Are oral health education for carers effective in the oral hygiene management of elderly with dementia? A systematic review

Elderly with dementia or cognitive impairment are at increased risk of poor oral health. Oral health education programs targeting carers may be an effective strategy to improve oral hygiene. The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of oral health education programs for carers on the oral hygiene of elderly with dementia. A literature search was performed to identify studies published in five electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO), without time and language restrictions. Two independent coders extracted data and assessed the risk of bias for each included study. Of the 243 studies, only four studies met the inclusion criteria. All four studies reported a significant improvement for some oral health measures in dementia elderly following a carer oral health education program. The included studies did not report any other relevant outcomes of interest for this review. This review identifies limited evidence for a carer oral health education as an efficient means to improve oral health in dementia elderly. The review also clearly highlights the need for well-designed, high-quality studies with more relevant outcome measures to better address this knowledge gap

Remineralization potential of dentifrice containing nanohydroxyapatite on artificial carious lesions of enamel: a comparative in vitro study

A carious lesion is the accumulation of numerous episodes of demineralization and remineralization, rather than a unidirectional demineralization process. Tooth destruction can be arrested or reversed by the frequent delivery of fluoride or calcium/phosphorous ions to the tooth surface. Nanohydroxyapatite particle-containing dentifrices are the newer generation of products which claim to remineralize enamel lesions effectively. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the remineralization ability of dentifrices containing nanohydroxyapatite, NovaMin, and amine fluoride on artificial enamel caries.In this study, extracted sound premolars were placed in a demineralizing solution to produce deep artificial carious lesions. The teeth were then sectioned longitudinally and divided into three groups ( = 16 in each group): Group A (nanohydroxyapatite), Group B (NovaMin), and Group C (fluoride). The sections were then subjected to pH cycling for 7 days. Polarized light microscopy was utilized to record the depth of the lesions before and after treatment with the selected dentifrices. Changes in the mean lesion depth were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA and -test. The level of significance was assessed at 0.05).All three dentifrices were found to be effective in remineralizing artificial carious lesions. Nanohydroxyapatite dentifrice produced significantly better results compared to fluoride- and NovaMin-containing dentifrices, instigating for its use in the management of early carious lesions

Effectiveness of theobromine on enamel remineralization: a comparative in-vitro study

BackgroundRemineralizing agents demonstrate potential to reverse early carious lesions. Theobromine containing dentifrices claim to remineralize enamel lesions effectively. The aim of this in-vitro study was to evaluate and compare the remineralization potential of dentifrices containing theobromine, 0.21% sodium fluoride (NaF) with functionalized tricalcium phosphate (f-TCP) and amine fluoride on artificial enamel caries.Materials and methodsSound extracted human premolars were demineralized to produce deep artificial carious lesions. The teeth were sectioned longitudinally and allocated to three treatment groups with nine specimens in each group: Group A (NaF + f-TCP), Group B (amine fluoride), and Group C (theobromine). The specimens were then subjected to pH cycling for seven days. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was utilized to record the patterns of demineralization and remineralization. One-way ANOVA and paired t-test were used to analyze changes in lesion depth. The level of significance was set at

KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF POSSIBLE AYURVEDIC, SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHIC REGIMENS AGAINST NOVEL CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: In the light of the pandemic COVID 19, world’s attention has turned to the immune system and body’s defense force. Identification of the level of epidemic preparedness and understanding of Ayurvedic, Homeopathic and Siddha regimens among health care workers is required to utilize their services in main stream health care effectively. Aim: The aim of this study to access the knowledge and practices of possible Ayurvedic, Homeopathic and Siddha regimens during novel corona virus pandemic. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken among the health care workers with the help of 15 close ended questions. The one out of six-knowledge question were scored and analysed to identify differences with sociodemographic variables (age and occupation). Response to the three out of five questions on practices were analysed to Identify the differences, differing significantly in both knowledge and practice score. Result: Out of 286 responses, knowledge score significantly differed with age (P-value 0.04) and occupation (P-value 0.01). Practice scores significantly differed with age (P-value 0.01) and occupation (P-value 0.00). Our study shows that 70% of study population is aware of the medicinal properties of Neem, Tulsi and Ashwagandha against COVID 19 and 65% strongly believes the immune boosting effect of Vitamin C and 77% include citrus fruits in their diet. Conclusion: Adopting prophylactic and therapeutic strategies on the basis of Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Siddha are useful to the mankind in fighting against the COVID 19