Large Complex Odontoma : A report of a rare entity

Odontomas are hamartomatous lesions composed of mature enamel, dentin, and pulp, and may be compound or complex depending on the extent of morphodifferentiation or on their resemblance to normal teeth. They are the most common benign odontogenic tumours, constituting 22% of all odontogenic tumours of the jaw. They are often non-aggressive and slow growing in nature, and are usually diagnosed on routine radiological examinations in the second decade of life. We report the case of an unusually large, painless, complex odontoma, which is a rare entity. It was located in the left posterior mandible and was associated with missing 1st and 2nd left mandibular molars. The diagnosis was confirmed following surgical excision and histopathological analysis of the lesion

Palliative oral care: A life prolonging therapy

Palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach that improves the quality of life in terminally ill patients and their families. Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is one of the most common cancers seen in developing countries including India, constituting up to 25% of the overall cancer burden. There is an ever growing number of cancer patients around the globe and so is the mortality rate associated with it. These patients are not only compromised on general health but also on oral health, alleviation of pain, reducing the suffering, providing relief, treatment of any other complications which occur during the treatment or post treatment of the cancer patients are taken care in palliative care. The role of an oral physician is formidable in carrying out the duties and serving a ‘Healing hand’ in Palliative oral care

Child abuse reporting: Role of dentist in India – A review

Healthy, protected, educated and well developed child population who will grow up to be productive citizens of the country are pillars of the nation. However, they are dependent on their parents or care givers, which makes them vulnerable to abuse. The primary responsibility of protecting children from abuse and neglect lies with the families or the primary caregivers. However, communities and civil society and all other stakeholders are also responsible for the care and protection of children. The injuries of child abuse may be different for different children, however, several types of injuries are characteristic to abuse. Many of these injuries are easily observed by the dental professional in the course of routine dental treatment and are within the scope of dentistry for identification. This literature review shows that there are very few attempts made to report child abuse from dental offices in India whereas it is mandatory to report child abuse in many other parts of the world. This difference could be attributed to laws regarding this matter and lack of awareness and knowledge of the procedures to be followed. The objective of this paper is to review briefly the role of dentist in identifying child abuse and the norms about reporting it in our country

Physiotherapy: Key to the kinetics of orofacial musculature

Orofacial pain disorders involve a variety of postural and functional disorders of the oral and craniofacial system. These disorders are multifactorial with muscular pain being the most common manifestation. Orofacial pain can interfere with the emotional, psychological and social well-being of the patient which in turn can affect the quality of life. Physiotherapy is a primary health care profession aimed at enhancing mobility, physical independence and quality of life. The purpose of this review is to provide an insight in to the role of physiotherapy in managing orofacial pain conditions. Using the phrase ′physiotherapy in orofacial conditions′ a literature search was conducted via Pubmed, Copernicus, Scopus database and Google scholar. The first reported article in Pubmed was published in 1990 and the recently reported article was in 2014. For this systematic review, seven articles from Pubmed, two from Copernicus, two from Google Scholar, and one from Scopus database were included

Prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in dental students

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in dental students. Materials and methods: A total of 200 dental students, officially registered at The Oxford Dental College and Hospital, Bengaluru, voluntarily participated in this study- After obtaining the informed consent, the participants were asked to answer the questionnaire to evaluate TMD in undiagnosed cases- Then, examination of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and associated structures were done. Results: The present study has shown that the prevalence of signs and symptoms were 50.5 and 48% respectively, with no apparent gender difference- Joint sound was the most prevalent sign and TMJ noise being the most common symptom. Among oral parafunctional habits, lip/cheek biting and nail biting were common. Conclusion Signs and symptoms of TMD were present even in nonpatient population, such as dental students. Thorough clinical assessments with standardized test are necessary for the early diagnostic process