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The purpose of this baseline study was to evaluate the presence and type of Early Childhood Carries (ECC) among 3-6 year old children visiting dental clinics in Abha city, Saudi Arabia. From the 100 children examined 79% presented various stages of ECC based on its severity. 47% children showed characteristics of Type-II ECC causing the enamel to collapse with exposed, soft and yellow dentin. Out of the 58 male children 81% exhibited ECC whereas 76% of the 42 female children examined showed ECC. 4-5 year old children showed the highest (96%) presence of ECC. From the results of the present study it is possible to conclude that the prevalence of Early Childhood Caries in Saudi children in the city of Abha is expected to be very high. Further studies are required to find the prevalence of ECC in the entire southern region of Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appropriateness for determining Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) of special children by their caregivers must be thoroughly assessed. The present study was conducted to assess the Oral health related quality of life of children with disability and the stress levels of their parents. Moreover, the study also evaluated the plaque, DMFT (Decayed, missing, filled teeth) and BMI (Body Mass Index) of disabled children (cases) and healthy children (controls). The present case-control study was carried out on 150 parents of disabled children and 30 parents of healthy children (control group) at King Khalid University, Abha, KSA. The Arabic version of the 36-item parenting stress index-short format (PSI-SF) instrument was used for the assessment of parental stress, and the WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version) Arabic version questionnaire was used for the assessment of quality of life of children. The parents or the caregivers who would be mainly occupied in assisting and rendering care to their children with different disabilities (certified by a pediatrician, aged between 4-14 years), were included in the study. Data were analyzed using statistical software. The total mean value score of the PSI scale of parents of cases was statistically found to be significantly higher compared to the mean scores among parents of controls ( p = 0.004). The correlation between BMI and plaque & BMI and DMFT+df of cases indicated no statistically significant correlation while a statistically significant correlation between plaque and DMFT+df values in cases was observed. The mean score of the social relationship domain was statistically significantly different across the four levels of parents' educational status. The severity of dental caries, plaque accumulation and education-level of caregivers had a significant impact on the OHRQoL, however, BMI did not show a significant relation with DMFT and plaque scores. The parenting stress was found to be statistically higher among the parents of cases compared to the parents of controls., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (©2024 The Author(s). Published by MRE Press.)

Objective: To assess the emotional intelligence and identify the perceived sources of stress among female dental students and interns at King Khalid University College of Dentistry (KKUCOD), to investigate whether specific stressors were related to the year of study and gender, and to evaluate the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and perceived stress (PS)., Materials and Methods: Total of 150 female undergraduates from 5 th and 6 th years and dental interns were invited to complete a questionnaire using face-to-face interview. Data on EI was collected using a scale developed by Schutte et al. while a modified version of the Dental Environment Stress (DES) was applied to assess the stress perceived by dental students., Results: 120 students agreed to join the study with a response rate of 84%. Mean EI score for the sample was 120 (SD = 11.56), and the mean PS score was 70.37 (SD = 16.19). One-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference between different age groups and the educational, environmental score (P < 0.05). Correlational analysis showed that the PS scale and its factors correlated positively with each other (P < 0.01) and directly with the total EI score (P > 0.01); except for the living accommodation factor, negative correlations with overall EI score were significant., Conclusion: The present study showed that female interns and undergraduate students in clinical years of study at College of Dentistry reported higher EI and PS. The educational environmental score was found to be significantly different among different age groups. In contrary to most published literature, a direct association between EI and PS scores was found, except for the living accommodation factor. This might be attributed to the fact that the study was conducted 1 month prior to final exams. Living accommodation, personal factors, educational environment, academic work and clinical factors were identified as significant predictors of PS., Competing Interests: None

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the mesiodistal tooth sizes and to see the gender dimorphism among three ethnic groups of southern part of Saudi Arabia, that is, Asir, Najran, and Jizan region., Subjects and Methods: The sample composed of 90 individuals (45 of each gender) from 3 different regions of southern Saudi Arabia, having mean age of 26.9 years. The measurements were done directly on the models with the aid of the digital calliper measuring the largest mesiodistal measure of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars in both sides., Results: Almost all the mesiodistal tooth widths were statistically significant between the groups except maxillary and mandibular permanent third molars. Regarding sexual dimorphism, the groups were combined; almost all the mesiodistal tooth widths were not shown statistically significant difference between the males and females except that right first permanent premolars were significantly larger in the females than in the males., Conclusion: The present study has provided norms of the mesiodistal permanent tooth diameters of a Saudi population that are newer and more complete than the previously published norms. There appear to be some secular trends in the mesiodistal diameter of the Saudi permanent teeth toward sexual dimorphism., Competing Interests: None