Parental Perception of Oral Halitosis in Their Children and Its Effect on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study

Reham Aljudaibi,1,2 Sarah Mubaraki,2 Mohammad Abdul Baseer2 1Pediatric Dentistry Department, Specialist Dental Centre, Ministry of Health, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia; 2Preventive Dentistry Department, College of Medicine and Dentistry, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Sarah Mubaraki, Preventive Dentistry Department, College of Medicine and Dentistry Namuthajiya Campus, P. Box No. 84891, Riyadh, 11681, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected]; [email protected] Mohammad Abdul Baseer, Preventive Dentistry Department, College of Medicine and Dentistry Namuthajiya Campus, P. Box No. 84891, Riyadh, 11681, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected]: Halitosis, or oral malodor, is an oral condition characterized by unpleasant smells that exceed socially acceptable limits. Oral malodor is quite a frequent condition in the pediatric population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and the impact of oral halitosis on oral health-related quality of life among children and adolescents based on parental perception in Saudi Arabia.Patients and Methods: This study was conducted among parents or caregivers of children and adolescents aged 5– 14 in Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire link, provided in Arabic and English, was disseminated via different social media platforms targeting the eligible parents/caregivers of children visiting dental clinics. Subsequently, participants were recruited for this research using the snowball sampling approach. The questionnaire comprised of three sections: socio-economic information, parental perception of oral halitosis in their children, and oral health-related quality of life. The Child Oral Health Quality of Life Questionnaire (COHQoL) evaluated the children’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). A Chi-square test, binary logistic regression analysis, and Spearman correlation tests were applied to determine the relationship between different variables and halitosis.Results: A total of 1416 parents participated in this study. The prevalence of parental-perceived halitosis in their children was 74.1% (n=1049). A total of 563 (53.7%) male children and 486 (46.3%) female children were reported unpleasant breath odor without any significant difference (X2=0.200, df=1, p=0.654). A significant negative correlations were observed between halitosis and oral symptoms (r=- 0.214, P < 0.001), emotions (r= − 0.152, p< 0.001), Family environment (r=− 0.178, p< 0.001), and overall OHRQoL of the children (r=− 0.198, p< 0.001).Conclusion: The parent perceived prevalence of oral halitosis among children aged 8.04± 3.5 years was very high in Saudi Arabia. The presence of oral halitosis among children and adolescents negatively impacted OHRQoL. Age, nationality, fathers’ education and occupation were the significant predictors of OHRQoL among children.Keywords: halitosis, children, parental perception, oral health-related quality of life, OHRQoL, social media, oral symptoms, child emotions, family environmen

Linking Oviposition Site Choice to Offspring Fitness in Aedes aegypti: Consequences for Targeted Larval Control of Dengue Vectors

Controlling the mosquito Aedes aegypti, the predominant dengue vector, requires understanding the ecological and behavioral factors that influence population abundance. Females of several mosquito species are able to identify high-quality egg-laying sites, resulting in enhanced offspring development and survival, and ultimately promoting population growth. Here, the authors investigated egg-laying decisions of Ae. aegypti. Paradoxically, they found that larval survival and development were poorest in the containers females most often selected for egg deposition. Thus, egg-laying decisions may contribute to crowding of larvae and play a role in regulating mosquito populations. The authors also tested whether removal of the containers producing the most adult mosquitoes, a World Health Organization-recommended dengue prevention strategy, changes the pattern of how females allocate their eggs. Elimination of the most productive containers led to a more even distribution of eggs in one trial, but not another. These results suggest that behavioral adjustments by egg-laying females may lessen the effectiveness of a common mosquito control tactic. The authors advocate incorporating control strategies that take advantage of the natural egg-laying preferences of this vector species, such as luring egg-laying females to traps or places where their eggs will accumulate, but not develop

Comparison of Salivary Secretion, pH, and Buffer Capacity Between COVID-19 Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Child Patients Visiting Dental Clinics of University Hospitals in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Haia Mohammed Kamihan Alenazi, Mohammad Abdul Baseer, Osamah Mohammed AlMugeiren, Navin Anand Ingle Preventive Dentistry Department, College of Medicine and Dentistry, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Mohammad Abdul Baseer, Preventive Dentistry Department, College of Medicine and Dentistry, Riyadh Elm University, P.Box 84891, Riyadh, 11681, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected]: This study aimed to assess and compare the salivary secretion, pH, and buffer capacity between COVID-19 vaccinated and unvaccinated child patients visiting the clinics of private university dental hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Methods: This is the first comparative assessment of salivary parameters between unvaccinated and COVID-19-vaccinated child patients. The study sample comprised COVID-19 unvaccinated (n = 66) and vaccinated (n = 66) pediatric dental patients aged 4– 12 years seeking dental care in clinics of private university hospitals. Paraffin-stimulated saliva was collected from unvaccinated and vaccinated study participants, and the amount of saliva secreted per minute was noted. Salivary pH and buffering capacity (by 5 mmol Hydrochloric acid titration) were measured using a benchtop digital pH meter. The data obtained were compared between unvaccinated and vaccinated participants using an independent t-test.Results: The results showed a significantly higher salivary secretion rate in unvaccinated than vaccinated study participants (0.83 ± 0.24 mL/min vs 0.67 ± 0.24 mL/min, p = 0.001). Similarly, unvaccinated subjects compared to vaccinated subjects exhibited a significantly higher pH (7.33 ± 0.39 vs 7.04 ± 0.46, p < 0.001) and buffering capacity (6.31 ± 1.55 vs 5.40 ± 1.22, p < 0.001). Moreover, unvaccinated females demonstrated a significantly higher salivary secretion (0.87 ± 0.23 vs 0.71 ± 0.25, t = 2.627, p = 0.011) and buffering capacity 6.19 ± 1.52 vs 5.34 ± 1.25, t = 2.404, p = 0.019) than vaccinated females. Similarly, unvaccinated male exhibited significantly higher salivary secretion (0.80 ± 0.25 vs 0.64 ± 0.23, t = 2.670, p = 0.009), salivary pH (7.39 ± 0.45 vs 6.94 ± 0.41, t=4.309, p< 0.001) and buffering capacity (6.42 ± 1.60 vs 5.45 ± 1.21, t = 2.875, p = 0.005) than the vaccinated male subjects.Conclusion: The vaccinated subjects showed a significantly lower mean salivary secretion, pH, and buffering capacity than unvaccinated participants. Hence, COVID-19 vaccination is likely to affect salivary parameters among pediatric patients.Keywords: COVID-19, vaccine, salivary secretion, pH, buffer, pediatric, patient

NEED FOR AN UPGRADATION POLICY FOR INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY-I

The past experiences of technology development in the developing countries have led to a consensus that there is a need for improvement of technological capabilities to develop products and processes for effective competition in the international market. However, it is important to realize that development of such technological capabilities will not occur if left to market forces rather it requires concerted efforts ¡o evolve a policy framework to address such issues. This paper focuses on portraying current status of industrial sector of Pakistan followed by critical analysis based on policy trends in technology ‘s world. Data of various industrial sectors of Pakistan was collected from different sources to establish its current status in the international market. The ground realities necessitates a dire need for upgradation policy for technology of different industrial sectors of Pakistan to capture due share in the world market. A conceptual framework for such an upgradation policy has been spelled out at the end

Synthesis and antimicrobial studies of some novel Heterocyclic chalcones

ABSTRACT A variety of novel heterocyclic chalcones were synthesized by Claisen-Schmidt condensation of substituted ketones and heterocyclic aldehydes. These were characterized by spectral analysis and further tested for their antimicrobial activity

Influence of COVID-19 on the Tourism Industry in China: An Artificial Neural Networks Approach

Prior to COVID-19, the tourism industry was one of the important sectors of the world economy. This study intends to measure the perception of Chinese tourists concerning the spread of COVID-19 in China. The crowding perception, xenophobia, and ethnocentrism are the measurement indicators of the study. A five-point Likert scale is used to predict the perception of the tourists in various destinations. The Kaiser–Mayer–Olkin test and Cronbach’s alpha are conducted to ensure the validity and reliability of the corresponding items. SPSS version 21 is used to obtain factor loading, mean values, and standard deviation. Regression analysis is used to measure the strength of the constructs’ relationship and prove the hypotheses. Questionnaires have been filled from 730 Chinese respondents. Artificial neural networks and confusion matrices are used for validation and performance evaluation, respectively. Results show that crowding perception, xenophobia, and ethnocentrism caused the spread of COVID-19 during the epidemic. Hence, the tourism industry in China is adversely affected by COVID-19. The crisis management stakeholders of the country need to adopt policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The tourism sector needs to provide confidence to the tourists. It will provide ground for the mental strength of the tourists in China.</jats:p