Objective:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the general attitude of undergraduate dental students toward rubber dam use, specifically focusing on operative procedures before starting to serve community.Methods:Questionnaires were distributed to undergraduate clinical years' students of two private colleges; Al-Farabi Dental College, Riyadh, KSA and Buraidah Private Colleges, Qassim, KSA. Questions were asked about areas where the students used rubber dam in operative procedures, in which types of caries classes, and in which type of restoration they frequently used the rubber dam.Results:We found that students of both private dental colleges agreed with the opinions that proper isolation cannot be achieved for the restoration of operative procedures without using rubber dam and restoration placed under rubber dam have a greater longevity than those placed without.Conclusions:Within the limitations of the present study, it can be concluded that the perceptions of dental students on rubber dam need to be improved and strategies should be developed so that this valuable adjunct will comprise one of the indispensable elements of dental care.

To explore endodontic procedural errors committed by undergraduate dental students in King Khalid University (KKU), Abha and AlFarabi dental college, Riyadh. Methods: In this cross sectional study, a questionnaire was distributed to 500 dental students from both schools and of both genders in the 5th and 6th levels in the academic year 2016-2017. Participants were asked to record their endodontic procedural error(s) that had occurred during training. Results: Returned and eligible questionnaires were 469 (93.8% response rate) and were almost equally distributed by university (KKU and Alfarabi). The participants' age ranged from 22 to 24 years, and approximately 47% of them were female students and 65% were 6th level students. Almost 56% of the sample reported at least one endodontic procedural error during their training. Female students reported errors (65%) more frequently than the male students (49%; P=0.002). Up to 54% of these errors were in the posterior teeth and 65% were in teeth with curved roots. Most common error during access cavity preparation was gouging (68%) and due to instrumentation was ledge formation (47%), during obturation was voids (41%). There were no differences in the reported endodontic errors between the two universities. Conclusion: The frequency of reported endodontic procedural errors by senior dental students in both schools, more specifically those in the 6th year, is high. Ledge formation and voids in the root canal filling are the most frequently reported endodontic errors.

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Objective:The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of pullout location and clasp types in two different environments to dislodge the clasp.Materials and Methods:Mandibular test models with natural premolars and molar teeth were used to test four types of clasp (each 12) (Akers, Rest plate Akers, Half and Half, and Ring clasp) with three different pullout location for each type (ring on the rest, loop on the saddle, and wax arising from both rests) in dry and natural fresh saliva environment. Each clasp was pulled out 10 times with a crosshead speed of 10 mm/min, and the force required to withdraw each was measured.Statistical Analysis Used:A one-way ANOVA and Tukey test were used.Results:The ring on the saddle pullout location has the highest retention force while ring on the rest was the lowest. In addition, ring clasp has the highest retention force.Conclusion:Clasp type and pullout location had a significant effect on the retentive force.