Aim: Knowledge and oral health behavior of dental students play an important role in oral health education of patients and community at large. It is therefore important that their own oral health behavior conforms to expectations of the population. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness of future dental graduates towards preventive dentistry regarding gender and level of education. Materials and methods: The self-administered English-language structured questionnaire had two parts: The first part included gender and year of study. The second part included 9 questions to evaluate knowledge about preventive dentistry. The data were recorded and analyzed using the SPSS software. The level of statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results: This cross-sectional study was performed on 207 dental students of King Saud University, dental college, Riyadh with a response rate of 80.5%. Majority of dental students were aware about the role of sugar in caries process. Generally, female students were more knowledgeable than male students in preventive dentistry. Fifth year students were more knowledgeable about the three fundamental issues of preventive dentistry, in comparison to fourth year students. Conclusions: Dental students of King Saud University Riyadh had a sufficient level of awareness about preventive dentistry but female students were not aware enough about the role of fluoride in the prevention of dental caries.

Dental caries is a painful condition that could lead to nutritional problems which affects the overall health of the child, as well it is expensive to treat. The effectiveness of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in primary and early mixed dentition is systematically reviewed in this study. This systematic review utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta- Analysis statement (PRISMA, 2020). A literature search conducted using the common electronic databases (from 2010–2021). Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, ten randomized clinical trials (RCT) have met the inclusion criteria and were considered for the qualitative assessment. Critical appraisal of these studies was done. This systematic review found that using SDF is a successful and effective method in arresting dentin carious process in the primary teeth and first permanent molars in children. Additionally, when compared to the commonly used topical fluoride products and materials, SDF showed to have better cariostatic effect. However, these findings must be cautiously viewed since more research is required to support them.

Introduction: Dental practitioners have ethical and legal responsibilities toward protecting children from child abuse and neglect (CAN). Training the dental team in safeguarding children is recommended, to be able to detect and report suspected child maltreatment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess training experience of dental students in CAN and assess their attitudes towards the importance of safeguarding children. Methodology: A self-administered structured questionnaire was distributed by hand to both fourth and fifth year students in the College of Dentistry, King Saud University in Riyadh. The questionnaire included demographic questions, questions related to previous training in CAN, and attitudes of dental students towards CAN. Results: Only 141 dental students participated in this study. Around 7% of participants have had previous training in child protection. Only 5.5% from male students and 9% from female students had previous training in CAN. There were no significant differences between genders or between academic years in terms of having previous CAN training. However, 80.4% of dental students agreed that more training is required in this field. Conclusion: The results of this study show that there is an insisting need to include CAN training in undergraduate University courses for dental students.