Knowledge, Awareness, and Practice of Pediatricians Regarding Infant Oral Health Care and Early Childhood Caries in the State of Assam, India.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Pediatricians are the first point of contact for evaluating a child's health. Hence, our study was done to evaluate the knowledge, awareness, and practice of pediatricians regarding infant oral health care and early childhood caries (ECC) in the state of Assam. METHODS: A close-ended questionnaire was circulated among the pediatricians of Assam. Data regarding knowledge, awareness, and practice involving the oral health of children and ECC was collected. RESULTS: A total of 110 pediatricians participated in the study and the data obtained was subjected to chi-square analysis. Most of the participants (n=64, 67%) displayed adequate knowledge regarding dental caries and the way to identify them. Although most of the participants knew about practices leading to dental caries, they were lacking in knowledge regarding the deleterious effect of bottle feeding and related habits 65 (50-60%). Also, most of the participants (n=69, 62%) failed to educate the caregivers of the child regarding early dental visits. CONCLUSION: The majority of pediatricians displayed adequate knowledge regarding dental caries and their prevention but failed to educate the parents and caregivers of children regarding the importance of first dental visits and the maintenance of oral health.

Oral findings as predictors of obstructive sleep apnea- A case-control study.

Objective: To evaluate the role of dental parameters that may contribute to increasing apneic activity in patients with or without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Materials and Method: The study comprises a total of 120 patients (60 diagnosed with sleep apnea visiting a sleep center at Delhi and 60 controls). Patients were assessed based on body mass index, age, neck circumference, and gender (BANG), which were recorded for both the patients and controls. Oral and general examination was carried out using predetermined criteria for Angle's class of malocclusion, maxillary arch constriction, facial profile, Mallampati score for uvula, tongue size, depth of palatal vault, mouth breathing, and periodontitis. Results: Among 120 study subjects, 92 were males and 28 females, with a mean age of 49.08 + 13.13 years in the study group and 45.28 + 14.78 years in the control group. All the variables except Angle's class of malocclusion, periodontitis, mouth breathing, and hypertension showed significant differences in the study group. Multivariate analysis for patients with OSA revealed that obese patients were almost 1.5 times more possibly to report OSA symptoms than their non-obese counterparts. It was also found that patients with OSA were 4.12 times more likely to have neck circumference >40 cm, 2.25 times more likely to have maxillary arch constriction, 1.43 times deeper palatal vault, 8.7 times macroglossia, and 1.7 times class III & IV Mallampati score for uvula. Conclusion: The oral structural findings appear to be more closely related with OSA.

Oral health status and treatment needs among deaf, mute and visually impaired children of Gulbarga district - A population based cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Oral diseases can particularly have a harmful impact on the general health of individuals with certain systemic health problems or conditions. The aim of the study was to assess the oral health status and treatment needs among deaf, mute, and visually impaired children of the Gulbarga district. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 284 deaf, mute, and visually impaired children of the Gulbarga district. A specially prepared structured questionnaire was used to record the demographic variables and oral hygiene practices. Type III clinical examination was carried out. Oral health status was assessed using the World Health Organization (WHO) assessment form (1997). Oral hygiene index-simplified (1964) was used to assess the oral hygiene status. RESULTS: A total of 284 children were examined, aged 6-24 years, with a mean age of 12.95 years (±3.13). The prevalence of dental caries was 49.3%, and 87.4% of the children suffered from periodontal disease. Oral hygiene status was poor in 24.7% of the children. CONCLUSION: The findings in the present study highlight the lack of dental treatment. There is a considerable need for the prevention and treatment of oral diseases among deaf, mute, and visually impaired children.

Comparison of Interventional Methods to Motivate and Change the Behavioural Stage of Smokers to Quit Smoking- A Hospital Based Randomised Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Addictions can be beaten if started off with a true motivation to quit it. Enhancing motivation is an important part of overall treatment for smoking cessation as it increases a smoker's courage and enthusiasm to quit smoke. This study aimed to assess effectiveness of various interventional methods to motivate unmotivated smokers with a focus on changing behavioural stage of  smokers to quit. METHODOLOGY: A single blinded trial was conducted at the outpatient department of ITS dental college and hospital among precontemplation stage smokers allocated into 4 groups and given interventional therapies like general counselling only(group 1), counselling and intra oral camera assessment (Group 2), counselling as well as carbon monoxide monitoring(Group 3)whereas fourth group(Group 4) given a combination therapy of all of them. A baseline evaluation of nicotine dependence and behavioural stage of the smoker was assessed. The patients were then evaluated on presence on their scheduled follow up visits done at interval of 2 weeks and 4 weeks. Descriptive statistics were addressed and the association was evaluated using Pearson chi square test. Any p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Majority of  smokers were males(88% ) and about 48.8% of them were highly dependent smokers . The change in precontemplation behavioural stage was assessed on basis of follow up visits after interventional therapy which was significantly higher in group 4 receiving combination therapy, followed by carbon monoxide therapy ,counselling and intra oral camera assessment and the least visits in behaviour counselling group (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: A combination of counselling and other motivational aids therapy is best way possible to help smokers focusing a change on the behavioural stage of the patient from precontemplation to preparation stage.

Effectiveness of various health education methods amongst primary healthcare workers of western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi (National Capital Region), India: A promotive intervention study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of various health education methods for improving oral health knowledge of accredited social health activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers of Muradnagar Block, Ghaziabad-Delhi NCR. METHODS: A promotive interventional study was conducted amongst 301 ASHA and Anganwadi workers of Muradnagar block at three steps such as baseline, oral health education programme (OHEP), and reinforcement to assess their oral health knowledge using predesigned, close-ended, validated, questionnaire. Four different methods were used in OHEP to disseminate knowledge, namely, health talks, posters, and pamphlets, PowerPoint presentations, and a combination of all methods. Post-assessment was done one week after OHEP followed by reinforcement after 1 month which was followed by final post-assessment after 1 week. Students' independent t-test and one-way ANOVA were used for analysing data. RESULTS: At baseline, primary healthcare workers had mean knowledge scores as 14.67 ± 1.152 which was increased to 20.96 ± 1.053 after the intervention and 27.6 ± 0.762 after reinforcement. There was an increase of 7.6% and 14.3% of primary healthcare workers giving correct responses after OHEP and reinforcement, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The combination method was the most effective in improving oral health knowledge of study population followed by posters and pamphlets and the least effective method was PowerPoint presentation. Dentists can play a vital role in mobilising the primary healthcare workers by consequently contributing towards improving the oral health status of the community.

Oral health literacy: A practical strategy towards better oral health status among adult population of Ghaziabad district.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Despite tremendous considerable effort by health professionals to promote oral health to create beautiful smiles, gap between oral health knowledge and practice undoubtedly still remains. Thus the aim of this study was to assess the Oral health literacy level and its impact on socioeconomic and oral health status among adult population in Ghaziabad district. METHODS: A total of 600 study subjects aged 18-64 years from all 4 blocks of Ghaziabad visiting various outreach programmes using a multistage random sampling technique were included in the study. A specially designed questionnaire assessed the demographic variables. Oral health literacy level (OHL) was assessed with help of a bilingually adapted Hindi OHL tool. Clinical examination was recorded using WHO (World Health Organization) Oral Health Assessment Form 2013. RESULTS: The mean age of the study subjects was 43.9 ± 14.36 years. Majority 300 (50%) study subjects had inadequate oral health literacy level followed by Marginal oral health literacy level which was seen among 180 (30%) subjects and 120 (20%) subjects had adequate oral health literacy level. Oral health literacy level was slightly higher among females as compared to male subjects although the results were not statistically significant. A statistically significant difference was found between oral health literacy and oral health status as well as socioeconomic status. (P value ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: A significant association between OHL and oral health status was found stating Oral health literacy as an efficient role in influencing oral health outcome of any individual.

Comparison of oral health status among adult tobacco users and non-tobacco users of Ghaziabad District, Uttar Pradesh: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco dependence is a major public health problem that results in significant morbidity and mortality. Approximately, 5 million people are killed annually by tobacco use. AIM: To assess the oral health status among adult tobacco and non-tobacco users attending outreach activities in Ghaziabad District, Uttar Pradesh. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 800 subjects from all the 4 blocks of Ghaziabad district visiting the outreach activities. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess the demographic variables and oral hygiene practices. Oral health status was assessed using WHO (World Health Organization) 2013 Oral Health Assessment Form and the Smith and Knight Tooth wear index was used to assess the degree of tooth wear. Statistical analysis was done by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. RESULT: The mean age of the tobacco users in the study was 40.94 (13.83) years. The prevalence of dental caries and tooth wear was 88.0% and 89.2%, respectively. Majority of tobacco users consumed a smokeless form of tobacco 67.5%, followed by smoke 21.5% and followed by both form 11.0%. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that adult population of Ghaziabad lack the knowledge and awareness regarding consumption of areca nut, gutka, and tobacco smoking. Hence, there is an urgent need to take effective steps, especially on launching community awareness programs for the adult population and public to educate them about the consequences of tobacco use, and on assessing their effectiveness in curbing the problem.