BACKGROUND: E-learning is increasingly used during the COVID-19 pandemic, however the impact of this change on students is not known. This study aimed to evaluate perception and satisfaction of health sciences students towards E-learning during the COVID-19 lockdown. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was distributed to 2000 health care students either through email or social media platforms. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: the first section addressed demographic information such as age, education level, course of study, number of lectures attended and country. The second section gathered information on perception and satisfaction of students using 13 close-ended questions. Frequencies and percentages were assessed for demographic data, perception and satisfaction level of students. The paired sample t-test, independent t test and Spearman correlation were applied to evaluate statistical significance between different variables of the study. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Data from 1255 participants were included at a response rate of 66.4%. More than one third (37%) of the students took 25 or more online E-learning sessions and 47% preferred Zoom as an online platform. Participants belonged to 11 countries from developed and developing nations. 41% reported interference of E-learning due to network problems. 60% considered that clinical and practical skills are best learned in clinics and laboratories. More than one third of the students preferred classroom teaching and 34% of the students did not feel confident enough to take exit exams after E-learning sessions. CONCLUSION: E-learning satisfaction levels were better among developed countries (7.34) compared to developing countries (5.82). The majority of participants agreed that E-learning was satisfactory in acquiring knowledge, however not effective in acquiring clinical and technical skills. As the COVID-19 lockdown eases, there is a need for improvement in the methods employed in E-learning and more blended learning among healthcare students is recommended.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-perceived competency (FSPC) of medical faculty in E-Teaching and support received during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: An online well-structured and validated faculty self-perceived competency questionnaire was used to collect responses from medical faculty. The questionnaire consisted of four purposely build sections on competence in student engagement, instructional strategy, technical communication and time management. The responses were recorded using a Likert ordinal scale (1–9). The Questionnaire was uploaded at www.surveys.google.com and the link was distributed through social media outlets and e-mails. Descriptive statistics and Independent paired t-test were used for analysis and comparison of quantitative and qualitative variables. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 738 responses were assessed. Nearly 54% (397) participants had less than 5 years of teaching experience, 24.7% (182) had 6–10 years and 11.7% (86) had 11–15 years teaching expertise. 75.6% (558) respondents have delivered online lectures during the pandemic. Asynchronous methods were used by 61% (450) and synchronous by 39% (288) of participants. Moreover, 22.4% (165) participants revealed that their online lectures were evaluated by a structured feedback from experts, while 38.3% participants chose that their lectures were not evaluated. A significant difference (p < 0.01) was found between FSPC scores and online teaching evaluation by experts. The mean score of FSPC scale was 5.62±1.15. The mean score for student’s engagement, instructional strategies, technical communication and time management were of 5.18±1.60, 5.67±1.61, 5.49±1.71 and 6.12±1.67 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Medical faculty members were found somewhat competent in E-teaching for student engagement, instructional strategy, technical communication and time management skills. Faculty receiving feedback was more competent in comparison to peers teaching without feedback.

Objectives: To evaluate the IT aptitude of medical and dental students. The secondary objectives were to identify IT related issues faced by students during e-learning sessions,to asssess the perception of e-learning among students and to assess the perception of different e-media among students. Study design and Setting: A cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected MBBS and BDS students of various private Medical and Dental Colleges of Karachi, affiliated with the same University. Methodology: The sample size was calculated to be 442. Students from the first year to the final year were approached to fill the online pre-tested questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS, Version 21. Confidentiality and privacy of the data were maintained. Ethical approval was taken from the relevant boards. Results: Out of 446 participants, 57.62% were from MBBS and 42.3% were from BDS. 96.41% of students were taking their online classes from their home. Most of the students (56.7%) preferred mobile phones for these sessions and used broadband or local area network internet connections (55.59%). Conclusion: Uninterrupted network connectivity is crucial for the effective implementation of a Virtual Education Program. The Medical and Dental Colleges of a developing country like Pakistan, have a long way to go but with the development of a technologically sound infrastructure, e-learning can prove to be successful in the future

Background: The mandibular symphysis is the bodily carnal part of the mandible that consist of alveolar and cortical bones. The mandibular symphysis has different parts like chin, or mentum that consist of unique features of modern humans. Objective: The study aimed to explore the correlation of lower incisor inclination growth pattern with the symphyseal morphology. Study design: It is a retrospective study conducted at Orthodontic Department, Shahida Islam Dental College, Lodhran and Fatima Jinnah Dental College, Karachi for the duration of six months from February 2022 to July 2022. Material and Methods: The correlation between all parameters was studied by ANOVA and other statistical analysis were also performed. The study approval was taken from the review board and ethical committee of the hospital. A total of 18 patients participated in this study. The patients were classified according to the facial category i.e. long, normal, and short. Class I comprises 8 patients and class III comprises 10 patients. Results: An increased value was observed in the case of class I with vertical growth patterns while the value decreased in the case of class III. Three different types of incisor inclinations were observed that is over jet positive, over jet negative, and edge to edge. Conclusion: From this study, it is predicted that a correlation exists between vertical growth patterns and sagittal growth patterns for the inclination in incisors. The height and width of the symphysis and facial patterns are also related to vertical growth patterns and indirectly affect the inclination of incisors. High angle facials have thin and long symphysis, while low angle facials have thick and short symphysis. Keywords: short symphysis, soft tissue and growth dimension.

Background: The human lips are the essential structure for speech, facial expression and oral functions like eating, drinking and breathing. The orthodontic treatment is very crucial for the advancement of the facial expression Lip incompetence is a condition in which the lips fail to close adequately leading to negative effects on speech, facial esthetics and oral functions. Study design: It is a retrospective study conducted at WATIM Dental College Rawat, Rawalpindi and Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi for the duration of six months from Jan 2022 to June 2022. Material and Methods: The patients were divided into three groups. The patients that did not follow the inclusion criteria were excluded from the study. Group I had patients with competent lips, group II had patients with their lips apart and group III had incompetent lips. There were 45 patients in each group. Results: The length of group I members was 19.8 mm for men and 18.7 mm for women, which was less than group III individuals with 20 mm and 18.9 mm average upper lip length for males and females. Group II patients had a length of 17.5mm for male patients and 16.4 mm for female patients. The P-value was calculated and the results were statistically significant. Conclusion: The length of group I members was 19.8 mm for men and 18.7 mm for women, which was less than group III individuals with 20 mm and 18.9 mm average upper lip length for males and females. Group II patients had a length of 17.5mm for male patients and 16.4 mm for female patients. Keywords: Lip incompetence and competent lips.