Brazilian dentists' knowledge regarding immediate treatment of traumatic dental injuries

Abstract –  The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of dentists working in the city of Tubarão, southern Brazil, about the immediate treatment of traumatic dental injuries. A cross-sectional study was carried out involving all dentists who were working in the city in 2004 ( n  = 108). Data were collected through self-applied questionnaires with questions about sex, time elapsed since graduation, whether the dentists had attended postgraduate courses and also four questions about traumatic dental injuries in which the dentists selected the best answer. The response rate was 86.1%. For the two questions related to dental avulsion, 36.6% and 16.1% of professionals respectively, chose the correct answer according to the literature. For the question related to coronal fracture, 75.3% chose the correct answer. For the questions related to an incident without dental avulsion or fracture, 73.1% chose the correct answer. Time elapsed since graduation was the only variable statistically associated with the correct answer for the question related to coronal fracture. A significantly greater number of professionals with ≤10 years of experience chose the correct answer when compared with professionals with >10 years experience ( P  < 0.001). It can be concluded that the great majority of professionals would not intervene according to the literature in the cases of avulsion. Less time elapsed since graduation was statistically associated with the correct answer in the coronal fracture case.     

Study on self-assessment regarding knowledge of temporomandibular disorders in children/adolescents by Swedish and Saudi Arabian dentists

Abstract

Objective. To estimate the degree of self-assessed knowledge among dentists in Sweden and Saudi Arabia regarding temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in children and adolescents using a summative form of assessment and further to investigate the possible factors that may influence the self-assessed knowledge. Materials and methods. A questionnaire survey covering four domains (Etiology; Diagnosis and classification; Chronic pain and pain behavior; Treatment and prognosis) regarding TMD knowledge was used. Out of 250 questionnaires (125 in each country) a total of 65 (52%) were returned in Sweden and 104 (83%) in Saudi Arabia. Results. Self-assessed individual knowledge was significantly associated to the level of actual knowledge among the Swedish groups in the domains Etiology; Diagnosis and classification and Treatment and prognosis (p < 0.05). However, in the Saudi Arabian groups a corresponding significant association was only found in the domain Diagnosis and classification (p < 0.05). Conclusions. This study showed that there is a difference in the accuracy of self-assessment of own knowledge between the dentists in Sweden and Saudi Arabia. The Swedish dentists have a better ability to assess their level of knowledge compared to Saudi Arabian dentists regarding TMD in children and adolescents. This difference could be related to several factors such as motivation, positive feedback, reflection, psychomotor, and interpersonal skills, which all are more dominant in the Swedish educational tradition.     

Changing dentists' knowledge, attitudes and behavior regarding domestic violence through an interactive multimedia tutorial

BACKGROUND: Dentists have a unique opportunity to address the problem of domestic violence (DV). The authors tested the effectiveness of a tutorial designed to educate dentists in identifying and responding to DV. METHODS: The authors developed a brief interactive multimedia tutorial for dentists and recruited practicing dentists (N = 174) for a randomized, controlled trial. A 24-question instrument assessed participants' knowledge, attitudes and practice behaviors regarding DV at two time points. The control group took the tutorial before completing a posttest. The authors also administered a 20-question empathy scale. RESULTS: The experimental group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in scores on most items, including knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, relative to control subjects (P < .01). Empathy scores did not show significant correlation with change scores on the DV assessment instrument. CONCLUSIONS: The tutorial is effective in helping dentists learn how to identify and help patients who are experiencing abuse. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Broad dissemination of the tutorial about DV would introduce dentists to simple strategies for responding to patients who experience DV.     

General practice dentists'' knowledge of temporomandibular disorders in children and adolescents

Aim: The aim of the study was to map general practice dentists' (GPDs) knowledge of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in children and adolescents. Materials and methods: A questionnaire was mailed to 286 Swedish dentists in the Public Dental Service and 17 TMD specialists with documented research experience. The questionnaire contained 37 statements on aetiology, diagnostics, classification, chronic pain and pain behaviour, treatment, and prognosis. Each statement was judged on a 0-10 point scale with the endpoint definitions agree or disagree. Results: The overall response rate to the questionnaire was 87%. In 28 of all 37 statements, the TMD specialists endorsed a consensus, i.e. >75% of the specialists had the same opinion about the statement. TMD specialists differed most in opinion in the domain diagnostics and classification. In 65% of the statements, differences in knowledge between GPDs and TMD specialists were non-significant. The greatest number of significant between-group differences was found in the domain treatment and prognosis. Most of these statements were related to morphological factors. Conclusion: There is a high degree of consensus in TMD knowledge amongst the TMD specialists and a high degree of agreement in knowledge between GPDs and TMD specialists. In some areas, however, TMD specialists still need to reach a consensus which is founded on evidence-based TMD knowledge in children and adolescents and that can be used in undergraduate teaching. It is therefore important to develop and strengthen the undergraduate dental teaching in TMD and orofacial pain.     

Determinants of Iranian dentists' behaviour regarding infection control

Aim: To evaluate the determinants of Iranian dentists’ behaviour regarding infection control (IC). Design: A cross‐sectional questionnaire survey. Setting: Iranian general dental practitioners (GDP) participating in a national dental congress. Methods: The GDPs filled in a self‐administered questionnaire containing questions regarding their attitudes towards and their behaviour on several aspects of IC. Background factors included GDP’s year of birth, gender, and work‐related factors. Statistical evaluation employed the Chi‐square test, Cronbach alpha, and regression analysis. Results: In total, 479 GDPs returned the questionnaire. Their mean age was 38.6 years (SD = 9.4) and 53% were men. The vast majority of the GDPs had positive attitudes towards the inquired after IC criteria with no statistical difference based on the GDP’s background characteristics. Of all respondents, >70% reported that they inform the laboratory about the infection status of the sent items, disinfect impressions before sending to the laboratory, and wash patients’ mouths before working with high‐speed or ultrasonic devices. Adherence to all the studied IC criteria was reported by 10% of the respondents; more frequently by younger GDPs and those with fewer experience years (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Greater emphasis on infection control programmes in dentists’ education is called for especially in continuing education.     

A study into dentists' knowledge of the treatment of traumatic injuries to young permanent incisors

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to evaluate dentists' knowledge of the emergency treatment of traumatic injuries to young permanent incisors, and to investigate barriers to treatment. DESIGN: A closed-ended questionnaire was sent to 1023 general dental practitioners (GDPs) and community dental officers (CDOs) in West/North Yorkshire and Humberside, UK. METHODS: The questionnaire comprised 17 questions. Six questions asked for general information about the participants (i.e. profession, age, gender, year of graduation, training or education on dental trauma, and willingness to provide emergency care), 10 were relevant to the emergency treatment of crown fractures, root fractures, luxation and avulsion injuries, and the last question queried any perceived barriers to treatment. Results. Seven hundred and twenty-four questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 71%, and these indicated that dentists' knowledge of the emergency treatment of dentoalveolar trauma in children was inadequate. The CDOs were significantly more knowledgeable than the GDPs, as were younger and more recently graduated dentists compared with older ones. The GDPs regarded the difficulty of treating children and the inadequate fees of the UK National Health Service as important barriers to treatment. Dentists who attended continuing dental education courses on dental traumatology had a more thorough knowledge than those who did not. CONCLUSION: Overall, the dentists' knowledge of the emergency treatment of dentoalveolar trauma in children was inadequate. Greater emphasis on undergraduate and postgraduate education in this area is indicated.     

A case-control study of temporomandibular disorders: symptomatic disc displacement

This case-control study was designed to investigate the risk factors for disc displacement (DD) without myofascial pain (MFP). The study population included 59 cases with DD without MFP, selected in two hospital dental clinics, and 100 concurrent controls selected in one of these clinics. The association with DD was evaluated for bruxism, head-neck trauma, orthodontic treatment, and sociodemographic characteristics by using unconditional logistic regression. In the multivariate analysis, excluding psychological factors, an association was found between DD and clenching-grinding (OR=3.57; 95% CI: 1.27-9.98). This association persisted when anxiety (OR=3.07; 95% CI: 1.08-8.70) or depression (OR=4.02; 95% CI: 1.43-11.31) was included in the model. A positive association was noted between orthodontic treatment and DD (OR=3.10; 95% CI: 1.06-9.65). The effect between orthodontic treatment and DD remained and increased with the inclusion of anxiety (OR=3.65; 95% CI: 1.15-11.61) or depression (OR=3.20; 95% CI: 1.06-9.65). A high level of anxiety (OR=2.40; 95% CI: 1.01-5.73), was positively related to DD. We concluded that clenching combined with grinding, and orthodontic treatment are factors related to DD. The interpretation of these associations, however, requires caution because of the inclusion of prevalent cases.     

German general dentists' knowledge of dental trauma

Abstract –  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of German general dentists on different scenarios in dental traumatology, as well as to analyse, whether there was any correlation between practitioners' perceptions of their knowledge and their actual expertise. A questionnaire containing questions on demographic data and knowledge was handed out to general dentists at the beginning of different lectures in dental traumatology given by the authors. A total number of 181 questionnaires were evaluated. Sixty-three per cent of the dentists considered their knowledge as being sufficient or comprehensive, while only 37% indicated to have fragmentary knowledge in dental traumatology. Irrespective of the self-assessment, 40% of the questions were answered correctly. Although not statistically significant, there was a trend towards slightly better knowledge for dentists whose graduation was more recent. On the basis of the findings of this study, it can be suggested that the level of knowledge among general dentists in Germany is rather poor on different scenarios regarding dental traumatology and their self-assessment is inaccurate.     

Nigerian dentists' knowledge and attitudes towards mouthguard protection

Abstract –  The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of Nigerian dentists towards mouthguard protection. A pre-tested 15-item, one-page questionnaire was distributed to 185 dentists practising in different parts of the country with government hospitals or private establishments, by 'hand-delivery' system. Filled and returned forms were 170 (response rate of 92%). The period of the survey was between April and August 2003. Dental graduates from the different dental schools in the country responded to this survey. About 49% of the respondents indicated having only classroom lectures on mouthguards during their undergraduate trainings, 11% said they had some laboratory sessions in addition while no form of education on mouthguards was received by 40%. About 82% had never recommended mouthguard protection for athletic patients, and the major reason was no formal training in the subject. Only 58.5% were familiar with the different types of mouthguards, 75.9% would not be able to supervise or fabricate mouthguards and 50.6% would prefer custom-made mouthguard for their athletic patients. About 84% felt the current training on mouthguards in Nigerian dental schools is inadequate. Over 98% agreed that mouthguard usage in contact sports should be encouraged with the involvement of the dentists. The knowledge and attitudes of the respondents towards mouthguard protection did not vary significantly across years of postqualification from dental schools as well as the professional status of the dentists ( P  > 0.05). Although Nigerian dentists support mouthguard protection in contact sports and want to be involved in the provision of mouthguards for athletes, their knowledge of the protective device is inadequate. There is need for attention to be given to this subject in the undergraduate curricula of our dental schools.     

在校学生颞下颌关节紊乱病与心理因素关系的研究

目的:探讨心理因素对在校生颞下颌关节紊乱病(TMD)的影响.方法:对52例14～ 26岁确诊为颞下颌关节紊乱病(TMD)及53名健康在校生进行颞下颌关节紊乱病专科检查,并填写症状自评量表(SCL-90).患者组分为咀嚼肌功能紊乱(MD)组26例、关节盘移位(TD)组14例、关节盘移位咀嚼肌功能紊乱并存(MD+TD)组12例,按病程分为急性组32例(病史≤6个月),慢性组20例(病史＞6个月).用SPSS 17.0对各分组SCL-90总分及因子分进行比较分析.结果:TMD组SCL-90总分及各因子得分高于健康对照组(P＜0.05).MD组得分与TD组得分差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05),MD+ TD组的SCL-90总分及除抑郁、恐怖和精神病性外的其他因子得分显著高于前2组(P＜0.05).急性组躯体化得分高于慢性组(P＜0.05),其他项目2组差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).TMD患者SCL-90总分与疼痛等级呈正相关关系.结论:心理因素对患TMD的在校生影响显著,可影响TMD相关疼痛的程度,对在校生的TMD进行治疗时应考虑心理的相关治疗.     

The dilemma of scientific knowledge versus clinical management of temporomandibular disorders.

The dilemma of scientific knowledge versus clinical management of TMD is discussed by focus on five questions; (1) What is scientific evidence and how is it transmitted? (2) What important evidence is lacking in the field of TMD? (3) What clinical concepts have been challenged by the scientific evidence? (4) Why is there adherence to concepts that appear to conflict with the evidence? (5) How does the clinician provide patient care in the face of uncertainty while retaining scientific integrity? It is concluded that no fundamental reason for a dilemma between scientific evidence and clinical practice need exist provided that (1) clinical investigators use appropriate research protocols and report results in refereed scientific journals and (2) dentists are familiar with the requirements of sound scientific evidence, interpret this evidence and its clinical implications, and apply it to the care of TMD patients.     

Comparative analysis of jaw morphology and temporomandibular disorders: A three-dimension imaging study

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the association between volumetric measurements of craniofacial morphology and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs).

Methods: Computerized tomography (CT) scans of 20 individuals aged 18 to 40 with (TMD group) or without TMJ pain (control group) were gathered based on a case-control design. Three-dimensional reconstructions were performed to evaluate the gonial angle, condylar volume, and the distance between the posterior edge of the condyle and the sigmoid notch.

Results: The gonial angle was significantly larger (8% difference) in the TMD group with respect to controls, whereas the condylar volume was significantly higher in the control group (15.2% difference). No significant difference was found in the linear distance.

Conclusion: There is an association between the presence of TMJ pain and some features of craniofacial morphology. Individuals with TMJ pain have a lower condylar volume and a tendency towards hyperdivergent growth.     

A method for preventive intervention regarding temporomandibular pain and dysfunction

Objective: Adolescent girls frequently suffer from temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms and associated headache. A program aimed at informing about risk behavior for TMD symptoms, how to influence harmful habits and about general relaxation was tested.

Material and methods: Eighty girls at two high schools, 16 years of age, with or without symptoms, were invited to the health information on two occasions and 60 girls participated. Firstly, a questionnaire regarding symptoms and oral parafunctional habits was administrated. Structured information was given about the normal anatomy and function of muscles and joints, about the occlusion, oral habits and symptoms of orofacial pain/dysfunction and headache. General relaxation was instructed and trained. At a three-month follow-up, the same questionnaire regarding symptoms as at baseline was completed.

Result: The information provided was perceived as useful and instructive. At the follow-up, 77% reported that they used what they had learned. Headache once a week or more decreased from 49% at baseline to 35% and headache ‘never/rarely’ changed from 11% to 25% (p?=?.002). Reported joint sounds had decreased by the follow-up (p?=?.053), as had the use of chewing gum (p?=?.002). A majority of the girls suggested that the information should be scheduled during school hours.

Conclusion: Health information about the jaw system can influence risk factors for TMD symptoms and the frequency of symptoms among adolescent girls.     

A dynamic model of etiology in temporomandibular disorders

A dynamic model is proposed to depict the etiology of temporomandibular disorders. A balance is described between destructive factors in the masticatory system that result in dysfunction, and adaptive factors that tend to return it homeostatically to normal. Five factors that cause or potentiate muscle hyperfunction are included on one side of the model with five other factors that affect the ability of the system to adapt on the other side. Relationships among the etiologic factors are discussed, and literature support for each is cited.     

颞下颌开口指数在颞下颌关节紊乱病中的诊断价值

目的 评价颞下颌开口指数(Temporomandibular opening index,TOI)在以开口受限为主要症状的颞下颌关节紊乱病患者中的鉴别诊断价值.方法 收集开口受限患者43例,其中咀嚼肌紊乱疾病患者25例,不可复性盘前移位患者18例.正常对照组30例.临床测量指标包括最大开口度、被动开口度并计算TOI.其中,TOI=(最大主动开口度-被动开口度)/(最大主动开口度 被动开口度)×100%.统计方法采用两组独立样本t检验,年龄和性别用协方差分析.结果 咀嚼肌素乱疾病组TOI为14.62±5.23%,对照组TOI为3.45±1.20%,不可复性盘前移位组为5.55±2.61%.三组组间比较P＜0.05,有显著性差异.年龄、性别没有对观察结果造成显著影响.结论 TOI可以用于咀嚼肌紊乱疾病的鉴别诊断,不受年龄性别的影响,是一种较好的区别肌源性或物理性阻碍开口受限的临床指标.     

Orthodontics and temporomandibular disorders

The presumed relationship between occlusal disharmonies and temporomandibular disorders has been the cornerstone of traditional orthodontic thinking about these disorders. Current research, however, indicates that temporomandibular problems are actually medical orthopedic diseases or dysfunctions that have little to do with occlusal morphology or maxillomandibular relationships. Therefore, orthodontists must discard some of their traditional beliefs and practices, replacing them with modern concepts of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction, in order to provide appropriate care for patients suffering from temporomandibular disorders.     

Utilization of pharmaceuticals among patients with temporomandibular disorders: A controlled study

Epidemiological data, particularly concordance rates in twin pairs and in multiply affected families, provide strong evidence that both genetic and environmental influences are important in the development of the chronic intestinal inflammation characteristic of Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis. Furthermore, supplementary data now suggest that not only susceptibility, but also disease behavior and response to therapy may have a strong genetic influence. The model of disease susceptibility most pertinent to the inflammatory bowel diseases is that Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis are related polygenic disorders. Recently, this model has received strong support from the results of genome-wide scanning and candidate gene studies carried out in European, North American and Australian populations. In spite of all potential difficulties related to disease and ethnic heterogeneity, consistent replication of linkage has been found with distinct regions on chromosomes 16, 12, 6 (the major histocompatibility complex) and most recently chromosome 14. Whereas the linkages on chromosome 16 and 14 appear strongest in Crohn disease, the chromosome 12 locus appears most pertinent to ulcerative colitis, and the HLA region appears more pertinent in all forms of inflammatory bowel disease. The current challenge is to narrow these regions of linkage and identify the susceptibility genes within the regions. The task may be greatly benefited by the recent successful sequence data available from the human genome project. Compelling data have emerged to suggest genetic markers that may allow prediction of disease severity, and efficacy and tolerability of immuno-suppressants commonly used in inflammatory bowel disease.