Prevalence of precancerous lesions in an adult population.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to identify the prevalence of precancerous lesions among an adult population in Kerala, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A dental screening camp was organized in each district at two locations for two consecutive days to draw maximum participation of the community. All adult subject's attending the camp were initially screened for precancerous lesions using conventional light. An initial oral screening was done by two public health dentists and suspected cases were subjected to Identafi Oral cancer screening device and followed by histopathological evaluation. RESULTS: The prevalence of oral precancerous lesions in the adult population of Kerala was 4.4%. Most of the lesions were associated with the use of tobacco followed by alcohol and spicy foods. CONCLUSION: The oral cancer detection device is an aid in detection of oral precancerous lesions.

Comparative Evaluation of Antibiofilm Efficacy of Chitosan Nanoparticle- and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle-Incorporated Calcium Hydroxide-Based Sealer: An In vitro Study.

AIM: This study evaluated the antibiofilm efficacy of calcium hydroxide-based sealer incorporated with chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) against two strains of Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212, OG1RF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The materials tested were Apexit Plus sealer in the commercial unmodified form and two modified forms with CS-NP and ZNO-NP, respectively. Crystal violet assay and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) study were used to assess the bacterial viability of biofilms grown in wells of microtiter plate and glass slides, respectively. Two E. faecalis strains (ATCC 29212, OG1RF) were used for the study. RESULTS: The crystal violet assay done on E. faecalis strain ATCC 29212 showed a significant decrease in the optical density (OD) value with ZNO-NP-incorporated calcium hydroxide sealer when compared with CS-NP. In the case of E. faecalis strain OG1RF, only ZNO-NP-incorporated calcium hydroxide-based sealer showed reduction in the OD value. In CLSM study done on E. faecalis strain ATCC 29212, only ZNO-NP-incorporated calcium hydroxide-based sealer showed reduction in the thickness of biofilm. No groups of OG1RF strain showed reduction in the thickness of biofilm. CONCLUSION: The incorporation of nanoparticles (ZnO and CS) into calcium hydroxide-based sealers significantly enhances the antibiofilm efficiency against E. faecalis strain ATCC 29212 but has questionable effectiveness against E. faecalis strain OG1RF. The present study demonstrates that ZNO-NP shows better antibiofilm efficacy than CS-NP against both strains of E. faecalis.

Dental caries status of inmates in central prison, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

AIM: To understand the dental health among prison inmates, we assessed the dental caries status of central prison inmates in Chennai, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1060 inmates from three divisions of the central prison in Chennai were assessed by a single investigator for dental caries status based on World Health Organization specifications. RESULTS: Among the inmates, 58.2% of males and 54.2% of females had decayed teeth. About 4.1% of males and 2.9% of females had filled teeth. The mean decayed, missing, filled teeth index was 5.1 and 3.9 for female and male prisoners, respectively. The prevalence of dental caries was highest among inmates younger than 24 years age. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that a high proportion of prison inmates was affected by dental caries, which necessitates the need for initiating oral health promotion activities among prison inmates.