BackgroundA public that is an informed partner in clinical research is important for ethical, methodological, and operational reasons. There are indications that the public is unaware or misinformed, and not sufficiently engaged in clinical research but studies on the topic are lacking. PARTAKE – Public Awareness of Research for Therapeutic Advancements through Knowledge and Empowerment is a program aimed at increasing public awareness and partnership in clinical research. The PARTAKE Survey is a component of the program.ObjectiveTo study public knowledge and perceptions of clinical research.MethodsA 40-item questionnaire combining multiple-choice and open-ended questions was administered to 175 English- or Hindi-speaking individuals in 8 public locations representing various socioeconomic strata in New Delhi, India.ResultsInterviewees were 18–84 old (mean: 39.6, SD±16.6), 23.6% female, 68.6% employed, 7.3% illiterate, 26.3% had heard of research, 2.9% had participated and 58.9% expressed willingness to participate in clinical research. The following perceptions were reported (% true/% false/% not aware): ‘research benefits society’ (94.1%/3.5%/2.3%), ‘the government protects against unethical clinical research’ (56.7%/26.3%/16.9%), ‘research hospitals provide better care’ (67.2%/8.7%/23.9%), ‘confidentiality is adequately protected’ (54.1%/12.3%/33.5%), ‘participation in research is voluntary’ (85.3%/5.8%/8.7%); ‘participants treated like ‘guinea pigs’’ (20.7%/53.2%/26.0%), and ‘compensation for participation is adequate’ (24.7%/12.9%/62.3%).ConclusionsResults suggest the Indian public is aware of some key features of clinical research (e.g., purpose, value, voluntary nature of participation), and supports clinical research in general but is unaware of other key features (e.g., compensation, confidentiality, protection of human participants) and exhibits some distrust in the conduct and reporting of clinical trials. Larger, cross-cultural surveys are required to inform educational programs addressing these issues.

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All dental restorations are liable to failure during function. Failure could be biologic, aesthetic, mechanical or a combination. Ceramic restorations in particular, including metal-ceramics, are prone to mechanical fracture, especially the fracture of veneering porcelain. Fracture of a metal-ceramic restoration jeopardizes function as well as aesthetics. It is equally onerous to manage for both patient and dentist. Optimal management of such cases requires a detailed knowledge of the aetiology behind this phenomenon. The current paper aims to highlight possible causative factors involved in the mechanical failures of metal-ceramic restorations. Clinical relevance: Ceramic fracture in metal-ceramic crowns and fixed partial dentures is routinely encountered in dental clinics. Knowledge of the aetiology is required to diagnose and manage such cases accurately as well as to avoid these errors in future.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between inner canthal distance and maxillary anterior teeth width withrespect to age, gender and ethnicity. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi, from Aug 2019 to Jan 2020. Methodology: One hundred participants from both genders with full permanent dentition, no interdental space or pathology and facial symmetry were included in this study. The measurements were carried out with digital Vernier caliper. SPSS-25 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean ± SD of inner canthal distance and width of maxillary anterior teeth were 2.99cm ± 0.46and 3.82cm ± 0.35 respectively. A significant difference was found between gender (p=0.037) and inner canthaldistance. The maxillary anterior teeth width and inner canthal distance varies amongst different ethnicities(p=0.01). The inner canthal distance does not vary with advancing age (p=0.87) whereas width of maxillaryanterior teeth varies (p=0.04). A weak correlation value of 0.47 was found between inner canthal distance andmaxillary anterior teeth width. Conclusion: This research suggests that there is a weak relationship between inner canthal distance and maxillary anterior teeth width. Therefore, a multiplication ratio of 1.27 is advised to get combined mesiodistal width of maxillary anterior teeth. Additionally, the value of both differs in various local ethnicities. Inner canthal distance does not vary with age though has significant gender disparities while maxillary anterior teeth width remains constant.