Perceptions of Dental Faculty and Postgraduate Residents towards Learning Professionalism through DOPS Assessments of Implants

The use of technology in the form of smart phones and other electronic media in day to day life has become an integral part of life today. Technology today is seeing a paradigm shift towards better inter-professional communications which can help doctors, patients and the masses as a whole. Putting these technological advancements to good use evolves as a major milestone in medicine/ dentistry in the form of telemedicine/teledentistry. The present study was aimed at knowing the knowledge and awareness of teledentistry among dental professionals of a dental college in India. The study was conducted in a dental college in India and was circulated among dental professionals. A questionnaire was prepared to assess the knowledge and awareness of teledentistry and was circulated among dental professionals in a dental college. The data thus collected was statistically analysed and results obtained. The data collected was statistically analysed using SPSS software. A total of 406 persons responded to the questionnaire. In the present study it was found that the knowledge and awareness about teledentistry was very low among post graduates (7.23%) and interns (9.38%) when compared to I & II BDS while most of them agreed that teledentistry is a practice of dentistry through various media options with limited application in dentistry without a legal issue. In the present study, it was apparent that most of the respondents were lacking adequate knowledge and awareness on teledentistry. Hence, there is an immense need to create awareness among dental professionals on teledentistry as the future lies in technological advancement. Tele dentistry can mark the beginning of a new era in dentistry. This can be achieved by conducting CDE programs and awareness campaigns/programs which helps in various levels.

Background: Lack of professional integrity among dental students can greatly impact the safety of future patients. Currently, there are no established learning outcomes for dental professionalism. Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the perceptions of Indian educators (DE) and residents (DR) towards the attributes and methods to learn/teach dental professionalism. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among Indian DE and DR from April 1, 2022, to July 31, 2022. A 31-item questionnaire was developed to evaluate the demographic data, perceptions of learning/teaching methods, and attributes of professionalism. The sample size was calculated to 446 subjects. Descriptive statistics were carried out. Results: Of the 428 participants, 287 were DE and 141 were DR. Most participants are aware of the attributes and have a positive attitude toward professionalism. Role modeling and mentoring were the most effective ways to learn professionalism. About 97.9% of DE and 97.9% of DR felt it was important to teach dental students about professionalism. About 85.7% of DE and 73% of DR felt the need for an additional program in the current BDS curriculum. Most participants selected contact with role model teachers, clinical experience with patients, and discussion with peers as methods by which they learned dental professionalism. Conclusion: The majority of the participants are aware and have a positive attitude toward dental professionalism.

Barriers to leadership positions for Indian women in academic dentistry

This study examined the effect of critical appraisal exercises on the quality of preclinical tooth preparation skills and the confidence level of undergraduate dental students at a dental college in India. Forty-two student volunteers were randomly divided into critical appraisal (CA; n=19) and control (C; n=23) groups. Both groups were given conventional lecture and video demonstration; the CA group was also given critical appraisal exercises. Four evaluators assessed the incisor, canine, premolar, and molar preparations made by all students. The mean overall scores (reported as mean±SD) assigned to the CA group by all evaluators were significantly higher (independent t-test, p<0.05) than the C group for incisor (CA: 6.19±1.47, C: 5.09±1.52), canine (CA: 5.64±1.36, C: 4.50±1.35), premolar (CA: 5.88±1.03, C: 4.88±1.18), and molar (CA: 5.98±1.16, C: 5.20±0.71) teeth. The CA group also demonstrated a significant increase in self-confidence over that of the C group (repeated measures general linear model F=8.554, p=0.006). In this study, the critical appraisal exercises significantly improved the preclinical incisor, canine, premolar, and molar tooth preparation skills and the confidence level of the undergraduate dental students.

Perceptions of nursing students and faculty members towards academic integrity and professionalism in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the various factors that can affect the attitude of students in a dental college in India towards PLWHA. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate dental students, where they were asked to fill an anonymous questionnaire. Apart from the basic information, the questionnaire consisted of a VAS to evaluate the degree of fear of these students in treating PLWHA; questions to assess the attitude towards patients with HIV based on a five-point Likert response; and also closed-ended questions to grade the students’ knowledge about HIV infection. The data were then analyzed Student t test and ANOVA. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: An increased proportion of students with positive attitude where seen in the clinical group than the preclinical group [p=.001]. The attitude scores were significantly higher in students with minimal fear in treating patients with HIV/AIDS [p=.000] and those with good knowledge on HIV/AIDS [p=.001]. Conclusion: Hence within the limitations of this questionnaire study it can be assumed that the two independent factors that can affect the attitude of dental students towards PLWHA and influence their willingness to treat patients who are HIV positive are the level of knowledge on various aspects of HIV/AIDS and the degree of fear they have in treating HIV infected individuals.

Engineering faculty were surveyed on issues related to academic dishonesty by students affiliated with their college at an American university located in the United Arab Emirates. The survey addressed perceived frequency of plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, cheating, copyright violations and complicity in academic integrity. As expected, the majority of the faculty think that dishonesty is more common in-of-class work compared to proctored exams. They think that applying tougher penalties and using more proctors are the most effective methods in decreasing academic dishonesty. The authors believe that it would be helpful if faculty members follow the university's policy on cheating rather than make up their own rules in order to have consistent approach in dealing with academic dishonesty violations across the whole university. Ideally, the best way to combat dishonest acts at an institution is by educating students through seminars and workshops about the virtues of academic integrity and the benefits it brings to society. But until our campuses become free of dishonest behavior by students, some practical measures should be undertaken by the faculty to safeguard the institution against unethical behavior by students. For example, faculty members are recommended to either make their own assignments or modify the end-of-chapter problems from textbooks because students may have access to solution manuals. They are encouraged to give different homework problems and projects from one semester to another since students may have access to graded past work. While test banks provided to faculty by publishers may be used as a guide when creating exams, problems from such sources should not be put verbatim on exams by faculty because they are often available for purchase by students on the internet. Furthermore, the weight of-of-class assignments relative to the total course grade should be a small fraction of the total weight to discourage students from cheating on homework. Wireless signal jamming devices can combat some acts of e-cheating that utilizes the internet by disrupting communication between a smart phone and the cell-phone base station.

To assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs among dental students and faculty members regarding COVID-19 vaccines in dental colleges in Haryana, India. To assess knowledge level, attitudes, and beliefs differences among BDS, MDS students and faculty members and find association between knowledge and COVID-19 vaccine inoculation among study participants. A cross-sectional study was carried out among students and faculty members of dental colleges in Haryana, India. Data collection was done via an online questionnaire based on questions to assess the knowledge, attitude and beliefs regarding COVID-19 vaccines. The present study comprised of 270 study participants, where majority, i.e., 81.5% have reported COVID-19 vaccine inoculation. The mean knowledge score of the participants was reported to be 5.54 ± 2.19. A significant difference was found in the mean knowledge score of faculty members (7.81 ± 1.69), MDS (6.72 ± 1.49), and BDS (4.39 ± 1.68) students. COVID-19 vaccine inoculation was found to be significantly associated with average knowledge score of participants (OR = 6.1, P < 0.01). Dental professionals have an adequate degree of knowledge and attitude level regarding COVID-19 vaccines and are generally optimistic about resolving the pandemic situation with the immunization.

Background: Evidence-based practice the clinical decision-making process which integrates the best evidence of research with patients’ values and opinions of clinical professionals. The faculty members are the most important decision-makers in clinical, medical, and therapeutic centers, and play a significant role in the use of evidence-based medical concepts in daily activities, decision making and information transfer to residents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes,behaviour and decisions/outcomes of faculty members in the Surgical and Non Surgical wards of Imam Hossein Hospital, based on the evidence based practice adjusted tool (KABQ) in 2016. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study using the convenient sampling method among 66 faculty members in the Surgical and Non Surgical departments of Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran. Anadjusted evidence based practice questionnaire(KABQ) was used after the approval of its original designer (Dr. Johnston) and checking its reliability by calculating the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient to be 0.85. SPSS software version 23 was used for data analysis. The variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics and T-test. The statistical significance of all tests was considered at P<0.05. Results: It was found that 93.9% of the subjects believed in their ability to use evidence-based practice. A total of 97% of them made 62.22% of their decisions based on clinical research evidence. The Surgical and Non Surgical groups believed in the effectiveness of evidence-based practice in the proposed treatments with a mean of 5.48 and 6.16, respectively. However, unlike the Non Surgical group, the Surgical group believed that there was similar validity for clinical trialsand observational methods to prove the effictiveness of the treatment. It was necessary for the Surgical and Non Surgical groups to search for clinical evidences 5.76 and 10.16 times a week, respectively. Over 90% of them found clinical evidences through textbook once a week, through the original research papers every 12 days, every 24 days through the Cochrane database, and almost every 28 days through secondary research resources. The Surgical and Non Surgical groups were referred to the evidence 1.95 and 3.27 hours per week, before, or during treatment. They spent 3.47 and 4.97 hours per week searching for evidence, and 4.23 and 7.16 hours per week reading new research evidences, respectively. Over 92% of them considered the use of evidence-based practice because they believed it improved the outcomes for patients. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that both the Surgical and Non Surgical faculty members of Imam Hossein Medical Center (Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences) had good knowledge about evidence-based practice and had a positive attitude toward its medical effect, but they are less likely to use this approach. Thus, to enhance the skills of faculty professionals and adapt their decisions to the best available evidence, a collaborative action plan is required. Keywords: KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

ObjectiveTo assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding different domains of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) amongst dentists from a dental college in India.Methods112 dentists participated in the study. A 23-item, self-designed, pre-tested and validated questionnaire assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding nine different domains was used to collect the data. Knowledge and practice was categorized domain wise as good/poor, while attitude as favorable/unfavorable.ResultsDentists were observed to have good knowledge about OSA, for domains concerning to the definition (60.71%), general findings (76.19%) and risk factors of OSA (66.96%). For the domain of screening and diagnosis (38.83%) along with treatment and referral (36.01%) dentists presented poor knowledge. 100% favorable attitude was reported for all the domains, while the dentists poorly faired (<50%) for both the practice domains.ConclusionIn spite of dentists showcasing favorable attitude towards OSA, they possessed poor knowledge for domains concerning screening, diagnosis and treatment modalities of OSA which may be linked to the hurdle in their way of practice. Thus a special attention towards these domains needs to be given so as to improve the handling skills of dentist for OSA patients coming to their clinics and prevent further health related issues.

Background: Dental students practice on extracted human teeth (EHT) in their preclinical to learn professional and technical skills before performing dental procedures on patients. Aim: The aim of the present investigation was to assess the management of EHT among dental students in the east coastal region of India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on II, III, and IV Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students from five dental colleges in India's east coastal region, which were chosen using the fishbowl technique. Data was collected using a pretested, validated self-administered questionnaire and analysed using the Chi-square test, Mann–Whitney test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and linear regression. Results: A total of 649 students participated from five dental colleges, among them, 43.6% (283) were II BDS, 29.6% (192) were III BDS, and 26.8% (174) were IV BDS. About 66% of the participants do not know that the EHT are a source of infection; 22% of them noted that there was an incidence of infection with the use of EHT; 81.5% do not know that guidelines have to be given by the regulatory body/institution to handle EHT. Only 2% of the people think it was necessary to disinfect/sterilize EHT before use, while 33% of the study population felt that there was a need to wear mouth masks and gloves while working on EHT. In the study group, only 43% know that formalin was used as a storage/disinfecting medium for EHT and 80% of them experienced hazards due to chemicals used for storage/disinfecting medium of EHT. Conclusion: The results of this investigation stipulated that awareness, attitude, and practices of undergraduate students in relation to the handling of EHT were poor. However, deficiencies were observed in relation to teaching the materials and methods suitable for the management of EHT which reveals the need to incorporate the guidelines in their curriculum.

A Systems Approach to Morbidity and Mortality Conference

Background:Tobacco use has become an epidemic of modern times. Its use is widespread among young adults and those from lower socioeconomic classes.Objective:The objective is to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) and motivation to quit tobacco habits in relation to age and educational status among male tobacco users visiting a Government Dental College Hospital, India.Materials and Methods:This was a questionnaire survey conducted among 199 male adult smokers visiting the Department of Public Health Dentistry in a Government Dental College in India. Quota sampling was used for recruiting the required number of study participants. Information on KAP related to smoking habits was collected using a predesigned structured questionnaire by two trained and calibrated dentists. Knowledge, attitude toward quitting and their self-confidence toward quitting was compared in relation to age and educational status using Chi-square test.Results:A higher percentage of younger adults aged 18–24 years were interested in quitting the habit (100%) compared to those aged 45–64 years (85.2%). Similarly, a higher percentage of young adults have tried quitting the habit (76.9%) compared to their older counterparts (64.8%) (P < 0.05). Knowledge on ill effects of smoking increased with increasing educational attainment (P < 0.001). People with higher educational attainment had observed the warning sign on packaging (73.7%) compared to those with less than primary education (25.9%) and they also reported that the presence of such warning sign motivated them to think about quitting (54.8% vs. 0%) (P < 0.001).Conclusion:Knowledge, positive attitude toward quitting and self-confidence to quit were higher among younger adults and those with secondary education compared to their elder counterparts and those with less than primary education.

Introduction: In this COVID -19 pandemic dentists are at high risk of cross-infection. The dental practice is a source of cross contamination in the absence of adequate preventive measures. As COVID -19 is highly contagious and use of air rotors adds to air born route for transmission and dentist's proximity to the oropharyngeal area of the patient, a dental professional is always at higher risk. Therefore all the dental students and professionals should be competent with knowledge and must be aware of precautionary methods, social distancing, sanitization and vaccination. Aim: The present study is aimed to assess the attitude towards COVID-19 in dental college population Materials &amp; Methods: This study was conducted among 200 participants, the faculties and students in a dental college. A ten questions multiple choice questionnaire form was prepared on effect of COVID-19 on participant's life and distributed among the participants who were divided into two groups as faculty &amp; students, in the dental college and their response was tabulated and analyzed. Results: The results of this study suggested that majority of participants of both the groups strictly followed precautionary measures, followed social distancing, taken both the doses of vaccination and showed positive attitude towards prevention of further spread of corona virus. Conclusion: The participants in this study seemed to be aware of the detrimental effects of COVID-19 and had good knowledge, attitude and selfcare practice, which are necessary in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Impact of the curriculum on Chinese dental students’ tobacco control attitudes and beliefs: a case study in Harbin, China