A Novel Technique of Impression Procedure in a Hemimaxillectomy Patient with Microstomia

A restricted mouth opening in hemimaxillectomy patient can create a significant problem with the insertion and the removal of the obturator prosthesis. Even it poses a problem in impression making due to small oral opening. A modification of the standard impression procedure is often necessary to accomplish an acceptable impression in the fabrication of a successful prosthesis. Sectional trays are a good option for such patients. This paper describes a novel technique of impression procedure and a method of fabricating a sectional tray with the anterior and the posterior locking mechanism for a hemimaxillectomy patient with limited oral opening

A sectional-splinting technique for impressing multiple implant units by eliminating the use of an open tray

Since the inception of root form implant dentistry by P-I Branemark in the early 1980′s, so many technical advances have been put forward by several authors. However, the open tray impression technique is still performed for impressing multiple implant fixtures as it was first described in the original Branemark procedure manual. The most critical aspect for a successful implant-supported restoration is the passive and an accurate fit of superstructures to avoid preload and loading stresses. Splinting impression technique in multiple implants has gained popularity. Auto-polymerizing acrylic resin is among the most routinely practiced splinting material for multiple implant units. However, unfortunately, it exhibits shrinkage, which makes an impression quite inaccurate. This case report presents the solution to minimize the shrinkage of resin by utilizing sectional-splinting technique as advocated in the previous implant literature

Knowledge and practices of oral health care in final year undergraduate nursing students: A cross-sectional study

Background: Nursing personnel plays a crucial role in promoting health and preventing information dissemination in the community. Aim: to assess and evaluate the oral health knowledge and practices of final year nursing students of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (India). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in five nursing colleges of Jabalpur. A total of 172 students participated in the survey, which were given a questionnaire that comprised 26 questions. The questionnaire were evaluated under four parts such as information on dental and oral health, oral hygiene practices, attitude toward dentist and dentistry, and interest to improve knowledge, after which the data were analyzed to compare the statistical significance among the variables. Results: 84.3% of the participants knew how many teeth we have in our mouth. Many of them were not aware of proper brushing method. However, they revealed an adequate knowledge toward the identification of disease and its relation to general health. They also showed knowledge regarding the effect of diet on oral health, but 83.1% of them were confused with the identification of tooth decay. Approximately 51.7% of participants were unsure about the number of visits a person should make to a dentist. Conclusion: Nursing undergraduates have adequate knowledge on the basic oral structure and identifying oral diseases. However, they are little puzzled with the brushing method, number of visits a person should make to a dentist. They were not updated with the specialties in dentistry. Many of them showed interest toward camps and clinical postings to enhance their knowledge toward oral health care

Adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors among dental undergraduates surfing social networking sites

Introduction: Little is known about the relationships between adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors among dental undergraduate students surfing social networking sites (SNSs). Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the associations between adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors with social networking usage among dental students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a private university in Madhya Pradesh (India) among 300 dental undergraduate students. A self-administered questionnaire was used. It included questions on sociodemographical data, pattern of social networking use, social relationship, unhealthy behaviors, and health effects. Results: The mean age was 21.5 (±2.3) years. The average daily SNSs surfing hours were 3.5 (±1.8). Significant associations were found between average hours of social networking and the following factors: isolation from family members and society, refusing to answer calls, musculoskeletal pain, headache, and eye irritation (P < 0.001). The average hours spent on social networking were significantly associated with holding urination and defecation while online, surfing SNSs until midnight, and postponing, forgetting, or skipping meals (P < 0.001). Cohen's effect size value between adverse health effect and social networking hours were 0.78, 0.86, 0.82, 0.86, and 0.81 for back pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain, headache, and eye irritation, respectively. The effect size value between health-related behaviors and social networking hours were 0.72, 0.62, 0.72, 0.71, and 0.84 for holding urine, holding defecation, postponing meal, skipping meal, and social networking until midnight, respectively. Gender-wise comparison for social networking hours showed a low practical significance (d = 0.09). Conclusions: The average hours spent on social networking were associated with adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors among dental undergraduate students, as well as social isolation from the family and society

A prosthetic approach for rehabilitation of a pediatric patient with retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is a highly malignant tumor of an eye, which is often detected at a far advanced stage in childhood. The most preferred treatment for such neoplasm is enucleation followed by placement of orbital implants. The affected child undergoes overwhelming psychological, social, emotional, and behavioral changes due to facial asymmetry resulting from enucleation. A team approach including pediatric ophthalmologist, psychologist, and a maxillofacial prosthodontist plays an important role in such cases helping such children in their reintegration in the society. This paper presents a case of a 4-year-old male patient who had undergone enucleation of his right eye due to intraocular retinoblastoma. The patient was rehabilitated cosmetically with precisely fabricated customized ocular prosthesis. An ocular prosthesis is a highly positive and noninvasive approach to improve the cosmetic appearance and psychological well-being of the patient

An alternative technique for hollowing maxillary complete denture

Extreme resorption of edentulous maxilla may cause difficulty during fabrication of a maxillary complete denture. Increased inter-ridge distance often creates a clinical problem due to heavy-weighted maxillary prosthesis. This article elaborates an alternative approach for hollowing a maxillary complete denture. It utilizes a clear template of the trial denture facilitating the creation of a gelatin cavity form. This hollowing ensures the even thickness of both denture base resins for structural integrity and reduces the heaviness of the denture

Applications of applied kinesiology in dental practice

Amongst different approaches of complementary and alternative medicines used for treating any type of ailment, applied kinesiology (AK) claims to diagnose illness or select therapy by manual testing muscles for strength and weakness. Applications of AK in dental practice have given a complete assessment, reevaluation and understanding of a patient’s general health and wellbeing. AK provides dentists with a wide variety of options for enhancing their diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The different aspects of structural integration, selection of dental materials, and the equipments used for muscle testing have been described in this article. An overview of literature reveals a positive response by many dental clinicians towards this tool. This article reviews regarding AK and its applications in dental practice

A New Trend in Recording Subgingival Tissue around an Implant While Making a Direct Abutment Impression

A successful implant-supported restoration must provide adequate function and esthetics. Osseointegrated implants have given an alternative choice for patients who have lost their teeth. Most commonly encountered problems while doing a transfer from patient to the master cast in restoring implant-supported crowns are an uneven distribution of occlusal loads and undue torquing forces on the various elements of implant. This is caused due to poor fit of frameworks connected to implant, which further leads to marginal bone loss, loosening of screws, fatigue fracture of implant components, and ultimately implant failure. This paper presents a simplified and easy solution to overcome such problems by introducing an innovative gingival retraction system for restoring implant-supported crowns to achieve superior and predictable long-term outcomes

Perceptions of dental outpatients toward cross-infection control measures in Jabalpur city

Introduction: Infection control practices are crucial and important elements in clinical dentistry as there is an enormous increase in the prevalence of infectious diseases among dental patients. This necessitates the application of recommended procedures for infection control in the dental schools and clinics. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess patients' perception toward the use of protective barriers (such as gloves, face masks, and eye goggles) by working dentists in a private dental teaching school in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (India). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study of a convenient sample of patients visiting the dental school of RDU was conducted in 2015. A structured, close-ended, self-administered questionnaire was distributed among 700 patients and a response rate of 89% was obtained. The questionnaire consisted of a series of questions related to awareness, knowledge, attitude, and perception of patients toward infection control measures. Data analysis included frequency distribution tables. Results: Of 664 patients (298 males and 366 females), 97.7%, 93.5%, and 43.6% of the patients believed that dentist should wear gloves, face masks, and eye goggles, respectively, when treating patients. The majority of them (95.3%) refused to undergo treatment if the dentist is not wearing gloves and face masks. More than two-thirds (73.3%) denied receiving treatment from a dentist, who is not immunized against hepatitis B. Nearly 79.2% of patients refused to attend school if they knew that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients treated there. The majority of patients (92.7%, 72.3%, and 23.1%) believed that gloves, facemasks, and eye goggles protect both dentist and patient, respectively. Only 44.9% said that autoclave is the best method of sterilization. A significantly higher knowledge of infection control was observed among the previous dental visitors compared to the first-time visitors (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Patients revealed adequate knowledge toward the use of gloves, face masks, and eye goggles by a dentist. However, their knowledge regarding the use of autoclave was poor. This documentation will serve in planning more effective interventions to enhance public awareness about infection control in dentistry in Jabalpur city, India

Giant Cell Fibroma of Tongue: Understanding the Nature of an Unusual Histopathological Entity

Giant cell fibroma (GCF) is a rare case with unique histopathology. It belongs to the broad category of fibrous hyperplastic lesions of the oral cavity. It is often mistaken with fibroma and papilloma due to its clinical resemblance. Only its peculiar histopathological features help us to distinguish it from them. The origin of the giant cell is still controversial. Data available is very sparse to predict the exact behavior. Hence, we report a case of GCF of tongue in a 19-year-old male. Special emphasis is given to understand the basic process of development of the lesion, nature of giant cells, and also the need for formation of these peculiar cells. Briefly, the differential diagnosis for GCF is tabulated