Science of lifestyle; strategies for change

Since the start of 21st century the focus of medical treatment is changing from curative to the preventive medicine and now functional recovery and quality of life are the outcome of curative medicine. These new outcomes of modern medicine can be achieved through adopting the strategies that enhance wellness of patient. The methods of enhancing wellness are in practice since centuries and their effectiveness has been handed down through word of mouth and tradition. They continue to evolve and were first documented in 1970s, by Canyon Ranch1, as a strategy to improve health through the principles of a healthy lifestyle. Its aim is to encourage individuals to choose and practice a way of living that help them live longer without a significant burden of disease

Pediatric Dentistry Training for Dentists in Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: In the last decade, a rapid growth has been observed in the number of dentists due to establishment of number of dental colleges in Karachi, Pakistan. There is an acute dearth of Pediatric Dentistry faculty in Pakistani dental institutions. Similarly, no post graduate Pediatric Dentistry fellowship program exists in the country. The objectives of this study are to map the pattern of pediatric dentistry services provided by the clinicians in teaching institutions and private practices of Karachi. METHODOLOGY: A cross sectional study conducted at dental departments of academic institutions and selected dental practices in different parts of Karachi. The sample comprised of 71 subjects in the teaching while 97 subjects in the non-teaching group. Stratified random sampling was carried out. Data were obtained using a structured, self administered questionnaire. Chi square test was used to asses, if pattern of services are different between dentists in the two groups. RESULTS: The response rate in teaching group was 94.67% (71 out of 75) while in the practitioners group it was 44.1% (97 out of 220). The groups were different regarding the use of topical fluoride, fissure sealants, and planning for primary teeth root canal treatment. CONCLUSIONS: There is a statistically significant difference in preferences, selection of dental materials and pattern of pediatric dentistry services provided by the teaching dentists as compared to the private dental practitioners. Both the teaching and non-teaching dentists need to update themselves in provision of Pediatric Dentistry services such as fluoride application and fissure sealant placement

The Need of Paediatric Dentistry Specialists in Pakistan

In the last decade, a rapid increase has been observed in the number of dentists due to establishment of a number of dental colleges in Pakistan. Very few of these institutions have Paediatric Dentistry Department. Similarly, no postgraduate Paediatric Dentistry training program exists in the two major provinces of the country. The objectives of this study were to map the pattern of paediatric dentistry services provided by the clinicians in teaching institutions and private practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted at dental departments of academic institutions and selected dental practices in Karachi. There was a statistically significant difference in preferences, selection of dental materials and pattern of paediatric dentistry services provided by the teaching dentists compared to the private practitioners. Both the teaching and non-teaching dentists need to update themselves in the provision of Paediatric Dentistry services such as fluoride application and fissure sealant placement

ProTaper Rotary Instrument Fracture During Root Canal Preparation: A Comparison Between Rotary and Hybrid Techniques

AIMS: This study aimed to compare the frequency of ProTaper rotary instrument fracture with rotary (conventional) and hybrid (rotary and hand files) canal preparation techniques. Secondary objectives were to determine whether there was an association of ProTaper file fracture with the canal curvature and to compare the mean time required for canal preparation in the two techniques. METHODS: An in vitro experiment was conducted on 216 buccal canals of extracted maxillary and mandibular first molars. After creating an access cavity and a glide path for each canal, a periapical radiograph was taken and the canal curvature was measured with Schneider\u27s technique. The canals were then randomly divided into Group A (rotary technique) and Group B (hybrid technique). The length of ProTaper files were measured before and after each canal preparation. Time taken for each canal preparation was recorded. RESULTS: A total of seven ProTaper files fractured in Group A (P=0.014) in canals with a curvature \u3e25 degrees (P CONCLUSION: In the teeth studied, the hybrid technique of root canal preparation with ProTaper rotary files, although time consuming, was safer in canals having a curvature greater than 25 degrees

Analytical techniques in pharmaceutical analysis: A review

AbstractThe development of the pharmaceuticals brought a revolution in human health. These pharmaceuticals would serve their intent only if they are free from impurities and are administered in an appropriate amount. To make drugs serve their purpose various chemical and instrumental methods were developed at regular intervals which are involved in the estimation of drugs. These pharmaceuticals may develop impurities at various stages of their development, transportation and storage which makes the pharmaceutical risky to be administered thus they must be detected and quantitated. For this analytical instrumentation and methods play an important role. This review highlights the role of the analytical instrumentation and the analytical methods in assessing the quality of the drugs. The review highlights a variety of analytical techniques such as titrimetric, chromatographic, spectroscopic, electrophoretic, and electrochemical and their corresponding methods that have been applied in the analysis of pharmaceuticals

Remaining dentine thickness of root canals prepared with K-3 and ProTaper rotary systems

Objective: To compare the remaining dentine thickness of root canals prepared with K-3 and ProTaper files..Methods: This in-vitro experimental study was conducted from 1st April-30th September 2015 at the dental clinics of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised human teeth. Extracted human premolars and molars were included in the study using non-probability consecutive sampling. Canals were randomly allocated into two groups i.e. K-3 and ProTaper. Changes in inner and outer walls of canals were measured using Vixwin software at 1mm, 4mm, 7mm and 10mm from the apex. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis.Results: Of the 214 canals, 107(50%) were assigned to each group. No statistically significant difference was found in the remaining dentine thickness at 1mm, 4mm, 7mm and 10mm from the apex of the teeth prepared with in K-3 versus ProTapers system (p\u3e0.05).CONCLUSIONS: The remaining dentine thickness of the root canals prepared with K-3 files was similar to that of canals prepared with ProTaper files

In vitro assessment of the accuracy of extraoral periapical radiography in root length determination

Objective: To determine the accuracy of extra oral periapical radiography in obtaining root length by comparing it with the radiographs obtained from standard intraoral approach and extended distance intraoral approach.MATERIALS AND Methods: It was an in vitro, comparative study conducted at the dental clinics of Aga Khan University Hospital. ERC exemption was obtained for this work, ref number 3407Sur-ERC-14. We included premolars and molars of a standard phantom head mounted with metal and radiopaque teeth. Radiation was exposed using three radiographic approaches: Standard intraoral, extended length intraoral and extraoral. Since, the unit of analysis was individual root, thus, we had a total of 24 images. The images were stored in VixWin software. The length of the roots was determined using the scale function of the measuring tool inbuilt in the software. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19.0 and GraphPad software. Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman test was applied to determine whether the tooth length readings obtained from three different approaches were correlated. P = 0.05 was taken as statistically significant.Results: The correlation between standard intraoral and extended intraoral was 0.97; the correlation between standard intraoral and extraoral method was 0.82 while the correlation between extended intraoral and extraoral was 0.76. The results of Bland-Altman test showed that the average discrepancy between these methods is not large enough to be considered as significant.CONCLUSIONS: It appears that the extraoral radiographic method can be used in root length determination in subjects where intraoral radiography is not possible

Practice Of Endodontic Re-Treatment In Four Cities Of Pakistan

Background: Root canal re-treatment is the procedure of choice when the primary root treatment fails but patient is inclined toward salvage of the tooth. The re-treatment is often a challenging procedure owing to lack to the predictability in the outcomes. Since, there is a no single way of planning and executing such procedure, a study was planned to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding endodontic re-treatment among Pakistani dentists. The effect of clinical experience on the re-treatment planning was also determined.Methods: A survey was conducted by distributing a questionnaire among 240 dentists practicing in four major cities of Pakistan. Frequency distribution of the gender, experience, designation of the participants etc. was determined. A case scenario was also shared and responses upon decision making were noted. Chi square test was applied to see if re-treatment decision of experienced dentists (\u3e5 years\u27 practice) was significantly different than less experienced dentists.Results: Out of 240 forms, 160 were received (response rate of 66.67%). The most commonly reported reason for endodontic re-treatment was under prepared/ under filled canals. Nearly 40% participants reported doing re-treatment with hand instruments only and 15% did not employ any solvent during re-treatment. There were no significant differences between the less experienced and the more experienced dentists on re-treatment decisions.CONCLUSIONS: Almost half of the dentists reported inappropriate decision making in re-treatment. This shows that in endodontic re-treatment practice in major cities of Pakistan falls short of internationally accepted standards. There is a significant difference in treatment planning done by more experienced dentists compared to ones with \u3c5 \u3eyears\u27 clinical experience

Comparison of fracture and deformation in the rotary endodontic instruments: protaper versus K-3 system

Abstract This experimental study was done on extracted human teeth to compare the fracture and deformation of the two rotary endodontic files system namely K-3 and Protapers. It was conducted at the dental clinics of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, A log of file deformation or fracture during root canal preparation was kept. The location of fracture was noted along with the identity of the canal in which fracture took place. The fracture in the two rotary systems was compared. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. Of the 172(80.4%) teeth possessing more than 15 degrees of curvature, fracture occurred in 7(4.1%) cases and deformation in 10(5.8%). Of the 42(19.6%) teeth possessing less than 15 degrees of curvature, fracture occurred in none of them while deformation was seen in 1(2.4%). There was no difference in K-3 and Protaper files with respect to file deformation and fracture. Most of the fractures occurred in mesiobuccal canals of maxillary molars, n=3(21.4%). The likelihood of file fracture increased 5.65-fold when the same file was used more than 3 times. Irrespective of the rotary system, apical third of the root canal space was the most common site for file fracture