A study to evaluate the location and frequency of denture-related ulcerations and postinsertion adjustments in complete denture patients

Background and Aims: Removable complete denture is one of the most common treatment modalities for completely edentulous patients. After denture insertion, patient very often faces problems with the denture even after complete care is taken during fabrication procedure. Most common complaint is traumatic ulcers. The present study aimed to locate the most common areas of ulcerations due to complete dentures, how frequently they occur and how many times patient visits for adjustment after insertion of complete denture. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and twenty-one patients were selected and were delivered complete dentures. Dentures were fabricated for all the patients. Each step of denture fabrication was controlled and guided by a prosthodontist. After placement of dentures, patients were evaluated at every recall visit and their dentures were adjusted. All the details of each visit (area of ulceration) and number of visits were recorded in a self-designed format. Descriptive statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 13 software. Chi-squared test was used to evaluate the correlation between mucosal injuries and postinsertion day and the relationship between lesions, patient age, and patient gender. Results: All the 221 patients required denture adjustment due to mucosal injuries. No significant difference was found between denture-related injuries between males and females. Injuries related to mandibular dentures were significantly higher than those related to maxillary dentures. In mandible, the most common area of mucosal injury is posterior one-third of alveololingual sulcus; while in maxilla, the most common area of mucosal injury is labial frenum. Conclusion: Postinsertion adjustments are an important aspect of rehabilitating patient with complete dentures. Most of the denture-related injuries were in limiting areas. Proper border molding techniques, accurate secondary impressions, and use of pressure indicating paste during denture insertion are main requisites for decreasing denture-related mucosal injuries

Utilization of health-care schemes: A ground reality of Indian scenario

Health-care system in a society must be built around the term of equity so that each individual should have equal opportunities for maintaining good health, but human societies are characterized by unevenness at every aspect, and it has even not spared the health-care system. Despite great improvements in the oral health status of population across the world, health problems continue to be a major public health concern. India's health system faces the ongoing challenge of responding to the needs of the most disadvantaged groups of the society. Thus, to reduce inequalities in health and ensuring equity in oral health care, India as one of the developing countries in the world have taken steps at center as well as state level to bridge the gap between poor and rich in terms of health care. These schemes are built to touch the lives of the remotest people in the country. The government is boosting its strategies and augmenting its reach mechanisms to ensure that not a soul is dispossessed of any benefits, which arise from the virtue of this scheme. The present review concludes that though these schemes appear to be pro-poor and are inclusive of disadvantaged minorities, the scheme suffers from adverse selection. These schemes have the potential to play an important role in India's move toward universal health coverage

Assessment of additional relative plaque removing efficacy of a newly available toothbrush

Aim: To confirm claimed additional efficacy of Sensodyne Expert tooth brush over other commonly used commercially available tooth brushes. Methods and Materials: This was a single use randomized double blind study for the assessment of plaque remaining after tooth brushing with Sensodyne Expert tooth brush to that remaining after brushing with the. Forty subjects were enrolled in the study. Only the right-handed subjects were chosen for the study. One side of the subjects' oral cavity was randomly assigned to be brushed with Sensodyne Expert toothbrush while the other was brushed using the already in use subject's regular tooth brush for one minute each side. Two tone disclosing agent was then used to identify and score post-brushing plaque remaining after tooth brushing on the selected teeth. Plaque was scored using the Turesky et al. Modified Quigley-Hein Plaque Index (TQHPI) on selected teeth on both sides of the oral cavity. Results: The mean post brushing plaque score for assessed teeth brushed with Sensodyne Expert tooth brush was 1.283 ± 0.39, while that with already in use subject's regular tooth brush was and 1.153±0.71. Student t-test was used for analysis of results. There was an nonsignificant difference in post brushing plaque scores of both groups at assessed p value (P = 0.078). This suggests that subjects of this study were able to equally effectively remove plaque using their own and Sensodyne Expert tooth brushes. Conclusion: The plaque removing efficacy of Sensodyne Expert tooth brush was comparable to that of other tooth brusheswhen plaque on the selected teeth remaining after tooth brushing was assessed. Additional plaque removing efficacy of Sensodyne Expert tooth brushover subjects' other already in use toothbrushes was not found