Abeer AlHadidi

External cervical resorption is a pathological condition affecting the cervical margins of teeth. Due to the increased prevalence and the area it affects, it can be easily misdiagnosed. The ability of clinicians to diagnose ECR and subcategorise the lesions using periapical radiographs and cone beam-CT scans has not been investigated in-depth. This study aims to assess if diagnostic ability to detect ECR lesions with the two modalities was different and if there was a change in the diagnosis when CBCT was used. A human skull, including the mandible was used for this study. The teeth were randomly allocated to the different subcategories, then pre and post-preparation radiographs with CBCT were taken. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The study sample was composed of 60 participants, the overall sensitivity of intraoral radiographs was significantly lower than CBCT. When the participants were told the radiograph and the CBCT were of the same tooth 60% said they would change their diagnosis. The use of intraoral radiographs alone might not be enough to identify and correctly diagnose ECR lesions. CBCT can give a better idea about the nature and the extent of the lesion.

Purpose: Graduating confident students who are able to flourish and develop in their future careers is an importance outcome of the dental education. This study aims to evaluate self‐perceived level of confidence of fifth‐year dental students in different restorative‐related tasks and the relationship between their clinical training and its corresponding confidence.Methods: Fifth‐year graduate dental students (n = 202) were asked to fill a questionnaire that rated their level of confidence in different clinical restorative dentistry tasks. Additionally, they were asked about the number of times they performed tasks prior to attempting the equivalent competency and in which sub‐specialty they felt the most confident.Results: Completed responses were received from 120 students giving a response rate of 59%. Students felt the most prepared and confident in direct restorations and simple endodontic treatment, and they seemed less confident in indirect restorations and complex endodontic treatment. Regarding the steps of indirect restorations, students expressed least confidence in crown preparation compared to impression making and try‐in procedures (P < .05). Students rated their confidence highest in operative dentistry, followed by endodontics and lastly fixed prosthodontics.Conclusion: The results highlight the areas in which students exhibit the least confidence. Enhancement of student clinical skills and directed exposure is necessary to raise the level of perceived confidence which will reflect positively on their current and future professional performance.

The objective was to determine the degree of fluctuating asymmetry in the expression of 13 dental morphological traits among adult Jordanians. Cone beam computed tomography images for the dentitions of 150 adult Jordanians (67 males, 83 females; age range = 18-58, mean ages 28.2, SD = 10.0 years) were studied in 2017. The traits were classified using the Arizona State University dental anthropology system, and dichotomized according to the most widely accepted criteria to define trait presence. Asymmetry was assessed using three different methods: percentage of discordance including bilateral absence cases (PDIBAC), percentage of discordance excluding bilateral absence cases (PDEBAC), and inter-side correlation (ISC) using Kendall's tau coefficient. Fisher's exact test was used to assess sexual dimorphism in the degree of asymmetry. The mean PDIBAC and the mean ISC for all the traits considered are 4.1% and 0.837, respectively. For traits observed on key teeth (mesial members of teeth districts) the mean PDIBAC and the mean ISC are 3.0% and 0.860, respectively; and for those observed on variable teeth (distal members of teeth districts) the mean PDIBAC and the mean ISC are 6.5% and 0.783, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found in the degree of asymmetry between sexes. The overall low degree of asymmetry found in the present sample (4.1%) compared to the world range of 5-15% may indicate great ability of its individuals to buffer the adverse effects of environmental stresses affecting the living Jordanians during early tooth development.

To evaluate the utility of an individualized template for corrective surgeries for patients suffering from mandibular asymmetry.