Association between passive smoking and dental caries status in children: A cross-sectional analytical study.

BACKGROUND: Several risk factors contribute to the development of dental caries in children, including sociodemographic, dietary, oral hygiene-related and other miscellaneous factors. Maternal smoking was highly associated with dental caries when compared to smoking by fathers or other household members. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of dental caries and their association with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) among 5- to 10-year-old students attending private and government schools. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among schoolchildren. Data was collected from the primary caregivers using a pre-tested form to assess the ETS exposure under 5 domains based on history: antenatal exposure; exposure during the index period; exposure in the school neighborhood; exposure in restaurants/roadside stalls; and exposure in bus stops/railway stations. Dental caries was assessed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines from 1997. The association was reported using prevalence ratios (PRs) (95% confidence interval (CI)). RESULTS: Data was obtained from 211 schoolchildren attending government (39.8%) and private schools (60.2%). The overall prevalence (95% CI) of dental caries was 49.3% (42.5-56.1%). Among all the risk factors evaluated in the study, exposure to ETS was associated with a significantly increased risk of dental caries. The adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) of ETS exposure varied with the mother's educational status and high sugar exposure, although this was statistically insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren aged 5 to 10 years in the city was moderate and similar to the national average. Among the risk factors assessed in the study, antenatal exposure to ETS was found to significantly increase the prevalence of dental caries by 41% after adjusting for other factors. Therefore, it is important to educate parents on the causal role of ETS exposure in dental caries.

A comparative evaluation of peppermint oil and lignocaine spray as topical anesthetic agents prior to local anesthesia in children: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: In pediatric dentistry, fear and anxiety are common among children. Local anesthetics (LA) are widely used to control pain and reduce discomfort in children during dental treatment. Topical anesthetics play a vital role in reducing pain and the unpleasant sensation of a needle puncture in children. Peppermint oil has been extensively used for various diseases. However, its anesthetic properties remain unknown. Peppermint oil, used in mouthwashes, toothpastes, and other topical preparations has analgesic, anesthetic, and antiseptic properties. This study aimed to compare and evaluate pain perception following the topical application of peppermint oil versus lignocaine spray before an intraoral injection in children, aged 8-13 years. Method: Fifty-two children, aged between 8-13 years, who required local anesthesia for dental treatment were divided into two groups of 26 each by simple random sampling (Group 1: 0.2% peppermint oil and Group 2: lignocaine spray). In both groups, physiological measurements (e.g., heart rate) were recorded using pulse oximetry before, during, and after the procedure. Objective pain measurement (Sound Eye Motor (SEM) scale) during administration and subjective measuremeant (Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WBFPRS)) after LA administration were recorded. This was followed by the required treatment of the child.Physiological parameters were compared between the two groups using an independent t-test for intergroup assessment and a paired t-test and repeated-measures ANOVA for intragroup comparisons. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the pain scores. Results: Intragroup mean heart rates, before, during, and after treatment were statistically significantly different (P < 0.05). However, the intergroup mean pulse rates did not differ significantly between the two groups. The mean WBFPS score in the lignocaine spray group was 4.133 ± 2.06 was statistically different from that of the peppermint oil group (0.933 ± 1.03; P < 0.001*). The mean SEM score was significantly lower in the peppermint oil group than that in the lignocaine spray group (P = 0.006). No negative effects were observed in this study. Conclusion: 0.2% peppermint oil was effective in reducing pain perception.

Prevalence of dental anomalies in deciduous dentition and its association with succedaneous dentition: A cross-sectional study of 4180 South Indian children.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of dental anomalies in primary dentition of Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 4180 children in the age of 2-6 years. Anomalies were classified based on Kreiborg criteria. The term "double tooth" was used to avoid misinterpretation between gemination. and fusion. Patients having radiographs were also examined for associated dental anomalies in permanent dentition. The occurrence and gender prevalence were evaluated using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: About 95. (2.27%) children exhibited at least one dental anomaly. Thirty.seven children showed 51 missing teeth. (0.88%), mostly in lower right incisors with a statistically significant difference between arches. (P = 0.0056) Nine children. (0.21%) had supernumerary teeth commonly in the right maxilla. Two cases of oligodontia. (0.04%) and talon cusps. (0.04%) and one case of triple tooth. (0.02%) were observed. Forty children. (0.95%) had 43 double teeth mostly in the right mandible with a statistically significant difference between the arches. (P = 0.0105). No significant difference was observed based on gender and arch, but they were statistically significant between the right and left sides. (P = 0.018). Among the children with radiographs available, 45% showed anomalies in the succedaneous dentition. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rates of children with double tooth, hypodontia, and hyperdontia in our study are 0.95%, 0.88%, and 0.21%, respectively. The overall prevalence rate of anomalies among boys was higher than girls.

Cementoblastoma Relating to Right Mandibular Second Primary Molar.

Cementoblastoma is a benign lesion of the odontogenic ectomesenchymal origin. It rarely occurs in primary dentition. This report describes a case of a cementoblastoma relating to the right mandibular second primary molar in a 7-year-old girl. Her panoramic radiograph revealed a well-defined radiopaque lesion with a radiolucent border extending from the distal surface of the mandibular right first primary molar to the distal surface of mandibular second primary molar. The tumor was attached to the mesial root of primary second molar and was excised along with the teeth involved and sent for histopathological evaluation, which showed irregular trabeculae of mineralized tissue interspersed with fibrovascular connective tissue, trabeculae of mineralized tissue with prominent reversal lines, and peripheral rimming of the mineralized tissue with blast cells. On a six-month follow-up, there has been no recurrence of the lesion.

Osteosarcoma of mandible in a 10-year-old girl.

Osteosarcoma (OS) of the jaws is a relatively rare malignant bone tumor. Like, its counterpart in the long bones, OS affecting the head and neck region shows distinct yet diverse clinical, histologic and prognostic characteristics. Here, we report a rare case of OS of fibroblastic variant in a 10-year-old girl, who came with a bony swelling in the left mandibular posterior region, with a radiographic presentation of sunburst appearance, the histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis. The patient underwent partial mandibulectomy under general anesthesia followed by prosthodontic rehabilitation and is currently undergoing regular follow-up examination.