Salma Ahmed Bahannan

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of dental caries and periodontal diseases among 14–19-year-old schoolchildren with limited access to dental care services. A cross sectional study design was conducted during field visits to seven governmental schools in Al-Khomrah district, South Jeddah, over the period from September 2015 to May 2016. Clinical examinations and administered questionnaires were carried out in mobile dental clinics. The dentists carried out oral examinations using the dental caries index (DMFT), the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), and the community periodontal index for treatment needs (CPITN). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20. A total of 734 schoolchildren were examined. The prevalence of decayed teeth was 79.7% and was significantly higher among boys (88.9%) than girls (69.0%). About 11% of students had missing teeth, with a significantly higher figure among females than males (15.9% versus 7.3%); 19.8% of students had filled teeth. Moreover, a DMFT of seven or more was significantly more prevalent among males (43.3%) than females (26.8%), while the percentage of females with sound teeth was significantly higher than for males (20.4% and 9.6% respectively). The CPITN revealed 0, 1 and 2 scores among 14.6%, 78.2%, and 41.6% respectively. Males had a significantly higher percentage of healthy periodontal condition (23.8%) than females (3.8%). Dental caries prevalence was moderate to high, calculus and gingival bleeding were widespread among schoolchildren, and were more prevalent among students with low socioeconomic status.

Purpose: To determine the variability in shade reproduction of metal ceramic restorations fabricated by different laboratory technicians at different fabrication times.Materials and Methods: One hundred thirty five metal copings for metal ceramic restorations were fabricated with a standardized method and distributed among three dental laboratory technicians (n = 45). Each technician was requested to match three different shade specifications including 2L1.5, 3M2, 4R2.5 shade tabs of 3D Master shade guide following the manufacturer's instructions. The technicians were instructed to build up each shade 15 times using the same porcelain at three time periods namely first thing in the morning (T₁), middle of the work day (T₂), and at the end of the work day (T₃) (n = 5). Color difference (∆E) was determined with a spectrophotometer. Each restoration was measured and recorded nine times. Data were tabulated and statistically analyzed using a univariate general linear model with Scheffe post hoc test, and one‐way ANOVA at 5% level of significanceResults: The color difference (∆E) was significantly different among technicians, time of application, and shade matched. Technician 1 demonstrated good color reproduction for all shades in T₁. That was the same as technician 2 for shades 3M2 and 4R2.5, but the lighter shade (2L1.5) was better in T₂ and T₃. Technician 3 had better results at T₃. The lowest mean value of ∆E was calculated with technician 3 while the highest mean value was with technician 2. T₂ was associated with higher ∆E values in contrast to the other two times for technicians 1 and 2, while T₃ was associated with lower ∆E values for technicians 2 and 3.Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that the shade reproduction is affected by the time of porcelain application. The ability to reproduce the target shade differed among laboratory technicians. No specific time can be considered for all technicians to reproduce the shades with more accuracy.