METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted using 3-month secondary data from the Mawid application. The study included 3134 comments from 380,493 patients who visited 38 PHC centres in Riyadh and responded to the Mawid application evaluation questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS version 21.
RESULTS: Approximately 59.1% of the patients' comments were negative (patients' complaints); only 19%, positive; 8.40%, mixed; and 13.6%, unrelated. The patients' complaints (n=2969) were obtained from 380,493 patients within 3 months, yielding a complaint rate of 2.6 per 1000 attendances per month. The majority of the complaints (79.3%) were from patients visiting nonspecialised PHC centres. Approximately 59.1% of the complaints fell under the management domain; 23.6%, patient-staff relationship domain; and only 17.2%, clinical domain.
CONCLUSION: Management and interpersonal problems constituted the main patients' complaints in the PHC centres in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, future studies must clarify the reasons contributing to these complaints. Increasing the number of physicians, providing staff training and continuous auditing are mandatory to improve patients' experiences in PHC centres.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-two epoxy replicated dies from two prepared maxillary right central incisors acrylic typodont were divided into two groups of different preparation designs (n = 36): Group I, incisal butt-joint, and Group P, incisal overlap. Each group was further subdivided into two equal groups according to ceramic material (n = 18): Group E, IPS e.max CAD, and Group T, Tessera advanced lithium disilicate (ALD) CAD-CAM blocks. The replica technique was used to assess the internal fit using a stereomicroscope at 45× magnification. Laminate veneers were cemented to their corresponding epoxy dies, then the vertical marginal gap was evaluated before and after thermal cycling. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for marginal fit data and 2-way ANOVA for internal fit measurements (α = 0.05).
RESULTS: For internal fit, there were no significant differences between tested groups. For vertical marginal gap results, two-way ANOVA showed that only aging had a significant effect on the vertical marginal gap (p
METHODOLOGY: Data was collected for this cross-sectional study between August 2020 and January 2021 from 11-to-23 years old participants in 43-countries using an electronic validated questionnaire developed in five languages. Data collected included information on the dependent variables (the presence of oral conditions- gingival inflammation, dry mouth, change in taste and oral ulcers), independent variable (COVID-19 infection) and confounders (age, sex, history of medical problems and parents' educational level). Multilevel binary logistic regression was used for analysis.
RESULTS: Complete data were available for 7164 AYA, with 7.5% reporting a history of COVID-19 infection. A significantly higher percentage of participants with a history of COVID-19 infection than those without COVID-19 infection reported having dry mouth (10.6% vs 7.3%, AOR = 1.31) and taste changes (11.1% vs 2.7%, AOR = 4.11). There was a significant effect modification in the association between COVID-19 infection and the presence of dry mouth and change in taste by age and sex (P = 0.02 and
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the self-reported presence of oral lesions by COVID-19-infected young adults and the differences in the association between oral lesions and COVID-19 infection in smokers and non-smokers.
METHODS: This cross-sectional multi-country study recruited 18-to-23-year-old adults. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data on COVID-19-infection status, smoking and the presence of oral lesions (dry mouth, change in taste, and others) using an online platform. Multi-level logistic regression was used to assess the associations between the oral lesions and COVID-19 infection; the modifying effect of smoking on the associations.
RESULTS: Data was available from 5,342 respondents from 43 countries. Of these, 8.1% reported COVID-19-infection, 42.7% had oral manifestations and 12.3% were smokers. A significantly greater percentage of participants with COVID-19-infection reported dry mouth and change in taste than non-infected participants. Dry mouth (AOR=, 9=xxx) and changed taste (AOR=, 9=xxx) were associated with COVID-19- infection. The association between COVID-19-infection and dry mouth was stronger among smokers than non-smokers (AOR = 1.26 and 1.03, p = 0.09) while the association with change in taste was stronger among non-smokers (AOR = 1.22 and 1.13, p = 0.86).
CONCLUSION: Dry mouth and changed taste may be used as an indicator for COVID-19 infection in low COVID-19-testing environments. Smoking may modify the association between some oral lesions and COVID-19-infection.
HYPOTHESIS: The One-World Medicine concept attempts to merge the best of traditional medicine from developing countries and conventional Western medicine for the sake of patients around the globe.
STUDY DESIGN: Based on literature searches in several databases, a concept paper has been written. Legislative initiatives of the United Nations culminated in the Nagoya protocol aim to protect traditional knowledge and regulate benefit-sharing with indigenous communities. The European community adopted the Nagoya protocol, and the corresponding regulations will be implemented into national legislation among the member states. Despite pleasing progress, infrastructural problems of the health care systems in developing countries still remain. Current approaches to secure primary health care offer only fragmentary solutions at best. Conventional medicine from industrialized countries cannot be afforded by the impoverished population in the Third World. Confronted with exploding costs, even health systems in Western countries are endangered to burst. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is popular among the general public in industrialized countries, although the efficacy is not sufficiently proven according to the standards of evidence-based medicine. CAM is often available without prescription as over-the-counter products with non-calculated risks concerning erroneous self-medication and safety/toxicity issues. The concept of integrative medicine attempts to combine holistic CAM approaches with evidence-based principles of conventional medicine.
CONCLUSION: To realize the concept of One-World Medicine, a number of standards have to be set to assure safety, efficacy and applicability of traditional medicine, e.g. sustainable production and quality control of herbal products, performance of placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trials, phytovigilance, as well as education of health professionals and patients.