Effectiveness of Herbal, Homeopathic and Conventional Dentifrices on Dental Caries - A Double-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of ayurvedic, homeopathic and conventional dentifrices on plaque and saliva in terms of cariogenic bacteria, salivary pH, and plaque pH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This double-blinded, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial was performed at Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai, India. The participants comprised healthy adults possessing more than 20 permanent natural teeth and having a Decayed Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) score, plaque index score, and gingival index score less than or equal to 2. There were 3 intervention groups: 1: herbal dentifrice (Dabur Meswak); 2: homeopathic dentifrice (Gum Forte gel); 3: fluoride dentifrice (Colgate Total). The outcome measures were as follows: plaque and saliva samples were evaluated for pH; colony counts of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus at baseline, 14 and 28 days of follow-up. One-way and repeated measures ANOVA, Wilcoxon signed-rank and Kruskal Wallis tests were used to compare the mean differences of plaque and salivary pH and plaque and salivary S. mutans and Lactobacillus counts at baseline, 14 and 28 days. RESULTS: The mean S. mutans and Lactobacillus counts in plaque and saliva decreased statistically significantly in all treatment groups at the 28-day follow-up. Mean plaque pH was not statistically significantly different at the 14-day follow-up (p-value = 0.16). On the 28th day, group 1 (7.64 ± 0.20) showed the highest increase in plaque pH followed by group 2 (7.39 ± 0.25) and group 3 (7.27 ± 0.19), which was found to be statistically significant. No statistically significant difference in mean salivary pH was observed between the three groups at the different time points. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that the herbal dentifrice tested here was effective in reducing cariogenic bacterial count and increasing the plaque pH, thereby warranting the usage of the same.

Evaluation of the efficacy of plaque reduction and gingival health among 6-12 years old school children before and after a short term daily intake of probiotic lozenge - A comparative study.

Context: Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which when delivered in adequate amounts provides health benefit in the host. Dietary supplements like lozenge seem to be the easy and acceptable vehicle for ingestion of probiotics in young children. Aim: To assess the efficacy of probiotics in plaque reduction and gingival health among 6-12 years school children before and after short term daily intake of Probiotic lozenge. Settings and Design: This Comparative study was conducted among 60 children in the age group 6-12 years. Thirty children in experimental group; who were given lozenge containing probiotic bacteria twice daily, one in the morning and another in the evening after brushing for one month. The placebo lozenge group also followed the same protocol. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS version 21. Results: The Probiotic lozenge group was found to have statistically significant reduction in plaque scores when compared to that of the placebo group with P < 0.001 and there was also a significant improvement in gingival health. Conclusion: An effective reduction in plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation was found with the use of probiotic lozenges and hence proved the therapeutic value of the same.

Prevalence of Dental Caries and Gingivitis among children with Intellectual Disability in India.

Introduction: Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common genetic abnormalities, with highly variable prognosis. Oral diseases such as periodontal disease, malocclusion, mouth breathing, macroglossia, delayed teeth eruption, missing and malformed teeth, microdontia, diastema, and bruxism are common among individuals with DS. Hence, a study was planned to assess the caries experience and periodontal status of subjects with DS. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 92 DS patients in two different centers in Chennai and Pondicherry to assess the prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis, using dft/DMFT and Modified Loe and Silness Gingival Index, respectively. The subjects were examined by three trained and calibrated examiners using a pre-tested and pre-validated proforma. Data were entered in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using SPSS software (version 20). Descriptive statistics were used. A value of P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean DMFT was low among male (1.47 ± 2.31) when compared to female (2.57 ± 4.57) which was found to be significant statistically. The gingival score was low among male (.85 ± 0.36) when compared to female (1 ± 1.00) which was found to be significant statistically. The mean dft among male and female were (.49 ± 1.37;.43 ± 1.09), respectively, which was found to be not significant statistically. Conclusion: Dental caries and gingival diseases are higher among children with DS. Dental caries was found both in primary dentition and permanent dentition.

Comparative effectiveness of herbal and conventional toothpaste on prevention of dental caries: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Dental caries is a global oral health problem caused due to localized demineralization of the enamel. Chemical plaque control is used as an adjuvant to mechanical plaque control in removing biofilm, thereby preventing dental caries. In recent times, there has been a renewed interest in nature-based products. This systematic review aimed to analyse the existing literature to compare the effectiveness of herbal and conventional dentifrices on prevention of dental caries. A search was done in the databases of PubMed and Google Scholar in July 2020 for the related topic. A hand search was done from the references of primary studies and other clinical trial registry sites. Randomized control trials, comparative clinical trials, and in vitro studies in which the effectiveness of herbal and conventional dentifrices on prevention of dental caries were included after review by the reviewers. The systematic search revealed a total of thirty-two publications from which ten publications were included. Five studies were clinical studies and five were in vitro studies. All the studies used microbiological analysis for the determination of cariogenic microorganisms in plaque and saliva, whereas one study used pH of plaque and saliva. Among the included studies, all studies had a high risk of bias with level 2 evidence. With the evidence available, it can be concluded that herbal dentifrices and fluoride dentifrices have similar antimicrobial activity against cariogenic microorganisms.

Disparity between cigarette and smokeless tobacco taxation among various WHO FCTC Parties.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco taxation is the most effective way to prevent and reduce tobacco use. However, all tobacco products are not taxed in the same manner or same rate across countries. Hence, this study aimed to identify the total tobacco tax disparity among countries that are Parties to the WHO FCTC agreement. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the signees of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty. The trends of taxation on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products were retrieved from WHO FCTC reports published in 2017 and 2018; median tax percentages were then compared based on the economic status of the countries and their corresponding WHO region. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Maximum disparity between cigarette and smokeless tobacco taxation was observed in the South-East Asia region, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific, and African regions. The disparity was comparatively less in the region of the Americas and the European region (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: There was variation in tobacco taxation among various FCTC Parties according to the economic status and WHO region of each country.

Efficacy of a mouthwash containing essential oils and curcumin as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal therapy among rheumatoid arthritis patients with chronic periodontitis: A randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of mouthwash containing essential oils and curcumin (MEC) as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal therapy on the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among RA patients with chronic periodontitis (CP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A triple-blinded controlled trial was conducted among 45 female RA patients with CP randomized into three treatment groups as follows: Group A: scaling and root planing (SRP) with 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash as an adjunct (n = 15), Group B: SRP with MEC as an adjunct (n = 15), and Group C: SRP alone (n = 15). RA disease activity was assessed using erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum C-reactive protein, serum anti-citrullinated protein antibody, and serum rheumatoid factor. Periodontal disease activity was assessed using plaque index, clinical attachment level (CAL), and pocket depth (PD). All parameters were recorded at baseline and 6 weeks thereafter. Data were assessed using one-way ANOVA and paired t-test. RESULTS: A significant reduction in periodontal and RA disease activity parameters was observed from baseline to 6 weeks following intervention (P < 0.05). The highest percentage of mean reduction in plaque index and RA parameters from baseline to 6 weeks was observed in Group B followed by Groups A and C. The highest percentage of mean reduction in PD and CAL was observed in Group A followed by Groups B and C (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study reveals that MEC as an adjunct to SRP is effective in reducing the disease activity of RA and CP, thereby warranting the use of the same.