen mental puede tener importancia clinica en la reduccion de complicaciones durante procedimientos quirurgicos maxilofaciales que involucran el area mental. Fueron reportadas variaciones geograficas en relacion a estas variables. El objetivo fue estudiar la posicion horizontal y forma del foramen mental, a partir de 518 radiografias panoramicas de una muestra aleatoria en sujetos de Irak (257 varones, 261 mujeres; edad media= 46,5 anos), quienes fueron evaluados con respecto a la posicion horizontal, forma y la simetria de los foramenes mentales. En individuos de edad avanzada se encontro una asociacion con un aumento en la frecuencia de un posicionamiento posterior y con forma irregular. La posicion horizontal y forma del foramen fueron asimetricos en 21,6% y 31,6% de los casos, respectivamente. La diferencia hallada en relacion a la simetria en posicion horizontal y forma de los foramenes mentales fue estadisticamente significativa entre sexos (p=0,041), y entre los grupos de edad jovenes y mayores (P=0,001), respectivamente. Se encontro con mayor frecuencia la posicion horizontal entre los ejes longitudinales de los dos premolares mandibulares, y la forma circular, en relacion a la posicion antero-posterior y forma del foramen, respectivamente. Estos fueron resultados similares a estudios anteriores sobre otras poblaciones. Los foramenes mentales son simetricos, respecto a su ubicacion horizontal y su forma.

The Mental Foramen II: Radiographic Study of the Superior-Inferior Position, Appearance and Accessory Foramina in Iraqi Population

La informacion precisa acerca de la localizacion vertical, apariencia del foramen mental y la presencia de foramenes accesorios, puede tener importancia clinica, como la reduccion de las complicaciones que pueden ocurrir durante muchos procedimientos quirurgicos orales relacionados con el menton. Las variaciones geograficas fueron reportadas en estas variables. El objetivo fue evaluar las variables anteriormente mencionadas en una muestra iraqui. Fueron evaluadas 518 radiografias panoramicas de una muestra aleatoria de Irak (257 varones, 261 mujeres, edad media = 46,5 anos) con respecto a las variables antes mencionadas, asi como la simetria del foramen con respecto a estas variables. El area por debajo de los apices de los premolares mandibulares y el tipo continuo, fueron la localizacion vertical y apariencia del foramen mental mas frecuentes, respectivamente. La edad avanzada se asocio con un aumento en la frecuencia de posicionamiento mas inferior y de apariencia continua. La localizacion vertical y la apariencia fueron asimetricas en 16,2 % y 20,1 % de los casos, respectivamente. La simetria en la localizacion vertical fue estadisticamente significativa entre sexos (p= 0,035), y entre jovenes y viejos (P= 0,000). La simetria en apariencia solo fue estadisticamente significativa (p= 0,025) entre los dos grupos de edad. Se registro presencia de foramenes accesorios en un 7,3 % de los casos. La localizacion vertical del foramen mental mas comun en las radiografias panoramicas de este grupo estan por debajo de los apices de los premolares mandibulares, y respecto a la apariencia, el tipo continuo fue el mas comun. Esto esta en coherencia con los resultados de estudios anteriores en otras poblaciones. Los foramenes mentales tienen una localizacion vertical y apariencia que suelen ser simetricas. Los foramenes accesorios se registran en un porcentaje inferior al informado recientemente en algunos paises de la region.

Efficacy of intraligamentary anesthesia in maxillary first molar extraction

Introduction Infiltration anesthesia (IA) is the method to anaesthetize maxillary teeth successfully. In contrast, intraligamentary anesthesia (ILA) has been used as supplementary anesthesia during tooth extraction, particularly when regional block anesthesia has failed. In this study, we compare the efficacy of and patient satisfaction with ILA vs IA when extracting maxillary first molar teeth. Methods Forty patients were enrolled in this study and 80 maxillary first molars extracted. All patients served as their own control, with ILA as the experimental side and IA as the control side. The two techniques were compared for efficacy using a visual analog scale (VAS) and patient satisfaction compared using a verbal rating scale (VRS). Results The mean VAS pain score for extraction using ILA was lower than that for IA (20.30±3.18 and 13.93±1.95 mm, respectively; P<0.001). For injection pain, the mean VAS pain score in the ILA side was higher than the IA side (42.28±4.51 and 31.73±3.1 mm, respectively; P<0.001). VRS results showed a higher number of patients who felt that pain during ILA was greater than expected compared with IA. Conclusion IA appears less painful during injection compared with ILA, and provides sufficient pain relief during extraction. However, ILA can be used when IA fails to achieve the desired pain suppression, as it provides higher extraction-pain relief.