Potential Use of Hematoxylin-curcumin as Natural Bio-stains for Tissue Sections.

Most bio-stains used in histopathology are synthetic thus pose potential health hazards, especially on long-term exposure. Thus, natural bio-stains which are eco-friendly and biodegradable are the need of the hour. The present manuscript explores the use of curcumin as a potential natural bio-stain for tissue sections. Curcumin is the active component of turmeric and belongs to the Zingiberaceae family.1 Phytochemical analysis of curcumin showed the presence of saponins, tannins, flavonoids, and acidic polyphenolic compounds. Saponins embellish staining property by reducing surface tension.2 Tannins aid in the dying process and flavonoids impart hue. Due to the acidic polyphenolic compounds, curcumin stains the basic tissues including collagen fibers, red blood cells, muscle cells, and cytoplasm.3.

Laser Capture Microdissection in Oral Cancer.

Oral cancer is one of the most significant public health concerns in the world. The past decades have witnessed the trend of molecular profiling for diagnostic and prognostic implications.

Three-dimensional Printing in Reconstructive Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing involves the process of constructing a 3D solid object from a digital file. Charles Hull was the first to introduce 3D printer in 1983 by using the technique of stereolithography.1 Since the 1990s 3D printing has gained attention in the field of medicine where more precision is required and has largely replaced the traditional technique in prosthetic works.2,3.

Ephebodontics: A Little-known Branch of Dentistry.

Adolescence is an age group defined from the onset of puberty to establishment of social independence. Chronologically it is defined as the age of 10 to 18 years but social and behavioral situations may dictate vari-ability.1 Ephebodontics is the term coined for adolescent dentistry in the April 1969 issue of Dental Clinics of North America. The dental needs of adolescents differ largely from other established age groups. There are anomalous physical, emotional, and psychological changes in adolescents that need specific health care protocol.2.

Role of Toothbrushes as Gene Expression Profiling Tool for Oral Cancer Screening in Tobacco and Alcohol Users.

AIM: The use of toothbrushes was investigated as a potential RNA source and gene expression profiling tool for oral cancer screening in tobacco and alcohol users. METHODOLOGY: A total of 20 subjects were selected on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were divided into two groups: group I-healthy controls (n = 6); group II-individuals who consume tobacco and alcohol (n = 14). After the volunteers brushed their teeth using a soft-bristle toothbrush with ~0.5 gm of toothpaste, the toothbrushes were collected, and the gene expression of BAX, BCL2, CDK4, CKDN2A, GNB3, and TCF7L2 was assessed. RESULTS: The gene expression of BAX decreased significantly in alcoholics and smokers (0.13867 ± 0.12014), while the gene expression of BCL2 increased in alcoholics and smokers (1.91001 ± 0.90425) in comparison with healthy controls (p = 0.0054 and p = 0.0055). Although there was increased expression of CDK4, CKDN2A, and TCF7L2 and decreased expression of GNB3 in smokers and alcoholics, the results were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: A toothbrush is a good source of RNA, and gene expression analysis can be performed using the genetic material retrieved from toothbrushes, which can aid in the early diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma among tobacco and alcohol users. Further studies with a larger sample size and different durations of toothbrush use should be conducted to explore the role of toothbrushes as a noninvasive tool for disease diagnosis.

Is Palatal Rugae Pattern a Reliable Tool for Personal Identification following Orthodontic Treatment? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: To qualitatively and quantitatively review the reliability of palatal rugae as a tool for personal identification following orthodontic treatment. METHODS: Cross-sectional retrospective studies assessing the accuracy of matching palatal rugae pattern pre- and post-orthodontic treatment were identified from PubMed and SCOPUS databases. The title and abstract of the articles identified in the search were screened for potential duplicates and relevancy to the topic of interest. The full text of the articles selected in the screening was analyzed using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quantitative analysis of the studies representing coherent data in terms of age and treatment choice was performed using RevMan software. RESULTS: Out of 64 screened articles, only 18 articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review. Out of these 18 articles, only 3 studies had data compatible with the quantitative analysis. Significant changes were noted in lateral first rugae in transverse bilateral direction (p = 0.02) and between second and third lateral rugae of the left side in the anteroposterior direction (p = 0.04). Despite the dimensional changes, observers in most studies were able to accurately (>90%) match the palatal rugae pre- and post-orthodontic treatment through visual observation. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of the visual matching, despite the significant dimensional changes, indicates that morphology could have potentially been the major matching factor. Thus, a combination of dimensional and morphological evaluation of the palatal rugae could potentially increase the accuracy of personal identification.

Toothbrushes as a Source of DNA for Gender and Human Identification-A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have reported the use of toothbrushes as a reliable source of DNA for human or gender identification. The present systematic review with the available information was conducted to answer the focus question "Is a toothbrush a reliable source of DNA for human or gender identification?". METHODS: The keyword combination "Toothbrush" and "DNA" was used to search databases including MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science along with a manual search of reference lists of relevant articles. Duplicates and irrelevant articles were excluded, and the remaining articles were fully read for the final selection of articles. The risk of bias of the included studies was evaluated using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS tool). RESULTS: Of the 130 articles obtained, 122 duplicates or irrelevant articles were eliminated. Following the full-text reading of eight articles, five articles were selected based on eligibility criteria. The five studies reported that a toothbrush is a good source of DNA irrespective of the time interval. In a few studies some samples were not sufficient for complete DNA profiling due to factors such as the method of DNA extraction. CONCLUSION: Although a toothbrush is an excellent source of DNA for human and gender identification, future studies with a larger sample size, appropriate control group, and standardized technique of DNA extraction need to be conducted. Additionally, factors influencing the quantity and quality of DNA in toothbrushes need to be determined with standardized techniques.

Necrotizing periodontal diseases in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy: A review.

Human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients have depleted CD4 lymphocyte counts and are susceptible to a plethora of infections of bacterial, viral, and fungal etiology. In addition to a wide range of systemic manifestations, human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients also display several characteristic oral manifestations. Studies have shown a correlation between some of the oral manifestations and CD4 lymphocyte counts which in turn is an independent prognostic indicator. To tackle the human immunodeficiency virus numerous drugs have been discovered and implemented. To overcome any potential resistance, human immunodeficiency virus patients are prescribed highly active antiretroviral therapy, wherein a combination of antiretroviral regimens are used. Studies have shown that in addition to controlling the viral activity, the treatment regimen, has a significant effect on the oral manifestations of the human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. The present paper highlights the effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy on periodontal diseases in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals.

Reviewing the oral carcinogenic potential of E-cigarettes using the Bradford Hill criteria of causation.

The past decade has seen a surge in the use of e-cigarettes, which has prompted the medical community to assess any associated potential health hazards. A major concern was the risk of cancer. Chemical analysis of e-cigarettes has shown the presence of volatile organic compounds with the potential for carcinogenicity. Comparative toxicology analysis has shown e-cigarette to have relatively lower dosages of toxins than conventional combustible cigarettes. Based on comparative analysis, e-cigarettes have been increasingly advocated as a safe alternative to conventional cigarettes. It is vital to recognize that presence of relatively lower toxin level does not preclude carcinogenic potential. The nicotine present in the e-cigarette was presumed to be the major cytotoxic agents, thus nicotine-free e-cigarette was considered as inert. On the contrary, experimental studies on oral cell lines have shown DNA strand breaks on exposure to e-cigarette vapors with or without nicotine. In addition, dysregulations of genes associated with carcinogenic pathways have also been demonstrated in oral tissues exposed to e-cigarette vapors. Despite alarming molecular data, the oral carcinogenic potential of e-cigarette remains unclear, which can be attributed to the lack of long-term prospective and large-scale case-control studies. As e-cigarette users often have other well-established risk factors (conventional cigarette smoking, alcohol, etc.) as associated habits, it is difficult to assess e-cigarette as an independent risk factor for oral cancer. Thus, the present manuscript aims to review the published literature using the Brad Ford Hill criteria of causation to determine the oral carcinogenic potential of e-cigarettes.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of senior dental students toward management of complications in exodontia.

INTRODUCTION: Dental graduates have a professional responsibility of being competent in managing the complications in exodontia, a very commonly performed procedure. AIM: The aim of this paper was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of senior dental students toward the management of complications in exodontia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four hundred dental students participated in the study voluntarily. Verbal consent was obtained after elaborating the purpose of the study. A short validated questionnaire consisting of 12 close-ended multiple choice questions was distributed to all the students. The questionnaires were collected back and results from fully filled questionnaires were tabulated in Microsoft Excel 2007. RESULTS: Nearly 93.4% of the students perform extractions in their practice on a routine basis. Among those 32.5% of the students have encountered complications, out of which only 20% of the students are confident in managing them. The remaining 64.8% of students who have not encountered complications are not confident in managing the same. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the need for increase in cases which will in turn help the students to transfer their theoretical knowledge into professional skills.

Knowledge and attitude toward use of internet in smartphones for dental education.

INTRODUCTION: Internet has become ubiquitous with the advent of smartphones. The dental fraternity keeps themselves updated and share knowledge through webinars, video conferences, research publications, etc. Hence, the internet serves as an imperative tool for dissemination of information. The usage of internet in dental education can be exploited to the fullest, especially due to the increased ownership rates of smartphones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 490 students from four dental colleges in Tamil Nadu were asked to fill a close-ended questionnaire to assess the knowledge and attitude of dental students toward internet usage in smartphones. This study was conducted from November 2016 to January 2017. RESULTS: The response rate was 100%. Almost all the students (98%) had knowledge on browsing. The percentage of internet use in smartphones were the highest (55.2%) followed by computers or laptops at home (26.5%). About 34.6% of students used internet in smartphones daily. More than half of the students (52.2%) used internet in smartphone at least 2-3 h a day. About one quarter (23.4%) of students used internet on a daily basis while 29.59% of students accessed the internet thrice a week for searching content related to dentistry. The preferred source for collecting dental-related information was through the internet (28.9%) and textbooks (28.5%). CONCLUSION: Dental students have considerable knowledge in using the internet for dental education and some of them utilize internet more frequently because of the possession of smartphones.

Comparison of antiplaque effectiveness of herbal toothpaste: A randomized triple-blinded cross-over clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Cleansing the teeth with a toothbrush and paste is an indubitable mechanical plaque control method practiced by almost everyone. Eliminating dental plaque is an essential, fundamental and mandatory step to prevent the occurrence of periodontal diseases that are rife globally. The aim of the present study is to compare the antiplaque effectiveness of a prepared herbal and commercially available dentifrice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty healthy individuals within the age group of 18-25 years were recruited to participate in the study. After achieving induced gingivitis and measuring plaque levels using Turesky modification of the Quigley Hein Plaque index in all the subjects, they were randomly divided into test arms A and B. Commercial dentifrice was distributed to one group, whereas the other group received prepared herbal dentifrice. Supervised brushing was carried out for 5 min, and plaque amounts after brushing were noted. After a washout period of 1 week, the same steps were repeated as per the cross-over study protocol. Unpaired t-test and paired t-tests were employed with P < 0.05. RESULTS: Both the toothpastes show the difference in plaque scores immediately after brushing when compared to baseline and was statistically significant (P = 0.001). The mean plaque scores of commercial dentifrice (1.93 ± 1.52) were less than that of the prepared herbal dentifrice (2.35 ± 1.39) after brushing. CONCLUSION: The prepared herbal dentifrice had good antiplaque action. However, the plaque inhibitory action of self-prepared herbal toothpaste was marginally less when compared to commercial dentifrice.

Self-medication with antibiotics: A knowledge, attitude, and practice appraisal of 610 dental patients in Chennai, India, from 2016 to 2017.

INTRODUCTION: Antibiotics are considered the most commonly sold drugs in developing countries. In India, these drugs are very much accessible without a prescription. This irrational and misuse of antibiotics results not only in the emergence of resistance of bacterial strains but also leads to adverse reactions. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of antibiotics usage among dental patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study design: This study was a cross-sectional design; a prevalidated structured questionnaire comprising 24 questions was used. SAMPLE SIZE: Six hundred and ten patients visiting a dental hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, were included in the study. RESULTS: The dental patients involved in self-medication were more than 70%. 80.2% of the study group opted selection of antibiotics from their previous prescription from dental or medical professional. Adverse effects were faced by 7.8% of patients on taking self-medication. The study group was aware of the common dental procedures such as extraction and root canal treatment in which antibiotics were commonly prescribed. Half of the patients (53.8%) do not know the term antibiotic misuse, and 43.3% of the group opted antibiotic misuse to be unacceptable. CONCLUSION: The study revealed the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the patients about self-medication in the Indian scenario. There is need for health-care professionals and government bodies to enlighten the public about the harmful effects of self-medication with antibiotics to overcome the antibiotic resistance.

A Large Pregnancy Tumor of Tongue - A Case Report.

Pyogenic granuloma is a tissue overgrowth which commonly develops as a response to irritation or trauma which is usually localized. Though gingiva is said to be the common site, it also can occur on lip, tongue and buccal mucosa. Pathogenesis is unclear but trauma, infection and hormonal imbalance are attributed as reasons for occurrence. Histologically this reactive lesion is filled with immature fibroblastic connective tissue, profilerative blood vessels and inflammatory cells. This article presents a case of a large pyogenic granuloma of the tongue which is a rare site for this tumor in a 27 year old woman.

Research experiences, attitudes, and barriers to publishing among the dental postgraduate teachers: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Research is important in medical and dental sciences to improve healthcare. Faculties play an important role in research productivity and student motivation in research. AIM: The aim of this paper was to assess the attitude and experiences of dental post-graduate teachers toward article writing and reading and to discuss the barriers faced by them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 150 dental post-graduate teachers from various Dental Colleges in South India participated as the study group. A questionnaire relating to publishing practices was distributed, and the results were analyzed. RESULT: Majority of the study group (82%) were involved in the publication with many (48.4%) doing so for career progression. Journal prestige was the main reason for selection of journals. Lack of time was the main reason for those not involved in the publication. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the positive attitude of teachers toward scientific reading and writing. They only require motivation and time.