Introduction Due to a rising prevalence of removable partial denture (RPD) use, there is an unmet need to explore the psychological impact on patient wellbeing.Aim To assess the psychological effects of consumers losing teeth and receiving partial dentures to better manage their needs.Design Four market research surveys, undertaken on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, are described.Setting Surveys were conducted across the US, Japan, Malaysia, Colombia, Brazil, Poland and Italy.Materials and methods Quantitative/qualitative methods were used to gain knowledge regarding patients' experiences living with partial dentures.Results In a global market research survey involving 3,952 RPD wearers (RPDWs), 54% said that losing teeth was difficult to accept, 40% were concerned about their appearance, 32% were embarrassed about wearing dentures and 62% wished that more oral care education was available when they were younger. In another survey of >1,000 RPDWs, self-esteem was negatively impacted in 51% of respondents and 57% reported anxiety around dental visits.Conclusions Global market research confirmed that RPDWs can have emotional and practical needs that are not well understood/documented by dental healthcare professionals (HCPs). Consumer research can enhance understanding of patients' needs by dental HCPs and provide suggestions about how they may address them.
Susuks or charm needles are a form of talisman inserted and worn subcutaneously, in the face and other parts of the body, in the belief that they will enhance or preserve the wearer's beauty, youth, charisma, strength or health, or bring success in business. This mystic practice is found among some south-east Asian people, especially Malayan and Muslim females. Most susuk wearers are secretive about their hidden talismans, but these gold or silver needles are being discovered with increasing frequency now that radiographs are used more widely. An understanding of this practice and an awareness of its existence is important to avoid misdiagnosis and mismanagement of these patients. The practice of susuk wearing and its relevance to dentistry is discussed. Nine cases of facial susuk wearers are presented and previous reports are reviewed.
Aim The present study aimed to explore the perceptions of dental students regarding the ethical considerations associated with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms in clinical decision-making.Methods All the undergraduate clinical-year dental students were invited to take part in the study. A validated online questionnaire which consisted of 21 closed-ended questions (five-point Likert scales) was distributed to the students to evaluate their perceptions on the topic. Mean perception scores of the students from different years were analysed using a one-way ANOVA test, while independent t-tests were used to compare the scores between sexes.Results In total, 165 students participated in the present study. The mean age of the respondents was 23.3 (± 1.38) years and the majority were female, Chinese students. Respondents showed positive perceptions throughout all three domains. Uniform and comparable perceptions were seen across various academic years and sexes, with female respondents expressing stronger agreement regarding patient consent and privacy prioritisation.Conclusion Undergraduate clinical dental students generally showed positive perceptions regarding the ethical considerations associated with the integration of AI algorithms in clinical decision-making. It is essential to address these ethical considerations to ensure that AI benefits patient outcomes while upholding fundamental ethical principles and patient-centred care.
Objective: The primary objective of this study was to examine the association between smoking and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among dentate people aged 16 years and above in England.
Methods: Cross-sectional study, based on the Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) 2009. ADHS 2009 involved data collection from 11,380 face-to-face interviews and 6,469 dental examinations from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This study focuses on the dentate sample from England, consisting of 5,622 individuals who underwent dental examination. OHRQoL was measured by two indices; Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP). Unadjusted and adjusted zero-inflated regression models were used. Adjustment was sequentially done for socio-demographics, clinical oral conditions and self-reported general health.
Results: Prevalence of those who had never smoked, past smokers and current smokers were 45.6%, 35.3% and 19.2% respectively. Current smokers had considerably higher mean OHIP-14 and OIDP scores than non-smokers. There was a statistically significant association between smoking and OHRQoL (both OHIP-14 and OIDP) even in the fully adjusted models. Current smokers were more likely to report worse OHRQoL compared to those who had never smoked in both OHIP-14 and OIDP score. There was no statistically significant difference between past smokers with those who had never smoked in reporting OHIP-14 and OIDP. Among those reporting OHRQoL, there was a stepwise gradient risk of reporting no oral impact, where the probability was higher among those who had never smoked, followed by past smokers and current smokers both in OHIP-14 and OIDP.
Conclusion: Smoking was independently associated with worse OHRQoL, even after adjusting for a range of socio-demographic factors, clinical oral conditions and self-reported general health.
The sophisticated cities, the ancient culture, splendid hotels, wonderful beaches, the variety of food, the beautiful people, the predictable climate and above all the smiling friendliness of the Thais make up some of the exotic attractions extolled by Thailand's tourist industry. For the last 8 years, through the good offices of British Council, several British academics have appreciated all that but have also had the privilege of working alongside Thai colleagues in a much more down-to-earth mode. In 1980 the Thai Government decided that a dental faculty with a target output of 40 DDS graduates per annum should be set up at the Prince of Songkhla University at Hadyai, a town of some 100,000 inhabitants about 1000 km south of Bangkok near the Malaysian border. The university itself is modern, situated on a splendid campus and has a well-established medical faculty. At that time, there were, in Thailand, four dental faculties: two in Bangkok, one in Chiang Mai and one at Khon Kaen. Prince of Songkhla was to be the fifth.
Objective Following a survey of the literature, a systematic review was carried out with the aim of answering the following questions: 1) What is 'acceptable plagiarism'?; 2) Who carries out plagiarism?; 3) What factors could encourage plagiarism?; 4) How can plagiarism be managed?Data source and selection Following PRISMA guidelines, data were gathered by searching Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science. After removal of duplicates, 345 titles were identified. Then, having satisfied a priori eligibility criteria, 29 papers were interrogated. The quality of relevant papers (n = 23) was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Tool.Data extraction There was no clear threshold as to what is 'acceptable plagiarism'. Despite this lack of clarity, it is argued consistently that males, and those who wrote in a language that is not their mother tongue, were more likely to plagiarise.Conclusion Plagiarism is all but inescapable due to various reasons: 1) there is no agreed threshold as to what is 'acceptable plagiarism'; 2) the internet; 3) institutional; and 4) societal expectations. Plagiarism could be mitigated in the student domain by grammar support and, for example, non-written submissions such as presenting work by video. Academic fraud is fundamentally undermined by valuing original and creative scholarship and sound ethical principles.