Oral Health Behaviour and its Influence on Oral Health Status and Related Quality of Life among Dental Outpatients - A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to predict oral health behaviour (OHB) using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and determine its influence on oral health status and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among subjects attending the outpatient department of a tertiary dental hospital in India. METHODS: A pre-validated questionnaire was used among 240 randomly selected study subjects to record their demographic details, attitudes (Att), subjective norms (SN) and perceived behaviour control (PBC) with regard to dietary habits (DH), oral hygiene habits (OH) and dental attendance (DA) behaviours. OHRQoL and oral health status of study participants were recorded using Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Assessment Form (2013), respectively. Multivariate analysis was performed after the necessary bivariate comparisons. RESULTS: Among demographic characteristics, the Socioeconomic status (SES) of the study subjects highly influenced their DH and OH (P < 0.05). DA was largely affected by the age of the study subjects (P < 0.05). While attitude of the study participants greatly affected their DH, PBC largely influenced their OH and DA behaviours (P < 0.05). The OHRQoL and Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (DMFT) levels were strongly influenced by the participants' DA behaviours (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: DMFT scores and OHRQoL were highly influenced by DA behaviour besides others. DA instead was influenced by PBC. Hence, there needs to be a conscious shift towards strengthening the skills of the population to promote oral health.

Microbial Contamination of Dental Unit Waterlines among Dental Clinics of India- An In vitro Study.

BACKGROUND: Dental Unit Water Line (DUWL) deliver water to different handpieces in a dental unit. The water in DUWL circulates in a closed system, where it is taken from a container. The quality of dental water is of considerable importance since patients and dental staff are regularly exposed to water and aerosols generated from dental equipment. Output water from DUWLs may be a potential source of infection for both dental health care personnel and patients. AIM: To assess the microbial contamination in the DUWL among dental clinics in Chennai. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An in vitro study was conducted on 60 water samples from 20 dental clinics in Chennai in December 2019. Water samples were collected from three different sources of the Dental unit according to ADA guidelines. The collected samples were assessed for the presence of Aspergillus, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Legionella by agar plate method. The data were analysed using SPSS software version 20. RESULTS: Legionella was the most prevalent microorganism with 70% prevalence in a three-way syringe and 50% in scaler and airotor, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter with 10% prevalence in scaler and airotor and Aspergillus with a prevalence of 10% in the three-way syringe. CONCLUSION: Most of the dental units were contaminated with Aspergillus, Legionella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter which pose a serious threat to the patients as well as the dentists.

Effectiveness of Herbal, Homeopathic and Conventional Dentifrices on Dental Caries - A Double-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of ayurvedic, homeopathic and conventional dentifrices on plaque and saliva in terms of cariogenic bacteria, salivary pH, and plaque pH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This double-blinded, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial was performed at Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai, India. The participants comprised healthy adults possessing more than 20 permanent natural teeth and having a Decayed Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) score, plaque index score, and gingival index score less than or equal to 2. There were 3 intervention groups: 1: herbal dentifrice (Dabur Meswak); 2: homeopathic dentifrice (Gum Forte gel); 3: fluoride dentifrice (Colgate Total). The outcome measures were as follows: plaque and saliva samples were evaluated for pH; colony counts of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus at baseline, 14 and 28 days of follow-up. One-way and repeated measures ANOVA, Wilcoxon signed-rank and Kruskal Wallis tests were used to compare the mean differences of plaque and salivary pH and plaque and salivary S. mutans and Lactobacillus counts at baseline, 14 and 28 days. RESULTS: The mean S. mutans and Lactobacillus counts in plaque and saliva decreased statistically significantly in all treatment groups at the 28-day follow-up. Mean plaque pH was not statistically significantly different at the 14-day follow-up (p-value = 0.16). On the 28th day, group 1 (7.64 ± 0.20) showed the highest increase in plaque pH followed by group 2 (7.39 ± 0.25) and group 3 (7.27 ± 0.19), which was found to be statistically significant. No statistically significant difference in mean salivary pH was observed between the three groups at the different time points. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that the herbal dentifrice tested here was effective in reducing cariogenic bacterial count and increasing the plaque pH, thereby warranting the usage of the same.

In Vitro Evaluation of Viscosity, Depth of Penetration, Microleakage, and Shear Bond Strength of Conventional and Hydrophilic Sealants.

Background: Sealants are effective in preventing and arresting pit and fissure caries. Newer brands of sealants continue to be developed despite the lack of scientifically based information addressing the caries-preventive properties of these materials. Hence, laboratory in vitro tests play a vital role in providing the necessary information regarding the efficacy of new products in a short period of time. Objectives: To compare and evaluate the viscosity, resin tag length, microleakage, and shear bond strength between conventional and hydrophilic sealants. Materials and methods: A total of 40 extracted third molars were selected. Only 20 were evaluated for microleakage and resin tag length and another 20 for shear bond strength evaluation between group I-ClinPro and group II-UltraSeal XT hydro. After sealant placement, specimens were immersed in 0.1% rhodamine dye, followed by thermocycling. Microleakage testing was done using a confocal laser scanning microscope and resin tag length evaluation using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and shear bond strength using an Universal Instron machine. Viscosity was assessed using an Anton Paar viscometer. Results were subjected to statistical analysis using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20. Results: Viscosity and mean microleakage scores for group I (0.92 MPa and 1.50) were found to be higher than for group II (0.72 MPa and 0.60). Mean resin tag length and mean shear bond strength for group I (7.46 ± 0.95 µm and 13.71 ± 0.94 MPa) were found to be less compared to group II (10.03 ± 1.00 µm and 20.39 ± 0.98 MPa). The results were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Group II was found to be less viscous, which resulted in the formation of resin tags of sufficient length and showed less microleakage and higher shear bond strength than group I. How to cite this article: Prabakar J, Jeevanandan G, Kengadaran S. In Vitro Evaluation of Viscosity, Depth of Penetration, Microleakage, and Shear Bond Strength of Conventional and Hydrophilic Sealants. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(5):745-750.

Evaluation of the efficacy of plaque reduction and gingival health among 6-12 years old school children before and after a short term daily intake of probiotic lozenge - A comparative study.

Context: Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which when delivered in adequate amounts provides health benefit in the host. Dietary supplements like lozenge seem to be the easy and acceptable vehicle for ingestion of probiotics in young children. Aim: To assess the efficacy of probiotics in plaque reduction and gingival health among 6-12 years school children before and after short term daily intake of Probiotic lozenge. Settings and Design: This Comparative study was conducted among 60 children in the age group 6-12 years. Thirty children in experimental group; who were given lozenge containing probiotic bacteria twice daily, one in the morning and another in the evening after brushing for one month. The placebo lozenge group also followed the same protocol. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS version 21. Results: The Probiotic lozenge group was found to have statistically significant reduction in plaque scores when compared to that of the placebo group with P < 0.001 and there was also a significant improvement in gingival health. Conclusion: An effective reduction in plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation was found with the use of probiotic lozenges and hence proved the therapeutic value of the same.

Prevalence of Dental Caries and Gingivitis among children with Intellectual Disability in India.

Introduction: Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common genetic abnormalities, with highly variable prognosis. Oral diseases such as periodontal disease, malocclusion, mouth breathing, macroglossia, delayed teeth eruption, missing and malformed teeth, microdontia, diastema, and bruxism are common among individuals with DS. Hence, a study was planned to assess the caries experience and periodontal status of subjects with DS. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 92 DS patients in two different centers in Chennai and Pondicherry to assess the prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis, using dft/DMFT and Modified Loe and Silness Gingival Index, respectively. The subjects were examined by three trained and calibrated examiners using a pre-tested and pre-validated proforma. Data were entered in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using SPSS software (version 20). Descriptive statistics were used. A value of P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean DMFT was low among male (1.47 ± 2.31) when compared to female (2.57 ± 4.57) which was found to be significant statistically. The gingival score was low among male (.85 ± 0.36) when compared to female (1 ± 1.00) which was found to be significant statistically. The mean dft among male and female were (.49 ± 1.37;.43 ± 1.09), respectively, which was found to be not significant statistically. Conclusion: Dental caries and gingival diseases are higher among children with DS. Dental caries was found both in primary dentition and permanent dentition.

Comparative effectiveness of herbal and conventional toothpaste on prevention of dental caries: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Dental caries is a global oral health problem caused due to localized demineralization of the enamel. Chemical plaque control is used as an adjuvant to mechanical plaque control in removing biofilm, thereby preventing dental caries. In recent times, there has been a renewed interest in nature-based products. This systematic review aimed to analyse the existing literature to compare the effectiveness of herbal and conventional dentifrices on prevention of dental caries. A search was done in the databases of PubMed and Google Scholar in July 2020 for the related topic. A hand search was done from the references of primary studies and other clinical trial registry sites. Randomized control trials, comparative clinical trials, and in vitro studies in which the effectiveness of herbal and conventional dentifrices on prevention of dental caries were included after review by the reviewers. The systematic search revealed a total of thirty-two publications from which ten publications were included. Five studies were clinical studies and five were in vitro studies. All the studies used microbiological analysis for the determination of cariogenic microorganisms in plaque and saliva, whereas one study used pH of plaque and saliva. Among the included studies, all studies had a high risk of bias with level 2 evidence. With the evidence available, it can be concluded that herbal dentifrices and fluoride dentifrices have similar antimicrobial activity against cariogenic microorganisms.

A content analysis of social media on outbreak of infodemic amidst COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: With so much content on social media platforms about COVID-19, determining which information is reliable can be a daunting task. Hence, this study is aimed to analyze various posts with regard to COVID-19 on various social media platforms for their reliability and also examined various factors that influence information reliability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, with 934 samples related to coronavirus pandemic published on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using systematic random sampling. We adopted the criteria given by Paul Bradshaw and modified to assess the characteristics of the samples. Training and calibration of the investigators were carried out for 3 consecutive days before beginning the study. The data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios. RESULTS: Out of 934 samples studied, only 570 (61%) were found to be reliable of which 243 (42.6%) were from Twitter, 117 (20.6%) from Instagram, and 210 (36.8%) from Facebook. We found that the reliability of the information on social media platforms is significantly influenced by network (odds: 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-1.52; P = 0.036), content (odds: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.69-1.92; P = 0.009), contextual update (odds: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.24-1.53) and age of the account (odds: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.64-2.09; P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the reliability of the social media posts significantly depends on the network, contextual update, and age of the account. Hence, cross verifying the information from a reliable source is the need of the hour to prevent panic and mental distress.

Efficacy of marine algal extracts against oral pathogens - A systematic review.

Introduction: Marine algae possess a plethora of secondary active metabolites which has many biomedical applications. Anti-bacterial activity against oral cariogenic bacteria is reported in literature, however there is no comprehensive review available. Hence, this review is attempted to collate all the evidence available regarding the marine algal extracts and its constituents against oral cariogenic bacteria. Methods: Electronic search was conducted in the Google scholar, the Pubmed database and various clinical trial registries. Included studies were clinical, in-vitro studies assessing DMFT, DMFS, minimum inhibitory concentration or colony forming unit counts. Result: A total of 19 trials were obtained out of which only 7 were eligible for this review. Quality assessment was done by Higgins and Greens (2011) method. Results showed all the studies where they used crude algal extracts or its active constituents were showing anti-bacterial activity. Conclusion: Thus, this review showed that marine algal extracts and other constituents are having anti-microbial properties, making them potential anti-microbial agents for oral hygiene maintenance without adverse effects of currently available chemical based oral care products.

Development and validation of English version of COVID-19 Depression Scale for health-care workers.

BACKGROUND: Health-care workers (HCWs) are highly vulnerable to depression during an epidemic outbreak. Protecting the mental well-being of HCWs is a priority while battling with COVID-19. However, documentation on COVID-19-related depression among HCWs is scarce due to the limited availability of measuring scales. Hence, this study was purposed to develop a scale to measure depression relating to COVID-19 and evaluate its psychometric properties among HCWs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A validation study was carried out among 320 HCWs including physicians of various medical specialties, dental specialists, and nurses in the year 2020. Exploratory factor analysis using Promax rotation with Kaiser normalization for the determination of factor structure was employed in data analysis using SPSS version 16 software. RESULTS: COVID-19 Depression Scale for HCWs (CDS-HW) demonstrated a two-component structure identified as "work-related anxiety" and "psychological distress." The mean CDS-HW score of the study participants was observed to be 23.67 ± 2.82, and the scale demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.741). CONCLUSION: CDS-HW is a rapidly administrable, valid, and reliable tool that can be used to measure COVID-19-related depression among HCWs.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice related to ergonomics among the students of three different dental schools in India: An original research.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Dental students and practitioners are frequently prone to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to the unawareness of ergonomic principles when practicing dentistry. The aim of this study was to assess the dental student knowledge, attitude, and practice toward ergonomics in three different dental schools. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1166 dental students from three different dental schools of Andhra Pradesh, India, to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding ergonomics. All the participants were provided with prestructured questionnaire form comprising 13 questions to know their knowledge, attitude, and practice related to ergonomics before and after providing guidelines on ergonomic principles. RESULTS: The majority of the dental students appreciate that the most affected regions due to work-related disorders were back (475 before and 559 after instructions), neck (354 and 420), hand and wrist (205 and 117), and shoulder and elbow (132 and 70), respectively. Knowledge and practice scores of dental students (mean and standard deviation) regarding WMSDs before and after applying ergonomic principles were 3.92 ± 2.44, 1.29 ± 1.67 and 5.81 ± 0.87, 3.03 ± 0.60, respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study provides an insight into ergonomics for dental students during routine dental procedures. The knowledge, attitude, and practice related to ergonomics were satisfactorily increased among the participants. Thus, ergonomic education of the dental health-care personnel must be focused in all the educational institutions and at continuing dental health programs by delivering ergonomic principles both theoretically and practically and should be a part of the curriculum.

Disparity between cigarette and smokeless tobacco taxation among various WHO FCTC Parties.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco taxation is the most effective way to prevent and reduce tobacco use. However, all tobacco products are not taxed in the same manner or same rate across countries. Hence, this study aimed to identify the total tobacco tax disparity among countries that are Parties to the WHO FCTC agreement. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the signees of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty. The trends of taxation on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products were retrieved from WHO FCTC reports published in 2017 and 2018; median tax percentages were then compared based on the economic status of the countries and their corresponding WHO region. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Maximum disparity between cigarette and smokeless tobacco taxation was observed in the South-East Asia region, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific, and African regions. The disparity was comparatively less in the region of the Americas and the European region (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: There was variation in tobacco taxation among various FCTC Parties according to the economic status and WHO region of each country.