Background: The use of smartphones among the general public and health care practitioners, in particular, is ubiquitous. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction and sleep quality, psychological distress, and loneliness among health care students and workers in Saudi Arabia.Methods: This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire to collect data on smartphone addiction, sleep quality, psychological distress, and loneliness as well as demographic information.Results: A total of 773 health care students and workers participated in the study, with an average age of 25.95 ± 8.35, and 59.6% female participants. The study found a positive significant association between smartphone addiction and psychological distress (F_(1,771)= 140.8,P< 0.001) and emotional loneliness (F_(1,771)= 26.70,P< 0.001). Additionally, a significant negative association between smartphone addiction and sleep quality was found (F_(1,771)= 4.208,P= 0.041). However, there was no significant relationship between smartphone addiction and social loneliness (F (1,771) = 0.544,P< 0.461).Conclusion: These findings suggest that smartphone addiction has a negative impact on psychological distress, sleep quality, and emotional loneliness among health care students and workers. It is important to promote strategies to reduce smartphone dependency in order to avoid the harmful consequences of smartphone addiction.

Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between electronic health (eHealth) literacy and oral health outcomes, including the number of teeth and brushing frequency. Methods: A total of 478 participants were included in the study and assessed for their eHealth literacy levels. Demographic variables, including age, gender, income, and education, were collected. The participants’ number of teeth and brushing frequency were also recorded. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between eHealth literacy and oral health outcomes, adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Results: The study sample consisted of both males (66.5%) and females (33.5%), with a mean age of 31.95 years. Among the participants, 16.95% were classified as having inadequate eHealth literacy, 24.06% had problematic eHealth literacy, and the majority (59.00%) demonstrated sufficient eHealth literacy. There was a significant association between eHealth literacy and oral health outcomes. Individuals with problematic eHealth literacy had a higher likelihood of having a greater number of teeth (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.05–1.20, p < 0.001) compared to those with inadequate eHealth literacy. Similarly, individuals with sufficient eHealth literacy showed a higher likelihood of having more teeth (RR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.07–1.21, p < 0.001) compared to the inadequate eHealth literacy group controlling for age, gender, income, and education. Individuals with problematic eHealth literacy exhibited a tendency towards lower odds of irregular brushing (OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.15–1.02, p = 0.054), although this result was marginally significant. In contrast, individuals with sufficient eHealth literacy had significantly lower odds of irregular brushing frequency (OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.10–0.62, p = 0.003) compared to the inadequate eHealth literacy group. Conclusion: The findings suggest a positive association between eHealth literacy and oral health outcomes. Improving eHealth literacy may have implications for promoting better oral health behaviors and outcomes.

Background: To categorise the content and assess the quality and readability of the web-based information regarding treatment of the mouth in systemic sclerosis. Methods: An online search using three different search terms regarding the treatment of the mouth in SSc was undertaken using the Google search engine. The first 100 websites from each search were selected for analysis. Data recorded included DISCERN instrument scores along with the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks and the presence of the Health on the Net seal (HON). Flesch Reading Ease Scores, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, the Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook Index and Coleman-Liau index were calculated to assess readability. Results: Fifty seven of the first websites remained for analysis after applying appropriate exclusion criteria. The mean overall DISCERN score was 2.37 (±1.01). Only 4 websites (7%) achieved all four JAMA benchmarks. Only 12 websites (21.1%) displayed the HON seal. The reading level was found to be difficult to very difficult among the majority of websites. Conclusion: The overall quality of the available online information concerning the treatment of the mouth of systemic sclerosis is questionable and requires a high level of reading skill. Further efforts should be directed toward establishing higher quality, reliable online information sources on the treatment of oral disease relevant to patients with systemic sclerosis.

Introduction: Recently, there has been an alarming increase in psychological distress in many populations. One of the reasons can be attributed to the rapid development of technology and social media, which could adversely affect the mental health of individuals, including those working in healthcare. This study aimed to assess the influence of social media addiction, psychological distress, and loneliness on suicidal ideations and suicide attempts among healthcare students and professionals in Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study collected data from healthcare students and professionals using a five-part questionnaire: (i) demographics, (ii) the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), (iii) the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), (iv) the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DGLS), and (v) suicide ideation and attempts scale. Results: There were 800 participants from 33 cities who completed the questionnaire. A total of 31.37% reported lifelong thoughts of suicide, regardless of whether they would actually go through with it (S1), 18.38% had suicidal thoughts within the last 12 months (S2), and 11% had attempted suicide (S3). Of those who attempted suicide, 79 (89.77%) reported seeking help. Multiple logistic regression showed that lifetime suicidal thoughts were predicted by psychological distress, emotional loneliness (EL), social loneliness (SL), and age. Having had suicidal thoughts within the prior 12 months was predicted by psychological distress, SL, and age. Suicidal attempts were predicted by psychological distress, EL, age, and social media addiction. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that psychological distress and loneliness are strongly associated with suicidal ideas and suicide attempts. Such results could serve as a warning call that assists healthcare professionals and mental health teams in arranging and planning effective interventions and actions to raise awareness, as well as reduce the levels of psychological distress and loneliness that could lead to grave consequences.

Background: Close patient contact is an essential component of clinical dental education, which can expose students and faculty to risk of COVID-19 and its sequelae. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey conducted among faculty and clinical students at an academic dental hospital in Al Madinah western Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was distributed to collect data on prevalence, risk factors, clinical manifestations, and long-term health and socioeconomic complications of COVID-19 infection. Results: Prevalence of COVID-19 was 19.6% among a total of 316 students and faculty. Participants cited family and friends as the primary source of infection (40.3%). Among cross-infection control practices, they cited failure to practice distancing as the primary reason for infection transmission (61.3%). The disease was symptomatic in 85.5% of infected personnel. Most frequently reported clinical manifestations were: fever, cough, malaise, and diarrhoea (74.1%, 56.5%, 40.3%, 32.3%, respectively). A proportion of 37.1% of infected personnel stated that they had long COVID-19, and 58.3% of infected students reported deteriorated academic achievement. Conclusions: One in five of clinical dental students and their faculty had COVID-19. Most cases were symptomatic, and a large proportion developed long COVID or adverse socioeconomic consequences. Regardless of the severity of symptoms encountered during the acute stage of COVID-19 infection, all infected dental healthcare personnel should be followed, especially those who report long COVID. Continuous follow-up and assistance for infected students may be warranted to mitigate the potential academic and mental drawbacks caused by the pandemic. Dental schools should adopt clear policies regarding COVID-19 transmission and prevention and should implement them in their infection-control education and training.

This was an in vitro study that aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of the propolis extract caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on four different oral microorganisms. Seven different concentrations of CAPE (0.2, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 mg/mL) for use against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus salivarius were determined using minimum inhibition concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), broth microdilution, and well diffusion tests over 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h, while NaF at 0.05 percent was used as a positive control. Staphylococcus aureus was most affected by CAPE’s inhibitory effect on bacterial growth, whereas S. mutans was the least affected. S. mutans and S. oralis had similar CAPE MIC and MBC values of 1 mg/mL and 1.5 mg/mL, respectively. The most resistant bacteria to CAPE were S. salivarius and S. aureus, with MIC and MBC values of 3 mg/mL and 4 mg/mL, respectively. S. oralis, followed by S. salivarius, S. mutans, and S. aureus, had the highest viable count following exposure to CAPE’s MBC values, while S. aureus had the lowest. The current results of the inhibitory effect of CAPE on bacterial growth are promising, and the values of both CAPE MBC and MIC against the related four cariogenic bacterial organisms are significant. CAPE can be employed as an adjunct dental hygiene substance for maintaining good oral hygiene, and has a potential therapeutic effect in the field of oral health care.