Isolation and detection of bacterial species on mitis salivarius bacitracin agar from the plaque samples of caries active children.

BACKGROUND: In cariology studies, mitis-salivarius-bacitracin (MSB) agar has been commonly considered as the selective medium for Streptococcusmutans growth. The present study was the part of a funded project (a noninferiority randomized controlled trial) which compared the efficacy of a plant extract-based mouth rinse with that of a fluoride mouth rinse on the S.mutans counts of the children. AIM: This study aimed to identify the frequency of detection of S.mutans and nonstreptococcal bacterial species from the dental plaque of caries active children using a combined technique of anaerobic culture and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. SETTINGS AND METHODS: Caries-active children (8-12 years old) were enrolled from a pediatric dental outpatient department at a tertiary care hospital. From each participant, dental plaque samples were collected from carious surfaces under sterilized conditions and then subjected to anaerobic culture. After 48 h of incubation, the bacterial colonies were isolated by sub-culture and identified by the MALDI-TOF. RESULTS: In all, 13 different bacterial species were isolated from the MSB agar medium. Other than S.mutans species, colonies of bacterial species such as Veillonelladispar,Streptococcusanginosus, Veillonellaparvula, and Streptococcusgordonii were also frequently observed from the medium. CONCLUSIONS: The study concluded that several bacterial strains, both streptococcal and nonstreptococcal, could be isolated from the MSB agar medium; hence, this medium should no longer be considered selective medium for the culture of S.mutans in clinical and epidemiological studies.

Effectiveness of Smartphone App on Oral Health Knowledge, Behavior, and Practice in Child-Parent Dyads: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of an oral health mobile application on the oral health knowledge, behavior, and practices (KBP) of child-parent dyads. Methods: This was a pre-post, single-arm, hospital-based pilot study. Fifty-two dyads were assessed for KBP using a self-structured questionnaire. The oral hygiene of children was evaluated using the plaque index (PI). The Healthy-Smile Swasth-Muskaan mobile application was installed on the phones of participants, and they were encouraged to use the application regularly. After one month of the app instalation, post-KBP and PI were assessed. Results: A significant improvement was seen in the parents' total knowledge, behavior, and oral hygiene practices of the children (P<0.001). A significant reduction was observed in the mean plaque scores of the children (P<0.001). Conclusions: The Healthy-Smile Swasth-Muskaan mobile app is associated with improved oral health knowledge and behavior of the child-parent dyads and im- proved oral hygiene of children. Further randomized clinical trials are needed to determine the impact of mobile apps on the oral health knowledge, behavior, and practices of parents and children.

Silver diamine fluoride modified atraumatic restorative treatment compared to conventional restorative technique on carious primary molars-A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the success of silver diamine fluoride-modified atraumatic restorative technique (SMART) with that of the conventional drill and fill method in restoring carious lesions in primary molars. METHOD: Children (4-8years old) reporting to a tertiary care hospital setting with asymptomatic cavitated dentinal carious lesions in primary molars were randomly allocated to two groups; SMART and Conventional; and subsequently restored with Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC). Follow-up evaluations were carried out by blinded independent evaluator at 6-months intervals to assess the status of restorations. Primary outcome was the success of restorations at 24 months and the secondary outcome was the child's behaviour and acceptance of the treatment at the time of interventions. Two sample Z-test of proportion, logistic regression analysis and Chi-square test were used to compare the outcomes in two groups. RESULTS: A total of 226 children (SMART group, 112 and conventional, 114) were included with 280 and 282 GIC restorations placed by the SMART and the conventional method respectively. At 24-months, 459 (81.6 %) primary molars were available for evaluation. Success rates of restorations was 38.4 % and 45.8 % % in SMART and conventional groups respectively (p = 0.105). The rate of acceptability of treatment in the SMART and conventional group was 79 % and 56 % (p<0.001) respectively. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in the success rates of GIC restorations by SMART and conventional technique in carious primary molars at 24 months. SMART was better accepted by children as compared to the conventional restorative technique. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: SMART can be an alternative option to treat the asymptomatic carious lesions in primary molars and is well accepted by children than the conventional drill and fill technique thus implying that it has a useful role in un-cooperative children.