Infection Control Practices among Undergraduate Dental Students: Case of a Private Dental Institution in North India

Objective: Transmission of infectious agents in a dental clinic is unavoidable. A considerable emphasis must be placed on observing a strict protocol for infection control. The present study assesses infection control practices undertaken by undergraduate dental students in a dental college in North India.Materials and Methods: Along with the general information (age, gender and year of study), a self-applied questionnaire (15 questions with dichotomous response of yes/no) was administered to third- and fourth-year undergraduate students. Fisher exact test was used to assess the differences according to the student year of study and gender.Result: Receiving an overall response rate of 94.2%, highest responses in “yes” were received for wearing and changing gloves and wearing face masks. Changing face masks, hand pieces and burs between patients was practiced more by the senior students, whereas using a special container for disposing of sharp objects was reported more by juniors (p<0.05). No difference among genders was seen.Conclusion: The present study reports unsatisfactory infection control practices, which calls for strict follow-up of infection control guidelines

Prevalence and Severity of Dental Fluorosis in Endemic Fluoride Areas of Haryana, India: An Epidemiologic Study

Fluor se često naziva “dvostranim mačem” zbog pozitivnog učinka u idealnim dozama i štetnoga u slučaju prevelikih količina. Njegov unos sprječava nastanak zubnog karijesa, no ako se pretjera u razdoblju kada se formira caklina može se pojaviti caklinska fluoroza. Ispitanici i postupci: Trideset sela iz dvaju područja Haryane klasificiralo se prema različitim razinama fluora u vodi za piće. Ukupno je bilo pregledano 3007 učenika iz ruralne populacije u dobi između 12 i 16 godina. Endemska koncentracija fluora u tim je područjima varirala u vrijednostima od 0,50 (ispod optimuma), 0,7 i 1,13 (blizu optimuma) te 1,51, 2,45, 5,27 i 8,50 ppm (više od optimuma). Rezultati: Ukupna prevalencija fluoroze iznosila je 54,4 posto i bila je gotovo ista kod muškaraca i žena - kod muškarca 51,9 posto, a kod žena 48,1 posto. Postotak je rastao s porastom sadržaja fluora u vodi i to od 9,35 posto uz sadržaj fluora 0,5 ppm do 100 posto uz 8,5. Zaključak: Čini se da je razina fluora od 1 do 1,2 ppm najprikladnija i da u tom slučaju izaziva minimalnu količinu estetski nepoželjne fluoroze.Introduction: Fluorine is often called as a two-edged sword because of its beneficial effects in optimal doses and harmful effects due to overdoses. Intake of fluorine does prevent dental caries but when there is excessive systemic intake of fluoride during the period of enamel formation enamel fluorosis may occur. Material and Methods: 30 villages from 2 districts of Haryana were classified according to differing levels of fluoride in the drinking water. A total of 3007 students in the age group 12 – 16 years were examined in the rural population. Endemic fluoride concentration in these areas varied from 0.50 (sub optimum), 0.87, 1.13 (near optimum), 1.51, 2.45, 5.27 &8.50 (more than optimum) ppm fluoride level. Results: The overall fluorosis prevalence was 54.4%. The fluorosis for males and females were almost the same, males having 51.9% and females having 48.1% prevalence. The percentage of fluorosis increased with increase in fluoride content in the water. The percentage of fluorosis increased from 9.35 % in 0.5 ppm to 100% in 8.5 ppm. Conclusion: It appears that 1- 1.2 ppm is the most compatible fluoride level to produce minimal amount of esthetically objectionable fluorosis

A Multicultural Demographic Study to Evaluate the Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on the Job Satisfaction across the Dental Industry

Objective:&nbsp;To evaluate the difference in working conditions as perceived by dentists during the pandemic and their professional satisfaction levels.&nbsp;Material and Methods:&nbsp; An online survey was conducted using the convenience and snowball sampling methods. Two hundred seventy-two respondents across various countries answered information related to socio-demographic data and work satisfaction levels during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.&nbsp;Results:&nbsp;40.1% of dentists reported dissatisfied with their current work, while another 13.6% of dentists fell in the extremely dissatisfied category. 22.8% of dentists were significantly dissatisfied with their current income. Furthermore, 38.4% of the dentists were dissatisfied with physical working conditions, while 33.5% reported dissatisfaction with the freedom of working methods.&nbsp;Conclusion:&nbsp;This study was focused on the connection between various intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting working conditions, social interactions, and psychological stresses. From the findings of this multicultural study, we can see that dentists across different countries have been affected and have varying levels of dissatisfaction. Therefore, regulatory authorities must plan for support and interventional programs to help dental professionals pass this difficult period

Smoking Rationalisation, Tobacco Dependence and Intention to Quit Among Indian Adults and Adolescents

Introduction: Unfortunately, indicators of tobacco dependence are present even after low levels of exposure in young smokers. Early emergence of these signal risk for subsequent chronic smoking and nicotine dependence is negatively associated with cessation in young adults. One important yet understudied modifiable predictor of intention to quit among smokers is smoking rationalization. Smokers often subscribe to smoking rationalisation beliefs, also known as self-exempting beliefs, to justify or rationalize their smoking behaviors. Smoking rationalizations can predict a lack of intention to quit. Objective: To assess the correlation between smoking rationalisation, tobacco dependence and intention to quit among Indian adults and adults. Methodology: A cross-sectional pilot study was carried out among 18–60-year-old subjects. Data were collected for tobacco dependence, smoking rationalisation and intention to quit (no/yes) by structured interview. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS statistics for windows, version 16 (IBM Corp, Armork, NY.) The independent t-test and one way ANOVA and binary logistic regression were performed for inferential statistics. Results: Smokers with no intention to quit and high tobacco dependence scores had significantly higher smoking rationalisation than those to quit and low dependence scores. Logistic regression models demonstrated that all types of rationalisation beliefs were consistently inversely associated with the intention to quit and low tobacco dependence. Conclusion: Findings suggest that smoking rationalisation plays an important role in the lack of intention to quit among Indian smokers. Future interventions should tackle smoking rationalisation beliefs as a strategy to promote smoking cessation

Knowledge and Acceptance of the COVID-19 Vaccine for COVID-19 Disease Prevention among the Indian Population: A Mixed-Method Study

Aim: To assess the Knowledge and Acceptance of the COVID vaccine among the Indian population. Materials and methods: The present mixed-method study was conducted in two phases. The first phase: quantitative assessment of knowledge and acceptance for the COVID-19 vaccine using an E survey (N = 606). The second phase: qualitative assessment using semi-structured face-to-face interviews with the study participants (N = 30) and assessment was done using a thematic approach. Study participants were selected using the convenience sampling method. Results: It was found that a large proportion of subjects in the 16–25 year of age group knew the cause of disease. But knowledge about its transmission process was found to be more in >60 years of age gap and almost all the participants in all the age group preferred Covishield. The vaccine acceptance rate was found to be low as compared to the knowledge. Conclusion: Most study participants were found to have satisfactory knowledge, but acceptance rate was comparatively lesser. Hence, more information and awareness campaigns must be launched reassuring the population about vaccine safety

Root and Root Canal Configuration Characterization Using Microcomputed Tomography: A Systematic Review

This systematic review&rsquo;s objective was to conduct a complete analysis of the literature on the root canal morphology using advanced micro-computed tomography. The electronic web databases PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane were examined for research papers concerning the chosen keywords, evaluating the root canal morphology using Micro-CT, published up to 2021. The articles were searched using MeSH keywords and searched digitally on four specialty journal websites. DARE2 extended (Database of Attributes of Reviews of Effects) was used to assess bias risk. The information was gathered from 18 published studies that strictly met the criteria for inclusion. In the included studies, a total of 6696 samples were studied. The studies were conducted on either maxillary (n-2222) or mandibular teeth (n-3760), permanent anteriors (n-625), and Third molars (n-89). To scan samples, a Scanco Medical machine in was used in 10 studies, Bruker Micro-CT in 34, and seven other machines were utilized in the rest. Bruker Micro-CT software from Kontich, Belgium, VG-Studio Max 2.2 software from Volume Graphics, Heidelberg, Germany, was the most commonly used software. The minimum Voxel size (resolution) adopted in the included studies was 11.6 &micro;m. However, 60 &micro;m was the maximum. Most studies classified the root canal morphology using Vertucci&rsquo;s classification system (n-16) and the four-digit system (n-6)