Evaluation of Orthodontic Treatment Need and Its Correlation with the Perception, Awareness and Satisfaction of Personal Dental Appearance among Dental Students

Introduction: Facial esthetics as well as dental health improvements is the main concern of orthodontic treatment. Dentofacial appearance that deviates from normal may have anegative impact on social, physiological and psychological functions. But individual’s attitude to its malocclusion is an important factor in determining treatment need.Objectives: The study was conducted to assess the perception of malocclusion and need of orthodontic treatment among dental students using index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN). Also self-awareness and level of satisfaction of personal dental appearance were analyzed. Materials and methods: Sample of 300 dental students was selected, their alginate impressions were poured, and study casts were prepared. IOTN was used to find out the impact of malocclusion on individual’s dental health and psychological well being. A questionnaire was prepared consisting of part 1, self-awareness and part 2, satisfaction and attitudes. Each part consisted of series of questions with alternative answers. Eachselected subject was given this questionnaire for self-evaluation and self-perception of occlusion and facial appearance.  Results: Majority of dental students were observed in grades Iand II of IOTN indicating no or minimal treatment need. The students were aware that malocclusion, orthodontic treatment and facial esthetics are the important factors for self-image and self-esteem

Three-Dimensional Evaluation of Condyle-Glenoid Fossa Complex Following Treatment with Herbst Appliance

The purpose of the present retrospective observational study was to compare the effects of treatment with Herbst appliance and fixed therapy with elastics on the condyle and glenoid fossa complex. Thirty patients aged between twelve and sixteen years with skeletal Class II malocclusion who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study: fifteen patients treated with Herbst appliance (Group 1), and fifteen patients treated with orthodontic camouflage using MBT prescription (MBTTM Versatile+ Appliance System) (Group 2). For Group 2, patients had CBCT scans taken before treatment either after Herbst appliance removal or at the end of treatment. CBCT scans were evaluated for changes in condyle-glenoid fossa complex using the In Vivo Dental 5.1 software. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. On inter-group comparison, the Herbst group showed statistically significant increases in the condylar height of 1.35 mm (p ≤ 0.001) on the right and 1.21 mm (p ≤ 0.01) on the left side, and a condylar volume of 111.03 mm3 (p ≤ 0.01) on the right and 127.80 mm3 (p ≤ 0.001) on the left side. The Herbst group showed anterior remodelling on the postero-superior aspect of glenoid fossa. Herbst appliance treatment induced growth at the condylar head and anterior remodelling of glenoid fossa, thereby improving the maxilla-mandibular relationship in growing Skeletal Class II patients

Orthodontic Practice in the Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: An Online Survey

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is not the first one which the globe has faced but never came across a health crisis that moved so quickly across continents. COVID-19 outbreak presently posed a very serious threat to the existence of mankind on earth. The massive impact of COVID-19 pandemic was evident in all aspects of life-personal, social as well as professional. The field of dentistry including orthodontics was no exception to this. Aim: To describe the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on orthodontic practice, exploring the basic sterilisation protocols being followed during COVID-19 pandemic and to predict the future of orthodontics in post-COVID era. Materials and Methods: The Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Faculty of Dental Sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana, India, conducted this questionnaire based cross-sectional survey in May 2020 over a time span of 20 days. A web-based questionnaire of 15 multiple choice questions in English was created as a Google Form in Google Documents. The link to this form was shared online with the orthodontists and postgraduate students (Orthodontics) of dental colleges situated in the National Capital Region (NCR) through WhatsApp groups and e-mails. A total of 254 responses were received. Results: A 97.6% of respondents agreed that COVID-19 affected their orthodontic practice. The odds ratio between those not likely to resume practice and those likely to resume practice taking educational qualification as the significant predictor was calculated to be 8.976 at 95% confidence intervals. There was wide variation in the selection of the safety protocols by the orthodontists in the present study (p<0.01). Increased digitalisation in orthodontics (45.7%) followed by less demand of orthodontic treatment (18.5%) were opted as the future in post-COVID era (p<0.01). Conclusion: The present survey found that orthodontic community as a whole was affected greatly by COVID-19 pandemic and is quite apprehensive. The future of orthodontics in the post-COVID era is unpredictable presently. Digitalisation in orthodontics is the key option to have minimum physical contact with the patients. The study suggested the need and importance of basic sterilisation protocols and a training program for dental settings during COVID-19 for patient’s as well as clinician’s safety

Hepatitis E virus: A leading cause of waterborne viral hepatitis in Northwest Districts of Punjab, India

BACKGROUND: Acute viral hepatitis (AVH) caused by enterically transmitted hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) poses a major health problem in developing countries such as India. Despite improving sanitation, heath awareness, and socioeconomic conditions, these infections continue to occur both in sporadic as well as in epidemic forms in different parts of India AIMS The aim of this study is to determine the total as well as age-specific prevalence rates of HAV and HEV in the outbreaks of waterborne hepatitis in districts surrounding Amritsar region of Punjab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in the Virology Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, Government Medical College, Amritsar, during the study period of January 2015–March 2016. Samples from suspected outbreaks of AVH occurring in various districts around Amritsar were included as a part of the study. A total of 95 sera were tested for IgM antibody to HEV and HAV using IgM capture ELISA kit. RESULTS: Out of the total 95 samples received, 73 samples (76.84%) were positive for HAV/HEV. Out of the total positive cases, 65 (68.42%) had HEV infection, 2 (2.1%) had HAV, and 6 cases (6.31%) were coinfected with both HAV and HEV. The 21–30 years age group (25 cases) was identified as the most susceptible group for HEV infection. The coinfected subjects presented a wider range of age distribution (1–10 years: 1; 11–20 years: 3; 21–30 years: 1; 31–40 years: 1). Seasonal distribution of data revealed bimodal peaks for HEV infection. CONCLUSION: There should be some surveillance system to regularly monitor the portability of drinking water from time to time to avoid such preventable outbreaks in future

Coinfection of chikungunya and dengue viruses: A serological study from North Western region of Punjab, India

INTRODUCTION: Dengue and chikungunya (CHIK) infections appear to be increasing in all parts of India. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are common vectors for dengue virus (DENV) and CHIK virus (CHIKV). In areas where both viruses cocirculate, they can be transmitted together. There are very few studies discussing the dengue-chik coinfection from Punjab region of India. The present study was undertaken to study the clinical features of dengue–CHIK coinfection and compare with monoinfection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IgM antibody capture (MAC) ELISA for dengue IgM and CHIK IgM and ELISA for nonstructural protein 1 antigen was performed on serum samples obtained from suspected patients. RESULTS: Out of total 3160 samples from suspected patients for dengue infection, 2178 (68.92%) samples were positive for DENV while CHIK IgM antibodies were positive in 127 patients out of the total suspected 373 cases (34.04%). In addition to this, 283 samples were tested for both viruses, out of which 27 sera were positive (9.54%) for coinfection of dengue and CHIK. The comparison of signs and symptoms showed that the coinfected patients had fever in all cases while rash was seen in only 30% cases. Arthralgia (79%) and thrombocytopenia (77%) was seen in significant number of coinfected cases thus revealing overlapping nature of dengue–CHIK coinfection. Conclusions: Increase in the number of Dengue and Chikungunya infections and their cocirculation is an important public health concern which warrants the implementation of strict control measures

Clinical - epidemiological profile and diagnosis of Influenza A H1N1 cases by real time RTPCR at a tertiary care institute of India: the war is not over yet

Background: Influenza A virus is a common human pathogen that has caused serious respiratory illness and death over the past century. In April 2009, WHO declared pandemic influenza A H1N1 public health emergency of international concern. India is reeling under the worst H1N1 influenza outbreak with over 18,000 affected cases and over 1000 deaths by the year 2015. Methods: The present study was conducted to find the clinical and epidemiological profile of H1N1 influenza A cases and a real time RT-PCR was standardized and evaluated for the detection of H1N1 influenza A virus in suspected cases admitted in a tertiary care hospital of northern India. Results: Of the total 184 clinical samples tested, 48(26.0%) samples were found to be positive for influenza A H1N1 virus by real time RT-PCR. The highest percentage of cases was in the age group of 40-55 years followed by the 20-40 years. The main clinical symptoms were fever(95.8%), breathlessness(77.0%) , cough(68.7%) and sore throat (56.2%).The mortality rate of cases admitted with H1N1 infection was 52.0%. Conclusion: The mutational behavior of H1N1 has been a major future challenge in the part of pharmacotherapy. Rapid and sensitive diagnostic methods like real time RT-PCR increase the capability to detect, understand and assess new viruses for pandemic risk and to track their international spread

Frontal and Axial Evaluation of Craniofacial Morphology in Repaired Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Patients Utilizing Cone Beam Computed Tomography; An Observational Study

The current study was conducted to assess the extent of maxillary arch collapse on the cleft vis-a-vis non-cleft sides in the same individual presenting withunilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Thirty-one children (eighteen boys andthirteen girls) with surgically repaired UCLP, who met the inclusion criteria, were selected. Following the acquisition of CBCT scans, fourteen bilateral landmarks were selected. The distance of the bilateral landmark was calculated from the midsagittal plane on the cleft and non-cleft sides for both frontal and axial views. Tracings were done;the data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis;and intra-observer variability was checked with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and two-way ANOVA. Subsequently, the measurements were subjected to paired t-tests at the 95% level of significance with Bonferroni correction. A significant reduction of pyriforme and an alveolar crest above the maxillary 1st molar were discerned in frontal analysis on the cleft side. In the axial view, the zygomatic arch, malar, porion and alveolar crest at the molar region were non-significant, but the alveolar crest at the premolar region (p &lt; 0.004)) was significantly decreased. In the frontal analysis, pyriforme and the alveolar crest above the maxillary 1st molar, and, in the axial view, premolar widths, showed significant reduction when comparing the cleft vis-a-vis non-cleft sides

Frontal and Axial Evaluation of Craniofacial Morphology in Repaired Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Patients Utilizing Cone Beam Computed Tomography; An Observational Study

The current study was conducted to assess the extent of maxillary arch collapse on the cleft vis-a-vis non-cleft sides in the same individual presenting withunilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Thirty-one children (eighteen boys andthirteen girls) with surgically repaired UCLP, who met the inclusion criteria, were selected. Following the acquisition of CBCT scans, fourteen bilateral landmarks were selected. The distance of the bilateral landmark was calculated from the midsagittal plane on the cleft and non-cleft sides for both frontal and axial views. Tracings were done;the data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis;and intra-observer variability was checked with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and two-way ANOVA. Subsequently, the measurements were subjected to paired t-tests at the 95% level of significance with Bonferroni correction. A significant reduction of pyriforme and an alveolar crest above the maxillary 1st molar were discerned in frontal analysis on the cleft side. In the axial view, the zygomatic arch, malar, porion and alveolar crest at the molar region were non-significant, but the alveolar crest at the premolar region (p &lt; 0.004)) was significantly decreased. In the frontal analysis, pyriforme and the alveolar crest above the maxillary 1st molar, and, in the axial view, premolar widths, showed significant reduction when comparing the cleft vis-a-vis non-cleft sides