bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
THE DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH CURRICULUM IN DENTAL SCHOOLS IN TURKEY: A PILOT STUDY
Authors: Gallagher J. , Sen B. , Kargul B. 
Published: February 2025

In contrast to clinical teaching, Dental public health is unique and challenging because the patient is a population, such as a school, neighbourhood, city or even country. The dental curriculum for undergraduates must prepare them to contribute to the health of both individual patients and for the public health. Graduating dental students will become the healthcare leaders tasked with helping to maintain or improve the health and welfare of the population. Aim: The purpose of this survey was to assess the curriculum, the teaching-learning experiences and also dental public health based strategies taught at the undergraduate level in some dental schools in Turkey. Ethics approval was granted and agreeing to complete the questionnaire was viewed as consent. Method: The process used was to review the existing dental public health curriculum in a convenience sample of Turkish dental schools. A questionnaire seeking details of the teaching of dental public health was distributed among 12 dental schools in Turkey. Results: There was reported to be no department or section of dental public health in six of the dental schools. However, 11 of the dental schools gave education of DPH in the final year of study and this including occasional lectures. 7 of the schools operated outreach visits for the treatment of patients. 3 schools had a DPH programme director or a chairman of a DPH section and all twelve indicated that they plan to extend the teaching of DPH dentistry in the future. Conclusion: A flexible curriculum is available in some dental schools included in this study. This study demonstrated to need for increased teaching of dental public health topics in those dental schools and a need for further research.
EVALUATION OF THE BANDAR ABBAS CITY DENTISTS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK RELATED TO LOCAL ANESTHETIC DRUGS
Authors: Ansari Fard S. , Hashemi S.N. , Masoudi R. , Morabbi D. 
Published: February 2025

Recent Epidemiology studies suggest that the use of drugs which are the cause of anaphylactic shock have has increased globally, including in developing countries. Familiarity with the prevention of anaphylactic shock, especially after the administration of local anaesthetics is of very significant importance for dentists. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the awareness of dentists in Bandar Abbas city of the symptoms, signs and management of anaphylactic shock. Methods: This study was descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional. During 2015, all dentists working in private offices or dental clinics in Bandar Abbas were invited to participate. Those who agreed received an explanatory note and a questionnaire, which had been piloted. It contained 23 questions on dosage and type of local anaesthesia. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 65 dentists of whom 23 (35%) scored less than 50%. Many were unfamiliar with the symptoms and signs of anaphylactic shock and none answered all the questions correctly particularly those associated with anaphylactic shock. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that most of dentists who completed the questionnaire did not have enough knowledge about anaphylaxis. Training on this topic should be offered to dentists in Bandar Abbas.
EVALUATION OF PERCEPTION DIFFERENCES OF SMILE ESTHETICS BY FEMALE PATIENTS, DENTAL STUDENTS, GENERAL DENTISTS AND SPECIALISTS IN TEHRAN, 2013
Authors: Astaneh P.A. , Mousavi S.S. , Ansari Fard S. 
Published: February 2025

Concepts of beauty can vary among people of different age, gender, educational level, and cultural background. Aim: the aim of this study was to evaluate the perception differences of smile aesthetics by female patients, dental students, general dentists and specialists in Tehran in 2013. Methods: A smiling photograph of a young adult female was taken and digitally altered for three components (gingival exposure, lateral-to-central incisors length ratio, and intra-central mesio-incisal angle) by Adobe Photoshop software. One hundred individuals consisting of 20 female patients, 20 dental students, 20 general dentists and 40 specialists (20 in operative dentistry and 20 in prosthodontics) were selected at random and asked to assess the modified photographs and select the most attractive and unattractive pictures respecting each component. The 100 assessors included 40 males and 60 females with an age ranged between 24-68 years and a mean age of 38.4 years. Data were statistically analyzed with SPSS soft- ware. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann- Whitney tests were used to verify significant differences, at the p<0.05 level, among individual assessors. Results: In respect of the assessment of the most unattractive gingival exposure, female patients differed significantly from general dentists and specialists in operative dentistry (p<0.05). Female patients perception of most unattractive lateral- to-central incisors length ratio was significantly different to that of dental students, general dentists and specialists in operative dentistry and prosthodontics(p<0.05). Males presented significantly different perceptions to females in most unattractive lateral-to-central incisors length ratio and most attractive intra-central mesioincisal angle (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest differences in aesthetic perception between patients and dental professionals as well as between males and females, dependent on the nature of evaluated smile component.
CLINICAL GOVERNANCE IN GENERAL DENTAL PRACTICE (A REVIEW OF LITERATURE)
Authors: Dehghanian D. , Khoshnevisan M.H. , Zafarmand A.H. , Ebnahmady A. , Eydarpoor P. 
Published: February 2025

Clinical governance is a key strategy to improve quality of health care services and consists of seven main areas. Clinical Governance was introduced to the National Health Service (NHS) in 1997 as a framework through which organizations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will be established. The aim of this poster is to present results of a literature review which compared different researches and frameworks for clinical governance in general dental practice. Methods: A comprehensive review of studies of clinical governance and dental practice was performed using MED LINE and Google Scholar databases. Inclusion criteria were: English language publications in Pub Med and Google scholar since 1999-2016. The search terms were: clinical governance, clinical audit, quality assurance and dental practice. Out of 61 publications, after applying the inclusion criteria, 15 were selected for data extraction. Results: The results of this review showed that the concept of clinical governance in dental practice is new and many countries are trying to establish frameworks to evaluate dental services based on clinical governance concepts. Conclusions: The Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) has promoted clinical governance as a framework for safeguarding quality and safety in all hospitals since 2009 but there was no evaluation tool for clinical governance in dental clinics in Iran. As a result, a framework to improve performance in oral health services is required. It will be informed by the results of this literature review.
CHANGES IN GENERAL QUALITY OF LIFE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH ORAL HEALTH
Authors: Bidinotto A.B. , Santos C.M. , Torres L.H.N. , Sousa M.L.R. , Hugo F.N. , Hilgert J.B. 
Published: February 2025

The aim of this study was to evaluate if changes in oral health status were associated with decline in WHOQOL- bref domain scores. Methods: This longitudinal study was part of a cohort investigation of community dwelling older people in southern Brazil. A random sample of 872 individuals aged 60 or more was evaluated at baseline in 2004. Follow-up was carried out in 2012, with the population for the current study consisting of 389 of the original sample of older people. Interviews were performed to assess socio-demographic data variables and quality of life (WHOQOL-bref). Oral examinations assessing the number of teeth and use of prostheses were performed. Participants were asked to rate their satisfaction with chewing ability and oral appearance. Change in quality of life was categorized as positive, encompassing participants with improved or stable WHOQOL scores, or negative, comprising of participants with a decline in these scores. Risk ratios were estimated by means of Poisson regression. Results: Overall, 238 (61.2%) participants had experienced a decline in their scores of scores for the WHOQOL physical domain, 229 (58.9%) had a decline in the psychological domain, 308 (79.2%) had a decline in the social domain and finally, in the environment domain, 241 (62.0%) had a lower score. No oral health variables were associated with changes in the physical domain. Tooth loss was associated with decline in the psychological domain RR 1.04 (1.01-1.07), as was improved satisfaction with oral appearance, RR 0.76 (0.58-0.99). Improved satisfaction with oral appearance was also associated with decline in the social domain, RR 0.79 (0.65 - 0.96) and with decline in the environment domain, RR 0.72 (0.55 - 0.95). Conclusion: The results indicate that preventing tooth loss and addressing a patient’s concern with dental appearance could have an impact in the general quality of life of community dwelling older people.
CARIES STATUS OF PREGNANT WOMEN IN SOUTH-EAST HUNGARY IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY
Authors: PrÁger N. , Orvos H. , VirÁg K. , GorzÓ I. , Radnai M. 
Published: February 2025

The aim of this study was to collect data regarding the caries status of a well determined group of pregnant women – as there has been no epidemiological survey of the dental health status of this group in Hungary, for more than ten years. Methods: After ethical approval, the socioeconomic and demographic data of 130 women who were in the second half of pregnancy were collected via questionnaire between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2013 at the University of Szeged, Dental School. They arrived at the dental school after referral by district nurses in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Outpatient Clinic. As part of their prenatal care program they received information about a possibility of an oral examination and they themselves had to book the appointment and go to the dental clinic where the screening took place. Only systemically healthy women took part in the study. Their caries status was assessed by two calibrated dentist according to WHO (1997) guidelines. The DMFS and DMFT indices were calculated and compared with the socio-demographic data using one-way ANOVA. Third molars were examined but not included. Results: The age distribution and number of pregnancies of the women in the study group was similar to that reported for all pregnant women in Hungary in 2011. However, their educational level differed in that 61 (46%) had received higher education, 86 (52%) worked in professions and 116 (89%) were city dwellers. In this respect city dwellers and highly educated women were overrepresented in the group. The mean age of the pregnant woman was 31 years. They had a mean DMFS index of 19.41, and their mean DMFT index was 10.05. Their caries status was related to the age (p=0.008) and to the number of pregnancies (p=0.007). However, no correlation was found with education, occupation and place of residence. Conclusion: The caries status of this study group was better than in previous examinations in Hungary, besides socio-demographic conditions, probably the better motivation of women who attended the screening had a major influence on this result. The importance of the study was to obtain information about pregnant womens oral health status; since future mothers knowledge and attitude greatly affect the oral health status of their children.
EXPLORING REASONS OF LOW DENTAL ATTENDANCE IN PREGNANT WOMEN: A QUALITATIVE STUDY
Authors: Bahramian H. , Mohebbi S.Z. , Khami M.R. , Shahbazi Sighaldeh S. , Baghalian A. 
Published: February 2025

Background: Despite the high prevalence of oral problems among pregnant women and their association with pregnancy outcome, dental service utilization in this period is still low. Aim: This study aimed to explore reasons for low dental attendance in pregnancy from a pregnant women’s point of view. Methods: In this qualitative study, ten in-depth individual semi-structured interviews and two organized focus groups were conducted by a dentist and a midwife as facilitators to explore the points of view of the pregnant women about dental care during pregnancy. Participants (n=22) were selected conveniently and purposefully from those attending public health centres, in two socioeconomically different districts of Tehran, Iran, for their routine prenatal checkups, in February 2015. A topic guide was used on demographic and pregnancy related questions, their history of receiving dental care and its barriers. After saturation of data ,the interviews were audio-taped and transcribed with the permission of the participants and then coded for content analysis using MAXQDA10 software. Results: The age of the pregnant women ranged from 18 to 45 years (mean age: 30.4±7.5 years) with a mean gestational stage of 25.3±6.4 weeks. Seven of the women (32%) had academic education. Of 350 extracted codes, the major findings as reasons of low dental attendance in pregnancy were categorised within seven main themes, Cost of dental care, deficient oral health knowledge and cultural barriers, physiological changes, psychological conditions, Lack of time, Unavailability of a qualified dentist. Conclusions: Financial deprivation and a lack of knowledge were reported as the most common reasons for low dental attendance during pregnancy. Therefore, there is a need to prioritize and tackle the barriers identified in this study to increase dental attendance in this period.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRAPHIC: A SERIOUS GAME FOR DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION
Authors: Sipiyaruk K. , Hatzipanagos S. , Reynolds P.A. , Gallagher J.E. 
Published: February 2025

GRAPHIC, a serious game for dental public health (DPH) education, stands for Games Research Applied to Public Health with Innovative Collaboration. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the development and refinement of GRAPHIC. According to the game concept, students firstly are provided with information of a population (a learning scenario), and then they are required to select the best five options of oral health promotion programme using contemporary evidence to improve the oral health of their population. This game has been used since academic year 2011/12. Feedback on the use of GRAPHIC was provided by staff and students annually, such that four versions of the game have been developed. Methods: GRAPHIC was evaluated using data from pre- and post-knowledge tests, direct observation, indirect observation using log data of game activities, and feedback provided by students and tutors from feedback questionnaires, personal interviews, and focus group interviews. Results: The first version [GRAPHIC-I] was developed and used for final year dental students at Kings College London in academic year 2011/12 and 2012/13. Students, tutors, and a game developer were interviewed in academic year 2012/13, demonstrating that the game was useful although improvements of the usability and entertainment were required. This led to the development of GRAPHIC-II, in which the usability was significantly improved; however, the entertainment aspect was not much improved although the game was more colourful. Since GRAPHIC-II seemed very helpful, it was considered to be used as an international learning tool, so the game was piloted in Mahidol University, Thailand. Using feedback from Mahidol students, GRAPHIC-III was developed in English and Thai versions to be used in academic year 2014/15. After game completion, as part of their DPH education, students from both institutions were assessed by pre- and post-knowledge tests, without any major problem of the usability, but they reported that the game could be more engaging. Log data showed the variation in attempts. Therefore, GRAPHIC-IV included an interactive feature to the learning scenario part, using Adobe Flash, where students could control a cartoon character walking around a town to find relevant information. Also, in this version students had limited attempts to submit answers (n=20). Together they enhanced the visual experience of the programme and encouraged students to provide considered responses. DPH knowledge was improved in both institutions, and this version rated as more engaging. Conclusion: Serious games seem to be practical learning tool for DPH education, as they engage students to address the oral health needs of a population.
INVESTIGATION OF SALIVATION AND ORAL HEALTH STATUS IN HUNGARIAN SMOKING PATIENTS
Authors: Demeter T. , kovÁcs A. , KÁrolyhÁzy K. , MÁrton K. 
Published: February 2025

Our objective was to assess the minor and major salivary flow rates, the prevalence of xerostomia and related oral and extraoral dryness symptoms, and the oral health status of smoking compared to the non-smoking patients from different age groups in Hungary. Methods: 901 patients (age: 18-92 years, 376 male (41.7%), 525 female (58.3%), selected according to the current official Hungarian age and residence distribution scheme) were involved. A questionnaire was designed to determine the subjective presence or absence of the sicca symptoms. Unstimulated whole saliva flow rate (UWS) was measured by the spitting method, while palatal (PS) and labial (LS) minor salivary gland flow rates were collected by the Periotron method. An oral examination was carried out, including dental (DMF-T), periodontal (periodontal probing depth, PPD and the maximum CPI-score) status, plaque-index (Löe- Silness, PI), calculus-index (CI) and gingival bleeding index (Ainamo-Bay, GBI). Data were statistically analysed using χ2 and the Students t-test at a significance level of p<0.05. This study was approved by the Semmelweis University Regional and Institutional Committee of Science and Research Ethics (No 55/2013). Results: Smokers were 35.9% (43.4% of the men and 30.5% of the women) of the sample (323 out of 901). Questionnaire data showed 42.7% (156) of the non-smoking women and 28.2% (60) of the nonsmoking men, and 41.9% (67) of the smoking women and 35.6% (58) of the smoking men felt xerostomia. A significantly higher number (13 out of 29; 44.8%) of smoking men between the age of 30-40 reported xerostomia compared to the non-smoking men (2 out of 31; 6.5%), respectively. However, no significant difference was shown in either the UWS, or in the minor salivary gland secretions (PS, LS) between smokers and non-smokers in both genders in different age groups. Increased plaque retention (PI non-smoking women: 0.7±0.7, smoking women: 1.0±0.8; p<0.05; non- smoking men: 0.9±0.8, smoking men: 1.2±0.9; p<0.05) could be detected in smokers of both genders, and a significantly higher average probing depth (PPD non-smoking men: 2.3±0.8, smoking men: 2.6±1.0; p< 0.05) was measured in smoking men. More calculus (CI) was seen among smokers in the 40-60 and the 60-70 age groups in both genders. There was no significant difference in the DMF-T in the same age groups between smokers and non-smokers. Conclusions: As in other populations, smoking might cause a significant destruction in the periodontal status of the Hungarian population, but we could not show any influence of smoking on caries. Smoking may also have an effect on the subjective sensation of dry mouth or any other sicca symptoms, however, according to our findings, it does not influence salivary gland function significantly.
ORAL CANCER AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE AMONG PATIENTS AT NSU DENTAL CLINIC
Authors: Mejia L.M. , Garcia A. , Garcia-Godoy C. , Perez A.M. 
Published: February 2025

This study aimed to assess the level of the public awareness and knowledge about early signs, symptoms and risk factors of oral cancer among dental patients visiting Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Dental Clinic in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And second, to correlate the awareness and knowledge levels according to age, gender, ethnicity, education levels and marital status. Methods: This study used dental patients presenting for routine scheduled appointments at the NSU Dental Clinic (Davie Campus). The data collection was from April through July 2015 and participation was confidential. Inclusion criteria were: patients 18 years and above, consent for questionnaire/survey participation, and ability to read English. Pregnant women and adult patients as a guardian, were excluded. A self-administered modified questionnaire of 26 questions was used to assess awareness and knowledge about Oral Cancer and sociodemographic information. Data entry was done following survey completion. The results of the survey were coded and enter into a database for statistical analysis using crosstabs, and Chi-square test in Jump software. Results: The number of patients in the study was 338, 50.3% were males and 49.7% females. The ages ranges from 18 to 70+, with the mean age 55.3 years. Of the respondents, 47.3% were white, 29.2% Hispanic and 17% African-American. The majority of the subjects had a College/University education 180 (55%). Participants marital status, 42.2% married, 30% single and 19.5% divorced. A total of 253 (76%) patients stated that they had heard of oral cancer. Family member (p=0.04) and TV advertisement (p=0.01) were statistically significant for where the patients heard about the subject. Of the respondents, 48.8% did not knew anything about the disease; 45.2% knew a little, and only 6% considered that they know a lot. The risk factors linked with oral cancer identified by males were: smoking (n=118), smokeless tobacco (n=81), and family history (n=68). Females identified smoking (n=116), followed by family history of oral cancer (n=82), and smokeless tobacco (n=52). The early signs of oral cancer identified were sore and bleeding lesions (n=123), ulcer (n=116), and no idea / don’t know (n=115) respectively. Conclusions: Based on this information for this Cohort there is a significant lack of awareness and knowledge about signs, symptoms and risk factors of oral cancer in the general population.
Epidemiology and clinical features of occipital neuralgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Melchior Anna G. , Al-Khazali Sarra , Christensen Rune H. , Al-Khazali Haidar M. , Ashina Håkan 
Published: February 2025

Background Occipital neuralgia (ON) describes severe, paroxysmal occipital nerve pain. This review synthesizes data on the epidemiology and clinical features of ON. Methods A systematic search of PubMed and Embase databases was conducted from 1988 to 2024. Two investigators independently screened titles, abstracts and full-text articles, and conducted a risk of bias assessment. Meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model, and between-study heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. Results Fifteen clinic-based studies, comprising 579 patients with ON, were eligible. No population-based studies were identified. Of these, three clinic-based studies examined the relative frequency of ON among adults evaluated for headache or facial pain, with reported rates ranging from 0.6 to 24.4%. Pooled estimates revealed that ON presents in the fifth decade of life and afflicts females (73%). Common clinical features were unilateral pain (81%), a stabbing quality (59%) and severe intensity (54%). Pain affected the greater occipital nerve (98%) with accompanying hypoesthesia (73%). A history of co-existing migraine was common (46%) and a proportion had a history of neck trauma (30%). The between-study heterogeneity was considerable for most clinical features assessed. Conclusions ON shows female predominance and links with migraine and neck trauma. Identified features can aid diagnosis and management, but high heterogeneity calls for population-based research to clarify the epidemiology of ON. Trial Registration: PROSPERO (identifier: CRD42024539063).