Periodontal health awareness and self-perceived halitosis among various professional students of West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh

Introduction: Oral health is an essential part of maintaining overall health, and poor oral health can have a profound effect on the quality of life. Among the various sections of the population present in the society, professional students include a large group of population and are believed to have a better awareness pertaining to oral health than the common population. Aim: This study aims to determine the periodontal health awareness levels along with the self-perception of halitosis among the medical, pharmacy, and engineering students in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in 1230 students from medical, engineering, and pharmacy professions. A self-administered 27-item structured questionnaire was used to assess periodontal health and knowledge pertaining to oral hygiene practices along with the assessment of self-perceived halitosis. Tests of the association between self-perceived halitosis and the risk factors were conducted using Chi-square test. Intergroup comparison was conducted by ANOVA and t-test. Results: Self-perceived malodor reported was 50%, 54%, and 60% by medical, pharmacy, and engineering students, respectively. The difference in the levels of overall periodontal health awareness was statistically significant among the different specialities with the highest score gained by medical students (4.1 ± 2.0), followed by the pharmacy (2.9 ± 1.6), and engineering (1.6 ± 1.3) students. Conclusions: Even though professional students do have an acceptable level of knowledge regarding oral health, the level of awareness pertaining to periodontal health in particular is lacking. Hence, there is a need to extend the horizon for oral healthcare to other professional students at an elementary level

Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Malignant Digestive System Gastrointestinal Neuroectodermal Tumor in a Lymph Node Metastasis from a Previously Diagnosed Liver Primary: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Malignant gastrointestinal neuroectodermal tumor (GNET) is an extremely rare neoplasm. Immunohistochemically, GNET typically demonstrates neural differentiation but lacks melanocytic differentiation, making it distinct from clear cell sarcoma of the soft tissues (CCS). Herein we report for the first time the cytomorphologic features of lymph node metastasis from presumably liver GNET. A 36‐year‐old female presented with fevers, night sweats, loss of appetite, and a 20‐lbs weight loss. Radiographic imaging showed a 13 cm heterogeneously enhancing mass in the right lobe of the liver and a hypermetabolic 0.9 cm periportal lymph node on positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT). Initially, a CT‐guided liver biopsy was performed followed by right hepatic lobectomy and portal lymphadenectomy. The liver biopsy and resection showed an S100‐protein and SOX10 positive malignant neoplasm and genomic profiling of liver biopsy revealed EWSR1‐CREB1gene rearrangement. These findings in conjunction with the morphologic and immunohistochemical profile were diagnostic of GNET. Two months later, she presented with recurrent lymphadenopathy in the upper abdomen. Fine needle aspiration of the periportal nodal mass revealed single and clusters of primitive, large to medium‐sized neoplastic cells with round to oval nuclei, high nuclear‐cytoplasmic ratio, vesicular chromatin, and prominent nucleoli. The tumor cells were S100 protein and SOX10 positive, consistent with metastasis of the patient's recently diagnosed malignant digestive system GNET. Palliative chemotherapy was administered but the patient died a few days later, 4 months from the initial diagnosis. Awareness of this entity and judicial use of ancillary studies including molecular testing are essential for achieving accurate diagnosis