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The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of dental surgeons in the city of Karachi providing treatment to pediatric patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of dental surgeons in the city of Karachi providing treatment to pediatric patients. A cluster-sampling technique was used and 200 dental surgeons from six different dental institutions were selected. A self-constructed questionnaire was distributed to the dental surgeons that comprised 20 closed-ended questions. The data was entered and analyzed for frequency and percentages by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. The results showed that 76 (38%) dental surgeons took the responsibility of managing pediatric patient when given; 68 (34%) dental surgeons allowed the parents in the clinic; 111 (55.5%) dental surgeons are of the view that colorful and fun environment in dental clinic make the child at ease; 59 (29.5%) always demonstrate the dental procedure to the child to eradicate imaginary fears; 94 (47.0%) dental surgeons preferred the child to be treated in general anesthesia (GA) to avoid difficult behavior of the child; 135 (67.5%) dental surgeons did not show syringe needle or any instrument to the child. All the members of dental profession must be aware of patient perceptions, preferences, and fear to meet patient’s needs. Dental studies should include guidelines and techniques to train the upcoming dentists for excellent practice in pediatric dentistry.How to cite this articleWali A, Siddiqui TM, Khan R, Batool K. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Dental Surgeons in managing Child Patients. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2016;9(4):372-378.

Pain is considered to be the major cause for seeking emergency endodontic treatment. Pain management is of vital importance in endodontics with no exception. Local anesthesia is considered to be the primary method to control pain. An effective local anesthesia cannot be obtained if pulp is inflamed. Clinician prescribes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as premedication on a routine basis for mild to moderate pain to reduce pulpal inflammation before injecting anesthesia. These drugs are beneficial in providing relief from pain and inflammation in irreversible pulpitis and helps in providing effectiveness of inferior alveolar nerve block. Moreover, they have a short half life, which would make them ideal for a single dosage prior to the management of severe pain. Aim To conduct a randomized-placebo controlled clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of premedication with analgesics vs placebo for success of inferior alveolar nerve block in irreversible pulpitis. Materials and methods The study consisted of 80 adult patients attending operative Outpatient Department in Baqai Dental College. Informed Consent was obtained from each participant. Subjects were randomly divided in four groups comprising of 20 subjects in each group. Group A received piroxicam (Feldene 20 mg, Pfizer), group B received diclofenac potassium (Fastaid Plus, 50 mg platinum pharmaceutic), group C received naproxen sodium (Synflex 550 mg, ICI), and group D received a placebo drug becefol (Abbott). Medication was given 1 hour before initiating endodontic treatment. After 1 hour of oral administration of tablets, inferior alveolar nerve block using 1.8 ml of 2% lidocaine containing 1: 200,000 epinephrine was given. After 15 minutes, access cavity preparation was initiated and patients were asked to inform if they experienced pain. Patients were excluded from the study if they experienced pain but if the patient did not feel pain endodontic treatment was continued. p-value was set at 0.05. Data was analyzed by using Chi-square test (SPSS 19). Results The result showed that out of 80 patients who participated in the study, success rate for piroxicam came out to 90% (10 male and 8 female patients), followed by diclofenac potassium with 75% success rate (9 male and 6 female patients), naproxen sodium with 35% success rate (3 male and 4 female patients) and placebo with 10% success (1 male and 1 female patient). Conclusion The current study concludes that premedication given 1 hour before injecting anesthesia is helpful in reducing pain intensity and thus causing inferior alveolar nerve block to be effective. How to cite this article Wali A, Siddiqui TM, Qamar N, Khan R, Jawaid N. Effectiveness of Premedication with Analgesics vs Placebo for Success of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block in Irreversible Pulpitis. Int J Prosthodont Restor Dent 2012;2(1):5-9.

Introduction: A prescription is 'a written order, which includes detailed instructions of what medicine should be given to whom, in what formulation and dose, by what route, when, how frequently, and for how long'. Aim: To determine competency and knowledge gained during undergraduate dental studies regarding clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) by house officers in the form of prescription writing skill assessment. Materials and methods: A survey form with a clinical scenario was designed and distributed to house officers working in nine different dental teaching hospitals. It required a response in the form of a complete prescription. Out of 360 forms distributed, 200 were returned. Each form was assessed for all the 20 required parameters and scored accordingly. Data was analyzed by using SPSS 19. Results: Frequency (92.5%) and route (93%) of drug administration were the most commonly listed, followed by dose (82.9%), symbol Rx (65.2%), duration (60.4%), doctor's signature (59.3%), patient's name (52.4%), patient's age (44.9%) and date (44.4%). Parameters that were least or not listed include hospital address (0%), refill information (0%), instructions for labeling (0.5%), quantity to be dispensed (1.1%), patients address (1.1%), professional degree and registration number (1.1%), doctor's name (1.6%), diagnosis (7%), hospital name (22%), appropriateness of drug (26.2%) and patients sex (26.2%). Conclusion: The current study concluded that prescription writing skills of a majority of house surgeons were deficient in important details.

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