DZZ International, 05/2022

On June 30, 2022, the Clarivate™ media group published the new rankings of scientific journals with impact factor in its Journal Citation Reports. For the 2021 reporting year, 9,588 of the 9,626 journals included have a journal impact factor (JIF). The dental journals that had a JIF in 2021 are listed below. For comparison, the 20 scientific journals with the highest JIF are contrasted. The overview is concluded with current Keywords: 2021, EbM Bits, JIF, Journal Impact Factor, criticism, ranking

Introduction: Traumatic dental injuries are sudden and acute events and often require emergency care. Paramedics are very often the first responders on the scene. Through rapid and correct management, they can have a significant impact on the prognosis of the injured tooth. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and skills of paramedics in the management of dental injuries. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, an electronic questionnaire was sent to 541 emergency departments across Germany. The questionnaire contained questions about the characteristics of the paramedics and about their ability to treat dental trauma. For statistical analysis, the Student's t-test, the chi2 test, the ANOVA test, or a regression model were used, as appropriate. Results: Only 6% of the 690 participants reported having at least a good working knowledge, and only 4.5% reported having good dental trauma management skills. Although 79% of participants felt that an intraoral examination was an essential part of the initial examination of trauma patients, only 15.66% were familiar with this procedure. And although 71.9% of participants had heard of a dental rescue box, only 30.7% carried one as standard equipment on the rescue vehicle. Conclusion: Paramedics have only a basic understanding of the treatment of dental trauma. Initial treatment of dental trauma should become an integral part of paramedic training. Dental rescue boxes should be standard equipment on ambulances. In general, a good long-term outcome should be sought for patients with dental trauma. Paramedics could play an important role in the care of dental trauma patients. Keywords: avulsion, dental rescue box, knowledge, paramedics, skills, traumatic dental injury

Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the integration of web-based learning in the form of e-seminars in dental education leads to improved student performance. Methods: In the second semester of the clinical component of dental school, conventional seminars requiring attendance were replaced by e-seminars as part of the dental conservation course. In the control cohort, the theoretical teaching content was taught in the form of lectures as part of the conventional seminar; in the test cohort, this was done via guided self-study and e-seminars. The use of the e-seminars was evaluated with the help of a self--designed questionnaire. To investigate the learning effect, the results of the final exam of two consecutive years were compared. Results: Student acceptance of the e-seminars was positive. Students who attended the e-seminars achieved significantly better results on the final exam than those who attended conventional seminars. Conclusion: E-seminars are an innovative and timely addition to traditional classroom instruction. They can help improve performance while making time management more flexible. They can lead to the relief of teachers and learners and simultaneously to the increase of the education quality. Keywords: dentistry, e-seminars, evaluation, formative e-assessment, gender

Introduction: This study compares the accuracy of panoramic radiography and CBCT in detecting and diagnosing mandibular apical lesions, analysing the effect of the thickness of the cortical bone on the radiological visibility of apical lesions. Methods: Digital images of 343 patients who had CBCT scans and panoramic radiographs were inspected for mandibular apical lesions. The dimensions of the lesion and the thickness of the cortical bone in the affected region were measured. Statistical analyses were made using statistical software (IBM SPSS 25, IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: CBCT detected apical lesions around 115 teeth; 77 of these were also visible on a panoramic radiography. The differences between the two methods were statistically significant in the premolar and molar regions (McNemar test; p 0.001) but not in the anterior region (p = 0.063). For the size of the lesions no significant differences were found (Wilcoxon test; anterior, p = 0.60; premolar, p = 0.90; molar, p = 0.61). In the Mann-Whitney U test, buccal and palatal cortical thickness did not significantly influence the visibility of lesions in CBCT and panoramic measurements (buccal, p = 0.93; palatal, p = 0.15). Conclusion: Apical lesions seem to be much more readily visible on CBCT scans. The thickness of the cortical bone and the size of the lesions do not significantly influence the representation of apical lesions. Keywords: apical lesions, CBCT, cone-beam computed tomography, cortical bone thickness, panoramic radiography

Introduction: Until 2022, Gerhardt Steinhardt has been the only university lecturer to be elected both President of the DGZMK and the DGMKG. At the same time, he is the only DGZMK president with an SS membership in the Third Reich. This paper looks at Steinhart's life and work, and in particular clarifies how these seemingly irreconcilable findings fit together. Material and methods: The central basis of the study are primary sources from the Schleswig-Holstein State Archives and various file collections from the Federal Archives in Berlin. In addition, a critical reanalysis of secondary literature by and about Steinhardt was carried out, with special reference to a dissertation on the life and work of Gerhard Steinhardt published in 2004. Results: Steinhardt was one of the leading professors in the Federal Republic of Germany, especially with his contributions to the physiology and pathology of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and his clinical expertise as a maxillofacial surgeon. He was also regarded as an assertive professional politician. During the Third Reich, he joined the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party), the SS (Schutzstaffel) and other Nazi organisations, resigned from the church in accordance with Nazi ideology and took on various political tasks. After 1945 he was enacted for political reasons but managed a return to the university in the 1950s. Discussion and conclusion: Steinhardt was extraordinarily well connected both during the Nazi era and in the Federal Republic. He also impressed with his broad education and professional versatility. Politically, he showed himself to be strongly adapted in both systems. In the Third Reich he appeared as a convinced National Socialist and used his political network to establish a career. After 1945 he tried to construct a distance to Nazi ideology through a series of deliberately false statements. In the end, he was able not only to continue his university career, but even to expand it considerably. He also achieved high social honors. * In 2022, the DGZMK Board unanimously passed a resolution to posthumously revoke the honours awarded to Gerhard Steinhardt (Honorary Fellowship, Golden Badge of honour) due to his political entanglement in the Third Reich. Keywords: maxillofacial surgery, National Socialism, SS (Schutzstaffel), temporomandibular, joint, Würzburg