Background The coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) in China has influenced every aspect of life worldwide. Given the unique characteristics of the dental setting, the risk of cross-infection between dental practitioners and patients is high in the absence of adequate protective measures, and dentists may develop severe anxiety in relation to the current pandemic. The limited provision of services and widespread closure of dental practices have raised concerns among dental professionals about the financial impact. The present study assessed the frequency of dental practice closure during the pandemic’s first wave in several countries and whether closures and their associated factors differ between the private and non-private sectors. Methods An electronic cross-sectional survey questionnaire was sent to dentists in several countries, from April to May 2020. The survey assessed professional, practice related and country-level structural factors elucidating the reason for practice closure. Multilevel logistic regression was used to assess the association between practice closure and these factors, and differences were evaluated by sector type. Results Dentists from 29 countries (n = 3243) participated in this study. Most of the participants (75.9%) reported practice closure with significantly higher percentage in the private sector than the non-private sector. Greater pandemic-related fears were associated with a significantly higher likelihood of practice closure in the private (odds ratio [OR] = 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24, 1.92) and non-private (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.04, 1.82) sectors. Dentists in non-private rural areas (OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.42, 0.81), and those in hospitals (overall OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.36, 0.99) reported a low likelihood of closure. A high likelihood of closure was reported by dentists in the academia (OR = 2.13, 95% CI 1.23, 3.71). More hospital beds at the country-level were associated with a lower likelihood of closure in the non-private sector (OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.46, 0.91). Private- sector dentists in high- income countries (HICs) reported fewer closures than those in non-HICs (OR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.15, 1.93). Conclusions Most dentists reported practice closure because of COVID-19, and greater impacts were reported in the private sector than in the non-private sector. Closure was associated with professional, practice, and country-levels factors.

INTRODUCTION: Effective communication not only improves dentist-patient relationships, but also enhances the patient's satisfaction towards the profession. Dental students are generally receptive to learning communication skills during their academic education and their appreciation for the value of these skills can be significantly improved with training. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the attitudes of dental interns towards learning communication skills at both Faculty of Dentistry Alexandria University (public) and Pharos University (private). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study using a s questionnaire was carried out among dental interns graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry of Alexandria University (AU) and Pharos University (PU), in 2014. A self-administered, twenty-four-items, Dental Communication Skills Attitude Scale (DCSAS) that contained both positive (PAS) and negative (NAS) attitude subscales was distributed. Participants' demographic and education related variables were also recorded. Association of the positive and negative attitudes with these variables was determined using appropriate statistical tests as Pearson's chi square test, Monte Carlo Exact test, Fisher's Exact and one way ANOVA. RESULTS: A total of 240 dental interns from Alexandria University and 162 dental interns from Pharos University participated in the study, with a response rate of 70.59% and 82.65%, respectively. The mean PAS scores and NAS scores in both universities were almost the same, 52/65 and 31/55, respectively with no significant difference between them. These attitudes were significantly associated with certain background and education-related attributes as gender, age, parents education and previous communication skills training. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the differences in communication skills curriculum, dental interns of both AU and PU had an overall positive and neutral attitude towards communication skills learning with no statistical significant difference between them.

Background Parenting practices influence children’s health and development. The current study aimed at assessing gender differences in children’s perception of the parenting practices of both parents, and in the association between children’s oral health behaviors and parenting practices. Methods A cross-sectional household survey of 6–12 year old children was conducted in a rural area in Northwestern Egypt in 2019. Clinical examination assessed caries and gingivitis. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire assessed parenting practices in five domains (positive parenting, involvement, inconsistent disciplining, poor monitoring and corporal punishment) and the World Health Organization questionnaire assessed oral health behaviors including sugar consumption and daily toothbrushing. Sugar consumption was the dependent variable in linear regression and daily toothbrushing was the dependent variable in logistic regression. Parenting practices were the explanatory variables adjusting for confounders. Effect modification by child gender was assessed. Results The response rate was 94.1% (n = 433), mean age = 9.9 years, 44.1% boys, 17.8% with daily toothbrushing and mean sugar consumption score = 3.4/8. Girls perceived more mothers’ positive parenting than boys (mean = 14.15 and 13.46) and boys perceived more poor monitoring and corporal punishment. Boys and girls differed in the association between sugar consumption and fathers’ inconsistent disciplining, poor monitoring (P = 0.004 and 0.02) and mothers’ corporal punishment (P = 0.02), and also daily toothbrushing and mothers’ involvement, positive parenting (P = 0.05 and 0.02), fathers’ positive parenting (P = 0.02), mothers’ inconsistent discipling and poor monitoring (P = 0.01 and 0.04). Conclusions There were differences between boys and girls in perceiving mothers’ and fathers’ parenting practices and in the association between these parenting practices and toothbrushing and sugar consumption.

Background Enhancement of students’ knowledge is essential in improving their clinical skills and performance. Thus, the curriculum should be prepared to achieve a better outcome. The current study aimed to determine the dental students’ and interns’ basic knowledge towards dental luting cements and their application in dental practice to improve the theoretical and clinical training sections. Materials and methods A cross–sectional study was conducted among dental students and interns at three Colleges of Dentistry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between September 2019–June 2020. An online questionnaire was used which included demographic data, questions about luting cement usage, cementation techniques, and commonly used cements in dental clinics. Descriptive analysis and chi–square test were used to show the association between level of dental education and the use of dental cements using SPSS software. The significance level was set at 5%. Results The total respondents were 626 dental students/interns of whom 78.8% were undergraduate dental students. Participants who reported undergraduate studies as the source of information were 79.7%. The type of restoration was the main factor in luting cement selection (62.6%). Concerning the isolation technique in cementing laminate veneers, 49.7% used dri–angles, cotton rolls and saliva ejectors. Dual–cure resin cement was the most common cement used in all the mentioned restorations except in pressed porcelain laminate veneers and cement–retained implant–supported restorations. Conclusions Students’ knowledge and practice in managing dental implants and porcelain laminate veneers need to be improved. The selection of a luting agent for a given restoration by students and interns was based on the basic knowledge, available cement, and the type of restoration. Awareness towards the management of short prepared teeth and custom-made cast posts and cores is also limited.