Mapping oral health: Unveiling disease patterns and environmental influences through geographic information systems

Geographic information systems (GIS) technology in dentistry or general health has proven to be of great benefit. In epidemiological studies, the prevalence and the incidence of oral diseases and their geographic influence can be well integrated for a better understanding. It aids in the precise targeted healthcare delivery to the geographically identified location. Pictographically represented data can aid the policy-making system in implementation and progress assessment

Pediatrician′s perspectives on dental trauma management: A cross-sectional survey

Introduction: Pediatricians play a pivotal role in the provision of primary care following dental trauma, especially for population with limited access to dental care. The criticality of time and knowledge is very important in the success of dental trauma management. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and experience of pediatricians in the primary management of dental trauma. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 261 pediatricians from various regions of India who attended the National Pediatric Conference, Mysore 2015. The survey addressed demographic- and knowledge-related data concerned to dental trauma, experience in treating and witnessing dental trauma, diagnosis, preliminary management, and attitude of the pediatricians toward the same. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS version 17. Results: Among 261 respondents analyzed, 65.5% of them had encountered dental trauma in their practice. Avulsed tooth can be saved as opined by 67.8% of pediatricians. A higher percentage of the pediatricians, 94.3% knew the significance of time lapse. Saline was preferred medium of transport by 90.8%, followed by ice-cold water (78.2%). A fair awareness of the emergency treatment protocol of the avulsed teeth was observed among 59.8% of the pediatricians. Conclusion: Among pediatricians, the knowledge regarding handling of avulsed tooth, medium of transportation, and significance of time lapse between avulsion and reimplantation were found to be at a good level. The knowledge regarding the type of tooth to be reimplanted, method of cleaning the tooth was lacking

Diet’s Cariogenicity and Healthfulness Index (DCHI) - A Novel, Comprehensive Index for Children

Background: Realistic and tailored dietary advice plays a vital role in Preventive Dentistry. An appropriate diet analysis forms the basis for precise dietary advice. Analysis of diet for its cariogenicity is a complex process. Performing a meaningful diet analysis is a challenge in routine clinical practice. Currently, very few tools are available for clinicians to assess children’s diet relating to caries risk. The current scientific paper presents a novel index that assesses the cariogenicity and healthfulness of a child’s diet objectively and guides the professional to achieve pragmatic diet modification in the prevention of dental caries. Methods: Multi-disciplinary teams with a sample study population were involved in the initial structuring of Diet’s Cariogenicity and Healthfulness Index. To obtain cut-off values for cariogenicity of diet, a study was carried out with a sample of 774 children correlating diet diary with caries status. For statistics, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve closest to the ideal of 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity was applied. Results: ROC curve of 22.5 were plotted for diet scores for its cariogenicity. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of these cut-off values were 70 and 95, respectively. Conclusions: The current scientific paper presents a novel Diet’s Cariogenicity and Healthfulness Index that assesses the cariogenicity and healthfulness of a child’s diet objectively to guide the professional to achieve a logical diet modification