Occupational Hepatitis B Exposure: A Peek into Indian Dental Students’ Knowledge, Opinion, and Preventive Practices

Objective. To determine the level of knowledge, opinions, and preventive practices followed by dental students against Hepatitis B. The study also explored if any correlation existed between knowledge, opinion, and preventive practices score. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a dental teaching institution. The subjects comprised 216 dental students. The study was conducted using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was prepared to assess knowledge, opinion, and preventive practices against Hepatitis B. Kruskal-Wallis and Kendall Tau test were performed. Results. The study found that only 44.4% of the students were vaccinated with Hepatitis B vaccine. 59.3% of the students reported washing their hands after contact with patient’s body fluids. 63.9% used personal protective measures like facemask, aprons, head cap, eye shields, and so forth, while treating patients. Median knowledge, opinion, and practice scores were found to be 5.00, 3.00, and 3.00, respectively. Significant correlation was obtained between knowledge and preventive practices score (r=0.385, p value <0.0001). Conclusion. Effective measures need to be taken to improve preventive practices of the students to prevent them from risk of Hepatitis transmission. Mandatory vaccination against Hepatitis B needs to be implemented

Natural products as storage media for avulsed tooth

Avulsion of tooth is complete displacement of tooth out of its socket that results in mutilation of periodontal ligaments. The desirable treatment option is replantation of the tooth. However, unsuccessful replantation is a matter of great discontentment. Unsuccessful replantation is due to inappropriate management of the avulsed tooth. Protection of teeth from desiccation due to drying of the periodontal ligament tissue, by keeping it in storage media can improve the outcome of the treatment. This review paper focuses on the use of natural products as storage media for avulsed teeth. In vitro and in vivo research published during 1995-2014, allowing open access on National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database and articles on EBSCO host (EBSCO-Elton B. Stephens Company) were included. It was found that natural products such as milk, coconut water, propolis, green tea, red mulberry, Aloe vera, egg-white and pomegranate have shown ability to maintain viability of periodontal ligament cells of avulsed teeth. Few natural products such as coconut water and milk can be used in raw form, while other products such as green tea and red mulberry need processing. Ability to maintain periodontal cell viability for a longer time is warranted in cases of major accidents, where teeth can be replanted only after other major surgeries. Natural products have easy availability, greater efficacy and longer storage time as compared to Hank′s balanced salt solution which has been recommended by the International Association of Dental Traumatology as standard solution for storage of avulsed teeth. Natural products have shown good qualities in in vitro experiments; further in vivo studies are needed to evaluate their efficacy as storage media

Linguistic adaptation and psychometric evaluation of original oral health literacy-adult questionnaire (OHL-AQ)

Introduction: Linguistically adapted oral health literacy tools are helpful to assess oral health literacy among local population with clarity and understandability. The original oral health literacy adult questionnaire, Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire, was given in English (2013), consisting of 17 items under 4 domains. The present study rationalizes to culturally adapt and validate Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire into Hindi language. Thus, we objectified to translate Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire into Hindi and test its psychometric properties like reliability and validity among primary school teachers. Methods: The Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire was translated into Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire – Hindi Version using the World Health Organization recommended translation backtranslation protocol. During pre-testing, an expert panel assessed content validity of the questionnaire. Face validity was assessed on a small sample of 10 individuals. A cross-sectional study was conducted (June-July 2015) and OHL-AQ-H was administered on a convenient sample of 170 primary school teachers. Internal consistency and testretest reliability were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively, with 2 weeks interval to ascertain adherence to the questionnaire response. Predictive validity was tested by comparing OHL-AQ-H scores with clinical indicators like oral hygiene scores and dental caries scores. The concurrent and discriminant validity was assessed through self-reported oral health and through negative association with sociodemographic variables. The data was analyzed by descriptive tests using chi-square and bivariate logistic regression in SPSS software, version 20 and p<0.05 was considered as the significance level. Results: The mean OHL-AQ-H score was 13.58±2.82. ICC and Cronbach’s alpha for Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire – Hindi Version were 0.94 and 0.70, respectively. Comparisons of varying levels of oral health literacy with self-reported oral health established significant concurrent validity (p=0.01). Significant predictive validity was observed between OHL-AQ-H scores and clinical parameters like oral hygiene status (p=0.005) and dentition status (p=0.001). Conclusion: The translated and culturally adapted Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire – Hindi Version indicated good reliability and validity among primary school teachers to assess oral health literacy among Hindi speaking population. Hence, improving OHL levels and implementing education oriented policies can improve the quality of life

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of oral health impact profile among school teacher community

Aim: To translate OHIP-14 into Hindi and test its psychometric properties among school teacher community. Methods: The OHIP-14 was translated to OHIP-14-H using WHO recommended translation protocol. During pre-testing, an expert panel assessed content validity of the questionnaire. Face validity was assessed on a sample of 10 individuals. The OHIP-14-H was administered on a random sample of 170 primary school teachers. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were assessed using Cronbach's alpha and Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) respectively, with 2 weeks interval. Predictive validity was tested by comparing OHIP-14-H scores with clinical parameters. The concurrent validity was assessed using self-reported oral health and discriminant validity was ascertained through negative association with sociodemographic variables. Results: The mean OHIP-14-H score was 9.57 (S.D = 4.58). ICC and Cronbach's alpha for OHIP-14-H was 0.96 and 0.92 respectively. Concurrent validity using binomial regression model indicated that good (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.55 – 4.47) and moderate (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.17 – 1.87) OHIP-14-H scores were negative but significant risk indicators of poor self reported oral health (P < 0.009). Significant predictive validity was observed between OHIP-14-H scores and clinical parameters (P < 0.000). Conclusion: Translated and culturally adapted OHIP-14-H indicates good reliability and validity among primary school teachers

Career satisfaction among medical and dental graduates in a private institution in Indore city, Madhya Pradesh

Introduction: Career is the progress and actions taken by a person throughout lifetime, especially those related to that person′s occupation and are often composed of the jobs held, titles earned and work accomplished over a long period of time. It plays a very important role in the success of once life. Aim: The aim was to compare the career satisfaction among medical and dental graduates in a private institution in Indore city, Madhya Pradesh. Materials and Methods: The study included a total of 100 medical graduates and 100 dental graduates and was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire. Chi-square test was performed for statistical analysis. Results: In medical profession, it was found that majority (87%) of the graduates were satisfied with their career. Majority (88%) of the graduates believed that their profession had a bright future 10 years from now and majority (74%) recommended joining medical profession as a safe and bright career alternative. On the contrary, in dental profession, it was found that more than half (53%) of the graduates were unsatisfied with their career. More than 50% of graduates believed that dental profession did not have a bright future 10 years from now and majority (66%) of the graduates recommended not to join dental profession. The differences were found to be significantly associated between the two groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The dental graduates were found to be dissatisfied with their career compared with medical graduates. Better job perspectives and better placements needs to be created. Endorsement of effective policies is required

Dentition status and treatment need in urban slum dwellers in Indore city, Central India

Objective: To estimate the dental caries experience and treatment needs of residents of slum area, in Indore.Materials and Methods: A survey was conducted in one of the largest slum areas, Panchsheel nagar of Indore, (M.P.). The sample size was estimated assuming the prevalence of dental caries to be 90% as found in the pilot study. The minimum sample required was 138. The dentition status was recorded according to the WHO guidelines. Examination was performed by the trained and calibrated examiner. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 16.5 software. Results: A considerably higher prevalence (76.2%) of dental caries in the residents of slum as compared to the general population of India (50-60%) was found. The mean decayed, missing and filled teeth recorded was 2.54. Statistically significant difference was found in the caries prevalence between different age groups and occupations. Males exhibited significantly higher caries experience as compared to females. Conclusion: The residents of slum have a high prevalence of dental caries. The prevalence of dental caries differed for different occupational groups and gender

In vitro activity of ethanolic and water extract of guava leaves at various concentrations against Lactobacillus acidophilus

Introduction: Chemical substances used for prevention of dental caries are known to have many side-effects. Thus, natural products should be explored for their anticaries action. Objectives: To prepare 5% and 20% concentrations of ethanolic and water extracts of guava leaves and to assess their activity against Lactobacillus acidophilus. Materials and Methods: In vitro experimental study was conducted in Department of Biosciences. Ethanolic and water extracts of guava leaves were prepared using Soxhlet extractor. Two concentrations 5% and 20% weight/volume of both extracts were prepared. Test organism L. acidophilus Microbial Type Culture Collection 447 was obtained in lyophillized form. After revival in nutrient broth, bacteria were grown on Lactobacilli de Man, Rogosa, Sharpe agar for further experiment. Antimicrobial testing of extracts was done using Agar well-diffusion method. Ten plates each were prepared for both extracts. Chlorhexidine (0.2%) served as a positive control and distilled water as a negative control. Results: Mean zone of inhibition produced by 5% and 20% ethanolic extract was 11.2 mm and 14.1 mm respectively and by 5% and 20% water extract was 1.6 mm and 5.1 mm respectively. Statistical analysis of results using one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey′s test revealed that activity of 5% ethanolic extract and 5%, 20% water extract was significantly less than that of 0.2% chlorhexidine. There was no statistical difference in efficacy of 20% ethanolic extract of guava and 0.2% chlorhexidine (P = 0.270). Conclusion: Ethanolic and water extracts of guava leaves possess antibacterial activity against L. acidophilus with 20% ethanolic extract being as efficacious as 0.2% chlorhexidine

Assessment of relationship between oral health behavior, oral hygiene and gingival status of dental students

Background: The behavior of oral health providers toward their own oral health reflects their understanding of the importance of preventive dental procedures and of improving the oral health of their target population. Aim: This study was done with an aim to assess the relationship between oral health behavior, oral hygiene and gingival status of third and final year dental students from a Dental College in Indore City, India. Methods: A total of 137 dental students participated in the study. The students were invited to complete the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI) questionnaire. The HU-DBI questionnaire consisted of twenty polar responses (agree/disagree) regarding oral health-related behavior. In addition, two further questions about the frequency of brushing and flossing were included. Subsequently, oral health examination was conducted to assess plaque and gingival status. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test, Independent sample t-test, and Pearson′s correlation. The significance level was set at P ≤ 0.05. Result: The results showed that about 66.6% of the students checked their teeth in the mirror after brushing. Only 20.1% of the students reported bleeding from gums. The mean oral heath behavior score (HU-DBI) was 6.47 ± 2.0. A negative correlation of HU-DBI scores with plaque (r = −0.501) and gingival scores (r = −0.580) was observed. Conclusion: Thus, it is concluded that there is a significant relationship between the oral health behavior, oral hygiene, and gingival status of dental students. Dental students with better self-reported oral health behavior had lower plaque and gingival scores indicating a better attitude toward oral health

Thickness, permeability and tactile perception of commercial latex examination gloves used in dental practice

Introduction: Dentists are at an increased risk of being infected. Some patients may be unaware of their infected status while some patients are unwilling to tell the dentists their disease status. Gloves should be worn in almost all patient procedures. Aim: To assess association between thickness, tactile perception, and permeability of commercial latex examination gloves used in dental practice. Materials and Methods: The experimental study was conducted in Central India. A total of 600 gloves, 120 each from five brands (Kaltex, Nulife, Smartcare, Handshield, Medi-image) were used. Thickness was measured using stereomicroscope. Permeability to fluids was evaluated through 0.2% erythrosine dye. Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC-25923) was used to check for microbial permeability. Tactile sensibility was assessed by 2-point discriminator test using 2-point-calipers on 30 volunteers. Chi-square test and Binary logistic regression analysis were used. Results: Mean thickness of gloves was 0.1333 (range: 0.1028-0.1799). Dye and microbial test showed 10.6% and 43.3% permeability of gloves, respectively. No significant difference was observed among brands. Thicker gloves (0.1285-0.1542) yielded lower touch sensibility (odds ratio: 0.783, P < 0.05). Decrease in tactility was recorded in 78.6% of volunteers with gloves compared to no gloves. Conclusion: Considerable microbial permeability suggests commercial examination gloves are unsafe. Balance between thickness, permeability and touch sensation should be established to decrease permeability maintaining same touch sensibility