The Reliability of a New Device for Measuring the Maximum Bite Force

Objective. To test the inter- and intraexaminer reliability of a recently developed instrument for measuring the maximum bite force (MBF). Material and Methods. Sixty patients who were clinically confirmed as having Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) and 60 healthy controls were included in this study. For each subject, age, gender, weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were recorded. The maximum bite force was recorded in alternate order with a bite force sensor (D1) and an occlusal force meter (D2). Bite force was measured in the first molar region. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and kappa statistic were applied to assess the reliability between D1 and D2 in the assessment of maximum bite force. The independent t -test was performed to find the statistical significance between the two study groups. The paired t -test was applied to find out the difference between the right and left disease in groups of two devices separately. The one-way analysis of covariance (ANOVA) was performed to find the significant difference between grades of OSMF. Results. The results of the kappa values were 0.8531 ± 0.0724 and 0.7336 ± 0.0737 for interdevice reliability in OSMF patients in right and left sides. Similar findings were obtained in right and left sides of healthy individuals ( 0.7549 ± 0.0816 and 0.9440 ± 0.0806 ) and in the total sample ( 0.8132 ± 0.0544 and 0.8303 ± 0.0538 ). Pearson’s correlation coefficient between two devices revealed a high and significant positive correlation between D1 and D2 separately and in the whole sample. Conclusion. The observations of the present study suggest that the bite force sensor can be used as a reliable device for measuring bite force.

VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY TESTS FOR ADMINISTRATION OF KIDNEY DISEASE QUALITY OF LIFE-SHORT FORM IN INDONESIAN VERSION

Objective: This study aims to adapt the KDQOL-SF questionnaire into Indonesian and to evaluate the reliability and validity of the questionnaire in healthy subjects in Indonesia. Material & Methods: Previously translated (into Indonesian) KDQOL-SF questionnaire was given to 33 healthy subjects at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital. Respondents were over 18 years old and were able to speak Indonesian orally and in written form. Reliability was measured using Alpha Cronbach’s intraclass correlation coefficient and internal consistency reliability. Validity was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation test. Results: Out of 33 respondents, the majority of subjects were male (81%) with mean age 47.4 ± 13.7 years old. The highest score was in social support aspects with mean score 99.48 ± 2.95, while the lowest score was vitality aspect with mean score 63.28 ± 11.61. Alpha Cronbach’s score was between 0.580-0.999 and Pearson’s correlation coefficient between 0.405-0.976 with P < 0.05. Conclusion: KDQOL-SF questionnaire, which was translated into Indonesian, was valid and reliable to be used in evaluating patients’ quality of before kidney transplantation in Indonesia

Comparison of Pocket Pulse Oximeter and Standard Pulse Oximeter With ABG Analysis in Critically Ill Patients

Background: Pulse oximetry (SpO2) is a standard monitoring device in patients presenting to EMDs and intensive care units (ICUs). Pocket pulse oximeters (PPOs) are used widely in wards, EMDs, and small hospitals/clinics. These inexpensive PPOs also guide therapeutic interventions. Few studies have evaluated the accuracy of SpO2 in patients presenting to critical care areas vis-à-vis devices like PPO and standard pulse oximeter (SPO). This study becomes extremely relevant in view of the ongoing crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic wherein SpO2 monitoring is very important in hospitals, quarantine centers, small clinics, or even at home. Methods: Patients presenting to critical areas who underwent arterial blood gases (ABG) analysis on the recommendation of the treating physician between November 2016 and October 2018 were included in this study. Along with the ABG analysis, a simultaneous assessment of SpO2 was done with a single PPO and SPO and all values were noted. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS v.21.0 for Windows. Results: The study included 300 patients. We compared the O2 saturations of ABG, SPO, and PPO with respect to sex, different age groups, and at different levels of ABG pCO2, HCO3, and pH in all patients. All parameters were compared using the Pearson’s correlation test; the results showed that ABG O2 saturations were closer to the SPO than the PPO but the differences were not statistically significant as the Pearson’s correlation values for all parameters were >0.8. We also compared the parameters by Bland Altman Plot and all observations were outside 95% CI (confidence interval), which means that there was a good agreement between O2 saturations by all three methods, that is, ABG, SPO, and PPO; however, ABG O2 saturations were closer to SPO than PPO but this difference was not statistically significant. Hence, we conclude that the PPO is a useful tool for reliable monitoring of O2 saturations. Conclusion: This study highlights that inexpensive and noninvasive PPO can be used as a standard monitoring device with reliability in critically ill patients presenting to EMDs, ICUs, and small hospitals/clinics, quarantine centers, and even at home.

Psychological Impact of Covid-19 on Dental Surgeons and Students

Background: Since the start of January 2020, COVID-19, has been a serious health risk concerning the wellbeing and welfare of people worldwide. Health care workers are prone to more psychological problems because of their direct contact with infectious patients. Owing to the disruption of educational activities worldwide, stress was common among students. The objective of this study was to determine the psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on dental surgeons and dental students. Methods: The survey was conducted at Islamic International Dental Hospital form February 2021 to July 2021. A total of 400 questionnaires were sent to students and dental surgeons, however 340 completely filled questionnaires were returned. Questionnaire using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess the psychological influence. Data was compiled and independent sample t -test and Pearson’s correlation were applied using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS version 23 to determine difference of means considering p<0.05 as cut off for significance. Results: The means of stress score, anxiety score and depression were 2.24+0.5, 3.56 +0.06 and 2.83+0.06 respectively. Pearson’s correlation among the dimensions of DAS scale showed that Depression, Anxiety and Stress were positively and significantly correlated with each other. Conclusion: There were high levels of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among dental students during COVID-19 Pandemic.

VALIDATION OF URDU VERSION OF CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES FOR DEPRESSION SCALE FOR CHILDREN IN CONTEXT OF PAKISTAN

Objective: To translate and psychometrically validate the center for epidemiological studies for depression scale (CES-DC) for Pakistani children. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Various schools in Rawalpindi, from Feb to Mar 2021. Methodology: Present study comprised of translation, cross-language validation and investigation of psychometric properties of the scale into Urdu Language. Urdu translated version and strength and difficulty questionnaire were administered on 154 primary school children from various private schools situated in Rawalpindi district. Cronbach’s alpha reliability, item-total correlation and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for analysis. Results: Results revealed that this scale had good internal consistency and reliability (Urdu-version α=0.73; English-version α = 0.65) along with correlation coefficients over a period of 15 days (r=0.96). Cronbach’s alpha value of scales was found to be fairly high (r=0.78 and r=0.81). Item-total correlation of translated scale was also satisfactory (ranged from 0.04-0.58) and Pearson’s correlation of translated version with strength and difficulty questionnaire indicated good convergent validity (r= 0.54; p<0.01). Conclusion: Results supported the feasibility, reliability and validity of the Urdu version of this scale to screen depression among Urdu speaking pediatric Pakistani population.

Measurement of tool wear using a non-contact method, using a laser measuring system

Measurement of tool wear using a non-contact method, using a laser measuring system. This article examined the tools - straight cutters with a contactless method using a laser sensor. The first aspect of the research was to determine the influence of the spindle rotational speed on the accuracy of laser measurement. The second aspect of the research was to establish the correlation between the diameter of the tool measured with a laser micrometer and the wear of the tool measured with the microscope. A good (R2> 0.8) Pearson's correlation was found between the measured tool diameter and it’s wear.

Cycling as a Part of Recreation: An Awareness-Exploring Study

This study aimed to explore the awareness among individuals engaged in recreational cycling about the benefits of cycling. The study consists of 66 participants in the age group of 18-30 who are interested in recreational cycling in the province of Sakarya. The “Recreation Awareness Scale” developed by Ekinci and Özdilek (2019) was used as a data collection tool in the study. In the study, skewness and kurtosis (kurtosis) were evaluated to ensure the normal distribution of the data in addition to descriptive statistical methods such as percentage and frequency. As a result, we found the data to be normally distributed and, thus, utilized the parametric tests. Accordingly, the groups were compared using a t-test and an analysis of variance (ANOVA). In addition, we performed a Tukey test to find out the group(s) as the source of difference. Then, Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to see the association between two continuous variables. The results revealed that the participants did not differ significantly on pleasure/entertainment, social/achievement, and self-development subscales by gender. Yet, the mean scores of the participants differed significantly on the social/achievement and self-development subscales by educational attainment. The post hoc test suggested that those having a high school degree got significantly higher scores on the social/achievement subscale than the participant with an associate degree. Moreover, the high school graduates obtained higher scores on the self-development subscale than those with a secondary school, associate, and undergraduate degree. Considering the relationship between recreation awareness and age, the Pearson’s correlation test revealed significant positive relationships between age and the participants’ scores on the social/achievement and self-development subscales. Yet, we could not find a significant relationship between age and the pleasure/entertainment subscale.

Regional Relocation and Phonetic Dialect Markers

This paper tracks phonological change in the (ING) morpheme in two YouTube personalities over time. Both participants relocated to a different dialect region than their hometowns over the course of their careers, motivating the hypothesis of this paper: geographic relocation is a catalyst for adult accent change. With a longitudinal study method, I selected audio clips from different periods in each YouTuber’s life and collected formant measurements of the targeted words. Based on a Pearson’s correlation analysis and hypothesis testing models, the participants showed statistically significant progression in their speech over time. Additionally, the speakers exhibited audible shifts most likely as an effect of aging. It is inconclusive whether this study’s observations are influenced by the difference in dialect or societal pressures of the relocated locations without further research in the other variables of each regional dialect.

Morbidity, its Patterns and Associated Factors among School Children Residing in a North Indian City

INTRODUCTION: Children are the pillars of the future of a country shall rest, are no less than a treasure and need to be as healthy as possible. AIM: To assess the health status of school children in various areas of Una city, Himachal Pradesh, India. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The present study was conducted among school children aged 7-18 present on the day of the study. Data collected was cross-sectionally using a pre-validated and pre-tested questionnaire duly standardized prior to commencement of the study. The first section of the questionnaire contained details about the demographic profile, and in the second, the examiners recorded the presence or absence of common childhood diseases, namely pallor, lymphadenopathy (L.N.), Bitot spots, Worm infections, Scabies, Ear discharge, Dental caries and Fluorosis. Statistical analysis included the Shapiro-wilk test to check for data normalcy, followed by descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation. Significance value (p) was kept significant at ≤0.5. RESULTS: Most children belonged to the age group of 12-15 years (42.8%), followed by 7-11 years(34.3%) and 16-18 years(22.9%). Majority of the students were girls (61.5%) and most them belonged to the age group of 12-15 years(41.0%). Disease in any from was observed in 813 (76.2%) of the children, with the most prevalent disease observed being dental caries (32.3%), followed by fluorosis (20.5%) and pallor (14.3%). Pearson’s correlation revealed a strong, positive association between the disease status and age (0.7) and gender (0.8). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate the need to have various specific programmes to reduce the burden of various diseases, namely dental caries and pallor among school children through efforts of various programmes.

Alias Structures and Sequential Experimentation for Mixed-Level Designs

Alias structures for two-level fractional designs are commonly used to describe the correlations between different terms. The concept of alias structures can be extended to other types of designs such as fractional mixed-level designs. This paper proposes an algorithm that uses the Pearson’s correlation coefficient and the correlation matrix to construct alias structures for these designs, which can help experimenters to more easily visualize which terms are correlated (or confounded) in the mixed-level fraction and constitute the basis for efficient sequential experimentation.