Background and objectives: Stress is a common term used to describe various adverse psychological conditions. Students in the dentistry field face many negative psychological outcomes. The core factors for stress among dental students are related to their training course and social contacts with peers. This research aimed to assess the stress of dental students depending on their gender and study year. Materials and methods: We used the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Mini-COPE questionnaire. The surveys were conducted among 446 dental students (320 women and 126 men) at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice. Results: For the second-year and fifth-year students, the differences in scores were statistically significant, while in both cases, men had significantly lower values on the analysed scale. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test indicated significantly lower values on the PSS-10 scale for the third-year and fourth-year students than in first-year students. The performed statistical analysis of the data obtained from the Mini-COPE questionnaire showed significant differences between men and women in individual years of study. In the first year, women chose more often the strategies related to turning to religion (p = 0.007), seeking emotional support (p = 0.046), seeking instrumental support (p = 0.045) and dealing with something else (p = 0.029) in coping with stress than men. Conclusions: The highest level of stress was found among first-year dental students. Moreover, women were characterised with higher stress levels than men. Men more often use psychoactive substances and resort to a sense of humour to cope with stress. On the other hand, women turn to religion, seek instrumental and emotional support.

Introduction and Objective: Dentists experience high amounts of professional stress beginning with their student years in dental school. This stress, given its early onset, may negatively impact the personal and professional lives of these individuals, as well as the quality of their clinical work. We sought to create an objective scale to evaluate the levels of stress in students at different stages of their education, as well as in practicing physicians.Materials and Methods: Thirty dental students participated in this study, with 10 students each selected from junior, mid-senior, and senior classes. They were randomly divided into two groups in which one group was subjected to stressors while the other group was not. JINS MEME ES_R (JINS) smart glasses and Garmin Vivoactive 3 smartwatches were used to obtain data, including electrooculography (EOG), heart rate (HR), and accelerometer (ACC) and gyroscope (GYRO) feedback, while the subjects performed a dental exercise on a phantom tooth.Results: The heart rates of more experienced students were lower than those of the junior students. The EOG, ACC, and GYRO signals showed multiple differences in the measurement of amplitudes and frequency of episodes.Conclusion: Our pilot results show that electronic tools, like smart glasses with software and sensors, are useful for monitoring the stress levels of dental students in preclinical operating conditions. We would like to further assess the stress levels in students performing dental procedures on phantom teeth and in later clinical interactions with patients.

The appropriate approach to dental patients, developed during the course of dentists' training, is a prerequisite for the holistic treatment of patients. Empathy is an important component of such an approach. This study aimed to determine the levels of empathy among students of dentistry at different stages in their training. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy - Health Profession Students Version was used to conduct the research, and 100 dental students (66 female and 34 male) ranging from first to fifth year participated in the survey. The scale contained 20 questions, with a possible score interval between 20 and 140. A higher score indicates increased ability to express empathy. The level of empathy among dentistry students increased from the first and second to fourth years, where it reached its maximum. During the fifth year, a decrease in levels of empathy was observed. The increase in empathy during the dental course may be correlated with the growth of clinical practice during the subsequent years of study. A slight decrease in empathy in the fifth-year students may be due to the curricular focus on performing procedures, with students having to meet a set target in order to finish the course.

Introduction: The available literature lacks data regarding the levels of resistin, lysozyme, lactoferrin, α-amylase activity, pH, and saliva buffer capacity, as well as oral health and hygiene in the group of adult patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The aim of the research was to assess the selected saliva parameters in patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Materials and methods: Examined group was composed of 40 patients diagnosed with CF, while the control group of 40 healthy individuals. Both groups underwent the same scheme of the assessment (DMT index, salivary pH, buffer capacity, analysis of total sialic acid, total protein estimation, lysozyme levels estimation, lactofferin levels measurement, α-amylase activity, estimation of the levels of resistin and TNF-α). Results: In the examined group, there were higher values of decayed teeth as well as values of sialic acid, total protein, lactoferrin, α-amylase, and TNF-α. However, mean lysozyme, and resistin levels, as well as pH and buffer capacity of the saliva, were lower. Conclusions: New diagnostic methods, including the evaluation of selected salivary biochemical parameters, may indicate the existence of factors predisposing to severe tooth decay in the study group. Appropriate preventive treatment to combat dental caries in adult patients with CF will significantly improve their comfort and life expectancy.

Background: Modern penitentiary systems attach great importance, at least in the area of formal and codified arrangements, to providing inmates with access to health care and rehabilitation. The aim of our study was to analyze the Web of Science (WoS) and SCOPUS medical databases in order to search for and evaluate the available literature discussing the oral status and dental treatment needs of adult male prisoners. Methods: The following terms were used: prisoners or inmates; oral health, oral status; periodontal status, periodontal disease; oral hygiene; caries; mucosa; and saliva. The studies were screened based on their title and abstract according to the PICO (population, intervention, control, and outcome) criteria. The research protocol was prepared on the basis of the 2020 PRISMA guidelines and was not registered. The available literature discussing the oral status and dental treatment needs of adult imprisoned patients was analyzed. The inclusion criteria were as follows: articles published in English between 1 January 2012 and 2022; articles discussing the oral cavity status of adult inmates over 18 years old (hard tissues, periodontal status, saliva, mucosa condition, or oral hygiene); articles with a full text available; and articles that were assessed as satisfactory according to the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Results: A total of 934 articles were identified, out of which 9 were included in the systematic review. Two articles discussed the oral condition of prisoners in Europe (Russia and Finland), four examined prisoners in Asia (three in India and one in Saudi Arabia), two examined prisoners in Africa (Nigeria), and one examined prisoners in the Americas (Brazil). Conclusions: The oral status of prisoners has been widely discussed in the available literature. Among inmates, a higher frequency of both caries and periodontal disease along with poorer oral hygiene were observed. It can be concluded that inmates should have access to specialized treatment from periodontists and endodontists.