Self-perceived competence of dental students regarding the management of orofacial pain: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

There is limited data on Pakistani dental students perceived competence in managing orofacial pain (OFP). This study aims to evaluate dental students self-perceived competence regarding the management of orofacial pain.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi at randomly selected two public and four private dental schools. This survey was conducted online from November 2020 to December 2020 in six dental schools. A questionnaire link was sent to the 475 students. A chi-square test and independent-sample t-test were conducted to assess the frequency distribution and compare mean scores of knowledge, diagnosis, and management parameters.

RESULTS

Of the 475 students, 280 students filled the online survey leaving a response rate of 59%. A significant number of fourth-year students, 65 (51%, p = 0.005), feels knowledgeable regarding neuropathic pain compared to third-year students. The majority of the fourth-year students, 100 (78%, p = 0.010), feel comfortable managing intraoral pain. Almost all the students reported thinking that they need more knowledge related to five types of OFP. The fourth-year students had high mean scores related to knowledge, comfort in diagnosing and managing OFP categories.

CONCLUSION

This study found that dental students perceived competence regarding orofacial pain management varies in relation to specific categories, being lowest for psychogenic pain.

An in-vitro study to compare the microhardness of glass ionomer cement set conventionally versus set under ultrasonic waves

OBJECTIVE

To assess the difference of surface hardness of glass ionomer cement (GIC) set by conventional setting method and under ultrasonically energized method.

METHOD

20 cylindrical samples measuring 2.5mm (diameter) and 5mm (length) were prepared with type IX GIC. Ten of these samples were allowed to set by conventional setting method and other ten were set under ultrasonic excitation energy. After finishing and polishing of the samples, three indentations were made on each sample using Vicker's hardness machine with a load of 300 gm for 15 seconds. The surface microhardness of the indents was calculated by Vicker's hardness formula.

RESULTS

Surface microhardness of samples set by ultrasound setting method was significantly higher than samples set by conventional method.

CONCLUSION

This can be beneficial for the dental patients as when used as a restorative material, it will have a long lasting effect and can also be used in posterior load bearing areas.