RESUMEN
Management of dental wastes became a recent challenge facing health care practitioners and is one of the highly-sensitive environmental problems. The main purpose of this study was to assess oral health care provider's knowledge and behavior about dental waste management and evaluate their behavior toward it. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 314 dental health care providers working in four dental colleges, and 20 private dental clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A pretested questionnaire composed of close-ended questions was used. The mean age of the participants was 27 years. About 78% of the participants reported that they were working in the public sector. Only 33.4% of the study sample received professional training on waste management. The mean behavior and knowledge scores were 3.7 ± 1.3 (out of 6) and 1.4 ± 1.3 (out of 8), respectively. Statistically significant association was noted between gender and knowledge scores but not between gender and behavior scores. On the other hand, statistically significant associations were noted between both knowledge and behavior scores and rank of the participant, type of practice, and years of experience. Oral health care providers' knowledge about the effective procedure that should be followed for segregating, collecting, transporting, and treating dental waste was weak and substandard. There is an urgent need to develop policies and regulations for dental waste management in Saudi Arabia. Implications: This study shed light for the first time on the knowledge and behavior of dentists in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in regard to the dental waste management. Participants knowledge and behavior in regard to dental waste segregation, collection, transportation, and treatment were determined to be week and substandard. Currently, different procedures related to dental waste management in health care facilities are not clearly described. The urgent need for the development of policies and regulations for the dental waste management is obvious. This study can be a starting point for future nation-wide surveys to assess knowledge, behavior and practices related to dental waste management among oral health care providers. In addition, more efforts should be directed to incorporate this subject into dental curriculum and continuous education courses.
Asunto(s)
Residuos Dentales , Administración de Residuos , Adulto , Conducta , Estudios Transversales , Consultorios Odontológicos , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Arabia Saudita , Facultades de Odontología , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , UniversidadesRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To assess the incidence and awareness of taekwondo athletes in Saudi Arabia regarding oral and maxillofacial (OMF) injuries and their prevention. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire about the incidence and awareness of OMF injuries and their prevention was developed and distributed to taekwondo athletes in Saudi Arabia via their coaches. Results: Sixty-eight responses were collected. The mean age of the participants was 29.3±9.1 years and 97% of them were males. Most of the participants (83%) believed that they are vulnerable to OMF injuries during practice. Approximately 23% of the participants reported a previous injury of the OMF area, while approximately 56% reported injuries in other areas. Most dental injuries (94%) were tooth fracture or displacement, while 6% were tooth avulsion. Eight participants (12%) were aware of the possibility of returning an avulsed tooth to its socket. More than 50% of those participants had inadequate knowledge on the appropriate storage media for the avulsed tooth or the maximum time allowed to return it to its socket. Eighty-one percent of the participants knew about the mouthguard, while 56% reported that they are actually using one. The most frequently reported barriers for not using a mouthguard during practice were difficulty in practicing with it, not being convinced of its importance, and lack of information where to get one. Conclusions: Most of the participants are aware of OMF injuries; however, their knowledge and behavior towards preventing and managing them are inadequate.
Asunto(s)
Artes Marciales/lesiones , Traumatismos de los Dientes/epidemiología , Adulto , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Arabia Saudita/epidemiología , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate an instrument to measure the functional oral health literacy of adults. METHODS: For the generation of items different dental patient educational materials and text types were selected that had reading levels similar to materials used for the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) which was the model for our Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHLI). The OHLI contains reading comprehension and numeracy sections. The reading comprehension section is a 38-item test with words omitted from one passage on dental caries and another on periodontal disease. The numeracy section has 19 items to test comprehension of directions for taking common prescriptions associated with dental treatment, postextraction instructions and dental appointments. We also developed a 17-item oral health knowledge test. The OHLI, the TOFHLA, the oral health knowledge test and a brief questionnaire were administered to a convenience sample of 100 patients. Internal reliability of OHLI was assessed with Cronbach's alpha. Test-retest reliability was examined by intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Concurrent validity was tested by comparing OHLI scores across categories of education level and frequency of dental visits. Construct validity was assessed by correlating OHLI scores with TOFHLA scores and with the oral health knowledge scores using Spearman's rho (rho) and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Participants averaged 39 years (SD = 12.4); 73% were female; 64% had college/university education; 40% visited a dentist every 3-6 months. Total OHLI and TOFHLA weighted mean scores were 87.2 and 91.7, respectively (possible range 0-100). The Cronbach's alpha values were high (>0.7) for OHLI and its components. The ICC values indicated good agreement between the test and retest results for OHLI and the oral health knowledge test. Patients visiting a dentist every 3-6 months had significantly higher levels of oral health literacy than those visiting only when they felt pain. The association between OHLI and education level was not significant. OHLI scores were significantly correlated with the scores on the TOFHLA (rho = 0.613) and the test of oral health knowledge (rho = 0.573). These associations remained significant in multiple regression models. CONCLUSION: Initial testing of OHLI suggested that it is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate oral health literacy among adults, although additional work is needed to investigate the instrument's predictive validity and sensitivity to change using oral health outcomes with population groups known to be at high risk of low functional oral health literacy.