A Comparative Assessment of Dental Caries Experience in Relation to Nutritional Status among 6-12-year-old School-going Children and Those with Congenital Heart Disease in Bhubaneswar City.

Aim: To assess the dental caries experience in relation to nutritional status among 6-12- year-old school-going children and those with congenital heart disease in Bhubaneswar city. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 6-12-year-old healthy school-going children and those with congenital heart disease for a period of 6 months (October 2019-March 2020) in Bhubaneswar, India. Type III clinical examination was carried out as per American Dental Association (ADA) specifications using plane mouth mirrors and community periodontal index (CPI) probes. Clinical oral examination and measurement of the weight and height of the child were performed by a single examiner. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Results: The overall mean decayed missing filled primary teeth surfaces (dmfs) in primary dentition was higher (5.93 ± 10.224) in subjects with congenital heart disease (CHD) (group I) than in healthy controls (3.41 ± 6.192). The overall mean decayed missing filled permanent teeth surfaces (DMFS) in permanent dentition was 0.33 ± 1.105 in subjects with CHD (group I) and 0.24 ± 0.714 in group II. In group I, the majority of them (58.9%) were underweight, followed by 41.1% who were a healthy weight. However, in group II, 47.9% of the study subjects were healthy weight, 26.1% were underweight, 14.4% were obese, and 11.7% were overweight. Conclusion: This study concluded that children with CHD have a higher dental caries experience and poor nutritional status as compared to healthy school-going children. How to cite this article: Hazarika SJ, Jnaneswar A, Jha K. A Comparative Assessment of Dental Caries Experience in Relation to Nutritional Status among 6-12-year-old School-going Children and Those with Congenital Heart Disease in Bhubaneswar City. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(1):1-6.

Substance use and oral health sensations among substance users residing in rehabilitation centres in an Indian City.

Background: The term substance is usually used to address psychoactive/psychotropic drugs which include both licit and illicit drugs. These substances have varied consequences, including long-term and short-term effects, which include sensations post-consumption. Aim: To determine patterns of substance use and short-term oral health effects among substance users. Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire-based study was conducted on the inmates of drug deaddiction and rehabilitation centres in Bhubaneswar city. Results: All the subjects were males and majority (60.6%) were polydrug users. Alcohol (87.3%) was the most commonly used substance, followed by ganja (57%), bhang (35.3%) and brown sugar (33%). A wide range of oral health sensations like dryness of mouth, taste change, numbness in mouth, feeling like chewing something, loose teeth and stammering/difficulty in speaking were found to be significantly associated with substance use. The age of start of substance use (P < 0.0001), socioeconomic status (P = 0.026) and marital status (P < 0.0001) were significantly associated with the pattern of substance use. About 37.6% of inmates felt that they had very good oral health before starting drug use, while only 15.4% described their oral health as very good at present. Having no oral health problem was the most common reason for not visiting a dentist, followed by ignorant attitude towards oral health. Conclusion: A wide range of oral health sensations were found to be caused due to substance use. Understanding of oral health sensations can aid practitioners detect and report cases of substance use in its early phase.

Impact of internet addiction during COVID-19 on anxiety and sleep quality among college students of Bhubaneswar city.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 initiated in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and over a period of time, the infection outspread across the world in a rapid pace. To protect the people and to further limit the spread of infection, lockdown was declared in most parts of the world including India. As all people were forced to stay indoors during this pandemic, internet was the only source of entertainment whose overuse has side effects on anxiety and sleep quality. This study is aimed to know the impact of Internet addiction during COVID-19 on anxiety and sleep quality among college students of Bhubaneswar city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a web-based cross-sectional, questionnaire study. It administered 475 students from six colleges. The students were assessed by a proforma containing demographic details, patterns of internet use, Youngs Internet Addiction Test, Generalised Anxiety disorder score, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 21.0 using Chi-square test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: The mean age of the study group was 18.81 ± 1.189. Out of 475 students, 60.6% were female and 39.4% were male. 23.6% and 13.4% of recruited students had severe internet addiction and anxiety disorder, respectively. The mean global PSQI score in the study was 6.356 ± 1.88. About 84.6% of the students had poor global sleep quality score. All components of sleep quality were significantly associated (P = 0.000) with different degrees of internet addiction except sleep duration (P = 0.589) and efficiency (P = 0.767). CONCLUSION: Females were highly addicted than males. The study findings specified that students' excessive internet usage leads to anxiety, and affects mental health. Monitoring and controlling students' internet addiction through informative sessions on how to use the Internet adequately is useful.

Advancements in diagnostic techniques for oral cancer detection.

Oral malignancy is among the highest prevalent malignancies all over the world. In comparison to systemic malignancies such as lung cancer and colon cancer, they are frequently overlooked by the general public. Nevertheless, they can be exceedingly lethal if left ignored, regardless at the early stage of the condition. Dentists are the finest qualified healthcare specialists in this sector and are responsible for detecting benign and potentially malignant oral conditions such as oral cancers. Oral carcinoma's high prevalence and delayed appearance are serious international medical concerns. Early detection and management of oral carcinoma are the key goals of the World Health Organization (WHO). The identification of key clinical manifestations during the preliminary oral examination can enhance the patient's likelihood of living. Unfortunately, the conventional technology's practical value is limited by a number of drawbacks. Current advancements in optical scanning techniques, such as tissue-fluorescence imaging and optical coherence tomography, have proven to be quite effective. In particular, nanoparticle-based immunosensors, genomics, and salivary biomarkers, epigenetics and microarray have all received a lot of attention. Raising awareness about frequent dental examinations and using noninvasive, effective, and cost-effective screening tools would improve initial stage detection of oral carcinoma and improve patients' longevity.

Assessment of oral health status and treatment needs of drug abusers in Bhubaneswar city: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Oral health of drug abusers has received less attention. Drug users may also have special needs in relation to receiving dental care. Evaluation of the oral health status of drug abusers is important as in India, where the disease burden is enormous, and availability of curative treatment is quite inadequate, preventive approach shall prove to be better than curative treatment. AIM: To determine the oral health status and treatment needs of drug abusers residing in rehabilitation centers in Bhubaneswar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the drug de-addiction cum rehabilitation centers in Bhubaneswar city, Odisha. A self-administered questionnaire was used to record oral health practices of the inmates and the type of drugs used by them in the past. Oral health was recorded using modified WHO 2013 pro forma. Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test were applied to find any significant differences between different variables in groups. RESULTS: All the participants were male and alcohol was the most commonly used drug, followed by tobacco and ganja. The horizontal brushing technique was the most widely used technique. Mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) score was recorded to be 1.48. Leukoplakia, acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, candidiasis, and ulceration were among the few oral lesions found in the inmates. Around 67.66% of inmates exhibited erosion of the enamel surface, while 6.59% had signs of enamel fracture. Statistically, significant difference was found for the types of drugs used and DMFT score and type of drug used and dental erosion. CONCLUSION: Oral health status of drug users is poor and needs immediate attention. Oral health education needs to be imparted among them. The government needs to enforce the establishment of dental clinics in these centers so that the oral health of these people can be taken care of.

Knowledge, attitude, practices, and barriers regarding pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction reporting among medical and dental faculties of the teaching hospitals in Bhubaneswar City.

AIM: To assess the knowledge, attitude, practices (KAP), and barriers regarding pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting among medical and dental faculties of the teaching hospitals. METHODOLOGY: This study was conducted for a period of 3 months among medical and dental faculties. A self-structured, 42-item closed-ended questionnaire based on pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting was used in this study. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 21. All the items of the domains along with demographic variables were summarized as absolute and relative frequencies. Intergroup comparison was done using Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U-test. The correlation between the domains was assessed by Spearman correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Among the study subjects, 272 (60.4%) were females and 178 (39.6%) were males. The number of medical and dental faculties was 360 (80%) and 90 (20%), respectively. The mean KAP scores for medical and dental faculties were 7.58 and 5.37, 8.78 and 6.01, and 6.91 and 6.32, respectively. The Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ) was found to be significant for knowledge-attitude and knowledge-practice domains. The values obtained between attitude with practice and barrier also were significantly correlated. CONCLUSION: Our study findings advocate that although medical faculties have better knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting, dentists have a positive attitude, thereby suggesting a huge scope of progress if more emphasis is given on the need for continuous educational initiatives and including the topic in their academic curriculum.

Modern endodontic practices among dentists in India: A comparative cross-sectional nation-based survey.

INTRODUCTION: More than 41,000 root canal treatments (RCTs) are performed every day and about 25 RCTs are performed every week by an endodontist. The success rate of endodontic treatment ranges between 86% and 98%; however, the failure rates cannot be ignored which can range up to 20% of the treated cases due to a varied number of reasons including incorrect adoption of working techniques and usage of inappropriate materials. The present study aimed at comparing the practices of various levels of dentists toward RCT in their daily practice. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional, descriptive, questionnaire-based study was conducted among the dental practitioners who have completed the Masters of Dental Surgery (MDS) curriculum in India and postgraduate students in various dental colleges in India. The sample size was achieved to be 1601 at the completion of the study. The response rate for the study was 80.05%. All the dentists practicing RCT either in the clinic or in the college and willing to participate in the study were included in the study. A self-structured questionnaire was used as study tool. SPSS was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: A total of 26.7% of the PG students (endodontists) used rubber dam. Majority of the dentists preferred hand instruments (62.36%) over rotary. Almost half (53.09%) of the postgraduates belonging to other branches reported to prescribe drugs. CONCLUSION: The present study showed a varied profile of the dentists with most of them following the basic protocols and techniques of international standards.

Software Intervention in Smoking Cessation among Engineering Students in Bhubaneswar City: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to test the effectiveness of a photoaging software (APRILAGE©) intervention based on personalized, vivid illustrations of "smoker's face" among smokers aged 18-24 years of age in Bhubaneswar city through a self-structured questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 204 engineering college students were randomized into two groups: intervention and control. A self-structured questionnaire in the form of Google Form was distributed among the participants. The study group participants were photographed using Aprilage® Software. Follow-up data were collected using the same questionnaire at 1-month and 3-month intervals. Statistical Analysis was done using STATA 15 software. Descriptive statistics and the relation between the dependent and independent variables were done using the nonparametric tests of significance. The probability value was kept at 0.05. RESULTS: Significant reduction in nicotine dependency, was seen in 64.36% of the study population (P < 0.0001). There was a shift from severely dependent group to moderately or low dependence group in 33% of the study occupants. CONCLUSION: Aging software intervention is contemporary, congenial, and admissible and can be espoused to educate youngsters along with the conventional motivational methods. This method successfully delivers smoking cessation advice to young adults. This novel approach can be implemented in motivating young smokers to quit smoking.

The impact of outreach programs on academics development, personal development and civic responsibilities of dental students in Bhubaneswar city.

INTRODUCTION: Inequalities persists in distribution, accessibility, and utilization of oral health services between urban and rural population. One approach to lessen this inequality is by incorporating rural outreach programs in the academic curriculum of health-care professionals. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of outreach programs on academic development, personal development, and civic responsibilities of dental students and also to assess the changes in the domain scores within and between genders postintervention. METHODOLOGY: The study population consisted of 100 dental students. The study methodology followed a before and after without control informal experimental study designs. At baseline, the participants were administered pretested structured questionnaire developed by D. Diaz Gallegos. Intervention involved posting participants in various rural outreach activities and academic field visits in various public health installations. A postintervention questionnaire developed by Anu F. Shinnamon et al. was administered to assess the change from the baseline. The change in domain scores was assessed using paired and unpaired t-test appropriately. P ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The baseline scores of academic, personal, and civic domains were 6.05 ± 2.44, 8.04 ± 2.84, and 6.36 ± 2.23 which increased to 6.52 ± 2.10, 13.56 ± 3.44, and 8.55 ± 2.71 postintervention, respectively (P ≤ 0.05). When comparing within genders, there was increase from the baseline, and this change in the scores postintervention was statistically significant (P = 0.001). The mean scores of all three domains between genders were statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: The outreach programs developed and enhanced the subject's academic skills, leadership qualities, self-confidence, communication skills, managerial skills, and responsibilities toward the rural community.

Oral health status and treatment needs among the Juang tribe-a particularly vulnerable tribal group residing in Northern Odisha, India: A cross-sectional study.

The study was aimed to assess the oral health status and treatment needs of Juang tribe residing in Bansapal taluk of Northern Odisha. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 1,412 Juangs using a cluster random sampling procedure. Bansapal taluk is subdivided into six Gram Panchayat's (GP) with each GP considered as a cluster. From each of the six GP's, equal number of villages was chosen randomly using lottery method in order to get uniform representation. A total of 16 villages were chosen using this method. From each selected village, every alternate household on each side of the street was included and all the people in that household were surveyed through a door-to-door survey. Data were collected using the WHO Oral Health Assessment Form, 1997. All the examinations were carried out by a single examiner assisted by a trained recording assistant who was sitting close enough to the examiner so that instructions and codes could be easily heard. The periodontal health status as recorded by Community Periodontal Index indicated that majority of the subjects (75.6%) had calculus. Assessment of loss of attachment showed that majority of the subjects (64.5%) had an attachment loss of 0-3 mm. Caries experience in primary dentition was 34.2% and in permanent dentition was 83.4%. The study population was characterised by high prevalence of periodontal disease, dental caries and high treatment needs. The results from this study could be used as a baseline information for health authorities and dental professionals for planning strategies for oral health promotion, prevention and treatment among the Juang population.

Effectiveness of a novel oral health education technique in maintenance of gingival health and plaque removal efficacy among institutionalized visually impaired children of Bhubaneswar city: A randomized controlled trial.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a novel health education method-Audio Tactile Performance (ATP) technique-in maintenance of gingival health and plaque removal efficacy among institutionalized visually impaired children of Bhubaneswar city. METHODS AND RESULTS: A parallel arm, single blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted among 10- to 15-year-old visually impaired children. Clinical examinations were done by the examiner blinded to group allocations. Oral health education materials (Braille and audio) were given to control group and ATP technique was given to test group. Clinical examinations for plaque and gingival scores were assessed at baseline, 30 days interval, and 90 days interval. The trial was registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2017/05/008551). In control group, a greater plaque reduction was observed at 30 days interval (3.58 ± 1.3) when compared to baseline (2.63 ± 2.02) and 90 days interval (3.14 ± 0.88), and this difference was statistically significant. For whole mouth, in test group, a greater reduction in gingival scores was observed at 90 days interval (2.65 ± 1.64) when compared to baseline (4.58 ± 1.63) and 30 days interval (1.23 ± 2.43), and this difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: ATP was found to be at par with the control group (Braille and audio aids).

Assessment of dental caries, oral hygiene status, traumatic dental injuries and provision of basic oral health care among visually impaired children of Eastern Odisha.

CONTEXT: The magnitude and severity of oral health problems in visually impaired population are worse than in general population, and they tend to have more untreated dental diseases and more problems accessing dental care. AIMS: The aim of this study is to assess dentition status and treatment needs, oral hygiene status, and traumatic dental injuries among institutionalized children attending special schools for the visually impaired in eastern Odisha. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using a universal sampling protocol. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: American Dental Association Type III clinical examination was carried out using plane mouth mirrors and community periodontal index probes under adequate natural illumination by a single examiner assisted by a trained recording assistant. After completion of the study, all participants were provided with basic oral health care through outreach programs. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Comparisons were done using Student's t-test, analysis of variance, and Chi-square test. RESULTS: Caries prevalence for primary and permanent dentition was 15% and 46%, respectively. Mean oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) was 2.43 ± 1.03. The prevalence of traumatic dental injuries was 11%. A statistically significant difference in mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) was observed in children consuming liquid sugar as compared to solid and those consuming sticky sugars as compared to nonsticky. A statistically significant difference in mean OHI-S scores was observed when compared with frequency of changing toothbrush. CONCLUSIONS: This sample of visually impaired children has a high prevalence of dental caries, traumatic dental injuries, and poor oral hygiene. Unmet needs for dental caries were found to be high indicating very poor accessibility and availability of oral health care.

A Cross-sectional Survey Assessing Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Oral Cancer among Private Medical and Dental Practitioners in Bhubaneswar City.

INTRODUCTION: Oral cancer is a public health problem giving rise to a great number of disabilities and deaths, but the possibility of survival is astonishingly higher when detected early. Health professionals therefore have an important role and responsibility in the prevention and early detection of oral cancer. They should be in a position to identify all suspicious lesions and to search for specialist opinion as promptly as possible when unsure, while also referring to the most appropriate discipline. AIM: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) regarding oral cancer among private medical practitioners (MPs) and private dental practitioners (DPs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among 334 MPs and 201 DPs in Bhubaneswar. A self-designed, close-ended questionnaire containing 28 items was delivered to the practitioners in their clinics. Correlation between KAP among MPs and DPs was done by Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient test. Student's t-test was used to compare the KAP among the practitioners. RESULTS: Of the 535 practitioners approached, 513 filled the questionnaire with a response rate of 95.88%. Significantly, the mean knowledge index was higher among DPs (10.96 ± 1.85). The attitude index was higher in the MPs (6.89 ± 1.11), and the practice index was higher among the DPs (4.95 ± 0.91). CONCLUSION: The study puts forward the need of further training for both MPs and DPs to increase awareness and to strengthen their abilities to diagnose potentially cancerous intra-oral lesions.

Assessment of dental caries and periodontal status in institutionalized hearing impaired children in Khordha District of Odisha.

INTRODUCTION: Over 5% of the world's population has disabling hearing loss. The oral health of the disabled may be disused for the reason of the disabling condition, a challenging disease or the limited access to oral health care. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal status of institutionalized hearing impaired (HI) children in Khordha district of Odisha. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study on the HI children was conducted in Khordha district, Odisha. Type III examination procedure was conducted to assess the oral health status of the children. Statistical analysis was performed by Chi-square test and Student's t-test, and the significance level was fixed at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The final population consisted of 540 HI children out of which 262 (48.5%) were male and 278 (51.5%) were female, 285 (52.8%) children had severe hearing loss and 227 (42.0%) had profound hearing loss. Bleeding on probing was found in 72 (13.3%) female children as compared to 57 (10.6%) male children. While 131 (24.3%) female children had calculus, 124 (23.0%) male children had the same condition. Total caries prevalence was 19.3%. Statistically highly significant difference was found for mean decayed teeth (DT), missing teeth decayed, missing filled teeth (FT) (P < 0.001), while for mean FT there was no statistically significant difference according to age groups. Statistically highly significant difference was found for mean DT, extracted teeth and decayed, extracted, filled teeth (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: An improved accessibility to dental services as well as dental health education is necessary to ensure the optimum dental health within the reach of these less fortunate children.

Current status of disinfection of dental impressions in Indian dental colleges: a cause of concern.

INTRODUCTION: Dentistry is predominantly a field of surgery, involving exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials and therefore requires a high standard of infection control and safety practice in controlling cross-contamination and occupational exposures to blood- and saliva-borne diseases. METHODOLOGY: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 60 dental colleges throughout India to establish routine methods of treating impressions of the oral cavity for disinfection. An email describing the purpose of the study along with a short questionnaire was sent to one of the teaching faculty of concerned departments of the colleges. Questions were asked regarding availability of materials required to disinfect the impressions, the preferred method to treat the impression, and whether postgraduate courses were offered by the department. RESULTS: The routine method of treating the impression reported by 75.9% of the respondents was washing under running water, while 24.1% of the respondents reported that impressions were treated by chemical disinfectants. CONCLUSION: Strict infection control measures are necessary to ensure the health and safety of dental workers and patients. The present study showed that there is a lack of commitment to high standards of infection control practices in dental colleges in India.