The Effect of an Education Program on School Children Oral Health in Khartoum, Sudan.

Background: Oral health education programs have long been considered an essential part of oral health policies. This is important for reducing the risk of oral diseases through health enhancement and voluntary behavioral changes due to learning opportunities. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of school-based oral health education program on oral health in school children in Sudan. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted at four governmental schools in Khartoum, Sudan, between August 2018, and March 2022. A total of 423 school children were randomly allocated into the control (n = 211) and study (n = 212) groups. An adapted questionnaire was administered to students before and after the intervention to assess their knowledge and practice of oral health. The study group participated in oral health education activities. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21. Results: The findings revealed that the mean knowledge at the pre-educational program was 9.3066 (SD = 3.91078) and the mean knowledge after the educational program was 21.2736 (SD = 2.13982). The scores indicated that the school children had significantly higher knowledge and practice scores after the oral health education program. Conclusion: The study concluded that education program on oral health improved students' oral health knowledge and practices. Imposing theoretical and practical lessons on oral and dental health in school curricula can motivate students to maintain oral health care, and this improves oral health status.

Antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer potential of green fabricated silver nanoparticles made from Viburnum grandiflorum leaf extract.

BACKGROUND: Recently, researchers are focusing on creating new tools to combat the antibiotic resistant bacteria and malignancy issues, which pose significant threats to humanity. Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are thought to be a potential solution to these issues. The biosynthesis method, known for its environmentally friendly and cost-effective characteristics, can produce small-sized AgNPs with antimicrobial and anticancer properties. In this study, AgNPs were bio-fabricated from the distilled water and methanolic extracts of Viburnum grandiflorum leaves. Physio-chemical characterization of the bio-fabricated AgNPs was conducted using UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and X-ray diffraction analysis. RESULTS: AgNPs produced from the methanol extract were smaller in size (12.28 nm) compared to those from the aqueous extract (17.77 nm). The bioengineered AgNPs exhibited a circular shape with a crystalline nature. These biosynthesized AgNPs demonstrated excellent bactericidal activity against both gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Highest antibacterial activity was observed with the methanol extract against P. aeruginosa (14.66 ± 0.74 mm). AgNPs from the methanol extract also displayed the highest antioxidant activity, with an IC50 value of 188.00 ± 2.67 µg/mL against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Furthermore, AgNPs exhibited notable cytotoxic activity against Rhabdomyosarcoma cell line (RD cell) of human muscle cancer cell. The IC50 values calculated from the MTT assay were 26.28 ± 1.58 and 21.49 ± 1.44 µg/mL for AgNPs synthesized from aqueous and methanol extracts, respectively. CONCLUSION: The methanol extract of V. grandiflorum leaves demonstrates significant potential for synthesizing AgNPs with effective antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer actions, making them applicable in various biomedical applications.

In vitro total phenolics, total flavonoids, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of selected medicinal plants using different solvent systems.

Recently, an interest has surged in utilizing indigenous medicinal plants to treat infectious illnesses and extract bioactive substances, highlighting the need to analyze medicinal plants for phytochemicals and bioactivities. The present study was aimed to evaluate the impact of different solvent systems (aqueous, ethanol, and methanol) used for extraction on total phenolics, total flavonoids, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity of three medicinal plants of Azad Kashmir (Achillea millefolium, Bergenia ciliata, and Aloe vera). High phenolic content was found in methanol extracts of B. ciliata (27.48 ± 0.58 mg GAE/g dry weight), A. vera (25.61 ± 0.33 mg GAE/g dry weight), and A. millefolium (24.25 ± 0.67 mg GAE/g dry weight). High flavonoid content was obtained in the ethanol extract of A. millefolium (27.13 ± 0.64 mg QE/g dry weight), methanol extract of B. ciliata (17.44 ± 0.44 ± 0.44 mg QE/g dry weight), and the methanol extract of A. vera (14.68 ± 0.67 mg QE/g dry weight). Strong 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH) was obtained with a methanol extract of B. ciliata (IC50 = 60.27 ± 0.20 µg/mL). With a zone of inhibition and a minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 10.00 ± 0.66 to 24.67 ± 1.21 mm and 78 to 625 µg/mL, respectively, all of the studied plants demonstrated notable antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. A. vera showed greater antibacterial activity as compared to other plants under study while methanolic extract showed greater antibacterial activity than ethanolic and aqueous extract. The findings of this research support the use of these medicinal plants to treat a variety of diseases.