Lamotrigine-Induced Gingival Enlargement: An Older Problem Due to a Newer Drug - A Rare Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Gingival enlargement (GE) due to anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) shows a high prevalence rate. However, lamotrigine, a newer AED, has not shown to induce GE. The present case report describes a rare case of GE in a patient with epilepsy under lamotrigine therapy for the past 3 years. CASE PRESENTATION: In this report, successful management of lamotrigine-influenced GE in a 24-year-old patient with epilepsy by gingivectomy followed by stringent oral hygiene protocol is presented. CONCLUSION: The present case report suggests that, even this newer AED can cause GE and the oral hygiene status of the patients could be an important triggering factor.

Management of excessive gingival display with mucosal coronally positioned flap.

OBJECTIVE: Current methods of managing excessive gingival display, an aesthetic concern, with gingivectomy, orthodontic intrusion, restorative dentistry and even botulinum toxin, have often been unsatisfactory. This study evaluates the efficacy of mucosal coronally positioned flap (MCPF) for reduction of gingival display. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight healthy patients, above 18 years, with either short or hyperactive upper lip, gingival display ≥4 mm during smiling or vertical maxillary excess, were recruited into the study. The smile line, upper lip length, upper lip vermillion length, distance between the lips and amount of gingival display along with clinical indices were assessed. The patients then underwent MCPF procedure and were re-evaluated for healing of the surgical site after 15 days and at 3 months. Patients also provided their perceptions of outcome of treatment, through a questionnaire. Paired t test and Repeated measures ANOVA were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Significant improvement in the gingival display was noted 3 months after the procedure, while no concomitant changes were observed in other parameters like upper lip length, vermillion length and distance between the lips post operatively. CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggest that the MCPF procedure provides satisfactory results in terms of reduction of gingival display. Simplicity of the surgical procedure makes it an attractive option for patients without any gross skeletal abnormalities.

Knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 among higher education students in India: a cross sectional study.

Aim: This study explored the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of higher education students towards COVID-19. In addition, this study analysed the association of socio-demographic variables with KAP apart from finding the relationship between KAP. Subject and methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in India. Study participants were selected using a convenient sampling method from various higher educational institutions across 22 states in India. Data was collected using self-administered close-ended questionnaires via Google forms. The data were analysed using frequencies and percentage for descriptive purposes. A chi-square test was used to determine the association between groups, and correlation analysis was used to illustrate the significant relationship between KAP. Results: The majority, that is, 65.5% of students possess a high level of knowledge about the disease. It was noteworthy that 71.0% of them had a positive attitude towards COVID-19 and 66.7% of them exhibited desirable practices to mitigate COVID-19. Furthermore, the results showed a significant association between KAP and some of the socio-demographic variables studied. Social media emerged as a vital source of information regarding COVID-19 for the majority (81.0%) of students. Also, a strong significant positive correlation was observed between KAP variables. Conclusion: One-fourth of the students demonstrated only low and moderate levels of knowledge, negative attitude and undesirable practices in preventing COVID-19. The implications suggesting various approaches to enhance KAP to moderate the spread of COVID-19 among the students were recommended to aid the higher educational institutions.

Semilunar Papilla Preservation Flap Technique in Combination with Chorion Membrane for Pocket Reduction and Gingival Recession Coverage.

An unavoidable consequence of periodontal flap procedure is gingival recession (GR). Achieving both pocket depth reduction and GR coverage remains a challenge to periodontists. The present case report provides a new innovative technique that will enable all clinicians to achieve pocket depth reduction as well as recession coverage in esthetic zone. The clinical parameters that were assessed at baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months are probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), height of GR (HGR), and gingival biotype. The patient reported with a faulty post and core with crown in relation to maxillary right central incisor with a PD of 8 mm and HGR of 2.5 mm. Following replacement of the crown with respect to the tooth, semilunar incision was made and flap was reflected to visualize the underlying bone. This technique does not involve the interdental papilla at the same time allows the coronal advancement of the flap. A chorion membrane was placed to accelerate the healing as well to provide stable clinical outcome. The patient was evaluated at 10 days, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. There was a considerable reduction in PD, GR, and thus gain in CAL. The results remained stable over a period of 6 months.