Association between ABO, Rh blood groups, lip and dermatoglyphic patterns, and nonsyndromic oral clefts: A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to determine the association between nonsyndromic oral clefts (OC) in children and ABO, Rh blood groups, lip, and dermatoglyphic patterns of their unaffected parents. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted at a tertiary cleft center in Chennai, India, among 240 individuals comprising 80 units (40 cases and controls, respectively). Each unit (triad) was constituted by a child (0-12 years of age) either born with nonsyndromic OC (cases) or with no diagnosed congenital anomaly (control) and their unaffected parents (mother and father). ABO and Rh blood groups, specific lip print, fingerprint pattern, and palmar asymmetry were recorded for each individual. Strength of association of related factors was assessed by multivariable logistic regression reported as adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: A1-positive blood group was found to be considerably higher among case mothers (14.39 [1.57-32.27]). A higher odds of OCs were observed among case mothers with whorl lip pattern (1.51 [1.16-3.17]) and radial loop pattern in fingers (1.44 [1.09-2.31]) relative to controls. In addition, palmar asymmetry was distinctively higher among case parents compared to controls (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that A1-positive blood group, higher frequency of whorl lip, and radial loop finger patterns in mothers and higher ulnar loop pattern in fathers and palmar asymmetry in both parents increases odds of occurrence of OC among their offspring. These identifiable traits offer potential scope for better service planning among resource-constrained disadvantaged communities in India.

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.

Road blocks perceived by the dentists toward the treatment of early childhood caries in Chennai city - A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The problem of early childhood caries remains a worldwide public concern, as most of the caries remains untreated. Despite advances in dental care, most children fail to benefit from oral health-care services not only due to differences in attitudes in parents but also in oral health-care providers. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to determine the road blocks perceived by the dentist in Chennai, toward the treatment of early childhood caries. METHODS: Following a simple random sampling technique, a cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among general dentists (n = 50) and pediatric dentists (n = 50) in Chennai city. Each selected dentist was asked to complete the Barriers to Childhood Caries Treatment (BaCCT) questionnaire: a 29-item measure considering child, parent, dentist, and healthcare system factors. RESULTS: The mean BaCCT score was found to be significantly higher among general dentists 2.68 ± 0.36 when compared to pediatric dentists 2.36 ± 0.45 (P = 0.0001). Similarly, mean BaCCT score was found to be significantly higher among general dentists in Domain-I (child coping abilities), Domain-II (dentist attitudes toward offering restorative treatment), and Domain-III (dentist attitudes toward restoring primary teeth) when compared to the pediatric dentists (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The general dentists exhibited inherent barriers in providing treatment for early childhood caries compared to pediatric dentists. Training in the field of pediatric dentistry enhances their ability to handle early child caries better.

Evaluation of gingival blood as a minimally invasive screening tool for diabetes mellitus among 40-59-year-old adults in dental clinics: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a quick, safe, and minimally invasive method to screen for diabetes using gingival blood with the help of self-monitoring glucometer during periodontal examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hospital-based, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among 40-59-year-old diabetic and nondiabetic population who had come for their master health examination to a private tertiary care hospital (Global Hospital and Health City) in Chennai. Among them, those who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected for the study. Thirty diabetic and thirty nondiabetic patients with moderate to severe gingivitis were enrolled and subjected to routine clinical periodontal examination. Blood samples of two sites were analyzed using a glucose self-monitoring device (Accu-Check). Patients were tested for venous fasting blood sugar (VFBS), venous postprandial blood sugar (VPPS), gingival fasting blood sugar (GFBS) level, gingival postprandial blood sugar (GPPS) level, peripheral fingerstick fasting blood sugar (PFBS) level, and peripheral fingerstick postprandial sugar (PPPS) level. Data obtained were statistically analyzed using Student's t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation test. RESULTS: A significant positive correlation was found between GFBS and VFBS, GFBS and PFBS, GPPS and VPPS, and GPPS and PPPS (P < 0.01) in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients correlation. Using venous blood glucose level as a gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of GFBS was 93% and 100%, respectively, whereas in GPPS, the sensitivity and specificity was 80% and 96%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Gingival blood glucometry can be used as a minimally invasive screening tool for diabetes mellitus in dental clinics.

Caries risk assessment among 12-13 year old school-going children of government and private schools of Tirupur district, Tamil Nadu.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries is as ancient as humankind and has the longest association with the dental profession, an association that is punctuated with agony and ecstasy. The agonizing fact is that despite several efforts toward total eradication, this disease is still prevalent. Nevertheless, an ecstatic success of the profession is the global decline in the incidence compared to the yesteryears' epidemics. Hence, predicting dental caries earlier is a boon. One such model to predict is cariogram developed by Bratthall in 1996. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the caries risk among 12-13 year old school-going children of government and private schools of Tirupur district in Tamil Nadu using cariogram computer model. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 136 study subjects of 12-13 year of age, who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected using a predesigned questionnaire and scored according to a standardized protocol. The Chi-square test was used to find differences between caries-related factors and cariogram group. The correlation was acquired using Spearman's correlation. RESULTS: Government school study subjects had 56% of chance of avoiding caries whereas the private school study subjects had 66% of chance of avoiding caries in future and the differences were statistically significant (P = 0.001). A negative correlation was observed between the chance to avoid dental caries and cariogram sectors. CONCLUSION: The majority of the study subjects from government school belonged to medium-risk category and private school subjects belonged to low-risk category which inferred that private school students have high chance to avoid dental caries compared to government study subjects.