Background: Virtual reality based technologies, which are broadly used in aviation and telecommunication, is now emerging rapidly in the field of dentistry. This technology has progressed tremendously and is simultaneously being refined according to the requirements of the healthcare sector. Such technologies aid in better understanding in an educational setting and provide efficient learning ways which can reduce harm and help to improve patient treatment outcomes. Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of dental students and practitioners towards Virtual reality based technologies in Central India. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study a total of 270 dental students and practitioners across Central India were included. A questionnaire consisting of 26 Questions with regard to VRBT’s was designed and the questionnaire was circulated through a web designed program. The responses were collected, and data were analyzed descriptively using SPSS Statistics for Windows version 24.0. Results: 90.37 % agreed that VRBT’s could offer many advantages in comparison to conventional technologies used in dental education and practice. 91.1% had not used dental simulators but 35.93% of them believed that dental simulators can be used as a reliable evaluation tool in developing preclinical skills. 75.93 % estimated that VRBT’s will gain popularity in dental practice within 5-10 years. Conclusion: Learning and including these VRBT’s as a part of undergraduate and continued education programmes could affect the willingness and utilization of these trends in future dental practice.

Context: Obstructive sleep apnea is a very usual sleep disorder that frequently goes undetected. In dental training enough significance aren’t inclined to the various sleep disorders existing. Dentists take a crucial role in assessing, diagnosing, management and referring of OSA patients. Aim: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice about obstructive sleep apnea among dentists in Central India. Study design: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Central India from January 2021 to June 2021 for duration of six months at Nagpur. Methodology: 185 dentists participated in the survey. A questionnaire consisting of 23 items, evaluating the knowledge, attitude, and practice with respect to nine distinct domains concerning obstructive sleep apnea and circulated through a web designed program. Good/poor remarks were given to knowledge and practice questions and favorable/unfavorable for attitude questions. Study data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using chi square test. Results: Overall dentists were observed to have good knowledge for domains of awareness, general findings and risk factors. Good knowledge was found in MDS for domains of screening and diagnosis (64.65% and 50.51%) and treatment and referral (65.66% and 57.58%) in comparison to the BDS group. Favorable attitude for all the domains was reported while poor practice in all domains. Conclusion: Dentists had favorable attitude towards OSA but poor knowledge in certain domains about OSA which may be linked to lacked clinical experience and hurdle in their practice. They were passionate about further education on OSA.

Introduction: Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs) accounts for common Orofacial Pain (OFP) arising from musculoskeletal origins, affecting almost 80% of the overall population. The multifactorial nature of the disease makes it difficult to diagnose and treat and is challenging to a considerable number of General Dental Practitioners (GDPs). They’re increasingly approached by patients for advice on TMD, but little is understood about how this disorder is addressed with in primary health care. Aim: To assess the awareness and knowledge regarding management of TMDs among GDPs in Central India. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Central India, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India from 20th June 2020 to 12th December 2020, including 200 general dental practitioners, who were registered under the Dental Council of India. A questionnaire consisting of 17 questions with reference to TMDs was designed and the questionnaire was circulated through a web designed program. The responses were collected, and data were analysed descriptively using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) statistics for windows version 24.0. Results: The mean age of the participants in the study was 24.80±1.63 years. Predominantly, participants were 164 females (82%). Among all the participants, about 181 (90.50%) of GDP’s were practicing Dentistry. The study findings suggest that the overall general practicing dentists encounter TMD cases and 162 (81%) of GDP’s treat patient at their clinic. A 76% of GDPs acknowledged the causative factor for TMD to be multifactorial and physical examination (88.50%) as the diagnostic tool. Most of the general practitioners around 126 (63%) preferred referring the patient to the specialist, maxillofacial surgeon. Among the practitioners who were confident in treating TMD, occlusal splint was the treatment of choice for 198 (96%) of the GDPs. Conclusion: Many GDPs lack standard protocol knowledge, felt insecure in TMD diagnosis, therapy decisions and treatment. There is a requirement for better quality evidence on which TMD diagnosis and treatment, including the event of a valid, reproducible patient-centered outcome measure to enable dental practitioners to feel confident in managing TMD. It is essential to train GDPs to identify individuals with TMDs through professional courses and training. It would be highly beneficial to educate the undergraduates regarding the diagnosis of TMDs in their curriculum.

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