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Objective: To know the distal caries in mandibular second molars due to impacted mandibular third molars and their association with the type of impaction of patients who visited a tertiary care dental centre in Lahore, Pakistan. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: 28 Military Dental Centre, Combined Military Hospital, Lahore Pakistan from Dec 2020 to Nov 2021. Methodology: The dental records of 378 patients reported at 28 Military Dental Centres were retrieved from the data bank,then decoded and analysed. Results: Out of 378 patients, 242(64%) males and 136(36%) females were referred to Oral and Maxillofacial clinics of 28 MDC to undergo surgical extraction of mandibular third molar teeth. Mesio-angular 242(64%), depth Class-B 281(74.3%), and Ramal relationship I 224(59.3) were the most common impactions referred for surgical removal. 289(76.5%) impactions of all categories were unilateral. 178(73.6%) mesioangular impactions had neighbouring second molar distal caries on Orthopentomogram while none of the transverse impactions had neighbouring second molar caries. A significant association between angulation of impaction and neighbouring second molar caries has been noted (p<0.001). Conclusion: Increased mandibular second molar distal caries were noted adjacent to Mesioangular, depth B, Class 1 Ramal relationship mandibular wisdom tooth impaction.Keywords: Distal caries, Mesioangular impaction, Orthopantomograms, Radiographic study, Surgical extraction.

Objective COVID-19 resulted in dentistry being declared high-risk occupation due to the mode of the spread of the virus. This resulted in partial and complete closure of dental practices around the world, reducing revenue of practitioners. Hence, study aims to evaluate financial impact on dental practitioners in Pakistan and UAE. Materials and Methods A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2020 to January 2021. It involved questions relating to demographics and financial challenges faced, associated with change in standard operating procedures due to pandemic. The descriptive statistics were expressed as frequency and percentage. Statistical analysis was performed by Chi-square test or Fischer's exact test. Results In total, 427 respondents participated in the study. Approximately half (55.7%) of the respondents had their practices shut down, while 89.9% observed decrease in patient flow. The majority (82.2%) of respondents had to buy personal protective equipment (PPE), whereas 66.7% had to pay a high cost for that. Almost 87.3% of respondents reported having experienced financial constraints because of the pandemic related changes to the practice. Moreover, 27.8% reported staff being laid off, which were mostly due to monetary constrictions. Conclusion Dental professionals faced a considerable impact on their practice and financial situation due to pandemic. Policies must be made to support such professionals in times of emergency who are at higher risk of being most affected with respect to health and finances.

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