Frequency of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Injury During Third Molar Extraction.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of inferior alveolar nerve injury during third molar extraction and the associated factors. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, Pakistan, from July to December 2021. METHODOLOGY: A total of 163 patients with third molar surgery were included. Patients were followed up after one week, one month, and three months of duration. The frequency of inferior alveolar nerve injury was determined as well as its relationship with other surgical variables like age, gender, type of impaction, buccal flap retraction, bone cutting, tooth splitting, and duration of surgery via Chi-square test. RESULTS: The frequency of inferior alveolar nerve injury was found to be 1.2% (n = 02). None of the surgical variables had a statistically significant association with it (p >0.05). CONCLUSION: The frequency of nerve injury of the inferior alveolar nerve during extraction of the third molar was 1.2%. Proper treatment planning, using advanced radiography, experienced surgeon, and proper technique can help in lowering nerve injury risk. KEY WORDS: Inferior alveolar nerve injuries, Molar, Tooth extraction, Paraesthesia.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding quackery in dentistry at Ayub Dental Hospital, Abbottabad.

Objective: To assess knowledge, attitudes and practices of people regarding dental quackery. METHODS: The descriptive, knowledge-attitude-practice study was conducted from June 2 to August 1, 2022, at the Dentistry Department of Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad, Pakistan, and comprised adult subjects of either gender belonging to lower or middle socioeconomic class and visiting the dental outpatient clinic. Data was collected using a predesigned questionnaire. The subjects' knowledge, attitude and practice about dental quackery was assessed. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 261 subjects. 135(51.7%) were males and 126(48.3%) were females. The overall mean age was 29.15+/-10.15 years. Of the total, 243(93.1%) participants had satisfactory socioeconomic status and 18(6.9%) had unsatisfactory status. There were 97(37.2%) subjects having good knowledge, 217(83.1%) with good attitude, and 53(67.1%) showing good practices towards dental quackery. Low socioeconomic status, low awareness, and easy accessibility were the main reasons for people visiting dental quacks. Increasing the number of public hospitals was suggested as the main solution by 119(45.6%) subjects. Conclusion: The level of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding dental quackery was good. Low socioeconomic status and lack of awareness were the two important reasons for quackery.

Lingual Nerve Injury During Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of lingual nerve injury (LNI) during the surgical removal of mandibular third molar and the associated risk factors. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, from January to June 2021. METHODOLOGY: A total of 121 patients were included in this study who had undergone impacted third molar surgery. Data were collected on a proforma via interview. Patients were followed up after 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months of duration. Frequency of LNI and its association with various surgical procedure steps were determined. RESULTS: This study shows that out of 121 patients, frequency of LNI was found to be 3.3% (n=4). The type of impaction (p=0.047), lingual flap retraction (p<0.001), tooth splitting (p=0.029), and longer duration of surgery were found to be significantly associated with it. CONCLUSION: The frequency of LNI during mandibular impacted third molar surgery was 3.3% in this study, and significantly associated with horizontal impaction, lingual flap retraction, tooth splitting, and duration of surgery longer than 30 minutes. KEY WORDS: Lingual nerve injury, Tooth, Impaction, Third molar, Lingual flap retraction, Tooth splitting.

Treatment of periodontal disease in pregnancy for the prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review of systematic reviews.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the systematic reviews and meta-analyses investigating whether or not periodontal treatment in pregnancy was effective in reducing the adverse pregnancy outcomes of preterm birth, low birth weight, preterm low birth weight, stillbirth, foetal growth restriction, and pre-eclampsia. METHODS: The umbrella review was conducted on May 30, 2021, and comprised search of electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews via Ovid and CINAHL via EBSCO for all systematic reviews and meta-analyses, regardless of the publication date, of randomised controlled trials which investigated the effects of periodontal treatment during pregnancy in preventing or reducing the frequency of at least one adverse pregnancy outcome. The selected studies were subjected to quality assessment and narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Of the 110 studies found, 17(15.5%) met the inclusion criteria. Of them, quality assessment was high for 1(5.9%), moderate 14(82.3%), and low 2(11.8%). A total of 8(47%) studies demonstrated an association with low birth weight, 7(41.2%) with preterm birth, 3(17.6%) with preterm low birth weight, 1(5.9%) with small for gestational age, and 1(5.9%) with stillbirth, while no study demonstrated any association with pre-eclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: Differential findings provided unclear evidence, but periodontal therapy in pregnancy is still recommended as it causes no harm and reduces the bacterial burden in periodontal disease.

Forensic Odontology And Dental Status Of Adult Patients Attending The Out Patient Dental Department Of A Tertiary Care Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Pakistan is one of the countries where practice of forensic odontology and its record keeping is poor due to which we face difficulty in identification of individuals in disasters and other medicolegal problems. The objectives of this study were to know the status of forensic odontology and to determine the dental status of adult patients attending dental outpatient department of Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad. METHODS: A cross-sectional Study was carried out from 1st September to 30th September 2018 in the Department of Dentistry, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad. A questionnaire was designed including preliminary record, standard dental chart, notation chart and other variables. A sample of 96 patients having all permanent teeth were included and examined. Non-probability convenience sampling was used. Data was collected and analyzed on SPSS. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 59.4% males and 40.6% females. Mean number of present teeth with sound status was 24±5. Faulty development was found in 14.6% of the patients. Faulty alignment, black/brown stains and attrition were observed in 38.5%, 86.5% and 25% of the patients respectively. No statistically significant association was found (p >0.05) between gender and faulty development, faulty alignment, staining or attrition. Forensic odontological practice and its record are not maintained in the hospital.. CONCLUSIONS: High proportion the patients have black/brown stains. Faulty alignment is more as compared to faulty development. In our study we observed that no odonatological record is maintained in our hospital.

ASSOCIATION OF MATERNAL PERIODONTITIS WITH LOW BIRTH WEIGHT IN NEWBORNS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL.

BACKGROUND: Low birth weight is a major public health problem in Pakistan. So there is a need for identification of its modifiable risk factors like periodontitis which will reduce its burden on the society. The objectives of the study were to find out the association between maternal periodontitis and low birth weight in new-borns of all gestational ages delivered in a tertiary care hospital of Abbottabad as well as to see the frequency of periodontitis severity in these subjects. METHODS: A hospital-based matched case-control study was conducted among 160 postpartum mothers in Gynaecology/Obstetrics- B ward Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad. The 80 cases were mothers of low birth weight babies (< 2,500 g), the 80 controls were mothers of normal weight babies (> 2,500 g) matched with maternal age and gestational age. Data was collected through the hospital records, interview and a periodontal examination. RESULTS: Periodontitis was more in the cases than in the controls (OR: 4.167, 95% CI: 2.142-8.109, p = 0.000). On multivariate logistic regression, periodontitis was found to be a significant independent risk factor for low birth weight (aOR: 3.173, 95% CI: 1.429-7.047, p = 0.005). Other significant risk factors were educational level (aOR: 3.408, 95% CI: 1.452-7.996, p = 0.005), socioeconomic status (aOR: 3.173, 95% CI: 1.366-7.368, p = 0.007), maternal nutrition (aOR: 3.071, 95% CI: 1.392-6.778, p = 0.005) and moderate/severe anaemia (aOR: 3.035, 95% CI: 1.052-8.756, p = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis is found to be a strong, independent, and clinically significant risk factor for low birth weight. So periodontal therapy should form a part of the antenatal care of the pregnant women in Abbottabad.