Browsing by Author "Potgieter, Nicoline"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A pilot study on the global practice of informed consent in paediatric dentistry
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2024) Potgieter, Nicoline; Bridge, Gemma; Elfrink, Marlies
    Background: Conducting oral treatment early in the disease course, is encouraged for better health outcomes. Obtaining informed consent is an essential part of medical practice, protecting the legal rights of patients and guiding the ethical practice of medicine. In practice, consent means different things in different contexts. Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) and Silver Fluoride (SF) is becoming popular and cost effective methods to manage carious lesions, however, cause black discolouration of lesions treated. Obtaining informed consent and assent is crucial for any dental treatment—and has specific relevance with SDF/ SF treatments. Methods: The aim of this paper is to describe informed consent regulations for dental care in a selection of countries, focusing on children and patients with special health care needs. An online survey was shared with a convenience sample of dental professionals from 13 countries. The information was explored and the processes of consent were compared. Results: Findings suggest that there are variations in terms of informed consent for medical practice. In Tanzania, South Africa, India, Kenya, Malaysia and Brazil age is the determining factor for competence and the ability to give self-consent. In other countries, other factors are considered alongside age. For example, in Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States the principle of Gillick Competence is applied. Many countries' laws and regulations do not specify when a dentist may overrule general consent to act in the “best interest” of the patient.
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    Comparing cytocompatibility of two fluoride-containing solutions and two resin-based restorative materials—a pilot study
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2024) Mulder, Riaan; Noordien, Naeemah; Potgieter, Nicoline
    Background: Cytocompatibility should always be considered, especially if the surface of treated carious lesions is close to soft tissue or is accidentally exposed to the oral soft tissue by the clinician. Methods: The aim of the present study was to compare the cytocompatibility of two fluoride-containing liquids and two resin-containing restorative materials with buccal mucosa fibroblasts. The fluoride-containing materials were silver diamine fluoride and water-based silver fluoride. Results: The statistical analysis was completed by comparing the positive control growth of the buccal mucosa fibroblasts to the growth of cells exposed to various materials. The one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD result was completed. All the assessed materials compared to the control wells for both the 24 and 48 h time intervals indicated a significant cytocompatibility result, except for the test wells with Stela (SDI) at the 24 h time interval. There was no significant difference between the step 2 liquids and the two dental materials in cytocompatibility at the 24 h interval. All four materials indicated no significant differences between the cytocompatibility of any dental materials for 48 h. Conclusion: The cytocompatibility assessment for Riva Star and Riva Star Aqua with the direct method in a full dispensing drop is not viable for step 1 of the fluoride-containing liquids. The use of Stela Light Cure is a suitable material that will be in contact with buccal mucosa as it showed potential for increased cytocompatibility compared to Riva Light Cure. Riva Star Aqua is more cytocompatible than Riva Star.
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    COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its drivers among dental students at University of the Western Cape, South Africa
    (Health SA Gesondheid, 2022) Potgieter, Nicoline; Kimmie-Dhansay, Faheema; Meyer, Ané; Marais, Savannah; Ismail, Mansoor; Mkololo, Yonela; Maakana, Masingita; Mhlongo, Sisipho; Makhoba, Sinenhlanhla; Mhlanga, Shalom
    Background: Vaccine hesitancy has seen an uprising over the decades, even though there have been many advances regarding vaccine-preventable diseases. Of late, vaccine hesitancy has resurged towards the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has major effects on the human body and has led to the development of different vaccines, which have been shown to provide immunity against the novel coronavirus. Dentists are at an increased risk to COVID-19 because of the nature of their work. It is imperative to have high vaccination coverage for this group. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine vaccine hesitancy and drivers associated with vaccine hesitancy among dental students at a university in South Africa. Setting: A dental school in South Africa was chosen as the setting for this study. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted by means of an anonymous, online, validated questionnaire to determine vaccine hesitancy. Results: Of the 205 dental students participated, 83.9% (n = 172) students were vaccine not hesitant. The main concerns regarding the vaccines were identified as safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Pressure by family or friends and the university to get vaccinated was evident. Conclusions: Vaccine hesitancy is high despite mandatory vaccination policies in South Africa. Specific drivers contributing to vaccine hesitancy were identified as doubt in the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. Contribution: This study has highlighted the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy among dental students at University of the Western Cape, prior to compulsory vacccination implementations. © 2022. The Authors.
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    Data anonymized
    (University of the Western Cape, 2021) Potgieter, Nicoline
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    Principles and care pathways for caries management in children: IAPD Rome forum
    (John Wiley & Sons, 2024) Tinanoff, Norman; Potgieter, Nicoline; Banerjee, Avijit
    The traditional approaches to the treatment of dental caries have focused on repairing the consequences of the caries process, the lesions, rather than addressing the disease process itself. Advances in the understanding of caries microbiology, de-/remineralization cycling, risk/susceptibility assessment, staging of lesion activity/severity, non-surgical/micro-/minimally invasive procedures and public health interventions are fundamentally changing the landscape of caries management. To facilitate the global adoption of contemporary caries management for children, international experts were convened as part of an International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD) forum in Rome, in November 2022. This expert panel met for a one-day pre-conference workshop to discuss and consider principles of cariology and care pathways to improve oral health for individuals and healthcare systems. The topics discussed included advances in the science of cariology, advances in caries management, improving oral healthcare systems and teaching caries management. Such advances are especially important for children's oral health because of the value of establishing early preventive behaviours (including caregivers), difficulties of performing procedures in young children and inequalities/inequities in children's oral health care. The topics were presented over the two-and-a-half-day congress, and the feedback was collected. This position paper presents the summarized evidence collated by the expert panel and the IAPD Board of Directors.
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    The use and ethics of dental photography and social media at an oral healthcare training centre in South Africa
    (AOSIS (Pty) Ltd, 2024) Kimmie-Dhansay, Faheema; Potgieter, Nicoline; Mprah, Nanayaa
    Background: The ethics surrounding the use and sharing of photographs on social media has come under the spotlight as the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI Act) has come into play. Aim: The aim is to determine the use, ethical practice and sharing of dental photography on social media among qualified and undergraduate oral health practitioners at a dental school in South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used on staff and students at the University of the Western Cape’s Dental Faculty in 2022. Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests were used to determine associations between the different graduation statuses and various demographic factors. Results: From the 80 undergraduate students and 46 qualified oral healthcare practitioners, the majority were aware that photography could be used in dentistry, and 87.3% (n = 110) took photographs of the dental treatments performed on their patients. Only 60.3% of the participants attended an ethical course that addressed issues with social media and digital photography. Almost 80% (n = 100) of the participants did not feel that they needed to mention all the social media platforms that they would use with their patients’ photographs before sharing. Conclusion: Dental photography is being used and sometimes shared on social media platforms by some students and staff at university level. Not all participants have attended an ethical course on clinical photography. Dental training needs to include an ethical course on dental photography and the use of sharing photographs on social media. Contribution: Good ethical practice regarding clinical photographs in all undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums, to eliminate any uncertainty.