Dental Prosthetic Status and Prosthetic Need of the Institutionalized Elderly Living in Geriatric Homes in Mangalore: A Pilot Study

Introduction. To promote oral health among the elderly, we need to know their prosthetic status and prosthetic need. Hence, a survey of prosthetic status and need of elderly inmates of old age homes in Mangalore was done. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was undertaken, and 133 subjects aged 60 years and above were examined (54.9% males and 45.1% females). Results. Eighty-eight percent of those examined were fully edentulous, and only 12% had complete dentures; none of the study subjects had partial dentures. Prosthetic status was significantly associated with gender (P = .024), while prosthetic need and gender were not significantly associated (P = .395). Conclusions. A high unmet need for prosthetic care existed among the institutionalized elderly surveyed

Comparison of nicotine concentration and pH of commercially available smokeless tobacco products

Aim: This study aims to compare the nicotine concentration and pH in commercially available smokeless tobacco (ST) products. Materials and Methods: The pH level and nicotine concentration were determined in five ST products which were obtained from local markets. The pure form of nicotine was used as a standard which was obtained from Sigma-Aldrich Chemicals, Bengaluru. An extract of each product was prepared and the nicotine concentration was determined in triplicates by spectrophotometric method. The estimation of pH was done using digital pH meter. Results: The analysis showed that nicotine concentration was highest in plain tobacco followed by ghutka, khaini, pan masala, and supari, respectively. The pH was highest in khaini followed by pan masala, supari, ghutka, and plain tobacco, respectively. Conclusion: The study results showed that there is a difference in nicotine concentration and pH among ST products. Although other factors could influence the rate of nicotine absorption from ST, manipulating tobacco pH appears to be the primary means by which the speed of nicotine absorption is determined in ST products

Dental caries experience among preschool children from anganwadi centers of Mangalore taluk: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Anganwadi worker is the most periphery functionary of the Integrated Child Development Services scheme. They deliver services to children below the age of 6 years who form a very potential group that can be targeted for inculcating positive oral health values. Most of the anganwadi children are from rural communities who experience poverty, poor knowledge of parents, and underutilization of health services that result in poor oral as well as general health. Aim: To collect the baseline data on the dentition status of preschool children in anganwadi centers of Mangalore taluk. Methodology: The study population comprised of 530 preschool children in the age group of 3–6 years. After obtaining informed consent, dentition status was examined according to the WHO 1997 criteria. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 17. Mann–Whitney U-test was used to statistically analyze the data. The level of significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: The dentition status among preschool children was poor with mean decayed, missing, filled teeth score of 2.74 ± 3.44. Gender-wise comparison did not show any statistically significant difference although girls showed a higher caries experience than boys. Conclusion: High caries experience in this study revealed that there is a great need to plan and conduct oral health promotion initiatives and treatment activities for preschool children from rural communities. Dental health services should be made available in the peripheral areas along with oral health education among parents and teachers to inculcate a positive attitude toward oral health among children

Dental prosthetic status and prosthetic needs of institutionalized elderly population in Mangalore, Karnataka, India

Aim: To assess the data regarding dental prosthetic status and prosthetic needs of institutionalized elderly living in geriatric homes of Mangalore, Karnataka, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among institutionalized elderly living in geriatric homes in Mangalore. The sample size was estimated to be 300. The information related to sociodemographic data, prosthetic status, and prosthetic need was obtained using the WHO Oral Health Assessment Form 1997. Chi-square test was used to analyze the data. Results: Out of 300 elderly people, 94 were males and 206 were females. The study results showed that 53.1% and 60.45% of the total subjects had no prostheses in upper and lower arch, respectively. The study also revealed that the need for full prostheses was more among females compared to males. Conclusion: The present study concludes that need for prosthesis was high among the institutionalized elderly

Comparative evaluation of antibacterial effect of three commercially available herbal products against Streptococcus mutans: An In vitro Study

Background: In recent years, the researches concerning the use of herbal products have been vastly analyzed to decrease the disease burden caused by dental caries. It has been found that certain phytochemicals present in the plants have certain inhibitory effect toward Streptococcus mutans which is currently the main causative organism for dental caries initiation. Hence, in the present study, certain commercial herbal products have been tested for their antibacterial effect. Aim: This study aims to compare the antibacterial action of three commercially available herbal products against S. mutans. Material and Methods: An in vitro study was conducted with commercially available herbal products. They were Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe vera), Ocimum tenuiflorum (Thulasi), and Stevia rebaudiana (Stevia). The antimicrobial effectiveness (zone of inhibition) of herbal products was determined using agar well diffusion method. Pure strains of S. mutans MTCC 890 were procured from culture collection center, Imtech, Chandigarh. The culture was grown in Brain Heart Infusion Agar, and around 20 ml each was poured into sterile petri plates. Chlorhexidine (CHX) was taken as positive control, and distilled water was taken as negative control. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 17 software. Results: All herbal products were found to be having variable antimicrobial activity against S. mutans. The mean zone of inhibition after 24 h incubation measured for Stevia, Thulasi, and A. vera was 22.33 mm, 11 mm, and 0 mm, respectively. The mean zone of inhibition of positive control CHX was found to be 13.6 mm. Conclusion: The antibacterial effect shown by Stevia was superior when compared with CHX and Thulasi. The Thulasi have more inhibitory effect than A. vera, and A. vera fails to show any zone of inhibition against S. mutans when compared with other herbal products. Thus, Stevia product can be strongly recommended as a caries preventing agent after sufficient clinical trials by future research

Estimation of Total Fluoride Concentration, Total Soluble Fluoride Concentration and pH among Various Brands of Toothpastes

Introduction: Fluoride toothpastes are a major reason for the decline in dental caries globally. For fluoride toothpaste to be effective, an adequate amount of Total Soluble Fluoride (TSF) must be available in the toothpastes. Aim: To determine and compare the Total Fluoride (TF), TSF and pH among various toothpaste brands. Materials and Methods: An in-vitro study was conducted during October 2019 on 20 toothpaste samples, which belonged to four groups namely, herbal toothpastes group, nonherbal toothpastes group, medicated toothpastes group and kids toothpastes group. Analysis of the samples was done at the Department of Environmental Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Karnataka, India. The TF and the TSF concentration was determined using fluoride ion electrode. The pH was determined using pH meter. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 19.0). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used by Tukey’s post-hoc test to determine the difference between groups. The level of significance was kept at 0.05. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the toothpaste types for mean TF concentration (p=0.004). The post-hoc test showed that there was a significant difference between herbal and nonherbal toothpastes (p=0.041) where the mean TF concentration for nonherbal toothpastes was 1095.20 ppm when compared to herbal toothpastes was 704.40 ppm. The results showed that there was a siginificant difference between the toothpaste types for Mean TSF concentration (p<0.003). There was a significant difference between medicated and kids toothpastes (p=0.024) where the mean total soluble fluoride concentration for medicated toothpastes was 938.60 ppm when compared to the kids toothpastes was 521.20 ppm. Conclusion: The present study showed that pH of all the toothpastes were either neutral or alkaline and the TSF concentration was less when compared to TF concentrations

Anticandidal efficacy of denture cleansing tablet, Triphala, Aloe vera, and Cashew leaf on complete dentures of institutionalized elderly

With an increase in the number of dependent elderly, there is a need to introduce few natural products for denture cleansing, which are easily and economically available. Hence the aim of this study was to compare the anticandidal efficacy of denture cleansing tablet (sodium bicarbonate and sodium perborate monohydrate), Triphala (Phyllanthus emblica, Terminalia chebula and Terminalia belerica fruits powders in equal proportion), cashew leaf, Aloe vera and water (control) on complete dentures of institutionalized elderly. Study population consisted of 50 institutionalized elderly of Mangalore, Karnataka, with 10 in each group. Swabs were collected from the dentures before and after the use of denture cleansing tablet, Triphala, cashew leaf, Aloe vera, and water (control). Thereafter, the swabs were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar and the total candida counts were determined. Denture cleansing tablet and Triphala Churna showed a statistically significant reduction in Candida counts (P < 0.05). Denture cleansing tablet and Triphala Churna were found to be more effective