A Comparison of Parental Satisfaction in the Quality of their Child's Orthodontic Treatment by Orthodontists and Pedodontists.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate satisfaction of the parents of children who have undergone orthodontic treatment provided by their orthodontists and pediatric dentists in their private practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 412 parents were interviewed with the help of a questionnaire containing information such as demographic part, experience of braces, motives for orthodontic treatment, complications faced during the procedure and reasoning for satisfaction. Student's t-test was applied to analyze the results. The level of significance was set at P = 0.05. RESULTS: A higher level of satisfaction was seen in parents of children treated by pedodontists (mean score of satisfaction = 0.752) when compared with those treated by orthodontists (mean score of satisfaction = 0.631) which was statistically significant. Parents of girl patients showed a higher mean score of satisfaction (1.021) when compared with those of boy patients (0.321), which was also statistically significant. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the pedodontists performed orthodontic treatment to a similar standard as orthodontists, in fact they proved to be better in terms of patient care and behavior management as the parental satisfaction in the quality of orthodontic care was more with pediatric dentists than with orthodontists in this study.

An epidemiological study to know the prevalence of deleterious oral habits among 6 to 12 year old children.

BACKGROUND: This study was taken to assess the prevalence of deleterious oral habits among 6-12 year old school going children. MATERIALS & METHODS: A sample size of 832 children was finalized with simple random sampling technique including 444 males and 388 females. To get the demographic information and presence of harmful oral habits a closed-ended questionnaire was developed. Clinical evaluation was also done using mirror and water tests. Chi-square test was done to compare the prevalence of oral habits among different age groups and gender at p<0.05. RESULTS: Bruxism (17.3%) was most commonly seen followed by bottle feeding (10.1%), thumb sucking (8.7%), nail biting (5.8%), tongue thrusting (4.9%) and mouth breathing (4.3%). Prevalence of all deleterious habits were more among female children and it also showed significant differences according to age. CONCLUSION: The data showed high prevalence of these oral habits. This highlighted the need for preventive orthodontic treatment at early age of life so that future occurrence of malocclusion can be avoided. How to cite the article: Garde JB, Suryavanshi RK, Jawale BA, Deshmukh V, Dadhe DP, Suryavanshi MK. An epidemiological study to know the prevalence of deleterious oral habits among 6 to 12 year old children. J Int Oral Health 2014;6(1):39-43.

Microbial colonization and their relation with potential cofactors in patients with denture stomatitis.

AIM: To determine microbial prevalence in the mucous membrane and prosthesis of denture wearers with and without denture stomatitis and to study its relationship with potential clinical cofactors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Saliva was collected from 200 patients (100 female and 100 male) wearing dental prosthesis for measurement of pH. Oral samples of the mucous membrane and of dentures were taken with sterile swab for microbiological analysis. Medical and dietary history of the subjects was recorded. Chi-square test and analysis of varience were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Diabetes, hypertension and high carbohydrate ingestion was observed in majority of patients. The pH average in saliva was of 5.1. The presence of C. albicans, S. aureus and S. mutans in the mucous membrane was of 55.4, 56.4 and 63.6% respectively. C. albicans was isolated in 69.7% from the prosthesis, whereas S. aureus and S. mutans were isolated in 45.3%. The isolation of C.albicans was more frequent in patients with denture stomatitis. CONCLUSION: C. albicans, S. aureus and S. mutans frequently colonize the oral mucous of denture wearers. This is more frequently observed in patients with denture stomatitis. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Denture stomatitis is associated to Candida albicans, different bacteria and other cofactors, such as salivary pH, carbohydrate ingestion, systemic illnesses and medication.

In vitro caries-preventive effect of fluoridated orthodontic resins against cariogenic challenge stimulation.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro caries preventive effect of fluoridated orthodontic resins under pH cycling with two types of acid demineralizing saliva. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Brackets were bonded to 120 extracted human premolars, using Rely-a-bond (n = 40), Tru- Bond (n = 40) and Ortho-one (n = 40) orthodontic bonding agents. Each group of resin was divided into 2 subgroups (n = 20): immersion in remineralizing artificial saliva for 14 days and acid saliva with pH 4.3. After 14 days of pH cycling the caries preventive effect on the development of white spot lesion was evaluated considering the presence of inhibition zones to white spot lesions using two scores: 0 = absence and 1 = presence. Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U tests were used. RESULTS: Formation of white spot lesions was observed only under pH cycling using acid saliva with pH 4.3; with Rely-a-bond and Tru-Bond being significantly more effective in preventing the appearance of white spot lesions effect than Ortho-one. CONCLUSION: The acidity of the demineralizing solution influenced the formation of white spot lesions around orthodontic brackets under highly cariogenic conditions. Rely-a-bond and Tru-bond presented higher caries-preventive effect than Orthoone. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The development of fluoride-containing materials cannot be regarded as a permanent means to control dental caries lesions, but a complement along with other preventive methods.

Correlation between dental traumatic injuries and overjet among 11 to 17 years Indian girls with Angle's class I molar relation.

AIM: The present study was conducted to assess the correlation of traumatic dental injuries and overjet among school going girls of age 11 to 17 years in Pune, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out with 2045 school girls aged 11 to 17 years, attending public elementary schools in Pune, India. The traumatic dental injuries were assessed according to Ellis and Davey's criteria. Occlusion was recorded according to Angle´s classification and overjet was measured using a WHO 621 probe. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: There was a significant (Z -2.785) association between increase in overjet and occurrence of trauma. Children with increased overjet were 3.09 times more likely to have dental injuries. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded from the present study that a significant correlation exists between amount of overjet and prevalence of traumatic injuries among children. The percentage of trauma prevalence increases with the increase of overjet. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Traumatic dental injury is not a result of disease but a consequence of several factors that will accumulate throughout life if not properly treated. One of the most important factors significantly contributing to traumatic dental injuries is the anterior overjet. Hence, correction of increased anterior overjet may help in prevention of traumatic injuries.

Dental plaque pH variation with regular soft drink, diet soft drink and high energy drink: an in vivo study.

BACKGROUND: A high incidence of dental caries and dental erosion associated with frequent consumption of soft drinks has been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pH response of dental plaque to a regular, diet and high energy drink. METHODOLOGY: Twenty subjects were recruited for this study. All subjects were between the ages of 20 and 25 and had at least four restored tooth surfaces present. The subjects were asked to refrain from brushing for 48 hours prior to the study. At baseline, plaque pH was measured from four separate locations using harvesting method. Subjects were asked to swish with 15 ml of the respective soft drink for 1 minute. Plaque pH was measured at the four designated tooth sites at 5, 10 and 20 minutes intervals. Subjects then repeated the experiment using the other two soft drinks. RESULTS: pH was minimum for regular soft drink (2.65 ± 0.026) followed by high energy drink (3.39 ± 0.026) and diet soft drink (3.78 ± 0.006). The maximum drop in plaque pH was seen with regular soft drink followed by high energy drink and diet soft drink. CONCLUSION: Regular soft drink possesses a greater acid challenge potential on enamel than diet and high energy soft drinks. However, in this clinical trial, the pH associated with either soft drink did not reach the critical pH which is expected for enamel demineralization and dissolution.

Antimicrobial activity of commercially available essential oils against Streptococcus mutans.

INTRODUCTION: Many essential oils have been advocated for use in complementary medicine for bacterial and fungal infections. However, few of the many claims of therapeutic efficacy have been validated adequately by either in vitro testing or in vivo clinical trials. OBJECTIVE: To study the antibacterial activity of nine commercially available essential oils against Streptococcus mutans in vitro and to compare the antibacterial activity between each material. METHODOLOGY: Nine pure essential oils; wintergreen oil, lime oil, cinnamon oil, spearmint oil, peppermint oil, lemongrass oil, cedarwood oil, clove oil and eucalyptus oil were selected for the study. Streptococcus mutans was inoculated at 37ºC and seeded on blood agar medium. Agar well diffusion assay was used to measure antibacterial activity. Zone of inhibition was measured around the filter paper in millimeters with vernier caliper. RESULTS: Cinnamon oil showed highest activity against Streptococcus mutans followed by lemongrass oil and cedarwood oil. Wintergreen oil, lime oil, peppermint oil and spearmint oil showed no antibacterial activity. CONCLUSION: Cinnamon oil, lemongrass oil, cedarwood oil, clove oil and eucalyptus oil exhibit antibacterial property against S. mutans. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The use of these essential oils against S. mutans can be a viable alternative to other antibacterial agents as these are an effective module used in the control of both bacteria and yeasts responsible for oral infections.

An unusual pattern of self-inflicted injury after dental local anesthesia: a report of 2 cases.

The local anesthetics used in dentistry are considered very safe and have a low incidence of adverse reactions associated with their administration. A frequent finding by clinicians engaged in treatment of children is, following a dental appointment requiring local anesthesia to treat dental disease, a child may bite his or her lip out of curiosity associated with the unfamiliar sensation of being numb or inadvertently because no pain is felt. We describe two unusual case reports of postanesthetic self-inflicted injuries in this article. The first being the ulceration due to lip biting and the scratch injury on the chin after inferior alveolar nerve block. The second report presents an unusual scratch injury on the ala of nose following maxillary infiltration anesthesia. The common treatment modalities and the possible methods of prevention are discussed.

Soft skill appraisal for dentistry: a tool for positive practice management.

UNLABELLED: Soft skills adoption is a learning experience for every practitioner and every academician. Author has expressed his opinion for success through educational and real values of soft skill. Soft skills behavior of individual and institution help in achieving desirable goals in general and specialty practices. Author also focused on some realistic soft skill methods for improvisation of practices for all doctor. CONCLUSION: These skills indulge positive energy in human relationship for working in symbiosis and explore infinite capabilities at institutional and doctoral level. Here, some optimistic suggestions are given for improving dental practices and academic fulfillments. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: These soft skills help to organize, plan and manage, and track changes during the course of the growing dental practices. However, understanding of the soft skills in practice management, its simplicity and complexity and also, its contributing factors, helps practitioners to understand the dynamic, social and complex contexts of practices. It is really helpful to all practitioners to grow their practices using soft skills.