Learners’ acceptance of a webinar for continuing medical education

The aim of this study was to evaluate learners’ acceptance of a webinar for continuing medical education that was instigated by the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (IAOMS). A live, interactive webinar on orthognathic surgery was broadcast via the Internet. The learners’ acceptance of the webinar was evaluated using a standardized, validated questionnaire (Student Evaluation of Educational Quality, SEEQ). One hundred and fifty-three participants attended the webinar; 55 participants (46 male, nine female) completed the questionnaire. The mean age of the respondents was 41.6 ± 10.0 years. The age of male and female respondents did not differ significantly. The respondents were spread over five continents, with the highest number from Brazil. The SEEQ showed a high level of acceptance for almost all subscales. There was no statistically significant difference between male and female respondents concerning acceptance of the webinar (P = 0.614). The wide distribution of participants shows the potential for webinars as facilitators of barrier-free distribution of knowledge. The webinar was well accepted by the attendees independent of sex, specialty, and work experience. However, the sex ratio reflects the underrepresentation of women in oral and maxillofacial surgery.     

The impact of undergraduate geriatric dental education on the attitudes of recently graduated dentists towards institutionalised elderly people

Objective:  The aim of the study was to assess the impact of undergraduate geriatric dentistry education on knowledge of ageing and on attitudes towards institutionalised elderly people, as perceived by recently graduated dentists.
Methods:  A validated questionnaire was sent by mail to all dentists of the study group ( n = 357). The questionnaire collected socio-demographic data, motives for pursuing a dental career, knowledge of ageing, attitude towards institutionalised elderly people using the Aging Semantic Differential (ASD), and aspects of geriatric dentistry education.
Results:  Great variability between the six dental schools involved was observed in respect of the undergraduate education received in geriatric dentistry. Dentists' knowledge of ageing was also low. The mean value of ASD-total indicated that in this study there was a negative attitude towards the institutionalised elderly. The covariate 'financial motive for pursuing a dental career' was the only item that seemed to have any significant influence on the ASD. Age was the only significant variable for knowledge. All other covariates were found not to have any influence.
Conclusions:  From this study it would appear that the attitude of recently graduated dentists in Belgium towards the institutionalised elderly is rather negative and their knowledge of ageing is poor. The actual level of geriatric dentistry education in the undergraduate curriculum did not appear to influence this attitude, but Belgian dental schools are challenged to reorientate their provision of geriatric dentistry education to include activities that help to develop positive perceptions towards the elderly, with an empathic positive and caring attitude.     

Caries arrest using silver diamine fluoride: Knowledge,attitude, and perception of adult patients in Saudi Arabia

ObjectivesThe objective was to evaluate the current knowledge, attitude, and perception of adult patients toward SDF and identify related factors.Materials and methodsIn this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from adult participants of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A simple random sampling method was used. An electronic questionnaire was designed to collect data regarding participants’ demographics and their knowledge, attitude, and perception toward the use of SDF.ResultsThe majority (86.6%) of the participants were females. Approximately 58% were ≤ 25 years of age. Overall, 77.1% of the participants had college/higher level education, and 34.2% had a monthly income of > 16000 Saudi Riyals (SAR). Approximately 75.8% of them did not suffer from medical conditions, 60.8% had tooth decay, 82.5% brushed their teeth daily, 77.7% flossed regularly, and 63% used fluoridated toothpaste. Dental pain or inflammation was reported by 87.7% of the participants (P-value < 0.001). A higher proportion of adult patients (47.8%) was strongly satisfied with the speed of treatment, 58.9% were strongly satisfied with advantages, and 24.5% were dissatisfied with disadvantages (P-value < 0.001). Disagreement (24.0%) toward SDF material use for anterior teeth was statistically high (P-value < 0.001). Females (64.5%) demonstrated strong satisfaction with the benefits of SDF material (P-value = 0.004). Participants of male sex (26.0%), education up to high school (33.0%), and income of > 16000 SAR (31.0%) showed statistically strong disagreement (P-value < 0.05) with use of SDF for anterior teeth.ConclusionThe present study demonstrates that SDF is acceptable among Saudi adults for the purpose of arresting dental caries. However, pigmentation of anterior teeth is a major concern, especially in male participants with high socioeconomic status.     

Providing national level teaching to OMFS specialty trainees in a virtual classroom setting using learning theories of education

COVID-19 has resulted in an expansion of webinar-based teaching globally. Socially distanced e-learning is the new normal. The delivery of regional OMFS teaching programmes in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, for Specialty Trainees (ST's) under the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) and Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme (ISCP) umbrellas is variable. We recognised the need to provide additional teaching to supplement this teaching, at a time of crisis in our countries and healthcare systems, which had jointly led to a significant impact on the progression of training. The membership category of Specialty Trainees within the national specialty association-the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) is Fellows in Training abbreviated to FiT. We designed an OMFS FiT (Fellows in Training) webinar series based on the current Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) curriculum. Senior trainers delivered weekly national web-based teaching using learning theories of education. Thirteen webinars were conducted between the 14th of May and the 4th of August 2020. Webinars were attended by 40–75 ST's with 98 percent of trainees rating the webinars as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’, and 99% found the content ‘extremely useful’ or ‘very useful’. We discuss the learning theories used for this teaching which include – Bloom's taxonomy, Bruner's spiral model, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, the flipped classroom model, and Knowles’ andragogy model. This pilot national teaching programme has been extremely well received by OMFS trainees and is here to stay!     

Evaluation of Dentists’ Attitudes Towards Principles of Professional Ethics

ObjectiveThe aim of this research was to investigate attitudes towards principles of professional ethics (PPE) amongst Iranian dentists working in Isfahan, Iran.MethodsThis pilot cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 273 dentists in Isfahan, Iran. A validated, comprehensive questionnaire including principles of respect for patient autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice was used to evaluate dentistry professional ethics aspects. Age, gender, marital status, type of graduate university, level of education, specialised field of study, work experience, workplace, and participation in ethics workshops and courses were registered from participants. Total and domains scores of used questionnaires were calculated and compared across categories of study participants’ characteristics.ResultsMean ± SD age of participants was 35.4 ± 10.7 years, and 57% were female; about 73% graduated from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, and 65% were general dentists. The attitude total score of dentists towards PPE was 133.02 ± 13.16. Mean total score of the questionnaire and its domains was different significantly (P < .05) across categories of level of education, marital status, and passing the ethical courses.ConclusionsThe attitude of dentists towards PPE was rated at a good level. However, improvement in attitudes of some specific subgroups such as general dentists and newly graduated ones is needed. Conducting specific workshops about professional ethics and incorporating these principles into university curricula can be beneficial.     

Tooth brushing habits in uninstructed adults—frequency, technique, duration and force

Professional recommendations for individual oral hygiene mostly include tooth brushing at least twice daily for 2–3 min with gentle force using the Bass technique or modifications of it. This study evaluated whether habitual tooth brushing actually meets these standards. Uninstructed adults (n = 103; mean age 31 ± 6 years; 61 female, 42 male) with habitual manual tooth brushing were given a self-administered questionnaire about the frequency of brushing and a computer system recorded their brushing technique, duration and force. The majority (79.6%) of participants brushed twice daily. The mean brushing duration was 96.6 ± 36.0 s, the mean brushing force was 2.3 ± 0.7 N (max. 4.1 N), and no significant differences were found for quadrants. Most subjects (73.8%) brushed with circling, 8.7% with horizontal/scrubbing, 13.6% with horizontal/circling and 3.9% with vertical/sweeping movements. Modified Bass technique was not observed. When appropriate brushing habits were defined as brushing at least twice daily for 120 s with a brushing force of less than 3 N and with circling or vertical sweeping movements, only 25.2% of the participants fulfilled all criteria, emphasising the ongoing need for oral hygiene education.     

School‐based oral health‐education program using experiential learning or traditional lecturing in adolescents: a clinical trial

The aim of this project was to compare the effectiveness of experiential learning (EL) and traditional lecturing (TL) school‐based oral health education on the oral health knowledge, attitude, habits, oral hygiene, gingival health and caries incidence of 13‐year‐old Greek children. Eighty‐seven children for the EL group and 80 for the TL group were selected from two areas of Greece. Information on oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviours were obtained using a questionnaire. Dental plaque was recorded using a modified hygiene index, gingivitis was assessed using the simplified gingival index and dental caries was measured by recording the number of Decayed, Missing and Filled teeth (DMFT) using the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD) criteria. All children were examined by two calibrated dentists, using a World Health Organisation (WHO) periodontal probe and artificial light. Questionnaires were delivered and clinical examinations were performed at baseline and at 6 and 18 months post‐intervention. The EL oral health educational programme was implemented by teachers using the programme's manual. Oral health knowledge had improved significantly (P < 0.001) in both groups at 6 and 18 months post‐intervention. Oral health behaviour (P < 0.001) and attitude (P < 0.05) had improved significantly at 6 months, and oral hygiene and gingival health had improved significantly at both 6 (P < 0.001) and 18 (P < 0.05) months for the EL group. Lower caries incidence was recorded for the EL group, 18 months post‐intervention (P < 0.05). School‐based oral health EL for adolescents was found to be more effective than TL in improving oral health attitude and behaviour at 6 months, in improving oral hygiene and gingival health at both 6 and 18 months and in reducing caries incidence 18 months post‐intervention.     

Attitudes towards orthodontic treatment: a comparison of treated and untreated subjects

The aims of the present study were to evaluate treated and untreated subjects' attitudes towards orthodontic treatment and to examine possible determinants of these attitudes. It was hypothesized that orthodontically treated individuals would differ from untreated respondents in their attitude towards orthodontists and orthodontic treatment, and that female subjects would have a more positive attitude towards orthodontics than male subjects.Untreated individuals (n = 220) were used as a comparison group in the evaluation of orthodontic health care by previously treated subjects (n = 246). Two questionnaires were completed. The first, based on the Dental Attitude Questionnaire, contained 32 items about general attitude towards orthodontic treatment and was completed by both groups. The second questionnaire contained 46 negatively and positively based statements concerning different aspects of orthodontic treatment, and was completed by previously treated subjects. The reliability of both questionnaires was satisfactory.Previously treated subjects were found to have a significantly more positive attitude towards orthodontics than untreated subjects. The subject's attitude towards the relationship with the orthodontist, satisfaction with the treatment result and experiences with follow-up appointments predicted the general attitude towards orthodontics. Age, but not gender, was found to be a significant predictor for a subject's general attitude towards orthodontics.     

Comparison of attitudes towards dental education among dental students in Japan and China

The aim of this study was to identify and compare the attitudes of dental students towards dental education in Japan and China. Fifty‐four dental students from the Stomatology School of China Medical University and 51 dental students from the Dental Faculty of Kyushu University, Japan, participated in this study. Information was derived from a self‐answered questionnaire consisting of 11 items. Significant differences in the responses of the participants from the two countries were detected for 10 of the questionnaire items (P < 0.05). Nearly three‐quarters of the Japanese students were satisfied with the teaching faculties of their schools, while only a quarter of the Chinese students indicated satisfaction. A total of 69% of Chinese students thought that learning a foreign language wasted too much time compared with none of the Japanese students. A student‐oriented teaching mode was not well accepted by either of the groups, and 62% of Chinese students and 53% of Japanese students wanted to increase the duration of the clinical practice stage of education. The findings from this study enhance our understanding of differences and/or similarities among dental students in the two nations. This information may help to define strategies to improve the quality of dental education, and especially exchange programmes of international students.     

Suitability of Krathwohl''s affective taxonomy for evaluating patient attitudes to dental care

The aims were to develop a questionnaire for dental health education based on Krathwohl's taxonomy, which measures the affective domain, and to examine correlations between the attitude determined by this questionnaire and sex, age, education, and dental behavior. The material consisted of young and middle-aged persons, 206 women and 183 men, visiting two occupational health centers in Oulu. The questionnaire comprised four questions under each of three headings: preventive dentistry, gingivitis, and dental check-up. The questions under each heading were formulated to correspond to given levels in Krathwohl's taxonomy. Factor analysis showed the questionnaire to be valid and suitable for studying different levels of the affective domain. Krathwohl's taxonomy includes the notion of cumulative adoption of a value, and Guttman scaling was used to show the cumulativeness of the scales. Groups of persons with the most and least positive attitudes were identified, 83% of the patients with the most positive attitude having visited a dentist within a year, whereas 65% of those with the least positive attitude had last done so more than 2 yr earlier. The women had a more positive attitude than the men, but education was not a decisive factor in determining attitude. All the persons with the most positive attitude were over 25 yr old. It was concluded that it was possible to formulate a questionnaire on the basis of Krathwohl's taxonomy which would measure attitudes towards dental care and that it is possible to use this questionnaire in practical situations in order to help the dentist to instruct his patients.     

Perceived relevance of oral biology by dental students

Objectives: This study investigated the perception that dental students have regarding the relevance of oral biology (OB) to dental education and dentistry in general. Moreover, this study analysed students’ attitude towards OB learning approaches and resources. Methods: A questionnaire based on a Likert scale was used to survey pre‐clinical/second (BDS2)‐ and final/fifth (BDS5)‐year dental students at the School of Dentistry of the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom). In comparison, a small group of postgraduate specialist registrars were surveyed to evaluate the attitudes of practising dentists. Results: The results show that all study groups expressed a high level of perceived relevance of OB to dentistry. Students’ perception of OB for dental education, clinical training and practice also scored high. More than 40% of undergraduate students and about 55% of the postgraduates indicated a perceived change in their attitude towards OB with time characterised by increased appreciation of the subject. Lectures were considered as the most important teaching approach, whereas ‘group poster projects’ ranked lowest. Of the different study resources, lecture handouts received the overall highest importance score. Conclusions: The results indicate that dental students considered OB relevant for dental education and dentistry and suggest a positive attitude towards the subject. This study also suggested that dental students prefer teacher‐centred/led teaching rather than student‐directed learning of OB. The article addresses the role of OB and science‐related research projects within the dental curriculum and discusses that close integration of basic sciences with dental education may enrich dental education and overall learning experience.     

Bilateral sagittal split osteotomy training on mandibular 3-dimensional printed models for maxillofacial surgical residents

Complications with bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) can sometimes result from surgical inexperience. Our aim was to present a 3-dimensional printed mandibular model for BSSO training in a maxillofacial surgical education programme. A polymethacrylate mandibular model obtained from mandibular cone-beam computed tomographic (CT) images was designed and printed for use in training. Twenty-four residents were each asked to do a BSSO according to the Epker/Dal-Pont technique. The session was conducted as a simulation course with a final debriefing. A questionnaire before and after the test was filled in using a 10-point Likert scale to assess the participants’ knowledge. The mandibular model provided a realistic way of handling the trabecular bone after cortical osteotomy, as well as in the splitting phase. Significant increases in knowledge and surgical skills were noted for all steps of the BSSO, particularly regarding the use of the piezoelectric device for osteotomy, and for management of wisdom teeth in the splitting zone (3.00 ±2.16 to 6.95 ±2.06 and 2.73 ±1.91 to 5.75 ±2.63, respectively; p₁ = 0.0002 and p₂ = 0.0003). We think that this is a valuable printed mandibular model for the development of surgical skills for BSSO in maxillofacial surgical residents.     

儿童口腔医学继续教育线上教学模式探索

随着信息技术的发展,线上教学越来越多地应用到各学科之中,线上继续教育在儿童口腔医学专业人才培养中起重要作用。文章通过对参加线上学习及授课的360名学员和33名教师设计问卷,对儿童口腔医学继续教育线上教学情况进行调查,从知识获取途径、参加线上学习的频率、对线上学习的态度、课程偏好、常用软件等方面进行分析,分析线上教育模式在儿童口腔医学继续教育中的应用现状。     

Evaluating the masticatory function after mandibulectomy with colour‐changing chewing gum

The aim of this study was to clarify the usefulness of colour‐changing gum in evaluating masticatory performance after mandibulectomy. Thirty‐nine patients who underwent mandibulectomy between 1982 and 2010 at Kobe University Hospital were recruited in this study. There were 21 male and 18 female subjects with a mean age of 64·7 years (range: 12–89 years) at the time of surgery. The participants included six patients who underwent marginal mandibulectomy, 21 patients who underwent segmental mandibulectomy and 12 patients who underwent hemimandibulectomy. The masticatory function was evaluated using colour‐changing chewing gum, gummy jelly and a modified Sato's questionnaire. In all cases, the data were obtained more than 3 months after completing the patient's final prosthesis. The colour‐changing gum scores correlated with both the gummy jelly scores (r = 0·634, P < 0·001) and the total scores of the modified Sato's questionnaire (r = 0·537, P < 0·001). In conclusion, colour‐changing gum is a useful item for evaluating masticatory performance after mandibulectomy.     

HIV/AIDS: dental assistants' self‐reported knowledge and attitudes in Kuwait

Although several studies have been conducted to assess dentists' knowledge of and attitudes towards human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune‐deficiency syndrome (AIDS), few have targeted dental assistants. The main aims of this study were to assess the knowledge of and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS among dental assistants in Kuwait and to compare the knowledge and attitudes of dental assistants at Kuwait University Dental Center (KUDC) with those of dental assistants in Ministry of Health (MoH) hospitals. The secondary objective was to determine if any intervention was needed to provide more information to dental assistants on HIV/AIDS. A cross‐sectional study was conducted by distributing questionnaires. The study sample included 85 dental assistants from each of KUDC and the MoH. The questionnaire included questions to assess the assistants' knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS. Statistical data analysis was conducted using SPSS 20.0. Qualitative data were analysed using the Pearson chi‐square text for any association or the Z‐test for proportion to test the significance of differences. A total of 167 questionnaires were completed, returned and analysed. KUDC dental assistants were found to have significantly more knowledge about HIV/AIDS than their MoH counterparts, whereas the assistants at the MoH clinics displayed a more positive attitude towards patients with HIV/AIDS (P < 0.05). Although dental assistants at KUDC were more knowledgeable than those at the MoH clinics, there are still some misconceptions that need to be addressed, in addition to the negative attitudes displayed by some of the respondents. It would therefore be beneficial to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS patients through lectures, seminars and workshops targeting dental assistants.     

Attendance at and self-perceived need for continuing education among Mongolian dentists

In May 2000, a questionnaire-based survey was targeted at all Mongolian dentists practising in the capital city of Mongolia in May 2000 with the aim of evaluating attendance at and the self-perceived need for continuing education (CE) in relation to their background characteristics and to their attitude towards CE. The response rate was 98% (n = 245), with 38% of the dentists reporting a CE learning opportunity in at least one of the clinical disciplines of dentistry during the 2 years prior to the survey. A need for CE in at least one of the disciplines was perceived by 58%. A dentist's field of practice and attitude towards CE were the significant factors for attendance, whereas length of working experience, field of practice, holding a postgraduate degree, and having attended CE courses were significant factors for perceiving a need for CE, when controlling for all other variables in the logistic regression analyses (P < 0.05). There seems to be a need for an increased attendance at CE courses among the dentists and a need for preparing them to have a positive attitude towards CE. On the other hand, creating an organized CE system which produces courses for dental practitioners, based on their need, will be at present a challenge for the Mongolian dental profession.     

遵义市小学教师口腔健康知识和对口腔健康教育态度的调查

目的 了解遵义市小学教师的口腔健康知识和对口腔健康教育的态度。方法 采用分层随机抽样的方法，抽取遵义市10所小学636名小学教师作为研究对象，自行设计调查问卷，收集教师的基本信息、口腔保健习惯、口腔保健知识知晓率、对口腔健康和口腔健康教育的态度等信息，所得数据采用SPSS 21.0软件进行统计。结果 本调查回收有效问卷614份，在口腔保健习惯方面，小学教师刷牙时长在3 min及以上仅占8.8%,23.8%有横刷牙习惯，64.7%没有洁牙习惯，78.2%未使用过牙线。口腔保健知晓率方面，教师对六龄齿是不会换的、窝沟封闭可以预防龋齿、使用牙线可以去除牙菌斑等方面的认识薄弱，但是，总体对口腔健康和口腔健康教育的态度较好。结论 可通过组织培训等多途径提高遵义市小学教师的口腔健康知识，发挥教师在引领和培养学龄儿童建立良好的口腔习惯中的积极作用。     

The relationship between personality traits,pain perception and attitude toward orthodontic treatment

Objective:To investigate the relationship between personality traits and a person''s attitude toward orthodontic treatment and perception of pain during orthodontic treatment.Materials and Methods:The sample consisted of two groups: group 1 consisted of 200 untreated subjects (100 males, 100 females; average age, 21.50 ± 3.35 years), and group 2 consisted of 200 treated subjects (100 males, 100 females; average age, 20.92 ± 2.48 years). The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire that included assessment of patients'' personality profiles, pain expectation for untreated subjects, pain experience for treated subjects, and attitudes toward orthodontic treatment.Results:Gender, treatment status, and personality traits did not affect subjects'' average attitude toward orthodontic treatment, whereas gender was the only variable that affected subjects'' average pain perception (P < .01). The average attitude score in subjects who experienced pain during orthodontic treatment was 5.06 ± 1.43, compared to 4.32 ± 1.35 for subjects who did not experience pain (P < .001). The average pain perception scores in treated subjects with previous knowledge of orthodontic treatment was 5.29 ± 1.94, compared to 6.07 ± 1.95 in subjects who did not have previous knowledge of orthodontic treatment (P < .01).Conclusions:Personality traits did not affect attitude toward orthodontic treatment and pain perception/experience during orthodontic treatment. A more positive attitude was found in patients who experienced less pain during orthodontic treatment.