Attitudes of final-year dental students to bleaching of vital and non-vital teeth in Cardiff, Cork, and Malmö

Can UK undergraduate dental programmes provide training in non-surgical facial aesthetics?

Aim Recently, more and more dentists have found themselves engaging in the delivery of non-surgical facial aesthetics (NSFA) as part of their regular practice routine. NSFA is a growing field in aesthetic medicine that is practised by a range of clinicians including doctors, dentists and registered prescriber nurses and is an industry estimated to be worth over £3 billion in the UK alone. In the past few years, several public scandals in aesthetic medicine have prompted reactions by several bodies including the Government and Royal Colleges. With Health Education England (HEE) having recently released standards in education, it is clear that a shift in attitude towards training is imminent. With a large volume of dentists making up this NSFA workforce it is reasonable to consider the stance of undergraduate training and the relevance of the existing knowledge within dentistry in the context of the HEE standards.Method All dental schools in the UK were contacted to establish the range of subjects taught within the curriculum, with particular reference to those relevant to NSFA. The two largest aesthetic pharmacies were contacted regarding numbers of registered dentists they serve.Results Twelve out of 16 dental schools responded. Two-thirds of responding dental schools do not cover NSFA in their curricula. However, many dental schools cover related subjects including: facial anatomy/material science/neuromuscular junction physiology (100%), anatomy of the aging face (66%), pharmacology of botulinum toxin (25%) and ethical-legal implications of aesthetic dentistry/NSFA (50%/42% respectively).Conclusion Dentists are well placed to deliver NSFA given their background in relevant subjects and surgical training. With the emergence and growth of such a large multi-disciplinary field it is crucial that dentistry is not left behind. Just as most dental schools have embraced the evolution of cosmetic dentistry and implantology, it would be prudent to consider that training standards around NSFA are reflected in both undergraduate curricula and appropriate post-graduate clinical training for dentistry.

Attitudes of Students of Differenet Schools of University of Zagreb on Tooth Bleaching

OBJECTIVE

To compare the awareness that students from four different faculties within the University of Zagreb have of oral health and tooth bleaching procedure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 158 subjects (both male and female) - 38 students from the School of Dental Medicine and 40 students from each of the following faculties: the School of Medicine, the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The respondents were asked to fill out the survey with multiple choices by marking the answers they considered correct.

RESULTS

Only 12% of the respondents followed the information on oral health. More than two thirds of all subjects brush their teeth twice a day, but there were no statistically significant differences between the subjects with respect to college or gender. More than half of the participants (55%) were satisfied, and 12% were completely satisfied with their dental appearance. About 80% of the respondents were aware of differences between teeth bleaching and teeth polishing procedures, with greater prevalence among Dental Medicine and Medicine students. 80% of all subjects would go to a dental office if they decided to whiten their teeth while less than a half (46%) of all the subjects believed that a tooth bleaching has some adverse side-effects.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a difference in knowledge on oral hygiene and tooth bleaching between the students from the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Medicine, the Faculty of Economics and those from the Faculty of Civil Engineering. Dental students have the best knowledge on tooth bleaching and oral health, which was in accordance with their educational guidance and level of education.

Preferences on Vital and Nonvital Tooth Bleaching: A Survey Among Dentists from a City of Southern Brazil

This study evaluated the preferences of general dentists regarding vital and nonvital tooth bleaching therapies and investigated whether the time of clinical practice and post-graduate training influence these options. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire with closed questions applied to dentists (n=276) of a mid-sized city of the southern Brazil (Pelotas, RS). Information was collected regarding sociodemographic variables, level of specialization and time since graduation. In addition, options regarding bleaching therapies including the first choice of material, technique and clinical practice for vital and nonvital tooth bleaching therapies were included. Data were submitted to descriptive analysis and the associations were evaluated using chi-square and Fisher exact tests (α=0.05). The response rate was 68% (n=187). At-home bleaching therapy was broadly preferred (78.1%) over in-office (21.9%) bleaching. For at-home bleaching, most dentists answered to use 10% carbamide peroxide (CP) (40.2%) and >30% hydrogen peroxide (HP) (31.7%) for nonvital therapies. The majority of dentists with post-graduation training preferred at-home bleaching techniques (p=0.003). At-home bleaching therapy was also more indicated by younger dentists. No association was found between the choice for nonvital bleaching therapies and time since graduation (p=0.532) or continuous education (p=0.083). In conclusion, at-home bleaching was preferred over in-office therapies; 10% CP and >30% HP were chosen as first option agents to treat discolored vital and nonvital teeth, respectively. The time in clinical practice and the level of specialization affected dentists' choices only for vital tooth bleaching treatment.