Several studies have so far focused on occupational stress among dentists and the results have shown that many factors can cause stress. However, the level of stress among experts in the fields of dentistry has not yet been studied in Iran. The aim of this study is to examine the causes and levels of job stress among dental professionals in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. This cross-sectional study included all dental professionals of Dentistry Faculty; an overall of 55 subjects in Tabriz were studied in this research and their level of stress was evaluated using "The Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool" (HSE stress questionnaire) from September up to October 2014. The level of stress in each dental specialty was examined descriptively (mean, standard deviation). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20. The findings of the study showed that the highest stress among dental professionals from different fields was observed in the field of oral and maxillofacial radiology; fields of oral medicine, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery and pediatric dentistry ranked later. The lowest stress was seen among orthodontics specialists. Based on the results of the present study, the rate of job stress varied significantly among dental professionals.

Background. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) is a term that describes problems in the masticatory system, including the temporomandibular joint, the dento-muscular system and the supporting bones. Injection of botulinum toxin, as a noninvasive technique, might be useful in decreasing symptoms such as muscular spasm, dystonia, migraine headaches and TMD. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of injection of botulinum toxin on decreasing the symptoms and signs of masticatory muscles in patients with TMD. Methods. A total of 61 patients were consecutively included in the present study in 2016‒2017. All the subjects received a 50-unit injection of Dysport botulinum toxin in the masseter muscles using an extraoral injection technique. The results of the injection were evaluated in terms of pain severity using VAS, clinical evaluations of the joint click through palpation and by determining the inter-incisal distance. The patients underwent follow-up examinations at 1-week, 3-month and 6-month intervals after injection. Data were analyzed with appropriate statistical tests. Results. Comparison of pain severity and articular clicks at different intervals showed decreases in these parameters over time, with significant differences between the time intervals (P<0.05). Comparison of mouth opening at different intervals showed increases in mouth opening over time. Conclusion. The results of the present study showed that injection of botulinum toxin can be used in patients with TMD as a non-invasive treatment modality

Background: Complications following impacted third molar surgery significantly affect patients' quality of life during the immediate postoperative period. This study aimed to achieve the proper anesthesia method by comparing the effect of the application of lidocaine alone with the application of lidocaine and articaine simultaneously in reducing the complications during and following impacted mandibular third molar surgery. Methods: The study design was a split-mouth double-blind randomized clinical trial. The study was conducted on 13 patients (26 samples) referred for elective surgical removal of bilateral impacted mandibular third molar with similar difficulty on both sides. Each patient underwent similar surgical procedures on two separate appointments. Each patient randomly received 2% lidocaine for conventional inferior alveolar nerve block and 4% articaine for local infiltration before the surgery on one side (group A) and 2% lidocaine alone (for both block anesthesia and infiltration) before the surgery on the other side (group B). Intraoperative and postoperative variables for both groups were established and statistically analyzed. Results: The findings showed that pain on the first day after surgery in group A was significantly lower than that in group B. The patients in group A mentioned experiencing less discomfort following the surgery. The increased horizontal swelling on the first and third days following surgery and oblique swelling on the seventh day in patients in group B were statistically significant. Conclusion: Choosing an appropriate anesthetic drug for oral surgery, specifically impacted third molar surgery, is dependent on the clinician's opinion, however; it seems that the combination of lidocaine and articaine may control the patient's pain significantly better than lidocaine alone.

Background: It is believed that medical students are more faced with stressors during their academic studies. The highest rate of stress and anxiety in clinical education settings may negatively affect the learning and success of these students. The aim of the current study is investigating the stressors dentistry students face within educational settings and its relationship with their general health condition. Materials and Methods: The current statistical-analytic study performed upon 180 dentistry students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2014. A 54-item Student Stressors Questionnaire was used to assess the students stress and a 28-item Goldberg Questionnaire was used to evaluate the general health of the students. Likert 4-item scale (0 to 3) was used for scoring both questionnaires. Results: Mean age of the participants was 24.37±2.84. 6.65% of students were female and the mean stress level was 1.2±0.6. 36.7%, 48.3% and 15% of students had low, average and high stress level, respectively. There was no significant relationship between students’ stress and sex or their marital status. 50%, 23.3%, 20.6% and 6.1% of students had high, average, poor and very poor general health, respectively. There was no significant relationship between students’ gender and their general health. There was also no significant relationship between students’ stress and their general health. Conclusion: Almost half of dentistry students had average stress and 15% had high stress in which levels its pressure may get sever with increased academic period and difficulty level of the academic units. Correct educational programs, periodic counseling meetings and use of skilled counselors at universities can play influential roles to reduce stress level of dentistry students.

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