Prior research has shown that students' previous grade point average (GPA) is the best predictor for future academic success. However, it can only partly predict the variability in dental school performance. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of multiple mini-interviews (MMI) as an admission criterion by comparing them with the academic performance of dental students over a two-year period. All incoming undergraduate dental students at the King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD) during academic year 2013-14 were invited to participate in MMI. Students rotated through six objective structured clinical exam (OSCE)-like stations for 30 minutes total and were interviewed by two trained faculty interviewers at each station. The stations were focused on noncognitive skills thought to be essential to academic performance at KAUFD. The academic performance of these students was then followed for two years and linked to their MMI scores. A total of 146 students (71 males and 75 females) participated in an interview (response rate=92.9%). Most students scored in the acceptable range at each MMI station. Students' total MMI score, ambitions, and motives were significant predictors of GPA during the two years of follow-up (p<0.038 and p<0.

Alveolar bone density as measured by CBCT in aggressive periodontitis patients was not different from periodontally healthy individuals. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

This review assessed the most up-to-date literature on the accuracy of detecting vertical root fractures (VRFs] using the currently available diagnostic imaging methods. In addition, an overview of the biological and clinical aspects of VRFs will also be discussed. A systematic review of the literature was initiated in December of 2015 and then updated in May of 2016. The electronic databases searched included PubMed, Emabse, Ovid, and Google Scholar. An assessment of the methodological quality was performed using a modified version of the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies tool. Twenty-two studies were included in this systematic review after applying specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of those, 12 favored using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for detecting VRF as compared to periapical radiographs, whereas 5 reported no differences between the two methods. The remaining 5 studies confirmed the advantages associated with using CBCT when diagnosing VRF and described the parameters and limitations associated with this method, but they were not comparative studies. In conclusion, overwhelming evidence suggests that the use of CBCT is a preferred method for detecting VRFs. Nevertheless, additional well controlled and high quality studies are needed to produce solid evidence and guidelines to support the routine use of CBCT in the diagnosis of VRFs as a standard of care.

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The introduction of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for the maxillofacial imaging provided opportunities for dental practitioners to request multiplanar imaging. Currently CBCT is used during implant treatment-planning to measure accurately the height of bone available for implant placement to avoid serious problems e.g. compromising vital structure such as the inferior alveolar nerve during placement of implants. We present a physical method to assess the accuracy of measurements obtained from an i-CAT CBCT dental radiography unit used at king abdulaziz university hospital and to appraise the effect of voxel size on the accuracy of measurement by an i-CAT CBCT unit. Not significant difference was found between the physical and CBCT measurements for all the samples. The maximum measurements variation was + or −0.15 mm. Therefore, the linear measurements from i-CAT CBCT unit are accurate and the adjustment of the scan parameters like the FOV and voxel size will not significantly affect this accuracy.