Nirit Yavnai

• Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Background Disparities in dental health resulting from social and economic inequality are a pressing public health concern. Poor and vulnerable populations bear a higher burden of caries exacerbated by limited access to quality dental care. Recent publications have suggested a possible association between intellectual capability and caries risk, as...

Objectives: Buccal cortical bone dimensions are crucial in dental radiology, as they impact orthodontic treatment outcomes. Changes in alveolar bone dimensions can result in malocclusion and require interdisciplinary approaches for correction. The accurate quantification of buccal bone dimensions is crucial for appropriate treatment planning and av...

Background: Disparities in dental health resulting from social and economic inequality are a pressing public health concern. Poor and vulnerable populations bear a higher burden of caries exacerbated by limited access to quality dental care. Recent publications have suggested a possible association between intellectual capability and caries risk, a...

Objective A comparison between commercial computer screens and DICOM-calibrated medical screens for characterizing anatomy and diagnosing dental pathologies was performed. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the ability of each of those screens to identify root apices and widening of the periodontal ligament (PDL) in the posterior max...

Objective examination of the influence of chemical composition changes on the ability of sealers to withstand a pull-out test. Materials and methods Fifty distal or palatal canals of extracted teeth were prepared by Dc Taper files. The teeth were divided into five groups: AH Plus, BJM RCS, Total Fill BC,AH Plus Bioceramic and a group with Gutta Pe...

Introduction This study aimed to examine the relationships between dissociative and somatic symptoms and how they might contribute to PTSD severity among ex-soldiers who sought help from the IDF Combat Stress Reaction Unit (CSRU). Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study included 1,305 former compulsory, career, and reserve soldiers, who f...

Introduction: Dentofacial deformities impose a negative impact on quality of life (QOL). Orthognathic surgery is the main pillar of treatment for these conditions and has proven its impact on the improvement of the functional and psychosocial aspects of QOL. The Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ), developed by Cunningham and colleag...

Objective: To assess the effect and dose-response of methylphenidate (MP) use on the restorative treatment needs in young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Participants and methods: This retrospective study comprises a cohort of military recruits aged 18-25 who served for 12 to 48 months between 2005 and 2017. The medical rec...

Objectives: The implementation of nationwide water fluoridation in Israel in 2002 led to a significant reduction in caries among children. However, this practice was discontinued in 2014 due to a change in legislation. In 2010, as part of the Israeli National Health Insurance Law, free dental care for children under 10 years of age was legislated....

The military environment involves stressful situations that may trigger or aggravate suicidal behaviors, such as suicide attempts (SAs), which significantly increase the likelihood of future suicide. This cross-sectional study aims to assess risk factors for severe SAs and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers....

Objective Adjusting to a military environment is a complex process, with unique demands and various stressors placed on conscripts. In this study, we examined the unique and combined contribution of the independent variables that constitute an individual soldier’s personal resources—the meaningfulness of the military role and the match between expe...

Background While military settings may increase psychological distress, soldiers frequently avoid seeking professional help. This study aimed to examine barriers and facilitators associated with intentions to seek help and actually seeking help from a mental health officer (MHO) and how these differ among soldiers who had sought help in the past an...

Objective This study examines the association between a patient's suicide and the therapist's suicide risk assessment (SRA) and suicide risk management (SRM) of patients, following the occurrence. Method SRA values range from “absence of suicidality” to “immediate suicidal intent to die”. SRM consists of therapists’ written recommendations. Rates o...

Background "SOS teeth" are teeth that need to be treated first, and represent dental teeth with deep caries seen clinically and radiographically which may require root canal treatment or extraction. The aims of the present research were to study the associations of SOS teeth with: socio-demographic parameters, dental attendance patterns, health-rel...

Objective Exposure to distressing sights (DSs) during combat missions may cause emotional distress. The present study aimed to investigate the association between exposure to DSs involving severe injuries and fatalities during rescue missions and emotional distress, in Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopter flight engineers (FEs). Methods Cross-sectio...

To determine the influence of prevention programme on somatosensory ability in combat soldiers during 14-weeks of an infantry commanders course, two cohorts were recruited (INT-group, n = 196; CONT-group, n = 169). Soldiers were tested pre-and post-course for anthropometric measurements, proprioceptive ability, dynamic postural balance, and filled...

Background Screw insertion to bones is a fundamental skill in orthopedic, spine and cranio-maxillofacial surgery. Applying the correct tightening torque is critical when compressing and fixating bone fragments. Overtightening yields in plastic deformation of the bone and destruction of the screw-bone interface, damaging the construct's stability. T...

Introduction: Alternated tendon structure may raise stress to the musculoskeletal structures and may increase the potential for overuse injury. Screening the tendon structure of soldiers pre- and post-participation in a strenuous combat course is essential. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of a 14-week infantry command...

Background: On-screen exposure to battlefield sights can be stressful. This study aimed to investigate the link between exposure to distressing battlefield events involving severe injuries and fatalities and distress symptoms. Method: A cross-sectional design study based on self-report questionnaires. The questionnaires included: State-anxiety inve...

Background: There is a lack of evidence on caries prevalence among 18 years old Israeli young adults with only a scarce evidence regarding this index age group. In the last few years dental care policy in Israel underwent substantial changes and a major reform in dental services was led by the Israeli Ministry of Health, including coverage of dent...

Abstract Objectives: To develop and present the methods utilized for the Dental, Oral, Medical Epidemiological (DOME) study. Methods: The DOME is an electronic record-based cross-sectional study, that was conducted to measure the dental, periodontal, and oral morbidities and their associations with systemic morbidities, among a nationally represen...

"SOS teeth" are defined as the first priority teeth for treatment, that have distinct cavitation reaching the pulp chamber or only root fragments are present. These are teeth with severe morbidity, that may require pulp capping, root canal treatment, or extraction, and therefore should be treated first. The study aims to explore whether or not a me...

"SOS teeth" are defined as the first priority teeth for treatment, that have distinct cavitation reaching the pulp chamber or only root fragments are present. These are teeth with severe morbidity, that may require pulp capping, root canal treatment, or extraction, and therefore should be treated first. The study aims to explore whether or not a me...

Aiming to investigate whether Achilles tendon (AT) structure and patellar tendon (PT) structure are risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in combat soldiers, 168 participants were recruited from an infantry commander's course. The AT and PT were examined pre-course using UTC to capture the structure of four echo-type fibers (I-IV). All injuries...

Background: "SOS teeth" are defined as the first priority teeth for treatment, that have distinct cavitation reaching the pulp chamber or only root fragments are present. Objectives: To assess the prevalence and distribution of SOS teeth with regard to age and sex difference among young to middle-aged adults. Methods: This is a cross-sectional...

Objective: To determine whether application of a gum-elastic bougie (GEB), a visual stylet used to improve success rates of difficult intubations, reduces the time, and number of attempts to achieve successful intubation while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Design: A randomized cross-over study comparing orotracheal intubations per...

Introduction Musculoskeletal injuries to the lower extremities are major factors contributing to drop out from military tasks. The aim of the present study was to determine the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries and the parameters that differentiate between the soldiers who incurred these injuries and those who did not along 14 weeks of an infan...

Background: A non-fatal suicide attempt is a strong predictor of suicide. This study aimed to examine personal characteristics and psychiatric diagnoses among Druze soldiers who attempted suicide during their military service. Method: The research group (n = 180) included all Druze soldiers who had attempted suicide between the years 2008-2012 (...

Introduction An accurate selection of tibial nail and screws measurements is paramount in purpose to achieve proper tibial fracture reduction and fixation, avoid irritation of the soft-tissue envelope, and enable extraction of the nail in the future, if needed. To this date, many methods were suggested to determine the length and diameter of an int...

Backgroud: The need for dental treatments, especially those related to dental caries, may be associated with and influenced by a wide range of demographic variables. The aim of this study was to describe caries related treatment needs among young Israeli adults and the association with several socio-demographic factors, including socio-economic cl...

Introduction: Alveolar bone loss is regarded as a potential adverse event during orthodontic treatment, especially in adults. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and severity of interdental alveolar crest height loss in adult orthodontic patients compared with an untreated control group and to identify comorbidity risk facto...

Introduction: Despite the accumulated knowledge about suicide, suicidal acts remain difficult to predict, and many suicides are acted out impulsively. Methods: We performed a psychological autopsy study based on inquiries about the deaths of all male soldiers aged 18-21 years who served in the Israeli army and died by suicide between 2009 and 20...

Background: The aim of the present study was to examine patterns of binge drinking at military service.Method: 612 paired soldiers serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. Data consisted of self-report questionnaires demographic variables.Findings: Higher rates of binge drinking were found among males, lower education, and lower intellectual scores....

Background and objectives: Soldiers exposed to war are at risk for developing psychological impairment. Aim: Compare the clinical impairment experienced in three different soldiers who were exposed to combat during military operation. Methods/Design: Participants included 49 (40.2%) infantry soldiers, 24 (19.7%) pilots and flight engineers, and 49...

Background: Intent to die is an important component of suicide risk assessment. The authors compared the predictive effect of two forms of stress – military and perceived – in intent to die by suicide among young adult Israeli soldiers with a history of suicide attempts. Depression, suicide ideation, and habituation/acquired capacity for suicidalit...

Pain evaluation in large community studies is difficult. Analgesics can be a useful tool in estimating pain related conditions in which analgesic use is highly regulated. In this study we evaluated analgesics consumption patterns of regular Israel Defense Force soldiers. We have performed a historical cohort study of 665,137 young adults during act...

Background: The Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT) is the tourniquet of choice in the Israeli defense forces. Applying the device loosely before windlass twisting is a main pitfall in CAT application. This study objective is to assess the effectiveness of a novel design modification of the CAT, aiming to prevent loose applications, by minimizing...

Background Suicidal ideation is a risk factor for suicide attempt. The aim of the present study is to compare suicidal ideation of different groups with different distress. Methods 100 soldiers, aged 18–21, divided into four research cohorts: soldiers who had carried out a suicide attempt (n = 40); soldiers with a psychiatric diagnosis (n = 20); s...

Background The Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps (IDF MC) institutional review board (IRB) is one of approximately 50 IRBs active in Israel. In addition to routine IRB considerations it must also address in its deliberations specific safeguards in place in the IDF to protect research volunteers in the military environment. In this report, we pres...

Background The exposure to war scenes via screens, despite offering a degree of detachment, can be stressful for the operator. The aim of the current study is to examine the existence of anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Israeli operators. Methods Participants comprised 41 UA...

We aimed to evaluate the performance of medical personnel in using the IB1 topical protective lotion on their hands and wrists together with standard disposable medical gloves, compared to standard-issued medical chemical protective gloves. This randomized cross-over study included 144 medical personnel. Primary endpoints were time-to-completion of...

Background: Hand disinfection with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) is commonly used for preventing the spread of infection in medical institutions and the community, but studies on its use in military settings have been inconclusive. We examined the effects of CHG on morbidity in Israeli Navy ships. Methods: This was a controlled, cluster randomiz...

Military medicine comprises a set of unique characteristics that differentiate it from other medical specialties. Faced with challenges in recruiting, educating, and training military physicians, the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps redefined the paradigm for educating military physicians by establishing the Army Program for Excellence in medici...

Background: Occupation is a significant factor affecting life, health and well-being. Long-term military service is a unique career path that may have an influence on life expectancy, even after excluding obvious risks such as battlefield mortality. However, it remains unclear what the effects of a military career are on the life trajectory of per...

Objective: A rapid caries treatment needs screening tool (RCTNS) was previously presented as a time saving index for screening mass populations for their dental needs, and for prioritizing these treatments. The aim of this study was to re-evaluate the RCTNS index as a screening tool among young adults, to evaluate its validity and usage applicabili...

Background. Many Long-Term Care (LTC) institutionalized patients are the most frail and functionally dependent among the geriatric population and have significant oral health disparities.They often suffer from dental neglect due to limited access to appropriate professional dental care. These patients have chronic health situations and are treated...

Background Military medical personnel, like all other physician specialists, face the challenge of keeping updated with developments in their field of expertise, in view of the great amount of new medical information published in the literature. The availability of the Internet has triggered tremendous changes in publication characteristics, and in...

Background: Many Long-Term Care (LTC) patients suffer from dental neglect due to difficulties in achieving appropriate dental professional care; although oral health has important influence on the quality of life among them. Dental care of the long term institutionalized adults is often limited to emergency and first aid care and there is insuffici...

Background: Many Long-Term Care (LTC) patients suffer from dental neglect due to difficulties in achieving appropriate dental professional care; although oral health has important influence on the quality of life among them. Dental care of the long term institutionalized adults is often limited to emergency and first aid care and there is insuffici...

ALS is considered a neurodegenerative disorder caused by progressive death of specific neuronal populations within the gray matter of the central nervous system. The cause of cell death is unknown and patients with ALS will live 3 to 5 years from disease onset. A common cause of death is neuromuscular respiratory failure or cardiac arrhythmias due...

Objective: Over two million children around the world suffer from AIDS. High prevalence of caries and plaque scores have been reported in pediatric HIV patients. The aim of this study is to present details of the "Nitzan" project: adjunct oral and dental care provided to immunology HIV patients and to investigate and characterize the dental treatme...

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate parents' knowledge, behavior and attitude regarding the timing of their children's first dental visit (FDV). Methods: A structured questionnaire was completed by parents to young children 2-6 years-old from a random cluster sample of kindergartens in Jerusalem. Questions covered parents' knowledge,...

Fundamental changes have occurred in dental services for children in Israel that are likely to affect workforce needs for dental hygienists. The aim of this study was to describe the employment situation and job satisfaction of a sample of dental hygienists in Israel, to estimate associated variables, and to discuss corresponding possible implicati...

Objectives: To demonstrate the feasibility and outcomes of a multidisciplinary primary prevention intervention program among new immigrant families from Ethiopia in Israel. Methods: Data collection included socio-demographic parameters, oral health outcomes, oral hygiene habits, nutritional data, psychological distress (PD) and social support lev...

Over two million children around the world are living with AIDS. Oral health and oral manifestations, such as dental caries and periodontitis, are important issues requiring focus when treating these children. Descriptive data of a project conducted at Rambam Hospital, financed by the Israeli Ministry of Health, are presented in order to investigat...

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the employment situation and job satisfaction among Dental Hygienists (DH) in Israel as a measure to evaluate and assist human resource planning. Methods: An e-mailed questionnaire was sent to all DH listed in the Israeli DH Association mail list. Independent variables included: demographic variable...

Introduction: Tumors of salivary gland (SG) comprise 3%6% of all head and neck neoplasm's among adults. Eighty-five percent of SG tumors occur in the parotid gland and only 17%- 20% of parotid gland tumors are malignant. The epidemiology of SG cancer has raised interest over recent years, since anatomically these glands reach close proximity to cel...

Toothpaste is one of the most widely used dental products, with the largest sales. Its use is one of the most popular oral hygiene behaviors in developed countries. In the last 30 years there has been a large variety of changes in toothpaste composition. One of the main changes is utilizing the toothpaste as a delivery system for therapeutic agents...

To evaluate a newly developed screening method for caries-related treatment needs. The Rapid Caries Treatment Needs Screening (RCTNS) Index includes five ordinal nominal scores. Comparisons with conventional examinations were conducted among 565 young Israeli adults (aged 23 +/- 5.3 years) by the same dentist. According to conventional examination,...