Bloodborne Infections Relevant to Dental Practice.

The surgical nature of dental practice, which frequently includes a combination of using sharp tools and the presence of blood, puts dental practitioners at a significant risk for infection with bloodborne pathogens, mainly hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. Several seroprevalence studies and case reports traced back newly diagnosed cases of hepatitis B and C to recent episodes of dental treatments. This paper provides an update on the prevalence of hepatitis B and C and HIV, the likelihood of acquiring an infection following an occupational injury, the manner in which serologic tests should be interpreted, and practical advice on ways to reduce the risk of occupational exposure.

Association between stereoacuity and simulated clinical performance among dental students: an exploratory investigation.

Introduction: Dentistry is a profession that requires a high level of the hand-eye coordination. Although considerable attention has been put on dental students' manual dexterity, little emphasis was made on students' visual competency as a variable influencing their competency. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between dental students' stereopsis and their pre-clinical performance.

World Workshop on Oral Medicine VIII: Barriers to research in oral medicine: results from a global survey.

Objectives: To explore factors influencing research interest and productivity and perceived barriers to conducting research in Oral Medicine (OM).

Methods: Invitations to participate in an online survey were e-mailed to a network of international OM practitioners and related professional organizations. Questions captured respondents' demographic/professional variables and gauged research interest, productivity, and perceived barriers to conducting research specifically in OM.

Stylohyoid Ligament Calcification and Its Association With Dental Diseases.

Objectives: This research aimed at investigating the relationship between calcification of the stylohyoid ligaments (SHLs) and odontogenic inflammatory events.

Methods: Cone-beam computed tomography scans of 175 patients were retrospectively assessed for presence of SHL calcifications. Frequencies of 4 types of odontogenic inflammatory events were assessed using the same scans, namely dental extractions, root canal treatments, furcation lesions, and periapical lesions.

Genetic Diversity of Oliv. Populations in Kuwait as Revealed by GBS.

Natural populations of Oliv. (Arfaj), a perennial forage shrub, have depleted due to unethical human interventions and climate change in Kuwait. Therefore, there is an urgent need to conserve this native plant through the assessment of its genetic diversity and population structure.

Changing Professional Behaviors in the Digital World Using the Medical Education e-Professionalism (MEeP) Framework-A Mixed Methods Multicentre Study.

Background: There is increasing evidence on the exponential use of technology-based social media in medical field that has led to a proliferation of unprofessional behaviors in digital realm. Educating, training, and changing the behaviors of healthcare professionals are essential elements to restrain the rising unprofessional incidents. Therefore, this research was designed to determine the impact of an interventional workshop on the medical and dental students in improving their professional behaviors in the digital world using the newly developed medical Education e-Professionalism (MEeP) framework.

High Occurrence Among Calves and Close Phylogenetic Relationships With Human Viruses Warrants Close Surveillance of Rotaviruses in Kuwaiti Dairy Farms.

Rotavirus, one of the main pathogens causing morbidity and mortality in neonatal dairy calves worldwide, is responsible for 30-44% of cattle deaths. It is considered to be the most common etiologic agent of diarrhea in neonatal dairy calves and children, the dominant type being group A. Two hundred seventy animals from 27 farms from 2 regions of Kuwait were tested for the presence of Rotavirus serogroup A (RVA) using latex agglutination test (LAT) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain (RT-PCR) testing.

Draft genome sequence and SSR mining data of Schwartz.

tree population is declining in several countries of the world especially in the Arabian peninsula due to human-induced activities. The tree has potential medicinal and economic benefits as a source of fuel and timber. It can fix nitrogen, a significant property that assists in desert rehabilitation.

Data on draft genome assembly and annotation of Haloxylon salicornicum Moq.

Moq. Bunge ex Boiss (Rimth) is one of the main structural elements in Eastern Arabian vegetation associations. The plant is utilized as a food source for domestic stock, stabilizes the soil surface besides providing suitable microclimates for exotic species.

Willingness of dentists in the United Arab Emirates to perform restorative and surgical treatments for patients infected with hepatitis C.

Background: Dentists' refusal to treat patients infected with hepatitis C (HCV) continues to raise ethical concerns, particularly in countries where HCV is prevalent. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess dentists' willingness to treat patients infected with HCV and the socio-demographic variables that influence their decision.

Methods: An online questionnaire was disseminated to dentists practicing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and enquired about their willingness to perform two dental treatments: restorative and surgical, to patients infected with HCV, while hypothetically being equipped with optimal personal protective equipment.

SARS-CoV-2, other respiratory viruses and bacteria in aerosols: Report from Kuwait's hospitals.

The role of airborne particles in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is well explored. The novel coronavirus can survive in aerosol for extended periods, and its interaction with other viral communities can cause additional virulence and infectivity. This baseline study reports concentrations of SARS-CoV-2, other respiratory viruses, and pathogenic bacteria in the indoor air from three major hospitals (Sheikh Jaber, Mubarak Al-Kabeer, and Al-Amiri) in Kuwait dealing with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

Oral candidal carriage and its association with dental carious lesions in asymptomatic adults: a cross-sectional study from the UAE.

Background: Candida's potential association with dental caries has previously been reported in children. This research aimed at investigating the associations between Candida species in whole saliva and dental and periodontal health indices in a sample of adult patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 160 patients investigated the associations between Candida species collected by oral rinse technique, and Decayed, Missing, and Filled Surfaces (DMFS), and periodontal health indices.

The effect of styloid process medial angulation on Eagle's syndrome's self-reported symptoms: A preliminary cross-sectional study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the medial angulation of the styloid process (SP), regardless of its length, has an association with self-reported symptoms of Eagle's syndrome.

Study Design: In this cross-sectional study, we measured the length and medial angulation of the SP, including ossification of the stylohyoid ligaments, in archived cone beam computed tomography scans. Patients with valid contact details were interviewed by telephone and asked about the clinical symptoms related to Eagle's syndrome.

Anxiety among dental professionals and its association with their dependency on social media for health information: insights from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Social media can play a detrimental role during a global health emergency. In this study, we aimed at assessing the impact social media has on the anxiety level of dental healthcare workers (DHCWs) whilst living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An online questionnaire was disseminated to a cross-sectional sample of DHCWs from 19 countries using social media platforms.

Ulcerative Stomatitis as the Sole Manifestation of Progesterone Hypersensitivity.

Oral mucosal involvement of autoimmune progesterone dermatitis is exceedingly rare. This report presents a woman with very painful ulcerative stomatitis that recurred with every menstrual period, in the absence of other clinical manifestations. Ulcers were eventually controlled with oral tamoxifen treatment for three months.

Spatio-temporal variations in bacterial and fungal community associated with dust aerosol in Kuwait.

Kuwait is a country with a very high dust loading; in fact it bears the world's highest particulate matter concentration in the outdoor air. The airborne dust often has associated biological materials, including pathogenic microbes that pose a serious risk to the urban ecosystem and public health. This study has established the baseline taxonomic characterization of microbes associated with dust transported into Kuwait from different trajectories.

Helicobacter pylori and gastric hyperacidity, and their association with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Helicobacter pylori is an established cause of gastric ulcers. Its role in causing recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) remains controversial. Fifty-two RAS patients and 52 sex-matched controls were recruited in this case-control study.

Oral health status and oral health-related quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United Arab Emirates: a matched case-control study.

Background: Nearly a quarter of the population in the UAE has type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and this medical condition is associated with poorer oral health. The effects on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), however, have not been examined in this population. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of oral health problems, such as caries and periodontitis, on OHRQoL among Arab patients with and without T2DM.

Fingernail length as a predisposing factor for perforations of latex gloves: a simulated clinical experiment.

Background: Concerns have been raised over the integrity of gloves and the longevity of their protective barrier function.

Aims: This study aimed to assess the effect of clinicians' fingernail length as a predisposing factor for perforation of latex gloves.

Methods: We assessed 2006 latex examination gloves for perforations using the water inflation method after being used by 6 senior dental students who had fingernail lengths ranging from 0 to 3 mm.

Vitamin D and hematinic deficiencies in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Objectives: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) represents a dysfunction in focal inflammatory processes. With the emerging anti-inflammatory roles of vitamin D (VD), we wanted to investigate the association between the onset and severity of RAS and serum VD level.

Methods: Fifty-two RAS cases and sex and age-matched controls were screened for serum iron, B, folic acid, VD and red cell indices.

Pharmacists' clinical competency towards oral mucosal diseases: Results from a mystery shopper study.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical advices pharmacists would give to patients who present with various oral mucosal lesions.

Subjects And Methods: One hundred and twenty pharmacists in three major cities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were approached by senior dental students acting as mystery shoppers. Pharmacists were shown an image of one of four oral mucosal lesions representing candidosis, aphthous ulcer, erosive lichen planus and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Genetic diversity and population structure of Haloxylon salicornicum moq. in Kuwait by ISSR markers.

Haloxylon salicornicum moq. Bunge ex Boiss (Rimth) is one of the native plants of Kuwait, extensively depleting through the anthropogenic activities. It is important to conserve Haloxylon community in Kuwait as it can tolerate extreme adverse conditions of drought and salinity to be potentially used in the desert and urban revegetation and greenery national programs.

Prevalence of hepatitis B, C, and HIV among patients attending a teaching dental hospital. A 7-year retrospective study from the United Arab Emirates.

Objectives: To determine the seroprevalence and case characteristics of hepatitis B, C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and their transmissibility from patients to dental personnel following percutaneous and mucocutaneous injuries.

Methods: All incidents of sharp and splash injuries reported between January 2010 and January 2017 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Descriptive statistics were calculated using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS).

The effect of rubber dam on atmospheric bacterial aerosols during restorative dentistry.

Rotatory dental instruments generate atmospheric aerosols that settle on various surfaces, including the dentist's head. The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess bacterial contamination of the dentist's head and to evaluate whether it is affected by using a rubber dam. Senior dental students (n=52) were asked to wear autoclaved headscarves as collection media while performing restorative dental treatment with and without a rubber dam.

Reporting child abuse cases by dentists working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Reporting of suspicious cases of child abuse is a sensitive issue that is often hindered by uncertainty of diagnosis. This cross sectional study aimed to assess the UAE dentists' experiences in child abuse recognition, the factors that prevent them from reporting suspicious cases to authorities and their perceived training needs. A closed-ended, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 350 dentists working in the UAE.