OBJECTIVE: To assess the financial impact of COVID-19 on employers of private dental practices of Pakistan in the month of April and May 2020. METHODOLOGY: In this cross sectional study, the employers of dental practices of Pakistan were inquired about their financial management during COVID 19 outbreak. The data was analyzed using IBM-SPSS version 23.0. Percentages and Chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis at p <0.05. RESULTS: 52.7% owners opened their practices whereas 37.8% of tenants’ clinics remained closed (p<0.01). 38.3% of tenant employers provided inadequate PPE whereas 53.2% owners provided adequate PPE to their staff (p=0.02). 64% of owners easily arranged PPE for staff whereas 70.4% tenants found it difficult to arrange PPE because of its high cost. Employers with less than 10 years of practice reported less than 5% whereas those with more than 10 years of practice reported up to 24% of revenue generation income (p<0.01). Most of the employers paid full salary to their employees. If this condition persists till the end of August, 40.8% employers (<10 years practice) planned to adjust staff salaries whereas 33% employers (>10 years of practice) planned to find innovative ways to lower their operating costs (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Due to minimal patient turnover, dental employers are facing incredible challenges in managing the expenses. Those with more than 10 years of practice are more economically stable as compared to the employers with less than 10 years of practice. KEYWORDS: COVID-19, finances, dental clinic, Pakistan. HOW TO CITE: Sarwar H, Qureshi NR, Fatima S, Naeem MM, Inayat A. A nation-wide survey on financial impact of COVID-19 on employers of private dental practices of Pakistan. J Pak Dent Assoc 2020;29(4):172-178.

Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the current trends in undergraduate teaching of removable partial prosthodontics in various dental colleges of Pakistan. Methodology A cross‐sectional study was conducted in which a questionnaire was sent by email to head of Prosthodontics department of thirty‐one dental institutes of Pakistan. The survey included multiple questions regarding current trends in removable partial prosthodontics education in undergraduate dental colleges. Results Out of thirty‐one questionnaires, twenty‐six were completely filled and returned. In 19 (73%) dental colleges, removable partial denture is taught over a period of at least two years of undergraduate education. Students of only six dental colleges fabricate 10–12 removable partial dentures during their Prosthodontic rotation. Lectures and live clinical demonstration for construction of removable acrylic dentures are reported to be carried out in all the dental schools. Simple hinge articulator is the articulator of choice in 22 (84.6%) colleges. Even though twenty‐four out of twenty‐six colleges (92.3%) teach fabrication of cast partial dentures in lectures, none of the student fabricate these dentures during their Prosthodontic rotation. Conclusion This survey is the first to comprehensively report the teaching practices of removable denture Prosthodontics in undergraduate dental colleges of Pakistan. Faculty of all twenty‐six colleges give clinical demonstrations of acrylic partial denture construction before students start working in the dental OPD. Most of the dental colleges report use of similar impression materials and techniques in removable partial denture fabrication. More than 90% of dental colleges teach cast partial dentures theoretically, but their construction is grossly neglected in all the dental colleges. It is important that this skill is taught and practised by students in order to have the necessary skill set, so they can provide comprehensive treatment to partially dentate patients once they graduate.

Medical education is inherently stressful and demanding. Overwhelming burden of information leaves a minimal opportunity to relax and recreate and sometimes leads to serious sleep deprivation. Environmental and social circumstances play a major role in the onset of stress-related diseases. Developing countries share the heavy burden of social and economic challenges. A number of factors-including academic pressure, workload, financial concerns, sleep deprivation, exposure to patients' suffering and deaths, student abuse and a-hidden curriculum‖ of cynicism have been hypothesized to contribute to this decline in students' mental health. This study determines the rate of anxiety and depression, and the associated social and environmental factors in undergraduate medical students. This study was divided into two measures theoretical problems and academic factors. Randomly data was collected by means of structured close ended questionnaire of 121 students from Fatima Jinnah Dental College(23 boys, 98 girls). Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 Factors causing stress in undergraduate medical students was a vast syllabus which makes it difficult for their time management, there was a direct and positive relationship for lack of time for assignments and fear of catching up after a leave.

Objective: To explore current trends in removable partial prosthodontics teaching in undergraduate dental colleges of Sindh, Pakistan. Study Design: Descriptive Cross-sectional. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of prosthodontics in dental colleges of Sindh in September 2019. Methodology:  A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in which a questionnaire was sent by email to head of Prosthodontics department of 16 dental institutes of Sindh, Pakistan. The survey included different questions regarding current trends in removable partial prosthodontics education in undergraduate dental colleges. Results: Out of sixteen questionnaires, fourteen were completely filled and returned. Majority (69.2%) of the institutes teach fabrication of removable partial dentures (RPDs) in third year of dental college. Students of only one dental college fabricate 10-12 RPDs in their clinical rotation. All dental colleges teach acrylic RPD construction in their preclinical years. Faculty in 12 (85.7%) dental colleges always give clinical demonstrations to students before their clinical rotations. Eleven out of the fourteen colleges teach cast partial dentures (CPDs) theoretically, but no CPDs are fabricated by the students during their clinical rotation. About 70% dental schools do not have in-house facility to fabricate cast partial dentures. Conclusion: This study describes current trends of removable prosthodontics teaching in undergraduate colleges of Sindh. A large majority of undergraduate dental students are not fabricating the minimum number of partial dentures as per PMC requirement. Although theoretically cast partial dentures are taught in lectures but students do not construct them in their undergraduate years. Efforts should therefore be made to improve teaching practices and clinical skills of undergraduates, for them to be able to treat partially dentate patients after graduation.

Background: Oral mucocele is considered to be a common benign lesion of the oral cavity characterized by fluctuant, painless and is distinct in two different forms, i.e. extravasations and retention. Trauma to mucus membrane or salivary gland is the most common etiologic factor. Case-Presentation: A 27-year-old female patient presented at a Private Dental Clinic with the complaint of a swelling on the right side of her lower lip for the last three months. Management & Results: Based on the history & clinical examination, the diagnosis of oral mucocele was concluded. The treatment plan was discussed with the patient in which she was informed about the chairside surgical removal of the tissue under local anesthesia. On the 10 th day of the surgery, sutures were removed, the scar was irrigated with saline and the usual checkup was performed which revealed no recurrence. Conclusion: Oral mucocele is a benign lesion, which can be managed with surgical excision under unremarkable prognosis.