Knowledge,attitude and anxiety towards pandemic flu a potential bio weapon among health professionals in Indore City.

BACKGROUND: Flu is one of the oldest medical concerns, causing high mortality rates among humans. Swine flu has not only emerged as a fatal disease omong Indian population but has also created havoc among various sections of society. OBJECTIVE: To determine Knowledge, Attitude and Anxiety towards pandemic flu a potential bioweapon among health care professionals in Indore City. METHOD: The study design used was a cross sectional descriptive study was carried out between February-March 2015 during the outbreak of Swine Flu. The survey was administered to a sample of 271 health professionals. Participants comprised of 148 medical professionals and 123 dental professionals practicing in Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Science. The data collection tools comprised of a questionnaire on demographic characteristics, knowledge and attitude. Beck Anxiety Inventory was used to assess the anxiety among professionals. RESULTS: The medical professionals (95.9%) had significantly higher (p value=0.007) knowledge about available vaccines against Swine Flu. The dental professionals (33.3%) were more hesistant in treating patients suffering from Swine Flu compared to medical. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggest that the health care professionals had good knowledge, showed positive attitude, and demonstrated lower anxiety levels.

Impact of counseling and reinforcement by school teachers on behavior change in children: A one -year follow-up study.

INTRODUCTION: School teachers play an important role in instilling positive behavior changes among school children. School children at an early age group of 2-7 years face challenges and need extra support. Utilization of psychological interventions via school teachers for oral health promotion is minimal. The present study was done to determine the impact of counseling and reinforcement by school teachers on children for a follow-up period of 1 year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quantitative research on 58 randomly selected children for a follow-up of one year was conducted to determine the prevalence of preoperational characteristics in school children. The tools to determine characters in preoperational children consisted of classical cognitive experiments followed by behavior counseling intervention. The interventional group received reinforcement with school teachers for a follow-up of one year. RESULTS: The assessment of the three characteristics revealed a prevalence of ego centralism, centration, and lack of conservation and reversibility in 84.4%, 89.6%, and 89.6% children, respectively. A significant difference in behavior change was seen in children who received behavior counseling and reinforcement. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that Piaget's characteristics were consistent for a follow-up period of one year.

Medico-legal aspect of dental practice.

Law influences every aspect of human activity, and dentistry in this regard is no exception. Ethical standards of the dental profession are seeing a steady decline, altruistic concepts being overridden by a market driven system. A deficient knowledge regarding the medico-legal aspects halts the effective implementation and delivery of efficient services. The review thus provides an overview of ethical standards, consents and their types, negligence,, determination of negligence, liabilities of dental practitioners and solicitors in dental practices, which comprehensively form an integral part of the medico-legal aspect of dental practice.

Effect of injection site pre-cooling on pain perception in patients attending a dental camp at Life Line Express: a split mouth interventional study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To determine the effect of pre-cooling injection site on pain perception in patients attending a dental camp at lifeline express, Habibganj. METHODS: A split mouth interventional study assessed the effect of pre cooling the injection site in patients (n=33) requiring bilateral buccal infiltration prior to extraction. One side of the patient's mouth received the intervention after the injection site was pre cooled with ice for 3 minutes along with topical Lidocaine, while the other mouth side of the same patient received only topical Lidocaine and served as control group. A structured proforma assessed the demographic characteristics and risk factors that influence pain perception in patients. Mann-Whitney U tests and Wicoxon rank sum test were used for statistical analysis. Statistical significance was defined at P<0.05. RESULTS: The results revealed a significant difference in pain perception between control and intervention group as assessed using both Heft-Parker Visual Analog Scale (median score 3.0 and 1.0) and Sound Eye Motor scale (median score=1.0 and 0.0) (P<0.01). For both the scales the assessed and self reported variables Gender, Location, Chief Complaint, Region and Arch were found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Pre cooling injection site reduced pain perception in patients.

Impact of different oral hygiene aids for the reduction of morning bad breath among dental students: a crossover clinical trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To assess and compare the effects of different oral hygiene procedures on the reduction of morning bad breath, plaque and gingival status in healthy subjects. METHODS: A four step cross-over trial was performed on 32 study subjects. They were allocated into four groups: Group I: tooth brushing; Group II: tooth brushing and tongue scraping; Group III: tooth brushing and mouth washing; and Group IV: tooth brushing, tongue scraping and use of mouthwash. A washout interval of 7 days was employed. At the beginning and at the end of all intervention periods, breath score was measured by hand held sulfide monitor (Breath Alert) at four time intervals. The Plaque and Gingival status was evaluated using Plaque and Gingival Index. RESULTS: The highest reduction in mean breath score (2.12±0.65), plaque score (0.75±0.47) and gingival score (0.67±0.41) were found in the Group IV followed by Group II and Group III. A significant positive correlation was observed between plaque scores and gingival scores before intervention (r=0.443; p value<0.001) and after intervention (r=0.846; p value<0.001). CONCLUSION: The study findings suggest that mechanical aids in conjunction with chemical regimens are considered as the most effective method for reducing the morning bad breath in healthy subjects and should be incorporated in daily oral hygiene practices.

Oral Health Status and Oromucosal Lesions in Patients Living with HIV/AIDS in India: A Comparative Study.

Oral health status of HIV positive individuals is in poor condition which may be a sequela of variety of factors. This study was aimed at assessing and comparing the oral health status and oromucosal lesions between HIV positive and negative individuals in India. A total of 126 HIV positive and 532 HIV negative individuals were recruited for the study. Oral health status and oromucosal lesions were recorded using WHO oral health assessment form (1997). Data was analyzed using chi-square and independent sample student's t test. Majority (85.7%) of people suffering from HIV belonged to lower socioeconomic status. The mean for DMFT score was found to be significantly higher in HIV positive individuals (12.83 ± 9.6) as compared to HIV negative individuals (8.34 ± 7.6) (P value < 0.0001). Nearly 75% of HIV positive individuals showed oromucosal lesions with candidiasis (36%) being the most common. Nearly 50% of HIV positive individuals had community periodontal index (CPI) and loss of attachment (LOA) score >2. In conclusion HIV positive individuals have poor oral health status and poor periodontal status compared to control group. Effective policies need to be drafted to take care of the oral health of this high risk group.