Objectives. Parents play a crucial role in health-related practices of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study assessed the association between oral health status and oral health practices of children with ASD in relation to their parental attitudes and comfort in providing oral care. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 75 children with ASD attending the special needs schools in Eastern Saudi Arabia from 2015–2018. Parents responded to a self-administered questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward oral health and comfort in providing oral care for children. The clinical examination assessed dental caries (decayed, extracted, and filled: (DMF and def)), gingival disease, and plaque accumulation. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between the study variables, while ANOVA followed by post hoc was used to assess the differences. Results. Prevalence of dental caries in primary teeth was 76% and 68% in the permanent dentition with a mean of 0.85 ± 1.9 and 1.03 ± 2.9, respectively. Thirty-one participants had gingival problems, mean gingival index was 1.03 ± 0.88, and mean plaque index was 0.95 ± 0.43. Half of the parents supervised their children’s brushing, which was significantly associated with plaque accumulation ( p  = 0.004), gingival disease ( p  < 0.0001), and def ( p  = 0.02). Parental attitudes and comfort in providing oral health care were not associated with oral health status of ASD children; however, positive parental attitudes were associated with lower sugar consumption ( p  = 0.043). An inverse correlation was observed between comfort in providing oral health care with gingival and plaque scores r = −0.18 and −0.23, respectively. Conclusions. The data are indicative of poor oral health practices and status among ASD children. Parents’ oral health care practices seem to be reactive rather than proactive. Positive parental attitudes were associated with lower sugar consumption. Greater comfort in providing care was negatively correlated with plaque accumulation and gingival problems.

Background. The ‘‘gate control’’ theory suggests pain can be reduced by simultaneous activation of larger diameter nerve fibers using appropriate coldness, warmth, rubbing, pressure, or vibration. This study investigated the efficacy of a device combining cold and vibration, for needle-related procedural pain in children. Methodology. A total of 51 children aged 5–12 years participated in this randomized controlled clinical trial. Half of the children were in the control group and received maxillary buccal infiltration, by injecting 1.8 ml of 2% lidocaine with 1 : 100,000 adrenaline using topical anesthesia 20% benzocaine gel for 15 seconds, while the other half were in the test group and received the same anesthesia using a commercially available external cold and a vibrating device. A face version of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used as a subjective measure to assess the child’s pain experience. The parents were requested to evaluate the child’s ability to tolerate pain using a behavioral/observational pain scale. Sound, Eyes, and Motor (SEM) scale and Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scale were used to record the child’s pain as perceived by the external evaluator. T-test or Mann–Whitney U-test was used for scale variables, paired sample T-test or Wilcoxon rank t-test was used for before and after data, and chi-square was used for categorical variable, based on the results of normality test. Results. The results showed a statistically significant reduction in pain after the injection for the test group compared with control using VAS scale (mean = 6.68 (1.09) and 8.42 (0.50); p = 0.001 ) and FLACC scale (mean = 5.92 (1.05) and 8.16 (0.54); p = 0.002 ), but not when using SEM scale (mean 3.22 (0.42) and 4.24 (2.74); p = 0.08 ). Conclusions. Combined external cold and vibrating devices can be an effective alternative in reducing experienced pain and fear in children undergoing infiltration dental anesthesia. This study was registered with clinical trial registry of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03953001).

More oral-health-related training of medical students seems warranted and could improve their interest in providing oral-health-related screening and referrals in practice. Increasing student exposure to child patients and increasing exposures to oral health knowledge and problems could be targeted towards students interested in primary care and public health to use resources most efficiently in the effort to combat the growing caries levels amongst young children in Saudi Arabia.

The high prevalence of dental caries in children worldwide is a major oral health problem which requires early intervention. Dental caries is mainly caused by the action of acids produced by bacteria in addition to many other factors. Recent genetic studies have reported that a number of genes are associated with the susceptibility to dental caries. The majority of these genes are associated with inflammation, increased susceptibility to infection, and dentine matrix formation. Using the TaqMan assay and direct DNA sequencing, the prevalence of 6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MMP9, MBL2, MMP2, and TIMP2 genes was determined in 102 children with caries and in 100 age-matched caries-free controls. Out of the 6 SNPs tested in the 4 selected genes, only rs11003125 in the MBL2 gene was shown to be associated with a high prevalence of caries in our cohort. In addition, haplotype analysis of the 6 SNPs tested revealed that certain haplotypes, namely GT of rs11003125G and rs7501477T and GT of rs7096206G and rs7501477T, were found to be associated with a high prevalence of dental caries in our cohort, while haplotype AG of rs17576A and rs7501477G was found to have a protective effect against dental caries. In conclusion, the data indicate that rs11003125 in the MBL2 gene was shown to be associated with a high prevalence of caries in our cohort, and 2 haplotypes are also involved in the increased susceptibility to dental caries.

Background:Due to the lack of data and studies concerning about measurement of population awareness about carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in Al Majmaah city, this study aims at determining the level of population awareness among Al Majmaah adult population in Saudi Arabia.Aims:To study the awareness of CTS among adult population in Al Majmaah city, Saudi Arabia, and to estimate the overall prevalence of CTS. In addition, to look for the relationship between CTS and chronic disease.Materials and Methods:In this cross-sectional study, 386 individuals were covered, both males and females in the targeted areas. A standardized questionnaire was used to cover 11 different aspects concerning CTS. SPSS package was used to analyze the data collected from the sample.Results:The result of scoring system shows that 54 of participants (14.0%) have CTS. Approximately, 30% of them are thought that the main symptom is pain in wrist. However, 26.7% think that tingling and numbness in fingers is the main manifestation. The most causes that population think that leads to the CTS are trauma, repeated hand physical activities such as using computer, taping, and wrist fracture or dislocation by 33.8%, 29.1%, and 21.4% respectively. There is relationship between patients who had chronic diseases and CTS [sig = 0.000]. CTS cause a strong effect on social life by 79.01% of participant though that CTS could affect patient sleep and job performance.Conclusion:The awareness of community was sufficient among adult population in Al Majmaah city, and the prevalence of CTS is 14%.

Background: Children and young adolescents commonly suffer traumatic dental injuries. Teachers are frequently first responders and responsible for the initial management of the injury; the prognosis of a traumatized tooth is dependent on the initial management. Aim: To evaluate intermediate school teachers’ level of knowledge and attitudes toward dental trauma. Materials and Methods: This is a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study where all teachers from eight non-probability selected intermediate schools in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, were invited for participation. The questionnaire elicited data regarding demographics, teaching experience, knowledge and attitudes regarding dental trauma and its management. Results: A total 398 of 433 invited teachers responded (92%). The male-to-female ratio was 2:1. Only 30% of the respondents had previously participated in first aid training; only 11% specifically also focused on dental traumas. Health-care providers represented the main source of knowledge regarding dental trauma. Bivariate analysis revealed that in terms of attitudes toward dental trauma, urgency of care for luxation injuries was significantly associated with teaching experience ( P = 0.042), while the urgency of care for avulsed teeth was significantly associated with dental trauma experience ( P = 0.007). The only significant association between teaching experience and knowledge about management of avulsed teeth was regarding which tooth should be replanted ( P = 0.041). Conclusions: School teachers in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, lack proper knowledge in dental emergency management. Educational training programs are needed to ensure that teaching staff have adequate knowledge to effectively manage dental traumas.

Lower odds of caries presence were associated with regular dental checkups but not with regular brushing or having sealant.

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