Annual alveolar bone loss in subjects with cardiovascular disease adjusting for associated systemic diseases and risk factors: a retrospective study

The short-term effect of different chlorhexidine forms versus povidone iodine mouth rinse in minimizing the oral SARS-CoV-2 viral load: An open label randomized controlled clinical trial study

Several investigations evaluated the possibility of different types of mouth wash rinse in minimizing the SARS-CoV-2 load. However, results still controversial. The study aim is to assess the short-term efficiency of several over-the-counter mouth rinses and lozenges in minimizing the salivary viral load for SARS-CoV-2 in patients with confirmed COVID-19 in comparison to saline. This is a randomized controlled clinical trial with 4 arms. The recruited cases were randomized using a simple randomization technique and were assigned to chlorhexidine digluconate mouth rinse (CHX mouth rinse), 2 mg of chlorhexidine digluconate lozenges (CHX lozenges), povidone iodine mouth rinse (PVP-I mouth rinse) or saline as a control group. Saliva were collected from all study subjects by passive drool technique at two time points. First, prior to intervention with mouth rinse or the lozenges, the baseline saliva sample was collected. Second saliva samples were collected immediately after the mouth rinse. Real time PCR was conducted and the value threshold cycle (Ct) for each sample was recorded. Majority of the participants had an education level of high school or less (60%), were married (68.3), males (58.3%), and non-smokers (58.5%). No statistically significant differences between groups at the two times test (P > .05). However, a significant decrease of salivary viral load in all four groups combined (P-value for E genes = .027, and for S genes = .006), and in PVP-I mouth rinse specifically (P = .003 and P = .045, respectively). Povidone iodine mouth rinse showed a potential influence on the reduction of the viral load on a short-term basis. However, longer-term studies of the effect of these products should be conducted.

The perception of smile attractiveness to altered vertical position of maxillary anteriors by various groups

There is a gap in research about the differences in smile attractiveness. The problem the study addresses is how the vertical canine and incisor position affect smile attractiveness. The aim of this study was to assess the perception of the smile attractiveness between Saudi laypersons, orthodontists, non-orthodontist, and various dental students levels, and to determine how the canine and incisor vertical positions affect the attractiveness of smile. The study is a cross-sectional survey and was conducted at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Six groups of subjects participated in the study: Orthodontic residents (n = 31), prosthodontic, restorative, periodontics specialties residents specialties residents (n = 30), interns (n = 31), fifth year students (n = 41), 6th year students (n = 39), and laypeople (n = 39). Participants were asked to rate the attractiveness of a smile of a female subject photographed using a Minolta DiMage 7i digital camera. The image had been manipulated to produce 2 sets of images; 1 to modify the incisors and 1 to change the canines. The subjects were asked to choose the most and least attractive picture. For the best incisor positions, only the laypeople and prosthodontics liked the original picture, the rest liked +0.5 mm which accentuate the smile curve and make it follow the lower lip line. For the worst incisor position, all groups did not prefer the minus 1.5 reversed smile. For the best canine vertical position, all groups preferred the original position where canine was at the level of the incisal plane. For the worst canine position, they all disliked the minus 1.5 reversed smile. Results confirmed past findings that orthodontists are in general more critical about smile attractiveness than laypersons, but just like other dental specialists. The findings can be used in the esthetic dentistry field, but further research on the study population based on other dental design parameters remain necessary.

Factors associated with a late visit to dentists by children: A cross-sectional community-based study in Saudi Arabia

Objectives

This cross-sectional study aims to determine children's age at their first visit to dentists and factors associated with these visits.

Methods

This cross-sectional community survey-based study was conducted in 2019 during the events of the 10th Gulf Oral Health Week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All participants including visitors and dentists, with current or previous experience in caring for children aged six months to ten years, provided their consents for the study.

Results

Among the visitors, 348 participated in the survey. Most children, aged three to ten years, first visited the dentist with complaints of pain and dental cavities. The risk of a late visit to the dentist increased (OR: 2.28; CI 95%: 1.01–5.14) among caregivers who did not help their children brush their teeth. Using the Internet for accessing health information negatively impacted the visits (OR: 27.00; CI 95% 1.26–57.35). While employed mothers took their children to the dentist at an earlier age (OR: 2.284; CI 95% 1.08–4.79), early visits were mostly missed by mothers with smaller families (OR: 0.043; CI 95% 0.48–0.98).

Conclusion

The results of our study show that the caregiver's attitude, source of health information, employment, age, and number of children are risk factors associated with late visits to dentists.

Characteristics of First Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Effort to Prevent the Early Spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

PURPOSE

To characterize the overall trends in early cases of COVID-19 and to identify the key points of the government effort to minimize the infection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective review and data were retrieved through online sources and the Saudi Ministry of Health daily announcements that were available online. The data included the number of infections per day, and the gender, nationality, location, source of infection, incidence, rate of recovery, and the rate mortality of COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia between March 1 and March 16, 2020.

RESULTS

The incidence of COVID-19 increased in the first two weeks in Saudi Arabia, from zero cases on March 1 to more than 15 cases per day on March 16, with a total of 133 cases. The majority of patients were males (54.9%), of Saudi descent (54.9%), and had travel as their source of infection (57.1%). Most of the cases were in Makah (37.6%); however, there were increases in cases in all cities. Moreover, the Saudi government enacted several steps to minimize the spreading of infection. There was no statistical significance between source of infection with gender (p = 0.323). However, there was statistical significance between source of infection and nationality (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of COVID-19 cases is expected to continue to increase. However, the efforts of the Saudi government are crucial in minimizing the spread of this infection.