Dental students' low perception of the effectiveness of smoking cessation counseling and the inadequacies of the current evidence-base invite more convincing research about dentists' role in tobacco control and better skills training in response.

This paper reports an exploratory survey study about students' perceptions of learning management systems (LMS) at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney. Two hundred and fifty-four students enrolled in the Bachelor of Dentistry and the Bachelor of Oral Health programmes participated in an online survey aimed at exploring their beliefs and attitudes as well as their preferences for eLearning tools. Results indicated a strong preference of students for using LMSs as resource repositories rather than for higher-order learning activities such as online discussion forums. This finding holds importance for consideration of the development of the educational resources modalities that support development of essential graduate attributes such as information literacy and collaborative learning.

This paper reports an explorative study about academic educators' perceptions towards learning management systems (LMS) and eLearning tools as used in dental education. Fifty-five educators participated in an online survey which explored their views on eLearning tools within the context of their own professional training background and teaching needs. In general, educators felt that the eLearning LMS (also known as WebCT/Blackboard) was a tool that suited their teaching and learning needs in terms of flexibility, interactivity and accessibility despite a significant level of self-reported lack of competence in the technology. The paper describes current eLearning professional development initiatives in light of these findings.

There is a demand from both students and teachers to standardize clinical procedures and protocols as well as having a greater synchronization in time and content between lectures and clinical work.

In vitro studies and early clinical trials have shown promising results for Delmopinol HCl solution as an effective mouth rinse for reducing experimentally induced gingivitis in the absence of mechanical plaque control. The efficacy of Decapinol mouthwash 2 mg/mL (Delmopinol HCl) in preventing gingivitis in a double-blind, randomized clinical study with parallel group design was studied. Forty-seven healthy young adults were randomly assigned to the Delmopinol or placebo groups. After an initial period of four weeks of intensive oral hygiene including bi-weekly professional cleaning of the teeth and oral hygiene instruction, all subjects achieved a low degree of gingivitis or a plaque score close to zero. At baseline, Bleeding on Probing, Modified Gingival Index and Plaque Index were recorded and the teeth were professionally cleaned. All forms of plaque control were then suspended and subjects were supervised in a one-minute rinsing of Decapinol mouthwash 2 mg/mL or placebo twice daily. Measurements of efficacy variables were then repeated after two and three weeks treatment and adverse events were recorded. After the study period of three weeks all previous plaque control measures were resumed. At week four, all subjects were reassessed for the resolution of gingival inflammation and where residual gingival inflammation persisted, appropriate treatment was given. Only mild and short-lasting adverse events were noted for the use of Delmopinol in the study period. However, for all teeth sites measured, significant differences between Delmopinol and placebo groups were found in Bleeding on Probing (p < 0.05) and Plaque Index (p < 0.0005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)