The knowledge and beliefs of parents have an impact on their children’s general and oral health. The objective of this study is to assess knowledge, attitude, and behavior of parents and identify possible associated factors of early childhood caries (ECC) in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Parents aged 18 and older were invited to complete a self-administered, validated questionnaire. Questions covered demographics, knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding ECC etiology and prevention. Of the 644 parents who completed the questionnaire, 51.4% were not aware of the early signs of tooth decay, such as white lines. Pain and trauma were reported as the major reasons for a child to visit a dentist (42.4%). Only 37% of parents were aware of the importance of fissure sealant, and only 23% knew how it is applied. Compared with mothers, fathers were significantly less aware of hidden sugar and the relation between the frequency of consuming breast milk or bottled milk and caries development (p = 0.001). Similarly, fathers were more likely to believe that children could achieve effective teeth cleaning without parental assistance (p = 0.001). Preventive guidance should be provided by oral healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia to improve parents’ knowledge of ECC prevention.

There are few published studies assessing dental students’ and faculty’s perception regarding environmental sustainability in dentistry (ESD) and its existence within the dental curricula along with barriers and enablers for its integration. As far as the authors know, no published study has looked into this in Saudi Arabia, and this is what the current study aims to explore. A cross-sectional survey using validated online questionnaires for dental students and faculty was carried out in 26 dental schools in Saudi Arabia. The validated questionnaire utilized 25 questions using Qualtrics (XM) software. Both descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were included in the data analysis. ESD content is not formally embedded within the dental curricula in all 26 included universities in Saudi Arabia. Although the majority of students and faculty members agreed or strongly agreed on the importance of ESD as a whole and the importance of teaching it, more than 82% and 81% of students and faculty, respectively, demonstrated a lack of basic knowledge concerning ESD. The preliminary findings of the current study suggest that there is a high demand for incorporating ESD content in dental education in Saudi Arabia. To achieve this, resources and policy changes are necessary. A top-down approach is needed, including incorporating ESD into dental education standards, using evidence-based practices in revising infection control regulations, and providing institutional support through training, materials, and incentives. National dental associations and governments should provide practical solutions and actively support dental professionals in implementing ESD.

There are few published studies assessing dental students' and faculty's perception regarding environmental sustainability in dentistry (ESD), its existence within the dental curricula, along with barriers and enablers for its integration. As far as the authors know, no published study looked into this in Saudi Arabia, and this is what the current study aims to explore. A cross-sectional survey using validated online questionnaires for dental students and faculty was carried out in 26 dental schools in Saudi Arabia. The validated questionnaire utilized 25 questions using Qualtrics (XM) software. Both descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were included in the data analysis. ESD content is not formally embedded within the dental curricula in all 26 included universities in Saudi Arabia. Although the majority of students and faculty members agreed or strongly agreed on the importance of ESD as a whole and the importance of teaching it, more than 82% and 81% of students and faculty, respectively, demonstrated a lack of basic knowledge concerning ESD. There is a high demand for incorporating ESD content in dental education in Saudi Arabia. To achieve this, resources and policy changes are necessary. A top-down approach is needed, including incorporating ESD into dental education standards, using evidence-based practices in revising infection control regulations and providing institutional support through training, materials, and incentives. National dental associations and governments should provide practical solutions and actively support dental professionals in implementing ESD.

The objective is to present evidence through umbrella review format about motivational intervention (MI) effectiveness in early childhood caries (ECC). A comprehensive search was done utilizing three databases till March 2026 for a systematic review (SR) of randomized controlled trials. The following PICO was used for search strategy and eligibility criteria: population was mother–child dyads; intervention included MI principles; comparators were any other comparator; the outcome was ECC. AMSTAR-2 was used to judge the quality of included SRs. Five SRs were included. The total sample size was 4577 subjects after correcting for overlapping studies. Four SRs showed a significant reduction in dental caries in children when MI was used and compared to a control and one showed a reduction, but not statistically significant. The overall confidence in the included SRs was mostly moderate. In conclusion MI interventions showed promising effects; however, effectiveness may vary by patient, setting, and intervention characteristics.

Objective: This study aimed to assess whether coffee consumption affects the efficacy or onset time of local anesthesia (LA) in healthy adults using electric pulp testing (EPT). Method: A single-blinded, randomized, exploratory pilot crossover clinical trial was conducted at the dental hospital at Umm Al-Qura University. Ten healthy participants (five females, five males; aged 18–30 years) with intact upper premolars were included. Each participant served as both the intervention (coffee) and control (no coffee) group within one month. In the intervention session, participants consumed one cup of instant coffee containing approximately 45–50 mg of caffeine, a low-to-moderate caffeine dose, and waited 20 min before testing. EPT was used to assess pulpal anesthesia following administration of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine. EPT measurements were recorded pre- and post-LA. Effectiveness was compared using McNemar’s test, and onset time was analyzed using paired t-tests. Results: All participants achieved complete pulpal anesthesia (maximum EPT reading = 64) in both coffee and no-coffee sessions. This uniform response produced a measurement ceiling effect, precluding meaningful statistical comparison. The mean pre-LA EPT readings were 20.4 ± 6.9 (range 9–31.3) for the control group and 24.3 ± 7.2 (range 14–37.3) for the coffee group. Both groups achieved anesthesia within approximately two minutes. Conclusion: From this preliminary study, coffee consumption did not affect the onset or effectiveness of local anesthesia in healthy adults. Within the limitations of this small crossover pilot study, these findings indicate no observable difference, though not definitive equivalence. Larger-scale studies are warranted to confirm these preliminary results.