(1) Background: Molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is a common clinical condition with critical negative consequences for dental health. The etiology of MIH is still not completely understood, although several theories have been suggested. (2) Aim: To investigate the etiology of MIH defects in a sample of Saudi school children. (3) Method: A total of 893 school children in the age range of 8–10 years participated in the study. The sample was taken from Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. The participating children were examined for MIH using the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Criteria. The children’s parents were asked about the child’s pre, peri-, and postnatal condition utilizing a structured and validated questionnaire. (4) Results: A total of 362 children (168 males and 194 females) were affected with MIH, for a prevalence of 40.5%. Among all analyzed etiological factors, only jaundice was found to be significantly associated with MIH in children (OR = 1.35, p = 0.047). Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that the only significant etiological factor for MIH was newborn jaundice (p = 0.04). (5) Conclusion: Newborn jaundice was the only etiological factor that showed a significant association with MIH in the studied Saudi school children.

ABSTRACT:Objective: To evaluate molar-incisor-hypomineralization (MIH) prevalence, clinical characteristics, and severity amongst school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: Randomly selected, healthy third-and fourth-grade students (aged 8-10 years) attending elementary schools in Riyadh, and children of the same age attending dental clinics at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University, were examined for the presence of MIH, its clinical characteristics, and severity. Results: The sample studied consisted of 924 children, 447 (48.4%) of whom were boys. There were 376 children, (199 females and 177 males), with at least 2 index teeth affected (prevalence = 40.7%). A total of 133 (35.4%) had only molar hypomineralization (MH), whereas 243 (64.6%) had molars and incisors involved (MIH). The mean number of affected teeth per child was 6.6 ±3.6 (3.3 for molars and 3.2 for incisors). The chi-Square test showed no association between the distribution of hypomineralization and age (P = 0.115). Children with severe hypomineralization predominated across all age groups, with the 10-year-old group having more severely affected children (71.9%) compared to 8-and 9-year-old groups (P = 0.000). Proportional t-test showed no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) between males and females in the occurrence of MH or MIH, and in the severity of the hypomineralization. Upper molars were more affected than lower molars, whilst upper incisors were more affected than lower incisors. Conclusion: Enamel hypomineralization is a common feature in the dentition of 8-10-year-old children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There is no association with age and no gender predilection.

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Objective: To evaluate the satisfaction of dental students toward their dental curriculum and education at dental colleges in the central region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: Two forms of the questionnaire were established, a paper version and an electronic internet-based survey (Google online form). Paper versions were distributed to interns graduated from universities in Riyadh. The electronic versions were used to obtain responses from students at dental colleges and universities outside of Riyadh, such as Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU) and Majmaah University, by emailing the links to the participants who were dental interns that had graduated in the 2018/2019 academic year. Results: A total of 388 interns answered the questionnaire. Overall, 48.4% of the interns were highly satisfied with the Operative Department while regarding Orthodontic Department 16.9% were satisfied while 11.2% were highly satisfied. Regarding the non-clinical satisfaction score, the interns were mostly unsatisfied with their research skills (15.5%). Comparing the interns’ satisfaction at different institutions, there was a statistically significant difference in the clinical satisfaction score (P ≤0.01), but there was no difference in the non-clinical satisfaction score (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Dental students need a greater focus and exposure to research skills during their dental school studies. To improve dental students’ level of clinical satisfaction, it is more important for them to have early exposure to comprehensive clinical training than specialty-based clinical training. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.6.5183 How to cite this:Aldweesh AH, Aldhubaiban M, Alqahtani A, Almohammad IE, Al-Sehaibany FS, Albarakati SF. Students’ Perceptions of their Dental Curriculum and Education. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(6):1441-1446. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.6.5183 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.