Factors contributing to non-union amongst dentate mandibular fractures treated by load-sharing miniplate osteosynthesis: a case-control study.

The stability provided by load-sharing miniplate osteosynthesis (LSMO) in dentate mandibular fractures (DMF) is usually adequate for bony healing. Non-union following LSMO is an uncommon complication. We aimed to determine the incidence and identify contributing factors, if any, of non-union amongst DMFs that have undergone LSMO. This retrospective case-control study with an allocation ratio of 1:3 includes cases of non-union DMF following LSMO and controls with healed DMF following LSMO over a five-year period. Relevant sociodemographic data, mandibular fracture characteristics, and treatment variables were collected for both groups. Of the 381 patients who underwent LSMO for DMFs, 12 cases of non-union were identified. The control group included 36 patients with uncomplicated healing. A significant association was observed between non-union and teeth in the line of fracture, postoperative infections, and time from injury to LSMO. The odds ratio with chronic alcohol usage was 1.4. Vigilant follow up of patients with chronic alcohol use, those with teeth in the fracture line, and adherence to LSMO principles may help to minimise the non-union complication.

Assessing the Feasibility and Effectiveness of an App in Improving Knowledge on Oral Cancer-an Interventional Study.

Although current oral health care initiatives have proved to be quite successful, a great number of individuals are unaware of how their choice of daily activities compromises their oral health. That is why newer technologies like WhatsApp can definitely serve as a platform to communicate dental advice, thereby strengthening the bridge between health and technology. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of WhatsApp as a tool for providing health education on tobacco and oral cancer as compared to the conventional health education via PowerPoint. The study was a cluster randomized controlled trial, single-center study. The students of 18-24 years of age with WhatsApp application active in their mobile phones were included. Four classes with 182 students were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Control group received health education on oral cancer using a PowerPoint presentation weekly, for a total of 4 weeks. Intervention group received health education through WhatsApp messaging thrice a week for 4 weeks. Pre- and post-health education knowledge scores were assessed using a questionnaire and compared using unpaired and paired two-sample t tests. Statistically significant increase in knowledge scores was seen in both groups, with highly significant improvement in the intervention group (p value = 0.00). Intergroup comparison showed no significant difference in knowledge scores at baseline, but a significant difference in post intervention knowledge scores (t = -15.05 p<0.001) WhatsApp can be a more effective tool for providing dental education on tobacco and oral cancer as compared to conventional audio-visual aids.