Background
Loss of teeth has a negative influence on essential oral functions. It is important to understand edentulous patients’ perceptions about the impacts of treatment options on their oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) and satisfaction.
Aims
To appraise the systematic reviews (with/without meta‐analysis) that investigate the impacts of complete conventional dentures (CCDs) and/or implant‐retained overdentures (IRODs) on the oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) and satisfaction among edentulous patients.
Methods
The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for conduct of an umbrella systematic review was followed. Three database systems were used: Medline, Google Scholar and Cochrane Library. PROSPERO was searched for ongoing or recently completed systematic reviews. The reviews must report OHRQoL and patients’ satisfaction as outcomes.
Results
A total of eight reviews were included in data synthesis (six were systematic reviews without meta‐analysis, one was systematic review with meta‐analysis, and one was meta‐analysis). The level of evidence of all included reviews based on the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network ranged between 1+ and 1−.
Conclusion
The results of this umbrella systematic review demonstrate the superiority of using IRODs compared with CCDs on the OHRQoL and patients’ satisfaction outcomes. However, this positive impact is more accentuated when patients demand implant treatment or cannot adapt to CCDs treatment. Financial factors and adaptive capability indeed affect patient tolerance to both treatment modalities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought ample challenges to clinical dental education all over the world. Dental schools had to adopt diverse strategies as a result of the exceptional circumstances, to provide a safe environment for their students, faculties, and patients. Despite the broad implementation of innovative educational tools in the form of blended learning, virtual reality simulators (VRS), and virtual learning environment, dental students expressed their willingness to restore on-site practical lessons, developing their clinical skills with patients' presence. It is believed that undergraduate dental education (UDE) during post COVID-19 pandemic lock-down might require substantial organisational changes, adequate adjustments of dental curricula and novel educational approaches in order to maintain a high level of UDE. This should be delivered by utilising the blended teaching methods, with core involvement of traditional clinical sessions and safety preventative measures arranged by dental faculties, allowing a safe return to dental schools for at least essential clinical sessions. This personal view aims to emphasis the need for re-establishment and continuity of crucial clinical and practical dental training during 'new normal' dental education era, as an integrated and unique element of UDE, which can be only partially substituted by online learning programs.
Aims: This study aimed to identify the risk factors of using DSM to provide an insight into the inherent implications this has on dental professionals in practice and trainee professionals’ education. Materials and methods: Twenty-one participants (10 dental professionals and 11 undergraduate and postgraduate dental students) participated in this qualitative study using semi-structured interviews in a dental school in the UK. The interviews were analysed and categorised into themes, some of which were identified from previous literature (e.g., privacy and psychological risks) and others emerged from the data (e.g., deceptive and misleading information). Results: The thematic analysis of interview transcripts identified nine perceived risk themes. Three themes were associated with the use of DSM in the general context, and six themes were related to the use of DSM in professional and education context. Conclusions: This study provided evidence to understand the risk factors of using DSM in dental education and the profession, but the magnitude of these risks on the uptake and usefulness of DSM needs to be assessed.
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