Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic psychosis marked by multiple bioenvironmental and immunological dysregulation with its intricate role in etiopathogenesis of periodontal disease remaining unclear. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the association between periodontal disease and schizophrenia in relation with cortisol levels. Methods: The study is in descriptive design comprised of 40 subjects randomly selected (20 schizophrenic patients as Group A and 20 healthy volunteers as group B). All the study participants underwent complete periodontal examination including scoring of gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), Probing depths (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). Salivary cortisol levels are estimated using ELISA. Link between schizophrenia and periodontal disease is described in relation to cortisol levels with elimination of other shared risk factors, such as tobacco smoking and xerostomia. Results: Significant higher values of periodontal parameters are observed in Group A with schizophrenic patients (GI 2.467 ± 0.528; PI 2.402 ± 0.526; PD 2.854 ± 0.865; CAL 1.726 ± 3.096) than Group B with healthy subjects (GI 0.355 ± 0.561; PI 0.475 ± 0.678; PD 1.493 ± 0.744; CAL 0.108 ± 0.254). However, cortisol levels are lower in schizophrenic group (0.190 ± 0.059) than non-schizophrenic group (0.590 ± 0.228) ruling out the possible role of cortisol in periodontal disease severity associated with schizophrenic patients. Conclusion: Findings of this study, provides ground evidence for consideration of schizophrenia as a risk factor for periodontitis and demands greater emphasis on management of schizophrenic patients in dental setting similar to other comorbid disorders such as diabetes mellitus and also incorporating periodontal care measures in the clinical guidelines for schizophrenia management.

This study aimed to evaluate the reporting quality of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in periodontology. Three leading periodontology journals, the Journal of Periodontology (JOP), the Journal of Clinical Periodontology (JOCP), and the Journal of Periodontal Research (JOPR), were selected for this investigation. The RCTs were identified by manually searching for human trial articles published in these three journals. Two authors independently conducted the literature search, and a pre-piloted extraction sheet was used to screen the potential RCTs. The CONSORT checklist guidelines were employed to calculate the score value. Intra-examiner reliability was assessed by scoring a random sample of 10% of the papers in a second round conducted by the first examiner three months after the initial data collection. A search of abstracts published over a five-year period yielded 176 articles that reported RCTs, accounting for 11.7% of all articles published in the three journals. The highest number of RCTs was published in 2020, and more than half of the included RCTs (51%) originated from Europe. Many of the analyzed RCTs inadequately reported almost half of the items on the CONSORT checklist. Furthermore, univariate analysis revealed significant associations between certain factors and the overall CONSORT score, such as publication in JOP (p = 0.048), publication year of 2019 (p = 0.041) and 2021 (p = 0.042), first author from North America (p = 0.016), and RCTs with more than six authors (p = 0.042). Clinical trial research in periodontics has made significant progress in the past five years. However, there is room for improvement in adhering to the CONSORT guidelines.

Background: In an era wherein, persuasive evidence continues to witness the association between systemic and periodontal diseases, the absence of scientific data on dental professionals’ comprehension concerning the HIV infection and periodontal link is lamentably backward. Thus, the key objective of this research is to ascertain the extent of comprehension possessed by dentists and dental hygienists concerning periodontal implications and their management in HIV patients.Methods: It is a quantitative cross-sectional survey employing a descriptive approach focusing on a specific cohort of dental professionals. The study setting featured an online platform for the distribution of concealed, closed-ended, structured questionnaire. The data was gathered for four sections: six comprehension statements about periodontal manifestations in HIV patients; fifteen comprehension statements about HIV patients’ periodontal management; eight familiarity statements about HIV management; and two educational statements about HIV. The comparisons of comprehension scores were drawn between variables such as specialties, age groups, and genders.Results: The survey represented 468 dental professionals representing distinct dental specialties, with a mean age of 24.26 ± 7.53 years. The mean comprehension score for all groups of participants is 10.31 ± 9.34 (33.25%). The highest scores were recorded among those aged 31–40 (20.67 ± 8.31), followed by those aged 40+ (19.38 ± 9.39), 20–30 (9.53 ± 8.96), and under 20 (8.92 ± 8.57), at p < 0.001. The female participants (15.06 ± 12.2) exhibited substantially better scores in contrast to the male participants (8.74 ± 7.57). Periodontists (27.77 ± 3.08) comprehended most, then the oral medicine practitioners (25 ± 0). Dental hygiene students (5.52 ± 3.56) and hygienists (7.67 ± 9.72) comprehended the least. The scores for all four domains assessed were disappointingly low: knowledge about HIV-periodontal manifestations (2.81 ± 2.18), knowledge about management of periodontal diseases in HIV patients (3.73 ± 4.7), familiarity with periodontal care in HIV patients (2.87 ± 3.01), and education received about HIV and periodontal diseases (0.91 ± 0.66).Conclusion: Dental professionals are notably incomprehensive, unfamiliar, and lacking in expertise in the realm of periodontal facets of HIV. The periodontists and oral medicine practitioners showed a substantial amount of comprehension, while the dental hygiene students and dental hygienists presented a conspicuously inadequate level of comprehension. The study outcome could potentially serve as an invaluable instrument for self-assessment by dental professionals and educators. HIV/AIDS ought not to persist as an unspoken taboo or disregarded subject within the dental field, particularly in periodontics, but rather should receive prominence in dental schools and professional development programs.

Background and Objective: Despite the fact that antibiotics and analgesics are regularly prescribed by dentists, little is known regarding the dental practitioners' knowledge and comprehension of their usage in daily clinical practice. A lack of sufficient training for dental students is a possible cause of prescription mistakes. For the purpose of determining whether dental students are capable of rationally prescribing antibiotics by the time they graduate, this research examined dental students' understanding of administering antibiotics. Methods: The dentistry students' understanding of prescription antibiotics was assessed by means of a questionnaire. Participants in this research were undergraduates in their third and fourth year of Buraydah Private College of Dentistry and Pharmacy. Students at college were asked to fill out a standardized questionnaire. Results: The majority of antibiotics provided were in the right dosage and dosage form, although the frequency and length of treatment varied widely. Some 75.3% of the time, amoxicillin was administered in this research, followed by metronidazole (6.2%), tetracycline (4.1%), and erythromycin (3.2%). Conclusion: Continuing education on the sensible use of antibiotics in dental infections is essential, and it is best when this is done in conjunction with its use in clinical settings. To ensure that dentistry students are competent and responsible prescribers of antibiotics at the time of graduation, prescription guidelines are needed.

Introduction: The intriguing link between periodontal disease severity and physical activity remains largely understudied, particularly in the Saudi Arabian population. Thus, the current research was intended to ascertain the effect of physical activity on the prevalence and indicators of periodontal diseases. Materials: The cross-sectional approach with convenience sampling was applied to the recruitment of 160 adult subjects attending gymnasiums, sports clubs, malls, primary health centres, and community dental health programs. Based on IPAQ scores, the participants were split into two distinct groups: a physically active group and a physically inactive group. The two study groups were compared with one another in terms of recorded parameters. The gathered data subsequently underwent statistical processing using SPSS 20.0. Results: Of the 160 subjects, 66.87% (n = 107) had gingivitis and 33.12% (n = 53) periodontitis. A lower mean PI (1.62±0.31) was observed in the physically active group compared to the physically inactive group (6.91±1.12). The physically active group had a mean BI of 19.01±4.53 and the inactive group 69.98±9.29. For physically active and inactive groups, mean PD measurements were 2.49±0.33 mm and 4.61±0.07 mm, respectively.Physically active individuals had a significantly lower mean CAL (2.98±0.88 mm) compared to the inactive group (5.37±1.02 mm). Parametric variances between groups are statistically significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: Insufficient engagement in physical activity has undeniably been identified as a risk factor for the development and severity of periodontal disease, marked by escalated indicators of gingivitis and periodontitis. The study findings unequivocally endorse the adoption of a consistent physical activity regimen as strategic initiatives to proactively address the incidence of inflammatory periodontal diseases. Many patients with different psychophysical characteristics seek periodontal therapy at dental clinics. This study alerts clinicians to the impact of physical inactivity in a wide-spectrum population and helps identify periodontal risk in sedentary patients. It also aids in treatment planning for these periodontally risky, physically inactive people. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.23 (Special Issue) 2024 p.S20-S25