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To evaluate the radiographic quality of endodontically treated cases performed by undergraduate dental students at Thumbay dental hospital, Gulf Medical University (GMU) from 2020 to 2022. The sample consisted of 510 randomly selected postoperative periapical radiographs from patient records at the Thumbay dental hospital Gulf Medical University (GMU). Radiographs were from patients who underwent root canal treatment (RCT) performed by 3rd, 4th and 5th year clinical undergraduate dental students. Evaluation criteria included root canal filling (RCF) length, density, taper and the presence of iatrogenic errors. Inter-examiner agreement was measured using a Cohen's kappa test. A comparison of frequency was calculated using the Chi-square test. P-values = 0.05 were considered significant. Adequate length, density, and taper of the root canal fillings was observed in 77.2%, 34%, and 78.6% of cases, respectively. The rate of acceptable quality was higher for teeth treated by 5th -year students (33.3%) compared to those treated by 3rd -year students (20.5%). Density and taper were more adequate in patients treated by 5th -year students (38.6% and 82.1% respectively) compared to 3rd -year student (p= 0.05). Significant differences were observed in procedural errors based on tooth location, with higher percentages in the mandible (23.7%) compared to maxilla. Anterior teeth showed high rates of acceptable quality (36.6%) compared to molars (22.5%). Iatrogenic errors were observed in 19.1% of cases. This study highlights the importance of training dental students to detect and correct procedural errors in root canal procedures at early clinical stage. A notable 29.3% quality improvement achieved with stainless steel K-files, underlines the imperative for enhancing future education approaches to ensure superior results and improved patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer learning is the process of students learning with and from each other. It is a collaborative learning strategy that is based on the learning theories of social constructivism and cognitive congruence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of dental students on the implementation of the peer-assisted learning experience in an academic institution in the UAE. A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Gulf Medical University, College of Dentistry, for the evaluation of the perception of dental students on the implementation of the peer-assisted learning experience by administering an electronic questionnaire through Google Forms. The majority of the PLs (Peer Learners) (68.8%) agreed that the match with their peer guides was appropriate, (59.4%) agreed that "the program helped them to achieve better results.", and (65.7%) would recommend other students to join the program. The majority of PGs (Peer Guides) (81.3%) were satisfied with their work, (81.3%) believed that the program helped them improve their communication and leadership skills and (87.5%) would recommend the program to other students. Peer-assisted learning is a beneficial teaching method that has been shown to be an effective strategy for boosting students' comprehension and retention of complicated content and for fostering a good learning environment in undergraduate dental schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to evaluate the activity of carbonic anhydrase (CA) and components of the buffer system (saliva pH and phosphate and bicarbonate buffer concentrations) in unstimulated and stimulated saliva of children with extremely high and extremely low risk of caries to determine and assess the risk of caries utilizing the saliva biomarker parameters. Included in the study were 123 children with permanent dentition and a mean age of 13.8 ± 0.8 years. Based on their DMF (D = decay, M = missing, F = filled, which represents the total number of teeth with caries, teeth with filling, and extracted teeth), the patients were divided into two groups: low caries risk group with an average DMF of zero (0) and high caries risk group with an average DMF of 7.7. Both non-stimulated and stimulated saliva samples were collected from patients in each group. When comparing the activities of CA of the examined groups, the study group with a low risk of caries had significantly higher activity (p <0.001) of this enzyme in both unstimulated and stimulated saliva relative to the high-risk group. High CA activity and better buffer parameters in saliva anticipated a lower caries incidence in children, suggesting that saliva CA activity is a crucial indicator of caries susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Dunning-Kruger effect (cognitive bias) is a psychological phenomenon that implies that individuals with a lack of knowledge and skills have an unrealistically optimistic image of their abilities compared to others., Purpose: The study aimed to examine the presence of the Dunning-Kruger effect in fifth (final) year dental undergraduate students at Gulf Medical University, UAE, in clinical domains related to pediatric dentistry., Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted at Gulf Medical University, College of Dentistry, to evaluate cognitive bias among 5th-year dental students at GMU in the competency domains of communication, diagnosis, and clinical skills in Pediatric dentistry., Results: Overall, compared to the level of confidence of students in September, there was a decline in the level of confidence in January. With an increase in time, the percentage shifted to a higher level in May across all domains., Conclusion: Characteristic patterns of fluctuations in students' self-confidence during clinical exposure are observed. The research results prove that the Dunning-Kruger effect, the cognitive bias of the perception pattern, is present in the examined group of dental students., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.