Epidemiology of Hepatitis B in Saudi Arabia from 2006 to 2021.

Background: This study describes the epidemiological pattern of acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Saudi Arabia from 2006 to 2021. It explores case frequency and the crude incidence rate (CIR) by year of diagnosis, age group, region, gender, and nationality of patients.

Methods: Retrospective data on acute hepatitis B cases diagnosed across 20 regions of Saudi Arabia during January 2006 to December 2021 were obtained from the Saudi Ministry of Health's Statistical Yearbook.

The effect of brushing with Salvadora persica (miswak) sticks on salivary Streptococcus mutans and plaque levels in children: a clinical trial.

Background: The aim of the randomized double-blinded clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of tooth brushing with Salvadora persica (miswak) sticks on Streptococcus mutans count and the mean plaque score relative to brushing with fluoridated tooth paste (FTP).

Methods: Our sample included 94 healthy, high caries-risk, 8 to 9-year-old students recruited from a government school, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between February and April 2016. Subjects were randomly grouped into test (provided with miswak sticks) and control groups (provided with FTP and soft brushes).