Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Dental Patients About Cross-Infection and Infection Control

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the patient’s knowledge, attitude, and practice of cross-infection control in dentistry. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry, Trakya University. In this study, 250 patients (134 female and 116 male) aged 18 years and older (35.5±13.9) participated and data were collected using a questionnaire containing questions to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to cross-infection and infection control. Required personal and socio-demographic data were obtained. A chi-square test was conducted for categorical variables. Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare questionnaire scores (p <0.05). Results: Most of the participants (30.5%) reported that their sources of information on dental infection control were social media. Knowledge scores of females were statistically significantly higher than males (p=0.005) and participants living in the city were significantly higher than those living in the town (p=0.015). Knowledge scores of health-care workers were significantly higher than both other workers and unemployed/students (p=0.001, p=0.004, respectively). Regarding participants’ attitudes and practices, only 29.2% of the participants questioned the dentists about the contagious disease, and only 36% asked about the sterilization method of the dental instruments. Most of the participants perceived that wearing gloves, masks, eyewear, and face shield would protect both patients and dentists. Conclusion: Participants in this study seem to have a satisfactory level of knowledge about cross-infection and infection control methods in the nowadays’ pandemic condition. However, dental health professionals should make additional efforts to educate and encourage dental patients.

Comparison of an Air-Fed Mask System with Hospital-Issued Personal Protection Equipments for Dental Aerosol Protection During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Aim: A pilot study was conducted with the aim of developing a system to protect the eyes, nose, and mouth from the aerosol generated from a high-speed dental handpiece during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: The SARS-CoV-2 virus is known to be present in the saliva of an infected individual during the contagious viral shedding phase of the disease. The use of rotary dental instruments places oral health practitioners at risk of contracting COVID-19 from infected individuals. In particular, it is very difficult to protect the mucous membranes of the face against the extremely fine aerosol produced from a high-speed dental handpiece. Objectives: This study aimed to develop and test a novel PPE system for use during the COVID-19 pandemic. An air-fed spray-painting mask was used under a plastic hood to protect against the aerosol from a high-speed dental handpiece. This was found to be superior compared to hospital-issued N-95 masks and eye protection in our test model. Methods: Subjects donned various forms of PPE whilst using a high-speed dental handpiece in a confined cubicle. The efficacy of each form of PPE was evaluated by adding fluorescein to the water coolant supply line of a high-speed dental handpiece before checking for facial contamination with an ophthalmology slit lamp. Results: Under our test conditions, the N-95 mask did not prevent nasal and mouth contaminations, but the combination of an air-fed mask with a sealed hood prevented these contaminations. Although goggles worn tightly did prevent contamination, the air-fed mask system was far more comfortable and did not fog up. Discussion: Under the rigorous test conditions of our model, we found hospital-issued PPE ineffective. We also found the single strategy of using positive airflow into a face mask ineffective, even with extremely high levels of airflow. Complete protection was only achieved reliably by the combination of physically sealing off the face from the surrounding airspace and using the air-fed system to provide an external source of air to breathe. We effectively made the clinical equivalent of a dive bell helmet. The air-fed mask is supplied by a standard dental air compressor and is simple to install for someone familiar with the technical aspects of compressors. The compressor does not rely on a filter and proves effective with cheap and easily accessible disposable items. Conclusion: Under rigorous testing conditions, the developed air-fed mask system with a sealed hood on low flow performed better than hospital-issued PPE against high-speed dental aerosol protection. The developed system protects the operators from the air of the room contaminated with aerosol and brings in safe air from the outside for them to breathe.

Anthropogenic factors of influence on the morbidity of the dental system of the children's population of Makhachkala

Relevance. The study of the relationship between the dental morbidity of children in the city of Makhachkala from the anthropogenic impact of a landfill.Materials and methods. The study was based on a survey of children aged 2 to 17 years in three kindergartens and two schools in the city of Makhachkala in the zone of ecological distress. A total of – 420 children were examined, including – 85 of the temporary bite period; – 110 of the replacement bite period and 225 of the permanent bite period. The criteria for the selection of children were the duration of residence in this neighborhood and the presence of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th health groups. The dental examination included an assessment of the condition of the oral cavity, hard tooth tissues and periodontal tissues using a set of dental instruments according to a generally accepted technique.Results. Studies on the relationship of poor-quality drinking water with a reduced content of fluoride and the prevalence of non-carious lesions of the hard tissues of the teeth revealed that in the city of Makhachkala, a high prevalence of molarincisive enamel hypoplasia was detected in 45.4% of the examined and a multiple form in 31.6%% of systemic hypoplasia, local hypoplasia was noted in 22.1%, segmental hypoplasia was observed in only 4 children from 335 examined. The prevalence of diseases of the oral mucosa is due to a decrease in immunity in an environmentally unfavorable city, due to the unbalanced composition of macro and microelements in drinking water, high content of sulfur oxides, carbon and dioxin-like compounds in the air. The prevalence and development of caries was noted in 75% of the examined children.Conclusions. The high morbidity rate of the children's population in Makhachkala is associated with the anthropogenic impact of solid household waste, poor-quality drinking water, air and indicates the need to develop modern waste disposal technologies and implement recommendations for the organization of preventive and medical-dental care for children from an early age.

Effect of Sterilization (Autoclave) on Wear of Tungsten-Carbide Burs Coated With Diamond Particles With Different Thicknesses

Background: Extending the lifespan and improving the physical properties of dental burs as the most extensivly used instruments have been the subject of several studies. One of the proposed methods is using surface coatings for the burs. Since the dental instruments are reused, they require sterilization. One of the possible causes of the damage to dental burs is autoclaving process. This study aimed to investigate sterilization (autoclave) effect on wear of diamond coated tungsten-carbide burs with different thicknesses. Methods: In this in vitro study, 40 tungsten-carbide dental burs (IQ DENT, Poznan, Poland) were selected, out of which 20 burs were coated with 1.5-μm-like diamond particles, and 20 burs were coated with 3.5-μm by PVD method using Swin Plasma Coating Machine. Then, the burs were randomly divided into four groups (n=10) as follow: G1: 1.5 μm thickness coated burs without sterilization; G2: 3.5 μm thickness coated burs without sterilization; G3: 1.5 μm coated with sterilization; and G4: 3.5μm thickness coated burs with sterilization. Their weights were measured before wear test.Wear test was performed and then they were re-weighted. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 21) as well as Two-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD supplementary tests (α=0.05). Results: Mean and standard deviation of the burs weights without sterilization in the control groups were 7.31±2.63 and 7.96±1.61 mg, respectively; and mean and standard deviation of the burs weights in the sterilization groups were 7.06±0.98 and 7.12±1.11 mg, respectively. The study results showed that "sterilization application" and "thickness of coated layer" were the main factors and their intraction had no statistically significant difference (P=0.589). Conclusions: The sterilization process had no effect on wear of diamond coated tungsten-carbide burs with different thicknesses.

Association of Fear and Annoyance with Acoustic Levels of Dental Equipment Among Adolescents Attending Rural Dental Health Center: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Noise is increasingly becoming pervasive in occupational health concerning practicing dentists as well as patients. A stimulus such as noise from dental equipment compared to anxiety is often multifactorial and can result from a combination of fear of pain, dental instruments noise, or even upcoming negative events and future threats. Aim: This study aimed to assess fear and annoyance levels among adolescents attending a rural dental health centre and compare the acoustic noise levels of dental equipment and its association with fear and annoyance levels among adolescents. Methods: The acoustic noise spectra originating from different tools/equipment in a rural dental health centre is assessed using an application named sound meter of a standard mobile android phone (Samsung galaxy grand 2). Following a 15-minute treatment, a questionnaire was filled by a professional investigator through personal interviews with all subjects. The data is subjected to analysis by Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22.0. Results: 61.5% of the subjects felt anxious about the anticipatory dental visit, and there was a significant difference observed between genders. Chi-square analysis revealed no significant differences in the fear and annoyance with increasing noise levels in various treatment groups. (p> 0.05). Conclusion: In the present study, fear and annoyance levels increased with increasing noise levels of equipment. Annoyance was found to be significantly higher in females.

Endodontic instruments fracture in root canal: Integrative review

Introduction: Endodontic instruments fracture is related to several factors from internal dental anatomy and type, to operator inability and inexperience. Objective: To review case reports related to fracture of endodontic instruments inside the root canal. Methodology: A literature review was carried out using papers available in the PubMed and Lilacs databases. Only case reports were included, with no restriction on language and publication year Results: It was analyzed eight papers with 11 instrument fracture cases, with the highest prevalence (45.5%) of rotary instruments fracture, occurring mainly in middle-cervical and middle-apical root canals thirds. In 90.9% of cases, techniques used for removal showed successful results and in only one case (9.1%), the technique was unsuccessful and the instrument was kept inside the root canal. Final considerations: Endodontic instruments fracture is a complication can directly affect prognosis and endodontic treatment success. Several techniques and devices can be used to remove fractured fragments inside root canals, however, there is no specific protocol for their removal. Keywords: accidents; endodontics; fracture; dental instruments; prognosis.

Contact-former to restore the age-related characteristics of the contact pads of the posterior teeth

The aim of the study: development and clinical testing of specialised dental instruments and a clinical protocol for the restoration of the age-re-lated characteristics of contact pads during caries treatment of the contact surfaces of posterior teeth applying aesthetic restoration using light-cured composite materials.Materials and research methods. A contact-former of an original design and a medical-technological algorithm for the formation of contact areas of the posterior teeth, taking into account age characteristics, have been developed. A comprehensive assessment of the quality of 289 direct composite restorations of posterior teeth with Class 2 defects according to Black made during the treatment of dental caries in 178 pa-tients aged 20 to 59 years was performed. The condition of 162 composite restorations performed using contact-formers and 127 composite restorations performed using the traditional restoration technique, without the use of contact-formers and other similar tools and techniques.Research results. The compliance of the restorations performed using the developed technique, according to the criteria for restoration of the contact surfaces of the teeth (4 points), was 98.3 ± 1.02% after 7 days after treatment, 92.5 ± 2.07% after 12 months, and 24 months after – 74.8 ± 3.41%. In the comparison groups, 16.3 ± 3.28% (p<0.005) restorations were fully consistent with the clinical requirements for this indicator (4 points) 7 days after treatment, 11.3 ± 2.81% (p<0.005) after 12 months, after 24 months this indicator decreased to 9.8 ± 2.64% (p<0.005).Conclusion. The data obtained make it possible to recommend the use of a contact-former of the original design and the method of restor-ing planar contact points (contact pads) taking into account age-related characteristics within the framework of a personalized approach in the treatment of patients with caries of the contact surfaces of posterior teeth by the method of direct aesthetic restoration with light-cured composite materials.

Removing hepatitis C virus from polytetrafluoroethylene-coated orthodontic archwires and other dental instruments

Thefficacy of removing, rather than destroying, hepatitis C virus [HCV] from polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE] -coated orthodontic archwires was tested. PTFE-coated archwires, pieces of PTFE and endodontic files [20 each] were immersed in HCV-infected blood for 24 hours. Half were washed under running water for 10 seconds while the remainder were thoroughly scrubbed with a toothbrush under running water for 10 seconds. Items were kept in separate dishes of distilled water for 24 hours. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used for viral replication. Viruses were detected by the gel method using a transilluminator. Only scrubbed PTFE pieces and coated archwires were negative for HCV. This suggests that PTFE coating of dental instruments inhibited HCV adhesion when thoroughly scrubbed