The authors conducted a study aimed to assess the awareness and attitude among dental students and residents at King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD) toward using dental magnification. An e-questionnaire was formulated then sent to dental students and residents (n = 651). The questionnaire included questions that assessed both the awareness and attitude toward using dental magnification. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22. The chi-square test was used to establish relationships between categorical variables. The response rate was 69.7 % (n = 454). Of those, 78.1 % did not use magnification during dental procedures. However, 81.8 % agreed that dental magnification could enhance the accuracy and quality of their dental work. Thus, 91.6 % thought it would be useful in endodontics and 46.3 % voted for surgery. Of the 21.9 % that used magnification, dental loupes were mostly used, 55.9 %. The majority (59.4 %) of the participants believed that using dental magnification should be introduced by faculty beginning in Year I of dental school. Among our respondents, most of the undergraduate students did not use dental magnification nor attended courses in the use of dental magnifications. However, most of the students were aware of its significance in improving the accuracy and quality of their work.

Evaluation of Head and Neck Cancer Awareness and Screening Status in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Head and neck cancer;HNC;oral cancer;awareness;screening; Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. Early detection is a key determinant of HNC prognosis. Hence, raising awareness of this disease may improve survival rates. The present study evaluated the level of awareness and screening status for HNC in the general population of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: An e-questionnaire was distributed during our HNC awareness campaign at the Red Sea Mall in Jeddah. The questions assessed HNC knowledge and screening status among participants. Results: Of the 112 respondents, 68% indicated that they had no knowledge of HNC. Social media was the major source of information (39%) for respondents. The majority (40%) believed that it was the joint responsibility of dentists, dental hygienists, and general physicians to screen for HNC; 82% had never been screened. Conclusions: Knowledge and awareness of HNC must be increased in the general population and among dental health professionals.

This review assessed the most up-to-date literature on the accuracy of detecting vertical root fractures (VRFs] using the currently available diagnostic imaging methods. In addition, an overview of the biological and clinical aspects of VRFs will also be discussed. A systematic review of the literature was initiated in December of 2015 and then updated in May of 2016. The electronic databases searched included PubMed, Emabse, Ovid, and Google Scholar. An assessment of the methodological quality was performed using a modified version of the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies tool. Twenty-two studies were included in this systematic review after applying specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of those, 12 favored using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for detecting VRF as compared to periapical radiographs, whereas 5 reported no differences between the two methods. The remaining 5 studies confirmed the advantages associated with using CBCT when diagnosing VRF and described the parameters and limitations associated with this method, but they were not comparative studies. In conclusion, overwhelming evidence suggests that the use of CBCT is a preferred method for detecting VRFs. Nevertheless, additional well controlled and high quality studies are needed to produce solid evidence and guidelines to support the routine use of CBCT in the diagnosis of VRFs as a standard of care.

The introduction of single-file nickel-titanium (NiTi) reciprocating systems has been a major breakthrough in the field of endodontics. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the available reciprocating systems, Reciproc and WaveOne, using a meta-analysis with different parameters. A comprehensive electronic literature search for Reciproc and WaveOne using PubMed and Google scholar was initially conducted in September 2014 and updated in September 2016. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were then established. Twenty-six studies were qualified for the systematic review, and only three studies were considered for the meta-analysis using cyclic fatigue resistance as the main parameter. The time to fracture for the Reciproc and WaveOne systems ranged from 119.7 sec to 156.4 sec and 74.8 sec to 99.6 sec, respectively. The pooled difference in mean time to fracture was longer for the Reciproc system by 45.6 sec. This difference was statistically significantly at P value < 0.001. In conclusion, our study supports the finding that Reciproc is more resistant to cyclic fatigue than WaveOne. However, with regard to other parameters, mixed results were obtained. Well-designed randomized clinical trials comparing both systems under the same experimental conditions should be done in future studies.

G GDPs in Saudi Arabia (n = 650). The e-questionnaire questions covered the assessment of knowledge, attitude, and performance of GDPs toward practicing the proper standards of endodontic treatment in their clinic. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22, and the relationships between categorical variables were established using Chi-square test. Results: Most of the participants reported obtaining full medical history before root canal treatment (RCT, 82.3%; P < 0.05). However, only 12.2% of the participants regularly measure the blood pressure for their patients before starting RCT. Only 56.3% of the participated dentists are applying rubber dam isolation during RCT, while 24.2% believe that partial isolation is sufficient for such a procedure (P < 0.05). Furthermore, 42.8% of the surveyed GDPs use cold test to confirm the endodontic diagnosis, while 55.5% think that percussion is a reliable method for diagnosis (P < 0.05). Surprisingly, 37.3% of the dentists still prefer leaving the tooth open for pain relief and drainage in abscess cases. Finally, only 28.7% of the participants mentioned performing regular follow-up after RCT. Conclusions: Our data show a clear deficiency in the standards of care provided by GDPs when performing RCT in Saudi Arabia. We hope that this publication will help highlight key areas where lack of knowledge and poor attitude exist while performing RCT by the GDPs in Saudi, thereby helping to raise treatment standards and improve treatment outcomes....