A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Oral Health Disparities Among the Indigenous Paediatric Population.

There is a knowledge gap in the literature regarding oral health disparities (OHD) in minority and indigenous (IG) paediatric cohorts that needs to be addressed. Disparities in oral health among children are a pressing concern, highlighting inequities in access to dental care and meeting needs. The current systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the prevailing understanding of OHD in the minority and IG strata. A meticulous search strategy was formulated by a team of reviewers to identify pertinent studies from databases of PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar and EMBASE. Data extraction and article selection strictly adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was employed to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies included. Review Manager version 5.4 was used to synthesise quantitative data. A total of five cross-sectional studies were included in the final analysis. The findings consistently demonstrated the existence of racial and socioeconomic disparities in oral health across varying age groups and geographical locations in the defined population. Significant disparities in oral health outcomes were observed between IG and non-IG populations, with IG and minority groups exhibiting a heightened vulnerability to oral health challenges. Through a meta-analysis of the compiled data, a statistically significant association was established between children (being a member of a minority group) and unmet oral health needs. Socioeconomic status (SES) and maternal education were factors that showed a significant impact on oral health disparity. All studies were graded to be of the low-risk category based on the NOS risk of bias tool. This review successfully identified several influential factors contributing to oral health disparities, such as cultural practices, dietary patterns and access to oral healthcare services. Additionally, discernible differences in oral health status were evident between IG and non-IG children, with IG children enduring a greater burden of oral health difficulties. These findings underscore the imperative for targeted interventions and policy measures aimed at addressing the specific oral health needs of minority and IG paediatric populations, with the overarching goal of mitigating the existing disparities.

Management protocols of chronic Orofacial Pain: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Chronic orofacial pain (CP) is a persistent and debilitating condition that affects the face, mouth, and jaw and can have a significant impact on an individual's quality of life by posing problems to eat, speak, and perform everyday activities. By the means of this narrative review, we aim to assess different types of management modalities that exist to combat chronic orofacial pain. Design: Various databases were explored with MeSH keywords of chronic orofacial pain, orofacial pain, and interventions and treatment protocols for eligible articles. After an extensive literature search, it was ascertained that this review identified four major categories of treatment modalities for the management of chronic orofacial pain, namely pharmacological management, psychological management, lifestyle interventions-based management, and current stimulation-based management. Results: Of the four categories discussed, although pharmacological intervention offered the most immediate relief-especially from orofacial pain that was of a sudden, stab-like in nature-psychological management demonstrated a remarkable ability to reduce/alleviate the more serious aspect of chronic orofacial pain and was deemed better in comparison to the rest. Lifestyle-based techniques and current stimulation-based management were of limited use since they tended to focus more on the causal and not the symptomatic aspect of orofacial pain. Conclusions: Many patients with persistent orofacial discomfort can experience notable improvements in their symptoms and general well-being by all the treatment modalities evaluated.

Efficacy of 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy in patients with nicotine stomatitis.

AIM: This study aimed to treat smoker's palate (SP) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT). METHODS: A total of 24 patients with SP were divided into two groups: group-I (test group; n = 12); and group-II (control group; n = 12). Group-I patients were treated with 5-ALA-mediated PDT, while group-II patients were advised to cease the smoking habit during the entire duration of the study and later. PDT was repeated on days 3, 7, and 14 (i.e., a total of four sittings including day 0 [baseline]). Later, the participants were called for follow-up after week-4 (1st follow-up), week-6 (2nd follow-up), and week-8 (3rd follow-up) after the completion of the treatment. The SPSS version 22.0 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Group-I patients showed a statistically significant improvement when all three time points were assessed (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the same trend was observed in the group-II participants (p < 0.001), however, the difference between both groups (i.e., group-I [test group] and group-II [control group]) was larger. CONCLUSION: The findings of this clinical trial indicated a promising and satisfactory decrease in the clinical features of the smoker's palate without any adverse impacts utilizing 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy. Hence, 5-ALA-mediated PDT appeared to be a promising treatment option together with smoking cessation.

Evaluation of the Histological Changes in the Structure of the Minor Salivary Glands in Patients With Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF).

BACKGROUND: The minor salivary glands (MSGs) are critical components of the mouth's delicate environment. The pre-malignant changes of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) have been associated with a decline in the quality of life and an uptick in the prevalence of oral malignancies. AIM: The aim was to provide evidence of the histological alterations in minor salivary gland structure seen in individuals with OSMF. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 106 confirmed cases of OSMF were enrolled in the study. In order to perform an incisional biopsy, we first collected the patient's complete demographic and clinical history. Using a Vernier calliper, the inter-incisal distance was used to evaluate the mouth opening of the patients. An incisional biopsy of the buccal mucosa was carried out using a 6 mm diameter punch and local anaesthesia. After the appropriate demographic and medical information had been gathered. Acinar cells and the surrounding stroma of tissue slices were observed under a light microscope for alterations. The cytoplasm, nucleus morphology, cellular shape, mucin pooling, and acinar outline of acinar cells were all examined by the researchers. It was taken into account to classify OSMF histologically based on variations in juxta epithelial hyalinization. RESULTS: Multiple aetiologies for the symptoms of OSMF were reflected in the patient's histological abnormalities in the minor salivary glands. On the measurement of the diameter of acini, we discover that the average area of salivary gland acini in OSMF patients is smaller than in the normal group indicative of a decrease in size. The number of functional acini in OSMF is fewer than compared in the control group. CONCLUSION:  Because of the findings of this study, we now have a better understanding of the factors that play a role in the incidence of dryness of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa (OSMF), although it has to be mentioned that no major impact of OSMF on minor salivary glands was observed in our study.

Traumatic Bone Cyst of the Anterior Mandibular Region: A Case Report.

A traumatic bone cyst (TBC) is an unusual non-neoplastic pseudocystic cavity in the bone that is often asymptomatic and slow-growing. It is unexpectedly detected by regular radiography imaging. These lesions are more common in the mandible than they are in the maxilla, and they are often seen in patients older than 40 years of age. A radiolucent unilocular lesion with scalloped margins is the most common radiographic appearance. If the hollow is found to contain blood or straw-colored fluid, surgical exploration is the only way to make a conclusive diagnosis of this uncommon condition. We present a case of an asymptomatic, incidentally diagnosed (on radiograph) traumatic bone cyst in a young patient involving the mandibular anterior region with periapical radiolucency. The case was diagnosed by radiographs and histopathological evaluation.