School teachers can play an important role in improving the prognosis of avulsed permanent teeth of school children after they are informed about the immediate and proper dental first aid steps to be taken at the time of an accident. The aims of this study were: (i) to assess the knowledge level of emergency measures for tooth avulsion in Kuwaiti intermediate school teachers and (ii) to determine if a short lecture about tooth avulsion and replantation could improve teachers' knowledge on this topic. Eighty-five teachers at two intermediate schools (children 10-14 years old) in Kuwait were interviewed using a questionnaire about their first-aid knowledge with particular focus on the following five categories: General knowledge of teeth and avulsion, replantation of primary and permanent teeth, how to clean an avulsed tooth before replantation, extra-oral time and storage methods and media for an avulsed tooth. For each category, a score ranging from 0-3 was possible. An informative 30-min lecture about tooth avulsion and replantation was presented to a group of 43 teachers. After the lecture, the knowledge level of the teachers was re-tested using the same method. Descriptive statistics was used to describe and analyze the data. Improvement in teacher knowledge to an adequate (score of 2) or complete (score of 3) level was observed after the lecture in all five categories. The general knowledge of tooth avulsion and replantation improved from 39% to 97% and knowledge of avulsed permanent and primary teeth from 8% to 71%. Knowledge of how to clean an avulsed tooth improved from 5% to 93%. The knowledge level on the importance of extra-alveolar time before replantation increased from 1% to 74% and knowledge of a suitable storage medium for the avulsed tooth improved from 4% to 86%. Many avulsed permanent teeth in school children can be saved by replantation if school teachers learn what to do when a tooth is avulsed. A lecture followed by discussion proved to be an effective and efficient method of intervention to enhance the knowledge level of teachers so that proper dental first-aid procedures can be achieved.

The aims of this study were to evaluate knowledge level among parents regarding tooth avulsion and replantation and to evaluate a simple leaflet as an information tool to enhance this knowledge. One Hundred and fifty parents in a primary school in Kuwait City participated in the study. Half of the parents received a leaflet with basic first aid message regarding what to do in case of tooth avulsion. One week after reading the leaflet, the parents who had received the leaflet were evaluated by using a questionnaire. The other half of the parents who had not seen the leaflet served as control. The level of knowledge was measured in the following categories: General knowledge of tooth avulsion, knowledge of replantation and primary vs permanent teeth, knowledge of how to clean an avulsed tooth, knowledge of extra-oral time, knowledge of storage methods and storage media. By scoring the knowledge, the level of knowledge was calculated. The results showed that knowledge level was low among Kuwaiti parents. Improvement was seen in all categories of knowledge as a result of reading the leaflet. A simple leaflet can be a valuable tool to convey important basic information and enhance knowledge of tooth avulsion and how parents should act in such a situation, although there are limitations in conveying the message for a complete understanding. Measuring the knowledge by scoring can give valuable feedback in developing various educational tools.

The prognosis of replantation of an avulsed tooth is determined by which first-aid measures are taken during the first 15 min after avulsion. Knowledge of the correct first-aid measures is therefore crucial to successful replantation. The aims of this study were (i) to assess the present knowledge level of emergency measures for tooth avulsion in Kuwaiti schoolchildren, and (ii) to design and test an interview form with structured standardized questions. A total of 221 Kuwaiti schoolchildren (aged 7-15 years old) were interviewed by professionals using a standardized method to score several areas of knowledge about tooth avulsion and replantation. Earlier experience of first-aid information and subjection to dental trauma was registered. The following fields of knowledge were assessed: general body injury treatment principles, tooth avulsion and replantation principles, avulsed permanent/primary teeth, cleaning of avulsed tooth before replantation, extra alveolar time and storage media. The form for interviewing children proved to be sufficiently structured in performing the interviews and data management. The results of the interviews showed that 30.3% of the children had been exposed to dental trauma in the past. Among children 7-9 years of age, 25% had received information on general first aid as compared with 75% in children 10 years and older. Children 10 years and older, in general, had a high knowledge level of general principles of how to manage injuries to the body. Regardless of age group, there were generally a low knowledge level regarding tooth avulsion, replantation, extra-alveolar time and storage media. We conclude that first-aid knowledge in Kuwaiti schoolchildren is low on avulsion and replantation of teeth despite a high knowledge level of body injuries. The knowledge level of first-aid measures on avulsion and replantation of teeth could be increased through intervention programs.

We describe the patterns of cancer incidence for common cancers in Gulf Cooperation Council countries during 1998-2001. A total of 32 291 cases of cancer were diagnosed (16 342 in males; 15 949 in females). Male preponderance was observed only in Saudi Arabia and Oman. The age-standardized incidence of all malignancies per 100 000 in both sexes was highest in Qatar followed by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia. Paediatric cancer ranged from 9.5% of total cancers in Saudi Arabia and UAE to 4.0% in Bahrain. In all countries, the mean age at diagnosis was higher in males than females; cancer of the lung and prostate were commonest among males, and cancer of breast and thyroid among females. Lung cancer ranked second among Bahraini women.

BACKGROUNDLung cancer is the most common cancer in the world, with an estimated number of 1.3 million new cases as of 2002. This is the first report from the countries that comprise the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).PATIENTS AND METHODSAll the primary lung cancer cases registered in the Gulf Center for Cancer Registration during 1998 to 2001 were used to calculate the age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) per 100 000 person-years by the direct standardization method.RESULTSOverall, there were 1607 (1261 males, 346 females) primary lung cancer cases registered during this period with the male to female ratio of 3.6:1. The highest ASR was in Bahrain (34.3 for males, 12.1 for females) followed by Qatar (18.5 for males, 5.5 for females) and Kuwait (13.8 for males, 4.0 for females); the lowest rate was in Saudi Arabia (4.8 for males, 1.3 for females). The mean age at diagnosis for males ranged from 68.7 years in Bahrain to 59.2 years in Oman. For females it ranged from 68.2 years in Bahrain to 58.0 years in Oman. Squamous cell carcinoma in males (except in Qatar) and adenocarcinoma in females were the predominant histological type.CONCLUSIONSCancer of the lung is one of the common cancers among males in all the GCC countries and ranks second among Bahraini females. Adenocarcinomas were more common in women than men.