A national survey was conducted to provide up-to-date data on current and ever use of tobacco among Iranian dental students. All 4th-year students of 8 randomly selected dental schools were surveyed anonymously in December 2010 using the Global Health Professions Student Survey questionnaire. Of 325 participants, 54.2% were ever users of tobacco products (73.0% of males versus 44.4% of females); 50.8% had used waterpipes, 34.2% cigarettes and 9.3% other products. The most common age at first use was 20-24 years for both sexes. Current tobacco use was reported by 20.6% of respondents, cigarette smoking by 10.8% and waterpipe smoking by 15.8%. Regression models showed that current cigarette and waterpipe smoking were significantly associated with male sex but not with type of dental school (state/private). Current waterpipe smoking was also associated with age at first experience. In view of the important role of dentists in tobacco control, the prevention of tobacco use should be stressed among Iranian dental students. Consommation de tabac des étudiants iraniens en odontologie: enquête nationaleRÉSUMÉ Une enquête nationale a été menée pour générer des données actualisées sur la consommation de tabac actuelle et passée des étudiants iraniens en odontologie. Tous les étudiants en quatrième année de huit écoles de médecine dentaire sélectionnées aléatoirement ont été interrogés de façon anonyme en décembre 2010 à l'aide du questionnaire de l'enquête mondiale auprès des étudiants des professions de la santé. Sur un total de 325 participants, 54,2 % avaient déjà utilisé des produits du tabac (73,0 % des hommes contre 44,4 % des femmes), 50,8 % avaient déjà utilisé des pipes à eau, 34,2 % avaient fumé des cigarettes et 9,2 % avaient consommé d'autres produits. L'âge le plus fréquent lors de la première consommation de tabac se situait entre 20 et 24 ans pour les deux sexes. Parmi les répondants, 20,6% ont déclaré consommer du tabac au moment de l'étude, 10,8 % et 15,8 % ont indiqué fumer des cigarettes et des pipes à eau respectivement. Selon des modèles de régression, la consommation de cigarettes et de pipes à eau au moment de l'étude était nettement associée au sexe masculin mais pas au statut public ou privé des écoles de médecine dentaire fréquentées. La consommation actuelle de pipe à eau était quant à elle associée à l'âge lors de la première expérience. Étant donné le rôle essentiel des dentistes dans la lutte contre le tabagisme, la prévention de la consommation de tabac devrait être mise en exergue auprès des étudiants iraniens en médecine dentaire. ‫ﺍﳌﺘﻮﺳﻂ‬ ‫ﻟﴩﻕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺼﺤﻴﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﳌﺠﻠﺔ‬ ‫ﻋﴩ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺘﺎﺳﻊ‬ ‫ﺍﳌﺠﻠﺪ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺜﺎﻣﻦ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺪﺩ‬ 705

No abstract

Background. Health professionals play an essential role in tobacco control. Our objective was to assess Iranian dental students' attitudes towards tobacco control.Methods. Eight dental schools were randomly selected, and a survey using Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) instrument was conducted among dental students in 2010 in Iran. The chi-square test served for statistical analyses.Results. Of the participants (325 students, 66% female), about one-fifth (21%) were current tobacco (including cigarettes and waterpipe) users. A clear majority (over 80%) of the students agreed as to the responsibility of health professionals on serving as role models for patients and the public, routinely advising patients using tobacco to quit, and giving patients advice about smoking cessation. Over 75% believed that cigarette-smoking health professionals are less likely to advise their patients to stop smoking. Current tobacco users were significantly less likely to agree with these beliefs (P<0.05).Conclusion. Future oral health professionals have generally positive attitudes towards tobacco control. However, their own current tobacco use has a significant negative impact on these attitudes, an impact which ought to be taken into account in tobacco control.

Background. Early bone loss due to tooth extraction can be significantly reduced by socket preservation. The aim of this study was to compare the in vivo effects of hemihydrate calcium sulfate granules (an alloplastic material) and Cerabone (a bovine-derived xenograft) on socket preservation in dogs. Methods. Six male Mongrel dogs were randomly divided into 2 groups (n=3) for sacrificing and histological evaluation 4 and 8 weeks after a surgery. The second and third premolars on both sides of the lower jaw were extracted surgically. The sockets on one side were filled with Cerabone, and with calcium sulfate on the opposite side. In the slides, the ratio of the area of newly formed bone to the area of the entire cavity, and the ratio of the area of fibrous connective tissue to the area of the entire cavity were measured. The presence of inflammation was also examined. Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Sign test and McNemar test were used for statistical analyses (ɑ=0.05). Results. The means of new bone proportion were 11% and 8% for Cerabone and calcium sulfate, respectively (P=0.58). The means of connective tissue proportion were 29% and 33% for Cerabone and calcium sulfate, respectively (P=0.72). No inflammatory cells were observed in the Cerabone group, although 50% of the samples in the calcium sulfate group showed inflammation (P=0.50). Conclusion. The effects of calcium sulfate and Cerabone on socket preservation in dogs on bone formation, fibrous connective tissue and inflammation levels were not significantly different at 4- and 8-week postoperative intervals.

Background: Dentists according to professional knowledge of the prevention, have a key role in providing a positive model for oral health-promoting behaviours. We aimed to investigate health behaviour of Iranian senior dental students in terms of oral self-care and tobacco use during a ten-year period to assess their preparedness to act as role models for health-promoting behaviours.Method: The study was performed in six dental schools selected through stratified cluster random sampling to have a representative sample of established (old) and new dental schools in Iran. Data were collected in four occasions in 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2015. Senior dental students (n=1185) were invited to voluntarily complete a self-administered anonymous questionnaire about their oral self-care and tobacco use. Recommended tooth-brushing habit (RTH) was defined as at least twice a day brushing with fluoridated toothpaste. Three separate questions about cigarette, pipe, and water-pipe use were applied to indicate the students’ tobacco use. Results: In 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2015, 22.5% (n=60), 26% (n=52), 28.5% (n=81), and 24.6% (n=51) of the students reported smoking, respectively. Women reported a better status in both tooth brushing twice daily and frequent use of fluoridate toothpaste than men did (p<0.001). Among male students, 42.2% (n=159) and among female students 14.9% (n=83) of the students reported current smoking. The trend of reported smoking had the least variation among female students. This was true also for male students regarding RTH.Conclusion: The status and trend of oral self-care and tobacco use among Iranian dental students calls for more emphasis on adopting health-promoting behaviours during dental education.