Assessment of oral health status and tobacco-related habits among the employees of North-West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), Belagavi City - A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Transport workers have a very haphazard and incongruent schedule which makes it difficult for them to follow proper oral hygiene practices. The prevalence of tobacco habits is also found to be high due to their long periods of work and constant stress. This study aimed to assess the oral health status and tobacco habits of the government bus drivers and conductors of NWKRTC, Belagavi City, Karnataka.  Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 451 Government Bus drivers and other employees of NWKRTC who gave consent for the study. WHO Oral Health Assessment Form 2013 was used to record the oral health status and a self-designed, validated questionnaire was employed for recording the oral hygiene practices and tobacco-related habits. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square was used for statistical analysis.    Results: The mean age of the employees of NWKRTC is 43.55 years and there are 414 males as compared to only 37 females. The mean DMFT score was 5.55±3.08. 228 of them had some kind of tobacco habit with guthka (25.9 percent) being the most prevalent one. 57 employees had manifestations of leukoplakia and OSMF. There was an association between tobacco habits and oral mucosal lesions as well as the DMFT score. Conclusion: The Oral Health Status of the Government employees of NWKRTC is poor. It is further compounded by the high prevalence of tobacco habits and associated lesions and it is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately

Oral Health Status of Handicapped Children Attending Various Special Schools in Belgaum City Karnataka. Oral Health Status of Handicapped Children Attending Various Special Schools in Belgaum City Karnataka

Abstract Aim: To assess the oral health status of handicapped children attending various special schools. Objective: To assess oral hygiene practice, dental caries and treatment needs, gingival and periodontal treatment needs malocclusion status. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 263 subjects out of which 155 were males and 108 females. Results: 67% of subjects used tooth brush to clean their teeth and around 29.3% used finger. 12.8% of subjects were brushing twice a day. Overall females had more mean DMFT score than males. In males it was 3.48 and in females it was 3.98. 13.6% of subject's required elective orthodontic treatment and 4.62% had severe or handicapping malocclusion. Conclusion: The mean DMFT score was higher in physically handicapped when compared to mentally retarded subjects. Mentally retarded subjects were having poor periodontal status than physically handicapped students

Effectiveness of three mouthwashes – Manuka honey, Raw honey, and Chlorhexidine on plaque and gingival scores of 12–15-year-old school children: A randomized controlled field trial

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of three types of mouthwashes manuka honey (MH), raw honey (RH), and chlorhexidine (CHX) on plaque and gingival scores of 12–15-year-old government school children. Study Design: This study was a double-blind, randomized controlled field trial conducted in Belagavi city, India. Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirty-five government school children aged 12–15 years were randomly selected and allocated into three groups, RH, MH, and CHX mouthwash groups. Ten milliliters each of honey-based mouthwash formulation and CHX mouthwashes (0.2%) were administered according to the group allocation twice daily for 21 days. All the children were examined at baseline, 22nd day (after discontinuation of mouthwash) and 28th day (1 week after discontinuation of mouthwash) for Gingival (Loe and silness 1963) and Plaque Index (Silness and Loe, 1964). Results: Descriptive statistics was applied for distribution of study participants according to age and gender. One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test and repeated measures ANOVA test followed by Bonferroni's post hoc were applied for inter- and intragroup comparison, respectively. Statistically significant reductions (P < 0.001) in plaque and gingival scores were observed in all the three types of mouthwash groups at the end of the 22nd day and 28th day. MH and RH mouthwash demonstrated equal effectiveness, whereas CHX mouthwash showed the maximum reduction in clinical parameters. Conclusion: Honey-based mouthwash showed a promising antimicrobial effect on dental caries and plaque and gingival scores