This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the oral health statuses of children and adults within the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population through an umbrella review approach. The prevalence of dental caries, periodontal disease, and associated variables were investigated across selected studies. A systematic search was conducted across databases including PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, Science Direct, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Wiley Online Library to identify relevant studies. The assessed variables included dental caries prevalence, periodontal disease prevalence, oral hygiene indicators, and the necessity of dental treatment. The pooled prevalence rates, odds ratios, and standardized mean differences were calculated where applicable. The pooled prevalence of dental caries among ASD individuals ranged from 60.6% to 67.3%, while the periodontal disease prevalence ranged from 59.8% to 69.4%. High rates of dental treatment under general anesthesia were reported. Heterogeneous dental caries and periodontal disease prevalence rates were identified, highlighting the need for collaboration and preventive care. Several studies also reported higher prevalence rates of dental trauma and self-inflicted oral injuries among individuals with ASD. However, the review also identified significant methodological limitations in the included studies, including inconsistency in oral health assessment methods and potential bias. The necessity for targeted policies due to high prevalence rates and the requirement for integrated care systems in high DMFT regions were also observed. The umbrella review synthesized diverse findings, revealing variations in dental caries and periodontal disease prevalence among ASD individuals. This review underscores the need for tailored interventions and policies to address oral health disparities. It highlights the necessity of integrated care systems, methodological improvements, and longitudinal studies to comprehensively address the multifaceted oral health challenges within the ASD population.

Dietary management is considered as a major step in assessing a patient’s knowledge related to nutritional aspects, treatment, and complications of diabetes. Diabetes patients frequently face difficulty in identifying the recommended diet, including its quality and quantity. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), sedentary lifestyle, along with food choices and portion sizes, have increased considerably and this has resulted in the soaring risk of diabetes. In addition, there is paucity of literature focusing on the Dietary Knowledge (DK) of type 2 diabetics in KSA. The study aimed to assess and evaluate the DK of type 2 diabetics. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 type 2 diabetics using a valid and reliable self-prepared questionnaire comprising of 21 questions. Results showed that type 2 diabetics had an overall poor DK (28.57%). Sub-group analysis further revealed that diabetes patients had poor knowledge related to the consumption of carbohydrates and food choices, whereas they had good knowledge related to lipids and fats, proteins and food types. The role of diet in controlling of diabetes is considered imperative, but still, diabetes patients are unaware how they should approach this issue. The patient empowerment approach can be used to counsel patients with a poor DK. Primary care physicians and dietitians should work together and carry out individualized, tailored and patient-centered dietary education sessions.

The current pandemic has revolutionized medical education with a rapid shift to online teaching and learning strategies. The students have coped by turning to the online resources to keep pace with the change. To determine the type and practice of online resources used by undergraduate medical students and compare the use of online resources with gender and GPA. This was a cross-sectional study in which an online self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the type and practices of the online resources used by the medical students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Complete enumeration sampling method was used to collect the data from 180 medical students studying at College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and thirty students (72.2%) were unaware of the free online resources offered by the University. Most students (58.3%, n = 105) consulted peers for online references. Male students preferred PowerPoint presentations and consulting online resources for studying as compared to the females, whereas females preferred to study textbooks predominantly as compared to males (p = 0.005). Male students significantly shifted to the online resources during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to females (p = 0.028). Students with the highest GPA scores shifted to online educational resources during pandemic. A significant proportion of the undergraduate medical students at College of Medicine, Majmaah University used online educational resources for learning. We recommend that the college administration for deliberation with the medical educationalists for necessary curricular amendments and taking necessary steps to make the college Academic supervision and mentorship program more proactive to meet the challenges of students’ use of online educational resources.

Aim: Visual impairment and blindness are important global health issues as they are associated with high morbidity, mortality, and decreased quality of life, leading to substantial economic loss and productivity. There are only a few published articles on vision impairment and blindness in Saudi Arabia to compare the range of estimated global prevalence of low vision, blindness, and their causes. This study aims to find out the important causes of vision impairment and blindness in schools for the blind in Qassim province, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the blind schools in Buraidah city of Qassim province. A total of 278 registered cases were included in this study using a systematic random sampling of registered cases. Based on the definitions, the cases were classified as having vision impairment and/or blindness. The data were entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS 25. Results: The mean age was 30 years (range: 6 to 83 years) and 174 (76.4%) were males and 84 (32.6%) being females. The male:female ratio was 2:1. All the respondents were of Saudi ethnicity. Mild to moderate visual impairment was found in 6%, severe visual impairment in 27%, and blindness was seen in 64% of registered cases. The causes of blindness in these registered cases from blind school were retinitis pigmentosa (26%), optic atrophy (16%), glaucoma (7%), head trauma (6%), nystagmus (6%), retinopathy of prematurity (6%), ocular albinism (4%), corneal opacities (4%), amblyopia (3%) and other causes (22%). Overall, retinal disorders (retinitis pigmentosa and retinopathy of prematurity) were the leading causes of disability followed by optic atrophy. Conclusion: The findings of this study are useful in planning and implementing screening programs in this area for early identification and corrections, thus preventing permanent loss of sight.