BackgroundAlong with its high prevalence, the burden of allergic rhinitis rests upon the serious impact on quality of life of patients. Allergic rhinitis is associated with impairments in daily activities, work and school performance, and practical problems. Patients suffer from sleep disorders and emotional problems. Тhe advantages of sublingual immunotherapy on quality of life have only recently begun to emerge. The objective of this prospective real-life study was to evaluate the effect of a three-year course of sublingual immunotherapy with house dust mite (HDM) and grass pollen extracts on quality of life in adults with allergic rhinitis.MethodsA total number of 191 adult patients [105 (54,979%) men; mean age 27.3 years (SD-6.14)] with moderate to severe allergic rhinitis and clinically relevant sensitization to house dust mites or grass pollen were prospectively evaluated in the course of management of their disease. Health-related quality of life was assessed by Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire at baseline and after three-year course of sublingual immunotherapy.ResultsThe mean overall Qol score assessed at baseline and at the end of the third year of treatment decreased significantly in patients treated with HDM extract (from 2.95 to 0.76) as well as with Grass pollen extract (from 2.83 to 1.22) (р < 0.001). The improvements in treated with HDM extract were as followed: activities – 3.52 to 0.68; sleep- 2.48 to 0.31; general problems – 1.79 to 0.49; practical problems – 3.57 to 0.68; nasal symptoms – 3.91 to 0.74; eye symptoms – 2.92 to 0.39; emotions – 3.03 to 0.39. The improvements in grass pollen group were: activities – 3.68 to 1.69; sleep- 1.85 to 0.84; general problems – 1.74 to 0.97; practical problems – 3.52 to 1.37; nasal symptoms – 3.72 to 1.57; eye symptoms – 3.58 to 1.3; emotions – 2.48 to 1.19.ConclusionOur study conducted in real life provided evidence that a three-year course of SLIT with HDM extract as well as with grass pollen extract significantly increased QoL in patients with allergic rhinitis.

No abstract

No abstract

Communication skills of dentists have been demonstrated to be part of the good dental practice. The aim we set ourselves in this study was to review the literature related to the methods of teaching communication skills at dental faculties, and develop a handout in the Bulgarian language about leading a successful conversation with a patient. According to some authors, the most important principles for effective communication training include the use of practical exercises, clinically relevant scenarios, students&rsquo; self-assessment tools, videotapes, participation of patient actors, and training in small groups. Another communication training program is the so-called Miller pyramid. Using the method of objective structured clinical examina-tion (OSCE) can also be an effective way of teaching communication skills to dental students.&nbsp; The conclusion to be made is that communication skills should be taught across the entire dental curriculum as this leads to better understanding and sufficient outcome.&nbsp;

In general the cross-cultural adaptation process, even if carried out in a rigorous way, does not always lead to the best target version and suggests it would be useful to develop new scales specific to each culture and, at the same time, to think about the trans-cultural adaptation.