Prevalence of cleft lip and cleft palate in a tertiary hospital in Eastern Nepal.

The aim of this investigation was to determine the birth prevalence of cleft lip and palate in a tertiary health care centre of Dharan, Eastern Nepal and to ascertain whether the birth prevalence in this region differs significantly from birth prevalence reported in similar populations and other racial groups. A retrospective study was conducted from June 2005 to December 2010. The maternity records which included a record of the examination of the newborn child for the prescribed period were analyzed. Fifty one clefts were identified among 30,952 live births during 2005 to 2010. The total birth prevalence of cleft of the lip ± cleft of the palate (CL±P) was 1.64/1000 live births per year. There were 19 clefts of the lip alone (birth prevalence 0.61/1000 per year), 21 cleft lip and palate (0.67/1000 per year), and 11 cleft palate only (0.35/1000 per year). The birth prevalence was higher than what is reported for Caucasian and African populations. Cleft of the lip and palate (CLP) was the most common pattern followed by cleft of the lip (CL) and cleft of the palate (CP). Overall there was a male predominance whereas individually CLP and CL were more common in males while CP was more common in females.

Submental tracheal intubation in a case of panfacial trauma.

Airway management of panfacial fractures is complicated. Treatment of fractures of such bones presents a certain difficulty as in not only do the fracture fragments have to be aligned but the teeth have to be kept in proper occlusion as well. To achieve a proper pre-traumatic occlusion, the occlusion has to be maintained and checked at all times during the surgery. There are many options for the airway management of such cases. We present a case of panfacial fracture which was managed successfully with submental intubation.

Crouzons syndrome: a case report.

Human skull is made up of many bone joints connected by sutures. The sutures fuse in later life after the complete growth of the brain. If any of these sutures closes early, it may interfere with the normal growth of the brain. The developing brain may exert pressure on the skull and may grow in the direction of the other open sutures. Premature sutural fusion may occur alone or together with other anomalies, making up various syndromes. Crouzons syndrome is an example of such a syndrome that is associated with premature synostosis of the sutures of the skull. Presented in this article is a case of Crouzons syndrome seen in a boy aged 9 years.

Occurrence of dental caries in primary and permanent dentition, oral health status and treatment needs among 12-15 year old school children of Jorpati VDC, Kathmandu.

Dental caries occurrence, distribution, oral health status and corresponding treatment needs in 12 - 15 year old children are useful tools for evaluation of oral health. Dental caries status along with its treatment needs was recorded according to World Health Organization (WHO) index (1997) in 366 children from five schools within Jorpati Village Development Committee (VDC), Kathmandu. Dental caries was diagnosed in 156 (42.6%) children, out of which 122 (78.21%) had caries in permanent teeth, 26 (16.67%) had caries in primary teeth, and 8 (5.13%) had caries in both dentition. The age wise distribution of dental caries showed the highest prevalence among 12 year old students (23.8%) and the lowest among 15 year olds (3.8%). Among the female students (177), 43.5% showed presence of dental caries, while the prevalence among male students (179) was 41.8%.Out of the total number of teeth affected by dental caries (336), 273 (81.25%) were permanent teeth and 63 (18.75%) were primary teeth. The intra arch distribution of dental caries in permanent as well as primary dentition was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Restorative treatment (89.38%) was the main need in permanent dentition, and endodontic treatment (60.32%) in primary dentition. Chronologic enamel hypoplasia was found in 14 (3.83%) of the total population, and 62 (16.94%) required oral prophylaxis. These findings are significant as they can initiate further research in this area, which may help establish reliable baseline data for implementation of preventive oral health programs.