Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze and evaluate dental antibiotic prescriptions in Albaha Region, Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods: A two-year retrospective cohort study was conducted between September 1, 2017 and September 1, 2019 in children and adults. Data collected from the patients’ medical records were analyzed using SPSS. The Z-test with Bonferroni correction and descriptive proportions were utilized to compare several levels of categorical variables. Results: Of the 43,255 dental visits, antibiotics were provided during 12,573 (29.1%). The commonly prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin and amoxicillin combined with metronidazole (56.3% and 16.9%, respectively). Alarmingly, antibiotics were provided in several conditions for which they are medically neither recommended nor indicated; together, they represented 27.8% of those consultations in which antibiotics were prescribed. Female dentists prescribed more antibiotics than male dentists (30%, P = < 0.000), with male patients receiving more antibiotics than female patients (36%, P = < 0.0001). Conclusion: Unnecessary prescription of antibiotics was observed in the present study. Improving knowledge and awareness of Saudi dentists on dental antibiotic prescription is warranted.

Vitamin D deficiency and periodontitis are commonly prevalent among Saudi adults. However, the association between periodontitis and vitamin D status has not been well documented. This study aims to examine the association between periodontitis and vitamin D status among adults in the Albaha region of Saudi Arabia. A case-control study of 123 Saudi adults was conducted; 60 had severe or moderate periodontitis, and 63 were periodontally healthy. Data was collected by an online self-reported sociodemographic questionnaire. All participants then underwent a full periodontal examination. Blood samples were also provided to assess participants’ vitamin D statuses through serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). A total of 60 cases and 63 controls matched for BMI (30.2 ± 4.86 kg/m2), age (40.01 ± 7.73 years), and sex (46.3% and 53.7% male and female, respectively) participated in the study. Mean levels of 25(OH)D were significantly lower in periodontitis participants than in controls (25.03 ± 8.55 ng/ml, 29.19 ± 12.82 ng/ml, p = 0.037, respectively). Lower odds of periodontitis were detected per unit of 25(OH)D level (OR 0.964, 95% CI; 0.931–0.999, p = 0.043). In conclusion, periodontitis is significantly associated with deficient and insufficient levels of vitamin D among Saudi adults in the Albaha region. Future longitudinal research with a larger sample size may be suggested to confirm these results.

Objective: Little is known about exploring the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) of school children in Saudi Arabia. The importance of examining this topic has centred on its ability to measure associations between the oral symptoms, impacts and clinical measures. This study aims to explore associations between the (OHRQoL) based on the children's Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (Child‐OIDP) index and oral diseases of Saudi school children living in Albaha region.Materials and methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted between November 2017 to January 2018 using two‐stage randomised sampling technique. The oral diseases and impacts were examined using the World Health Organization's (1997) guidelines and the Child‐OIDP index, respectively. Data analysis was conducted using the SPSS software version 20.0. Chi‐squared, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression tests were used, as appropriate.Results: In total 349 Saudi male school children, 12 to 15 years old, were recruited. The Child‐OIDPrate was significantly high (75.1%). The participants reported minor, moderate and major (severe) oral impacts (29.4%, 50%, and 20.6% respectively). The overall mean of the Child‐OIDP score was 2.15±1.40.Conclusions: The high overall Child‐OIDP score was in accordance with the participants' dental status. Further research should focus on improving knowledge and implementing education programmes to advance the community's oral diseases and practices.

To what extent does dental research on implant consultations focus on the use of shared decision making? There has been an explosion in the use of implant therapies in dentistry, but very little is known about the decision-making processes involved in the provision of dental implants. The use of shared decision making (SDM) has been found to reduce undesirable outcomes and increase patient and clinician satisfaction in other health care fields. This scoping review reports on the current status of SDM in research on implant therapies. A scoping review methodology was used. Web of Knowledge, MEDLINE via OvidSP, MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, DARE, and CINAHL databases were reviewed between 1900 and December 1, 2017. The search strategy resulted in 2,289 eligible articles; 1,892 duplicated articles were deleted, resulting in a hand search of 397 titles and abstracts. These were subsequently evaluated while applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in 48 articles for full-text evaluation. After full-text evaluation of these 48 studies, a further 27 were eliminated as not being relevant, leading to the inclusion of 21 studies for the review. No studies to date have examined how patients and dentists engage in decisions to place dental implants. Aspects that were discussed in the literature related to the decision-making process included a discussion about patients’ values and discussing possible treatment options. How patients and dentists interacted during implant consultations was poorly explored. Shared decision making has been shown to improve health care quality and increase clinician and patient satisfaction. Further research concerning dental implant decisions is warranted with emphasis on evaluating patients’ contributions to treatment, which is currently poorly understood. Exploring existed methods for examining the SDM process in implant consultations should facilitate improve care and consent. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The findings of this scoping review can be used by all dentists when deciding which decision-making model they wish to use when planning implant therapy. The article places special emphasis on the role of shared decision making in improving health care quality and increasing patients’ and clinicians’ satisfaction.

Background: A key role of dental carving is enhancing manual proficiency and dexterity of dental hygiene students. Yet, utilizing Supplementary Online Dental Anatomy Resources (SODAR) as a supportive teaching approach has demonstrated the ability to improve carving skills.Objective: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of SODAR training in improving the quality of dental carving skills and knowledge among preclinical Saudi male students in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A basic double-blinded randomized controlled trial of 30 preclinical Saudi dental male students was conducted between January and April 2019. Participants were classified into an experimental group that received SODAR training (n= 15) and a control group comprising students who did not receive SODAR training (n= 15). Thet-test and Fisher’s exact test were performed to assess differences in theoretical knowledge between the two groups. While Cohen’s d test,t-test, and Pearson correlation were conducted to evaluate differences in students’ dental carvings.Results: Students with SODAR training performed better on practical carving sessions than those without intervention (P-value < 0.001). However, SODAR intervention had no significant effect on the theoretical knowledge evaluations in both the groups.Conclusion: SODAR training demonstrated its ability to support students learning in practical carving sessions; however, no effect on theoretical knowledge was observed. Future research should focus on factors that impact carving teaching strategies, including the quality and depth of online learning content, students’ perceptions of online learning, and experiences of teachers who run the online resources.