A phenomenological exploration of experience of Syrian dentists with online Course “Traumatic dental injuries”

BackgroundSeveral learning modalities have been implemented to improve learning about Traumatic Dental Injuries (TDIs) worldwide. Free online courses about TDIs might be an effective and convenient approach for equipping Syrian dentists with essential competencies during the Syrian crisis. Therefore, this qualitative study with a descriptive phenomenological method was undertaken to explore the lived experience of Syrian dentists enrolled in an online course about TDIs and investigate areas requiring improvement.MethodsEthical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Dentistry, Damascus University, and the University of Dundee. Educational contents of the TDI course were developed. About 10 dentists who completed the TDI course, were interviewed. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify emerging themes. Inductive thematic analysis was performed to extract all data.ResultsAbout 10 clustered categories were first developed and this has led to the emergence of 3 themes that represent the lived experience including usefulness, challenges, and recommendations. Participants were so motivated and keen to take advantage of the course despite the personal, technical problems, and crisis-related challenges. TDIs course was effective for general and specialists despite the challenges they experienced. Factors that lead to effective TDIs courses as reported by participants were flexibility in time and location, interactivity with colleagues, other commitments, quantity and quality of content, easiness, and variety of virtual environment tools. Conversely, negative attitudes were linked to factors like lack of interest, unfamiliarity with the learning environment and tools, late participation, lack of confidence, anxiety about independent learning and insufficient interactivity and engagement tools.ConclusionSyrian dentists can benefit from online courses if constraints and various learning needs are addressed during the design and delivery of online courses. Future work is still required to identify other effective instructional modalities that equip Syrian dentists to overcome challenges and enhance their learning

Mutations in C4orf26, Encoding a Peptide with In Vitro Hydroxyapatite Crystal Nucleation and Growth Activity, Cause Amelogenesis Imperfecta

Autozygosity mapping and clonal sequencing of an Omani family identified mutations in the uncharacterized gene, C4orf26, as a cause of recessive hypomineralized amelogenesis imperfecta (AI), a disease in which the formation of tooth enamel fails. Screening of a panel of 57 autosomal-recessive AI-affected families identified eight further families with loss-of-function mutations in C4orf26. C4orf26 encodes a putative extracellular matrix acidic phosphoprotein expressed in the enamel organ. A mineral nucleation assay showed that the protein’s phosphorylated C terminus has the capacity to promote nucleation of hydroxyapatite, suggesting a possible function in enamel mineralization during amelogenesis

Evaluating The Effectiveness of Gastroenterology e-Module for Undergraduate Medical Students, A Pilot Study From Syria

Abstract BackgroundE-learning is an aspect of the practical application of pedagogy. Most students find it an entertaining and effective learning method. Also, case-based learning is related to pedagogy and is an interactive and enjoyable experiment for students. In Syrian medical schools, Gastroenterology teaching is depending on traditional teacher-centered style, passively affecting learning outcomes and imposing the search for other up-to-date alternatives. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a case-based, E-Module of gastroenterology in fulfilling desired outcomes, and to evaluate students' satisfaction with the e-learning experiment, their self-confidence improvement, and their perception of the experiment's obstacles. Methods13 undergraduate medical students were enrolled. A pretest was conducted, then they participated in 6 synchronous online lectures, and 6 asynchronous lectures which were subjects to the discussion. Students then took a posttest and answered a questionnaire composed of 15 questions measuring their satisfaction with the experiment, self-confidence improvement, and obstacles they faced. ResultsThe mean students' degrees in the pretest was 41.5%, while it was 66.8% in the posttest with a statistically significant difference. There was no statistical difference in posttest between students' answers regarding synchronous lectures compared with asynchronous ones. The best results were related to students' perception of self-confidence improvement after the e-learning experiment.ConclusionsE-learning plays an important role regarding students' level of knowledge improvement. Most of the participants show satisfaction with their knowledge and self-confidence improvement after the E-learning experiment.</jats:p

Prevalence and clinical risk factors of dental caries in Syrian children: a cross-sectional study

Abstract This study aimed to estimate dental caries’ prevalence and potential risk factors among schoolchildren aged 8–12 in Damascus, Syria. The study was cross-sectional and conducted between February 2023 and April 2024, the target population was 1,052 children selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Dental caries were determined using the DMFT/dmft index, while additional information on sociodemographic status, and attitude towards oral hygiene practices, were collected via a structured questionnaire. Data analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The overall prevalence of dental caries was 90.8%. Males had a slightly higher prevalence (91.9%) than girls (89.8%). Children aged [10–12] years showed the highest caries prevalence (91.7%). The mean DMFT/dmft score was 2.07 ± 1.91/3.74 ± 2.25, respectively. Caries prevalence was significantly associated with the type of school attended, family size, socioeconomic status, and parental education. Additionally, the frequency of tooth brushing, dental flossing, and irregular dental visits were significantly linked to higher caries incidence. It was found that caries experience remains high in the children in Damascus, with many associated factors including their sociodemographic factors and oral behaviors. We confirm that visiting the dentist regularly, using dental floss, and brushing regularly decreased the prevalence of dental caries among children

The First Asynchronous Online Evidence-Based Medicine Course for Syrian Health Workforce: Effectiveness and Feasibility Pilot Study

BackgroundEvidence-based medicine (EBM) is critical for providing the best scientifically proven patient health care, and it is implemented worldwide in order to improve the quality of the delivered health care. However, not all Syrian health professionals are knowledgeable about the importance, methodology, and implementation of EBM. Providing web-based learning courses on EBM might be effective in improving the EBM knowledge of health care professionals. ObjectiveThis study was performed to test the effectiveness and the feasibility of an asynchronous web-based course on EBM in improving the competencies of Syrian health care professionals in terms of EBM. MethodsA web-based course on EBM was developed in Arabic and uploaded onto the Syrian Virtual University platform. An electronic registration form was designed and distributed to medical groups on social media for registration to this web-based course. Both the pretest and posttest had the same 3 sections to measure the impact of this web-based EBM program on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the Syrian health care professionals. The posttest had an additional section for measuring the efficacy and ease of use of this program. Student paired 1-tailed t test was used to analyze the differences in the different assessment sections among the participants. ResultsNineteen participants filled the electronic registration form, but 8 participants did not meet the inclusion criteria. Therefore, the pretest was sent to the remaining 11 participants (7 men and 4 women) who graduated from Syrian universities. Ten of them completed the pretest, while 7 of them completed the posttest. The web-based course was found to be effective in improving the participants’ EBM knowledge, skills, and attitudes at P>.05. Further, the web-based EBM course was feasible and easy-to-use. ConclusionsIn order for EBM to be implemented in Syria, continuous medical education training programs should be designed for clinical practitioners. Our study shows that asynchronous web-based medical education is an effective and a feasible means for introducing the concept of EBM, improving practitioners’ skills, and promoting the positive attitudes of Syrian clinical practitioners toward EBM

Measurement of empathy among health professionals during Syrian crisis using the Syrian empathy scale

Abstract Background Health professionals should have certain degree of empathy to eliminate the pain and suffering of their patients. There is a need to design a scale, which can assess empathy among health professionals and is relevant to community and culture. Therefore, this study was undertaken to measure the empathy among Syrian health professionals and students of health professions using a newly designed Syrian Empathy Scale that is relevant to community during Syrian crisis. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was undertaken. A total of 214 participants (118 males and 96 females) responded to the Syrian Empathy Scale SES from Medical (n = 62), Dental (n = 152). They were 59 undergraduates, 116 postgraduates and 39 general practitioners. The SES was designed as a tool that includes 20 items in a 7-point Likert-type scale with overall score ranges from 20 to 140. Group comparisons of the empathy scores were conducted using t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). A factor analysis was performed. Bartlett’s test of the sphericity and the KMO measure of sampling adequacy were also determined. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated. Results A significant difference was found between males and females in the SES mean score. The ANOVA analysis showed that the SES empathy scores of dentists were higher than the SES empathy scores in medical doctors with no significant difference. The SES empathy score of undergraduates was significantly higher than postgraduates and practitioners. Findings of KMO indicated sampling adequacy (KMO = 0.824 &gt; 0.7) and the value of Bartlett’s test of the sphericity (1255.65, df = 190, P-value&lt; 0.001) proved that the factor analysis is meaningful and acceptable. The results of varimax rotation proved that five main factors were retained. Conclusion Findings of this study support the reliability of the newly designed Syrian Empathy Scale for measuring empathy in the field of health care. The SES can be suggested for assessing empathy in different health educational programs. However, future works are still essential to support the validity of the scale as well as to ascertain the role of empathy in improving health care. </jats:sec

A suggested Scientific Research Environment Measure SREM in Medical Faculties

Abstract Background: Creating a supportive environment for scientific research is vital to improve the quality of research and its impact on development of the society. This study outlines the development of a new scale that can measure the scientific research environment of postgraduate medical students.Methods: Based on literature, an initial list with 58 items was formulated. After discussing with postgraduate students and academic staff members from Damascus University and the Syrian Virtual University, A 38-item scale remained from the initial list of 58 items. To test the scale, postgraduate medical students (n= 30) were asked to fill the scale and answer 38 questions-with a 5-point Likert scale-twice in two separate occasions. The Pearson's correlation coefficient was performed to study the internal correlation. The internal consistency test was performed with Cronbach's Alpha, and the Test-Retest Reliability was conducted to study the reliability of the scale.Results: Thirty postgraduate medical students at Damascus University completed the 38-item scale. Scale scores in the sample displayed good reliability in relation to published results. Findings, showed an internal correlation among its sub-scales. The results showed an acceptable reliability values such as internal consistency (α = 0.863) and test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.093).Conclusions: The Scientific Research Environment Measure (SREM), can be suggested as an effective evaluation instrument which can be applied easily to assess the scientific research environment of postgraduate medical students. This would help the decision makers to support teaching, learning, and research environment through implementing new strategies that inspire postgraduate medical students and increase their engagement.</jats:p

Efficacy of CPP-ACP GC Tooth Mousse in remineralization of teeth of Syrian orphan Children- results of a double -blind, randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract Objectives A double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of Casein Phosphopeptide-Amorphous Calcium Phosphate (CPP-ACP) in the remineralization of teeth of Syrian children aged 6-8 years enrolled in orphanage of the city of Damascus. Materials and Methods The study sample included 50 children randomly divided into two treatment groups to receive either CPP-ACP GC Tooth Mousse™ (Group A) or placebo (Group B) with 25 participants per group. After the application of the product in the mouth for 3 minutes, saliva samples were collected four time (T0, T1, T2, and T3) to measure the pH of saliva and the rate of salivary flow. Results There was no significant difference between group A and B in the mean value of salivary flow rate and salivary pH. However, there was significant difference between different time points in the mean value of salivary pH and salivary flow rate. Conclusion The GC Tooth Mouse (CPP-ACP) is not superior to placebo mousse at tooth remineralization according to salivary pH measure and the rate of salivary flow. Further studies are still essential to assertion findings. Trial registration: ISRCTN17509082, Registration date 22/11/2022</jats:p