Efficacy of mouth rinses on dental plaque and gingivitis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Introduction: Over the years chlorhexidine (CHX), triclosan and sodium fluoride (NaF) mouth rinses are used alone or combined in the prevention of dental diseases. However, at present little is known about the combined effects of NaF + triclosan and CHX + NaF + triclosan mouth rinses on reducing dental plaque and gingivitis. Aim: The aim was to determine the efficacy of mouth rinses used as adjuncts to regular oral hygiene measures on reducing dental plaque and gingivitis. Materials and Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group study was conducted for 6-month, among 12-15 years old school children in Nellore, India. Eligible subjects (n = 210) with consent were randomly allocated to four groups and were provided with a mouth rinse (Group A = 0.2% CHX; Group B = 0.05% sodium fluoride + 0.03% triclosan; Group C = 0.2% CHX + 0.05% sodium fluoride + 0.03% triclosan; Group D = Placebo). All subjects used 10 ml of mouth rinse, once daily for 60 s. The clinical parameters evaluated were plaque index (PlI) and gingival Index (GI). Statistical significance within and between four groups was tested using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), repeated measures ANOVA with post-hoc and paired t-test. Results: At the end of clinical trial, the three test groups showed statistically significant (P < 0.001) reduction in PlI and GI scores compared with placebo group. Conclusion: The active agents demonstrated highly potent antiplaque and antigingivitis properties when compared to placebo

Comprehensive dental health care program at an orphanage in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh

Background: Provision of oral health care in India, especially for the underprivileged is limited due to inadequate finances and manpower. Resources of dental colleges in such a scenario can be utilized to provide prevention oriented oral health care. Aim: To improve the oral health status of children at an institute in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India, through prevention based comprehensive dental health care program (CDHP). Design and Setting: A longitudinal institution based interventional study conducted among the primary grade children (n=162). Materials and Methods: Baseline data collection included (i) basic demographic data (ii) body mass index (BMI) (iii) assessment of the dentition status and treatment needs according to WHO 1997 criteria. The CDHP included group based dental health education, professional oral prophylaxis, weekly (0.2%) sodium fluoride mouth rinse program, biannual application of topical fluoride (1.23% APF), pit and fissure sealants for all first permanent molars and provision of all necessary curative services. Results: Mean treatment requirements per child decreased at 18 months. New caries lesions developed among four children. BMI of children with decay was seen to improve significantly after instituting the CDHP. Conclusion: CDHP is effective in overall improvement of general and oral health. In resource limited countries like India, such programs organized by dental schools can improve oral health

Musculoskeletal Disorders among Dental Practitioners: Does It Affect Practice?

Background. Literature reviews world over have shown a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among dental practitioners. Prevalence of MSD among dental practitioners in India is not well documented. Aim. To determine the prevalence and distribution of MSD among dental practitioners in a city in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Material and Methods. A cross sectional descriptive study in which a self-administered questionnaire (the Standardized Nordic questionnaire) was used to assess the musculoskeletal symptoms among dental practitioners. The recorded data was analyzed with SPSS 13. -value 0.05 was considered to statistically significant. Results. Seventy-three dental practitioners participated in the study of which seventy-eight percent had a prevalence of at least one MSD symptom over the past twelve months. Most common areas affected by MSD in order of magnitude were neck (52%), low back (41%), shoulders (29%) and wrist (26%). One third of the practitioners (40%) required sick leave from their practice during the preceding twelve months. Conclusions. High prevalence of MSD exists among our dental practitioners affecting the daily practice of more than one third. Further studies are needed to identify the specific risk factors for MSD so as to introduce effective remedial measures

Occurrence and distribution of cancers with emphasis upon oral cancers in registered oncology institutes of South India – A retrospective study

Background: In the past two decades, the growing economy associated with changes in lifestyle-related behavior is partially responsible for the increasing cancer burden in India. To assess the occurrence and distribution of oral cancer based on the analysis of hospital records from registered oncology institutes of South India over a period of three years. Materials and Methods: A multicenter, retrospective study was conducted at seven major hospitals in South India to assess the incidence and distribution of cancer among patients over a period of three years (2016–2018). Data were collected on a custom-made validated proforma. Analysis was done using R commander software. Results: A total of 156090 various types of cancers were reported to the included institutes over a three-year period, an almost similar gender distribution was observed, males (n = 78806, 42.99% per lakh) compared to their female counterparts (n = 77284, 42.16% per lakh). Among males' lung cancer was the most common type with 17709 cases (9.65% per lakh) and among females, breast cancer was the leading cancer type with 22855 total cases (12.46% per lakh). Over a period of three years, a total of 21084 records of malignancies pertaining to oral cavity were identified accounting for 13.51% of cases. Among oral cancers, tongue was the most common site to be involved accounting for 44.22% (2016–2018) cases followed by buccal mucosa (14.69%), least common site to be involved was lip which accounted for 3.49% of the total oral cancer cases. Conclusion: Breast cancer was the most common cancer followed by lung cancer. Oral cancers occupied second among males and fifth rank in the order of occurrence among females. Tongue was the most common site followed by buccal mucosa. The least common site affected by oral cancer was the lip

Effectiveness of an integrated handwash and mouthrinse programme on general health of young adolescent school children: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Recently, public attention to the area of personal hygiene has increased for a variety of reasons and one of them is due to the growing awareness that a majority of microbes that cause diseases among humans gain access through various portals of entry and transmitted to these portals mainly through hands. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of an integrated handwash and mouthrinse programme on the general health of young adolescent school children's in Puttur taluk. Material and Methods: A single-blinded randomized control trial was designed and conducted among school going young adolescents of Puttur taluk in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. Two schools were randomly included as experimental and control group. Mouth rinsing was integrated to handwashing program for the experimental group. Mouth rinsing program was implemented and monitored for 7 months. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics was performed and paired “t” test was used to compare the difference in means. Results: Mean age of the school children was 12.33 ± 1.3 years, gender ratio of male: female was 0.5:1 and 0.7:1 of case and control groups, respectively. Analysis of oral health and general health parameters of study group and control group at final evaluation revealed modified Oral Hygiene Index Scores significantly reduced in study group from 1.52 ± 0.6 to 1.07 ± 0.5 (P < 0.01), Gingival Index scores significantly reduced in study group from 1.12 ± 0.6 to 0.75 ± 0.5 (P < 0.01). Mean incidence of absentees among study group reduced from 5.16 ± 0.5 to 2.45 ± 0.5 (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Integrating a monitored mouth rinsing to existing handwashing program will not incur additional financial or logistic constraints but may have an effect in improving general health, personal hygiene, and oral health among school children

Malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among adolescents in Nellore District of Andhra pradesh, India

Background: Malocclusion is misalignment of teeth and /or incorrect relation between the teeth of the dental arches. It leads to various unfavorable psychological and social sequelae. The concept of early diagnosis of malocclusion plays a very important role in identifying the disease and performing the treatment. Objectives: To assess the prevalence and severity of malocclusion and to determine orthodontic treatment needs among 13-15 year old school children inNellore district of Andhra Pradesh. Materials & Method: A descriptive cross sectional study was undertaken among a total of 2126 school children aged 13-15 years. Dental Aesthetic Index was used to assess malocclusion. Results: About 50.8% of them had dental appearance for whom orthodontic treatment need was ′slight′ or ′not indicated and one third of them (31%) needed elective treatment. The rest of the children had dental appearance varying from severe to handicapping malocclusion for whom treatment was highly desirable (10.2%) or mandatory (8%). Conclusions: Forty nine percent of adolescents from Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh were in need of orthodontic treatment for dental health reasons. Among the components of Dental Aesthetic Index, incisal segment crowding was mainly responsible for allocating subjects into the group of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need. The importance in having this data is in influencing policy makers and government officials to design health education programs and preventive orthodontic treatment programs

Orofacial injuries and use of protective wear among field hockey players of Coorg District, Karnataka, India – A KAP Study

Introduction: Traumatic orofacial injuries are frequent among hockey players, often causing aesthetic, functional, psychological, and economic problems. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence and distribution of orofacial injuries and to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices toward the use of protective wear as perceived among hockey players of Coorg district. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 281 field hockey players of Coorg district, Karnataka, India. Data were collected using a specially designed self-administered, pretested questionnaire containing a set of 19 statements. Chi-square test was performed to assess statistical significance among the variables studied. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the study sample was 32.7 ± 4.3 years, and majority of them were semi-professional hockey players (46.6%) with an experience of 5–10 years (41.3%) of playing hockey and having at least a graduate qualification (65.5%). A total of 79% of the players reported to have been injured at least once in the past 1 year, of which orofacial injuries accounted for 33.8% of the injuries. Majority of the players had a fair Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) score toward the use of protective wear (63.7%). Although 37.7% of the players had good knowledge, it translated to a favorable attitude among 24.1% of the players and favorable practice among 11.7% players. Professional hockey players had a positive association with KAP scores (P < 0.00), whereas experience was found to be negatively associated with KAP scores (P < 0.03). Conclusion: The majority of players had moderate knowledge about the importance of protective wear in preventing orofacial injuries, but their attitude and practices toward the same were relatively poor

Inheritance patterns of localized aggressive periodontitis: A systematic review

Inheritance patterns are traits/diseases that are passed from parents to offspring through genes. Elucidation of inheritance pattern of localized aggressive periodontitis may permit us to have a better understanding of the disease etiology, thereby allowing improved classification, diagnosis, and treatment of this aggressive type of periodontal disease. This review aims to determine the pattern of inheritance of localized aggressive periodontitis through critical evaluation of literature and to evaluate various genetic analyses for determining the mode of inheritance. Records were searched from various databases such as PubMed/Medline, Cochrane, and EMBASE. Articles published over the past 40 years (1972–2012) were identified using the key search terms. A total of 121 records were identified by title/abstracts and were retrieved. Potentially relevant reports identified from the reference lists of review articles and chapters were also hand searched. Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria, and these studies were assessed independently for the methodology and performance. Each study was scored according to STREGA guidelines. Out of the various patterns of inheritance reported in literature, 38.9% of the studies supported an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, whereas 27.7% showed X-Linked dominant pattern, 16.67% reported autosomal dominant inheritance, 11.11% reported a recessive mode of inheritance, and 5.56% showed dominant mode of inheritance. Thus it can be concluded that even though the inheritance pattern apparently shows an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, the data are meager to conclude that localized aggressive periodontitis is solely inherited through autosomal recessive mode as there are various other factors playing a hand in the occurrence of the disease. Hence, it would not be erroneous to say it is multifactorial or may be largely inconclusive

Effectiveness of sodium fluoride mouthrinses on the prevention of dental caries: A systematic review

Background: Caries inhibitory effect of fluoride has been known for about a century. The use of mouthrinses as a vehicle for applying fluoride in a self-administered preventive program was first proposed by Bibby et al. in 1946. Since then sodium fluoride (NaF) mouthrinses have been used extensively as a caries-preventive measure. Aim: To determine the effectiveness of NaF mouthrinses in the prevention of Dental Caries through a systematic review. Materials and Methods: A search strategy for the review was carried out according to the standard Joanna Briggs Institute systematic review methodology. An electronic search was carried out in PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library from 1970 to 2012. Hand search was conducted through the reference list of articles. The main intention of our investigation was to check the amount of reduction in clinical dental caries. Of 657 articles originally identified, 35 records were considered potentially eligible and sought for further assessment. Results: A total of 28 articles met the inclusion criteria and were assessed independently for methodology and performance. Randomized control study design was followed in 17 studies mainly at evidence level; 2 with a preventive fraction ranging from 16% to 65%. The reported mean annual caries reduction among adolescents was 0.76. Conclusion: Daily or weekly NaF mouthrinses had a significant caries reduction among adolescents. Daily and weekly/fortnightly rinse programs showed an average of 39% fewer decayed-missing-filled-surface. Daily use of NaF had a slightly higher caries reduction rate. Not enough data are available to show the effect of fluoride mouth rinsing programs on deciduous dentition

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards COVID-19 Vaccination among adults of Sullia Taluk in Dakshin Kannada District of Karnataka- A Community based Survey)

&lt;p&gt;Background: Vaccination programs for corona virus disease (COVID-19) were initiated globally in a record time unparalleled in the history of immunisation. Thus the community's and perceptions towards COVID-19 vaccinations are poorly understood. This study thus aimed to investigate community knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 vaccinations in Sullia Taluk of Dakshin Kannada. &nbsp;Methods: An exploratory and anonymous population- based survey was conducted among 600 general &nbsp;individuals (58.17% male; 41.83% female). The survey was conducted using a validated self- administered questionnaire containing a set of questions pertaining to knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Multiple linear regression was performed to determine the variables predicting knowledge, and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccinations. Results: The mean scores of knowledges and attitudes were 2.73±1.48 and 9.44±2.39 respectively. About a quarter of participants thought that the COVID-19 vaccination available in India is safe, 60% reported that they will continue to have further vaccinations if necessary. About 54% reported recommending it to family and friends. Regression analysis revealed that higher SES, university/ higher levels of education, nuclear families and those with a previous history of essential vaccines uptake were associated with a higher knowledge score; whilst attitudes were significantly associated to gender and previous history of essential vaccines uptake. Just over half of the participants(54%) thought that everyone should be vaccinated. A majority of the population 72.17% population reported vaccine should be administered free of cost in India.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keywords:- Covid Vaccination; Survey; Karnatak.&lt;/p&gt