The world is currently facing a pandemic crisis due to a novel coronavirus. For this purpose, acquiring updated knowledge regarding prevention and disinfection during the current pandemic is necessary for every dental practitioner. In our study, we aimed to evaluate globally the level of knowledge and the attitude of dental practitioners related to disinfection. A total of 385 participants out of 401 participants from 23 different countries across the world were included in the final analysis after the exclusion of incomplete responses. The majority of the dentists who responded were females (53.8%) and were practicing at private health institutes (36.4%). The mean knowledge score of the participants was estimated to be 4.19 ± 1.88 out of 12, reflecting insufficient knowledge, and the mean attitude score of the participants was estimated to be 12.24 ± 3.23 out of 15, which shows a positive attitude toward disinfection practices during coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Thus, the current study indicated a lack of knowledge in fundamental aspects of disinfection protocols with a significant and positive attitude from dental health professionals toward disinfection regarding the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

A contemporary knowledge of root canal treatment (RCT) is a prerequisite for a successful outcome. Studies observed that General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) were not abreast of current endodontic knowledge due to a lack of continuing dental education, not following the treatment protocols that they had learned in their undergraduate program, and overlooking the evidence-based current endodontic practices. Therefore, this study was intended to assess the awareness, attitude, and clinical endodontic practices among General Dental Practitioners in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among all 312 GDPs working in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic details and 23 questions regarding current endodontic practices. The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS Version 21 (Chicago, IL, USA). The chi-square test was applied to explore the influence of gender, workplace, and the years of professional activity on the materials and techniques employed in the RCT procedure. The study results showed that of all respondents, 159 (51.0%) were males, 153 (49.0%) were females, and 286 (91.7%) were Saudi nationals. Most of the GDPs, i.e., 204 (65.4%) practiced in private hospitals or clinics whereas 108 (34.6%) practiced in Government hospitals. Root canal treatment on all teeth had been performed by 196 (62%) of the practitioners. Association of gender with demographic details and endodontic practices revealed a statistically significant difference between both genders with respect to region, nationality, type of RCT treated on the tooth, and the technique used to measure the working length (p < 0.05). Furthermore, years of professional experience and workplace significantly affect endodontic practices (p < 0.05). This study concluded that most of the general dental practitioners complied with quality standard guidelines showing a positive attitude toward endodontic practices. Furthermore, irrespective of gender, most of the steps in endodontic procedures revealed a significant association with years of professional experience and the workplace.

Objective This study aims to assess and compare the influence of hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) nanoparticles on a commercially available epoxy resinbased sealer, focusing on porosity and push-out bond strength. Materials and Methods This work was classified into a control group and two experimental groups. In each experimental group, the sealer was mixed with 2.5 wt.% of HA and TCP nanoparticles. Thirty extracted single-rooted teeth were utilized. After sectioning the crowns, the remaining roots of 15 teeth were used, up to 40 to 0.06, using a K3 rotary system. Smear layers were removed with 3 mL of 17% EDTA applied for 60 seconds. Then, the canals were irrigated with 3 mL of 2.25% NaOCl and 5 mL of distilled water. The strength of push-out bonds was tested via an Instron universal testing machine on a 2 mm section acquired from obturated canals. Data were assessed using one-way ANOVA and post hoc tests at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results A nonsignificant difference (p > 0.05) was evident when the three groups were crosschecked in terms of void volume and bond strength. Micro-CT evaluations revealed the lowest volume of voids to be 0.1152 mm³ (2.69%) for the HA group compared with the control group 0.1818 mm³ (3.9%) and the TCP group 0.2194 mm³ (4.33%). Mean bond strength values were 4.18 ± 1.77 MPa for group 1 (control), 4.19 ± 1.54 MPa for group 2 (HA 2.5%) and 3.76 ± 1.95 MPa for group 3 (TCP 2.5%). Groups 1 and 3 showed both cohesive and a mixed type of failure, while group 2 showed adhesive and a mixed type of bond failure. Conclusion Within the limitations of the study, incorporation of 2.5 wt% HA and TCP nanoparticles into AH Plus did not significantly affect the percentage volume of voids and the bond strength negatively. Publication Date: 13 December 2021 (online) © 2021. European Dental Research and Biomaterials Journal. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India