Objectives This study explored the perceptions of dental students in Saudi Arabia for implementing social media as an educational tool. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was conducted among dental students in 3 governmental dental schools in the western region of Saudi Arabia. A validated questionnaire was used to explore social media use and student perceptions on the advantages and disadvantages of implementing social media in dental education. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's’ χ2, Kruskal‐Wallis, and Fishers’ exact tests were used for data analysis. Results The survey included 1034 students from third to sixth year and dental interns. WhatsApp was the most used social media platform (97.5%), followed by Snapchat (90.5%), Twitter (85.2%), and Instagram (83.4%). Social media was used for entertainment (81.4%), dental learning (70.8%), searching for general information (63.3%), exchanging general ideas (63.1%), and community general discussion (55.8%). The predominant advantages of using social media in learning were assistance in gaining more information on different subjects, making education more engaging, affording a better chance to access new resources, improving the ability for creativity and innovation, and improving research skills. In contrast, the predominant disadvantages were distraction from studying, increasing addictive potential, increased time spent, and concerns over no direct contact with the instructors. Conclusion The present findings suggest that students report social media can be a valuable learning tool in dental education if appropriately used. A proper understanding of social media and its usefulness in supporting learning can benefit both students and faculty members.

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Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the insight of utilizing social media as an educational tool among dental faculty members in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was distributed to 380 randomly selected faculty members from three governmental universities in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. The participants completed a validated questionnaire to assess the intent of using social media and their opinion about the benefits and drawbacks of adopting social media as an educational tool. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used to analyse the results. Results: Out of 380 faculty members who were invited to participate, 271 responded (71% response rate). Results reveal that WhatsApp, followed by YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter were the mostly used social media platforms. Around 31% of the participants reported using social media for ten hours or more. The main reason reported by the participants for using social media was searching for information (82.17%), followed by professional networking (78.29%) and learning (75.97%). The majority of the participants agreed that social media have advantages like it helps students to communicate and share ideas with instructors, update students with new resources, and improve students’ skills. Social media also has several disadvantages; the respondents believe that it can increase their addictive potential, create more demand for internet access, and raise concerns on direct contact with students. Conclusion: As an educational tool, social media can enrich the teaching experience by using the appropriate strategies. The findings may be useful for educators to adopt social media platforms in dental education.

Background and Purpose. Some physiological changes may occur following tooth extraction, and symptoms during the postextraction period may affect the patient’s quality of life. Many techniques have been developed to improve postextraction pain and soft tissue healing. Accordingly, this study will compare the postextraction pain and early soft tissue healing characteristics of extraction sites treated with leukocyte-platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) and advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF). The aim is to evaluate the effect of advanced PRF in comparison with L-PRF on soft tissue healing and pain after teeth extraction and to advice dental practitioner to use the advanced PRF in clinic to enhance soft tissue healing and decrease pain. Methods. The study included 60 patients according to sample size calculation, recruited from patients seeking tooth extraction at oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic at Umm Al-Qura University, Faculty of Dentistry. Patients were divided into three groups. Group Ӏ included 20 patients managed by advanced platelet-rich fibrin after extraction. Group ӀӀ included 20 patients managed by leukocyte-platelet-rich fibrin after tooth extraction. Group ӀII included 20 patients left without any addition. Each group was further subdivided into surgical and nonsurgical extraction. Afterwards, patients in each group were assessed for postextraction pain by VAS, number of analgesics, and early soft tissue healing by LWHI. Results. The study outcomes demonstrate that the use of A-PRF significantly reduces postoperative pain in the 1st and 2nd day. VAS pain scores on the first day were significantly higher in the control surgical extraction group and L-PRF nonsurgical extraction group. In early soft tissue healing. The Landry Wound Healing Index (LWHI) was used after 1 and 2 weeks of extraction to evaluate the extraction site. In first week, the A-PRF group and L-PRF group (nonsurgical extraction) had a better healing index when compared to control group, and A-PRF group (surgical extraction) had a best healing index when compared to L-PRF and control groups. In the second week, individuals in the A-PRF group (surgical and nonsurgical extraction) had a better healing index when compared to L-PRF and control groups.

The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of Saudi female dentists and dental students on their motivation for and expectations of a career in dentistry. Twenty-one semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of Saudi female dentists (postgraduate students, generalists, specialists, academics, and unemployed), along with final-year female dental students from public and private dental schools. A topic guide, informed by the literature and piloted on a representative group of Saudi dentists, was used to guide the discourse. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and then analyzed using framework analysis. We found that highly academic achieving females are interested in a prestigious, financially rewarding career in health care that fulfills their family and community expectations of balancing family life with work. Features of the job that facilitate this balance such as regular hours and no on-call were commonly important. A range of professional interests, most importantly specialization and holding academic positions, often involving studying abroad, emerged. Females' movement between sectors, location of work, and practice patterns in this study were shaped by their domestic circumstances. The findings suggest that Saudi females in dentistry aspire to fulfill their interest in a successful, professional, highly prestigious, progressive career while recognizing cultural expectations and maintaining a family-work balance and perceive this is possible through a career in dentistry. Knowledge Transfer Statement: This study makes an important contribution to the knowledge on this topic. The findings can inform decisions made by policy makers on dental education and workforce planning, as well as future dentists who plan to join the dental workforce. It gives insight into the motivation and career expectations of Saudi females in dentistry in light of the current economic and cultural changes, as well as their implication for the dental workforce.