مطب دندانپزشکی

Background and Aims The balance between attention to patient concerns and safety issues related to the transmission of Covid-19 with dental visits for prevention and treatment has created a new challenge for oral and dental care.  The aim of this study was to determine public attitudes towards dental services and the possibility of contracting covid-19.

 In this analytical-cross-sectional study, 197 patients referred to the two centers of Rasht Dental Faculty and Special Clinic were examined by continuous sampling in 2021-2022. The data collection tool included personal and social information, oral and dental health behaviors, the importance of receiving dental services, the probability of contracting COVID-19 in dentistry, visiting a dentist during COVID-19, and contributing events for going to the dentist. Statistical tests were conducted using SPSS software (v. 24). Ethical considerations were considered in all stages of the study.

 The average age of the subjects was 33.74± 8.94. In general, 37.69% of participants mentioned a history of COVID-19 infection. 55.8% of respondents usually visited the dentist. Most of the people (64.5%) were fully aware of the importance of oral and dental health and receiving dental services. Approximately 72.1% were worried about the transmission of COVID-19 from the dentist. Almost 67% of respondents believed that contracting COVID-19 is more dangerous than going to the dentist.

 The findings of this study underline the important role of each country's health system in providing correct information and guaranteeing the provision of safe dental services and giving reassurance to society.

Radiography plays a key role in the diagnosis, planning, and efficacy of treatment. Dentists with various levels of knowledge and conduct use intraoral radiography devices. The present study aimed to examine the radiography equipment and evaluate the compliance with the principles of radiation protection in the dental offices in Mashhad, Iran.
This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 232 dental offices employing intraoral radiographic devices in 2015. Demographic data of the dentists, participation in educational courses, application of dosimeters, protection methods for patients and personnel, and the device features were recorded. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 19.
In this study, 22.9% of the radiography devices were equipped with digital systems. The application of the E-speed film and angle bisector technique was estimated at 77.1% and 79.7%, respectively. Most dental offices did not use thyroid shields (61.6%) and lead aprons (54.7%). Among the methods of personnel protection, lead screen (47.4%) and maintaining distance (30.2%) were used more frequently compared to the other approaches. In 65% of the dental offices, quality control of the devices was performed every year. Mean score of compliance with the principles of protection was 42.9%, and radiation protection was at a moderate level in 77% of the dental offices. Additionally, no significant association was observed between the observance of protection principles with gender and work experience of the dentists.
Several radiographic devices are used for improving imaging quality and reducing the absorbed radiation dose in patients. Considering the moderate level of compliance with the principles of radiation protection in most of the studied dental offices in Mashhad, it is recommended that training courses be offered in this regard for the accurate monitoring of these principles in the application radiography devices in dental offices.

Implementing infection control programs in dental clinics is essential to prevent transmission of infectious agents among personnel and patients. The program usually starts by evaluation of risk factors and is completed by designing a suitable strategy to eliminate them. In this study, we have evaluated the infection control situation in private dental offices in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, during year 2006. In a cross-sectional study, 60 dental offices were investigated in a period of 6 months. A standard questionnaire was used for data gathering (response rate was 82%). The questionnaire contained 46 questions about demographic information, knowledge and practice of dentists related to infection control and hygienic condition of their clinics. Data was analyzed using t-test and pearson correlation coefficient by means of Excel and SPSS softwares. The vaccination rate against hepatitis B was 43.5% among dentists, while 75% of them were not sure about antibody production in their body. The rate of using personal protection equipments and mouth washing solution among dentists were 80% and 15%, respectively. Correct answer to questions on instruments sterilization, proper hand washing and subcutaneous infection control were 74%, 56.7% and 34%, respectively. Special containers were used for infectious disposal in 82% of clinics which only 60% of them were labeled. Seventy four percent of dentists were confident about accurate sterilization of instruments, but 50% of them were not confident that instruments remained sterilized until operation. The average score of knowledge, practice, and hygienic clinics situation in female and male dentists were 10.1± 1.73 and 11.1± 1.79; 14.4± 1.40 and 13.6± 1.73; and 16.6± 1.13 and 16± 1.26, respectively. In our quality assessments, the knowledge and practice level of participated dentists were intermediate and environmental health situation of clinics was scored high. According to relationship between knowledge and practice, infection control rate will be promoted using appropriate educational programs.

The aim of this research is assessment off radiation protection in Shahid Beheshti dental offices. Method & Material: This descriptive study was performed in 200 dental offices in 7 parts of Tehran under supervision of Shahid Beheshti University which were selected randomly in 2002. From these offices, 94% didn’t use Lead shielded wall, 75.5% didn’t use Lead partition, and in all of them distance between practitioner and x-ray unit was acceptable, in 1% rectangular collimator was used. The knowledge of dentists about radiation protection rules and methods were very poor and it is essential to emphasize on the radiation effects and x - ray risk and radiation protection guidelines in continuing education lectures.