Efficacy of Three Types of Plaque Control Methods During Fixed Orthodontic Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of three types of plaque control methods among 13- to 35-year-old subjects receiving fixed orthodontic treatment in Coorg Institute of Dental Sciences, Virajpet, Coorg district, Karnataka, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 111 subjects who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly included in the study. The subjects were recalled after 1 month of the commencement of fixed orthodontic treatment for the recording of baseline data including plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and modified papillary bleeding index (MPBI). After recording of the baseline data, the subjects were randomly allocated into each of the intervention groups, i.e., group A (manual tooth brush), group B (powered tooth brush), and group C (manual tooth brush combined with mouthwash) by lottery method. Further, all the subjects were recalled after 1 and 2 months for recording the data. RESULTS: Regarding plaque levels, it was seen that there was a highly statistically significant difference between the three groups (P = 0.001), with the manual tooth brush combined with chlorhexidine mouthwash group recording the lowest mean PI score of 0.5 ± 0.39. A comparison of the mean GI scores among the groups at the end of 2 months shows a highly statistically significant difference (P = 0.001). The mean MPBI scores at the end of 2 months were highly statistically significant among the three groups (P = 0.001), with the group C recording the lowest mean MPBI score of 0.3 ± 0.3. CONCLUSION: The powered tooth brush group subjects exhibited significantly lesser PI, GI, and MPBI scores than the manual tooth brush group at the end of 2 months, whereas the manual tooth brush combined with chlorhexidine mouth wash group subjects showed maximum improvement, having significantly lesser PI and GI scores than the powered tooth brush group.

Prevalence of Molar Incisor Hypomineralization among School Children Aged 9 to 12 Years in Virajpet, Karnataka, India.

BACKGROUND: The molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is defined as a qualitative defect of the enamel characterised by the progressive and simultaneous hypomineralization of the enamel structure of the first permanent molars which is of systemic origin, which may be associated frequently with incisors. Although the reported prevalence of MIH ranges from 2.4% to 40.2% worldwide, very little data is available from India. AIM: To determine the prevalence of molar incisor hypomineralization among school children aged 9 to 12 years in virajpet, Karnataka. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study consisted of 1600 school children aged 9-12 years selected by stratified cluster sampling procedure. The European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry criteria were followed for MIH diagnosis. Chi-square test was used to analyse the categorical data. P ≤ 0.05 was considered for statistical significance. RESULTS: The prevalence of MIH is 13.12% with no gender predilection. Ten-year-old children showed the highest prevalence (15%) among all the age group. Majority of children with MIH (70.2%) have lesions in both molars and incisors with demarcated opacities and atypical restorations being the most frequent defect type. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of MIH was 13.12% in the 9-12-year child population in Virajpet. There is a need for a proper planned preventive and restorative program about the increasing prevalence of MIH.

Oral Health Status of Tibetan and Local School Children: A Comparative Study.

INTRODUCTION: India has seen a large influx of refugee populations throughout history and the Tibetan immigration is one among them. Understanding the health status and needs of immigrants is imperative because of their growing numbers and their input to the health of the nation. The oral health professionals face many challenges while confronting refugees and immigrants from cultures different from their own. Earlier studies have shown that children, especially refugees and immigrants have had a higher prevalence of unmet oral health needs. AIM: The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the oral health status of 11-13 year old Tibetan and non-Tibetan school children in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A stratified cluster sampling of 11-13 year old Tibetan and non-Tibetan school children (431 and 434 respectively) formed the study participants for this study. Assessment of dental caries, periodontal disease and malocclusion was done in accordance with criteria laid down by WHO in oral health assessment survey basic methods, 1997. Data was collected by a single trained examiner. The results obtained were analyzed by SPSS version 18. The data was statistically analyzed by using chi-square test and independent t test. The level of significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: The prevalence of caries was found to be higher among the Tibetan school children when compared to the non-Tibetan school children (71% and 53.9% respectively). The mean number of sextants with healthy gingiva (2.49±2.40) and calculus (1.63±2.28) was higher among the non-Tibetan school children. The mean Dental Aesthetic Index score was found to be higher for Tibetan school children than the non-Tibetan school children (26.57±4.62 and 23.52±4.36 respectively). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of caries, periodontal disease and malocclusion were found to be higher among immigrant Tibetan school children as when compared to non-Tibetan school children. The high level of unmet needs in the study population highlights the need for a comprehensive dental care programme in Bylakuppe.

Exploring Oral Health Beliefs and Behaviour Among Tibetan Immigrants of Bylakkupe.

PURPOSE: To explore the oral health beliefs and behaviour among Tibetan immigrants of Bylakkupe village. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A stratified random sampling technique involving 366 Tibetan monks in Bylakkupe monasteries was used in this study. The oral health beliefs were measured using a pre-tested questionnaire. RESULTS: The results showed that seriousness was higher compared to other domains in the health belief model. Further, as the duration of the stay increased, the perceived importance was also higher among the population studied. CONCLUSION: The results show that in general, although the seriousness of oral health was high among the participants, the perceived benefit of dental treatment was relatively low.

Impact of periodontal status on oral health-related quality of life among police personnel in Virajpet, India.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to determine the association between oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and periodontal status among police personnel in Virajpet, India. METHODS: Police personnel were randomly selected from the 296 police staff working in Virajpet, India. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on their demographics and dental visit behavior, and to determine their OHRQoL. The community periodontal index (CPI) and loss of attachment were used to assess periodontal status. RESULTS: All 72 invited participants joined this study. The majority (n = 133) had good OHRQoL. For those with a good OHRQoL, 74 had CPI = 0, 25 had CPI = 1, 20 had CPI = 2, and 14 had CPI ≥ 3. For those who had an average or poor OHRQoL (n = 37), 19 had CPI = 0, one had CPI = 1, eight had CPI = 2, and nine had CPI ≥ 3. There was a statistically-significant association between OHRQoL and CPI (P < 0.003). Most participants with good OHRQoL (127/133), but only less than half with an average or poor OHRQoL (22/37), had no loss of periodontal attachment (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In the present study, there was an association between OHRQoL and periodontal status among police personnel in Virajpet, Coorg.

Perception of Personal Dental Appearance and Dental Aesthetic Index Score Among 18- to 20-year-old College Students in Rural South India.

PURPOSE: To assess the correlation between self-perceived dental appearance and dental malocclusion among 18- to 20-year-old college students in Virajpet, Karnataka. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A stratified random sample consisting of 280 18- to 20-year-old college students in Virajpet were recruited for the study. A pretested Oral Aesthetic Subjective Impact Scale (OASIS) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were used to assess the subjects' perception of dental aesthetics. Malocclusion was clinically assessed using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). The data were tabulated and analysed using SPSS version 16. The Spearman rankorder correlation coefficient was employed to determine the correlation between self-perceived dental appearance and dental malocclusion. RESULTS: Of the 280 students, 41.8% were females and 58.2% were males. The mean OASIS score was 23.93 (±3.72), the VAS score was 69.61 (±15.78) and DAI 24.80 (±6.29). CONCLUSION: There was a negative correlation between perception of personal dental appearance and the DAI scores in this group.

Ethnic variation of selected dental traits in Coorg.

PURPOSE: In a country like India, in addition to the great innate diversity, there are distinct migrant populations with unique dental traits. AIM: To assess the distribution and degree of expression of cusp of Carabelli of maxillary first permanent molars and shoveling trait of maxillary central incisors, between three ethnic groups of Coorg, namely Kodavas, Tibetans, and Malayalees. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, indirect, anthropometric, study was carried out among 15- to 30-year-old subjects belonging to three different ethnic origins. A random sample consisting of 91 subjects were recruited for the study. The shovel trait of incisors and the Carabelli trait of molars were recorded according to the classification given by Hrdliƈka and Sousa et al., respectively. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Kruskal-Wallis test was employed to determine the difference in three populations for shoveling and Carabelli traits. Mann-Whitney Test was used for pair-wise comparisons of three populations. RESULT: Of the total 91 subjects, 31 were Kodavas, 30 Malayalees and 30 Tibetans. There was a statistically significant difference in shoveling trait among the three ethnic groups. For Carabelli traits, there was no statistically significant difference among three ethnic groups. CONCLUSION: The present study findings showed that Tibetans have a higher degree of shoveling trait than the selected South Indian ethnic groups.

Knowledge and attitude regarding management of tooth avulsion injuries among school teachers in rural India.

OBJECTIVES: Traumatic dento-alveolar injuries are frequent in children and adolescents, affecting teeth, their supporting structures, and adjacent soft tissues. Because school teachers are likely to be in contact with the child soon after injury, it is important to ascertain their knowledge and attitude about this. AIM: The study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of school teachers in Coorg with regard to immediate management of avulsed teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among school teachers in Coorg district. A self-administered questionnaire containing 16 questions was given to a sample of 600 school teachers. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test were used for analysis. Only 24.7% teachers thought the tooth was important and wanted to search for the avulsed tooth. Regarding the knowledge about replantation of tooth, 25.7% teachers knew that a fallen tooth can be placed back in the socket. Extraoral time for replantation of the tooth that was opted by 44 teachers (30.3%) was ≤30 min. CONCLUSION: This survey reflected the lack of experience and inadequate knowledge regarding dental trauma management among school teachers in Coorg. The implications of this study are directed toward education of these school teachers who are involved in the supervision of children in schools.

Impact of caries prevalence on oral health-related quality of life among police personnel in Virajpet, South India.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess the impact of caries prevalence on oral health-related quality of life among police personnel in Virajpet, South India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Police personnel were randomly selected from the 296 police staff working in Virajpet, India. They were invited for a dental examination and a questionnaire survey. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect their demographic information, and to determine the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Caries experiences of the participants were recorded as per the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria (1997). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare within-group differences of the selected sociodemographic factors and the Chi-square analysis was used to explore the association between the variables. RESULTS: All the 172 invited participants joined this study. Their mean age was 38.02 ± 9.08 years. There was no significant difference in oral health-related quality of life scores according to gender and age. The prevalence of dental caries was found to be 78% in the current study. Data analysis showed that there was no statistically significant association between the oral health-related quality of life scores and caries prevalence. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that there was no association between the oral health-related quality of life and caries prevalence among the police personnel in Virajpet.

Association of ABO Blood Group and Rh factor with Periodontal Disease in a Population of Virajpet, Karnataka: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there was an association between periodontal diseases and ABO blood groups. MATERIALS & METHODS: An epidemiological study was was carried out on 220 subjects who were randomly selected from individuals referred for periodontal treatment or for other reasons regarding Oral health at Coorg Institute of Dental Sciences. RESULTS: The findings of our study revealed that subject's blood group O (65.8) and Rh positive (73.33%) had a greater propensity for periodontitis. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study revealed blood groups and Rh factor can act as a determinant of periodontitis. How to cite this article: Vivek S, Jain J, Simon SP, Battur H, Supreetha S, Haridas R. Association of ABO Blood Group and Rh factor with Periodontal Disease in a Population of Virajpet, Karnataka: A Cross-Sectional Study. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(4):30-34.

Perceptions of dental students in India about smoking cessation counseling.

Smoking kills 900,000 people every year in India. Many studies have shown that counseling from a health professional is an effective method of helping patients quit. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of dental students in Karnataka, India, towards smoking cessation counseling. A questionnaire study was conducted among a convenience sample of 329 dental students comprised of III year and IV year students and interns in three dental colleges in Karnataka, India. Of the 329 students who completed the questionnaire, twenty-two (7 percent) were current smokers, and fifteen (5 percent) were ex-smokers. Although 94 percent responded they were giving antismoking advice to their patients, only 47 percent said they had been taught antismoking advice suitable for patients. While a majority (95 percent) planned to advise patients about tobacco use in their professional careers, significantly fewer (66 percent) indicated that such counseling would help patients to quit. This study of dental students and interns found that a majority intended to provide smoking cessation counseling in their professional career and agreed it is part of their professional role.