Oral findings as predictors of obstructive sleep apnea- A case-control study.

Objective: To evaluate the role of dental parameters that may contribute to increasing apneic activity in patients with or without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Materials and Method: The study comprises a total of 120 patients (60 diagnosed with sleep apnea visiting a sleep center at Delhi and 60 controls). Patients were assessed based on body mass index, age, neck circumference, and gender (BANG), which were recorded for both the patients and controls. Oral and general examination was carried out using predetermined criteria for Angle's class of malocclusion, maxillary arch constriction, facial profile, Mallampati score for uvula, tongue size, depth of palatal vault, mouth breathing, and periodontitis. Results: Among 120 study subjects, 92 were males and 28 females, with a mean age of 49.08 + 13.13 years in the study group and 45.28 + 14.78 years in the control group. All the variables except Angle's class of malocclusion, periodontitis, mouth breathing, and hypertension showed significant differences in the study group. Multivariate analysis for patients with OSA revealed that obese patients were almost 1.5 times more possibly to report OSA symptoms than their non-obese counterparts. It was also found that patients with OSA were 4.12 times more likely to have neck circumference >40 cm, 2.25 times more likely to have maxillary arch constriction, 1.43 times deeper palatal vault, 8.7 times macroglossia, and 1.7 times class III & IV Mallampati score for uvula. Conclusion: The oral structural findings appear to be more closely related with OSA.

Convective Heat Transfer Analysis for Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3)- and Ferro (Fe3O4)-Based Nano-Fluid over a Curved Stretching Sheet.

In this work, the combined effects of velocity slip and convective heat boundary conditions on a hybrid nano-fluid over a nonlinear curved stretching surface were considered. Two kinds of fluids, namely, hybrid nano-fluid and aluminum oxide (Al2O3)- and iron oxide (Fe3O4)-based nano-fluid, were also taken into account. We transformed the governing model into a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). For this we used the similarity transformation method. The solution of the transformed ODE system was computed via a higher-order numerical approximation scheme known as the shooting method with the Runge-Kutta method of order four (RK-4). It is noticed that the fluid velocity was reduced for the magnetic parameter, curvature parameter, and slip parameters, while the temperature declined with higher values of the magnetic parameter, Prandtl number, and convective heat transfer. Furthermore, the physical quantities of engineering interest, i.e., the behavior of the skin fraction and the Nusselt number, are presented. These behaviors are also illustrated graphically along with the numerical values in a comparison with previous work in numerical tabular form.

Comparison of Interventional Methods to Motivate and Change the Behavioural Stage of Smokers to Quit Smoking- A Hospital Based Randomised Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Addictions can be beaten if started off with a true motivation to quit it. Enhancing motivation is an important part of overall treatment for smoking cessation as it increases a smoker's courage and enthusiasm to quit smoke. This study aimed to assess effectiveness of various interventional methods to motivate unmotivated smokers with a focus on changing behavioural stage of  smokers to quit. METHODOLOGY: A single blinded trial was conducted at the outpatient department of ITS dental college and hospital among precontemplation stage smokers allocated into 4 groups and given interventional therapies like general counselling only(group 1), counselling and intra oral camera assessment (Group 2), counselling as well as carbon monoxide monitoring(Group 3)whereas fourth group(Group 4) given a combination therapy of all of them. A baseline evaluation of nicotine dependence and behavioural stage of the smoker was assessed. The patients were then evaluated on presence on their scheduled follow up visits done at interval of 2 weeks and 4 weeks. Descriptive statistics were addressed and the association was evaluated using Pearson chi square test. Any p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Majority of  smokers were males(88% ) and about 48.8% of them were highly dependent smokers . The change in precontemplation behavioural stage was assessed on basis of follow up visits after interventional therapy which was significantly higher in group 4 receiving combination therapy, followed by carbon monoxide therapy ,counselling and intra oral camera assessment and the least visits in behaviour counselling group (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: A combination of counselling and other motivational aids therapy is best way possible to help smokers focusing a change on the behavioural stage of the patient from precontemplation to preparation stage.

Oral health literacy: A practical strategy towards better oral health status among adult population of Ghaziabad district.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Despite tremendous considerable effort by health professionals to promote oral health to create beautiful smiles, gap between oral health knowledge and practice undoubtedly still remains. Thus the aim of this study was to assess the Oral health literacy level and its impact on socioeconomic and oral health status among adult population in Ghaziabad district. METHODS: A total of 600 study subjects aged 18-64 years from all 4 blocks of Ghaziabad visiting various outreach programmes using a multistage random sampling technique were included in the study. A specially designed questionnaire assessed the demographic variables. Oral health literacy level (OHL) was assessed with help of a bilingually adapted Hindi OHL tool. Clinical examination was recorded using WHO (World Health Organization) Oral Health Assessment Form 2013. RESULTS: The mean age of the study subjects was 43.9 ± 14.36 years. Majority 300 (50%) study subjects had inadequate oral health literacy level followed by Marginal oral health literacy level which was seen among 180 (30%) subjects and 120 (20%) subjects had adequate oral health literacy level. Oral health literacy level was slightly higher among females as compared to male subjects although the results were not statistically significant. A statistically significant difference was found between oral health literacy and oral health status as well as socioeconomic status. (P value ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: A significant association between OHL and oral health status was found stating Oral health literacy as an efficient role in influencing oral health outcome of any individual.

Comparison of oral health status among adult tobacco users and non-tobacco users of Ghaziabad District, Uttar Pradesh: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco dependence is a major public health problem that results in significant morbidity and mortality. Approximately, 5 million people are killed annually by tobacco use. AIM: To assess the oral health status among adult tobacco and non-tobacco users attending outreach activities in Ghaziabad District, Uttar Pradesh. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 800 subjects from all the 4 blocks of Ghaziabad district visiting the outreach activities. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess the demographic variables and oral hygiene practices. Oral health status was assessed using WHO (World Health Organization) 2013 Oral Health Assessment Form and the Smith and Knight Tooth wear index was used to assess the degree of tooth wear. Statistical analysis was done by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. RESULT: The mean age of the tobacco users in the study was 40.94 (13.83) years. The prevalence of dental caries and tooth wear was 88.0% and 89.2%, respectively. Majority of tobacco users consumed a smokeless form of tobacco 67.5%, followed by smoke 21.5% and followed by both form 11.0%. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that adult population of Ghaziabad lack the knowledge and awareness regarding consumption of areca nut, gutka, and tobacco smoking. Hence, there is an urgent need to take effective steps, especially on launching community awareness programs for the adult population and public to educate them about the consequences of tobacco use, and on assessing their effectiveness in curbing the problem.