Recognition of Oral Pathology as a Subject among Dental Undergraduates: Addressing their Concerns.

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology is a speciality department of dentistry which deals with identification of diseases affecting oral and maxillofacial regions and investigates the cause, processes and effect of these diseases. Books, internet, lectures have made great progress but there is still a gap between students' understanding and interest in the subject. The aim of this study was to evaluate and analyse the challenges faced by undergraduate students in understanding oral pathology theory & practical and modify the teaching process accordingly. A descriptive cross-sectional study of 300 BDS third year students was conducted in our college. The results stated that 83% of the participants attended classes, 90% found the topics covered to be useful, 97% reported that the classes were taken to provide an in depth view of the subject, 71% faced difficulties in understanding the topics in theory classes. 46% attended seminars, 68% viewed more than 4 slides on an average in one practical class, and 80% faced difficulties in identifying the slide. Our data concluded, that if certain measures will be taken so as to engage the students' interests, then this subject would prove to be a much better scope of learning for the budding dentists.

Awareness and Attitude of Dental Practitioners on Impact of Music Therapy on Patients Anxiety Level during Various Types of Dental Treatments.

Music therapy plays an important role in reducing the anxiety of patients during various procedures of dental treatments. Dental practitioners should also be aware of the employment of music therapy on patients before various dental treatments to reduce dental anxiety and the feasibility of its implementation in regular dental practice. A questionnaire study was conducted regarding the awareness and attitude of dental practitioners on the impact of music therapy on dental patients, to which 305 participants responded. A comparison was made between the Undergraduates, Postgraduates, Faculties, Interns, and Private practitioners. They were also asked about the drawbacks associated with music therapy. There was a level of agreement amongst participants regarding the awareness of music therapy. But there was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.011) noted across groups. The majority of the participants agreed that it could be incorporated into a regular dental practice as a stress management procedure.

An Exquisite Case Report of Follicular Variant of Acinic Cell Carcinoma of the Parotid Gland With Review of Literature.

Acinic cell carcinoma (ACC), previously called acinic cell tumor, is an uncommon malignant neoplasm that tends to recur locally without proper treatment measures. This low-grade neoplasm has four histological subtypes. We hereby report a case of a follicular variant of ACC, which is a rare subtype. A 20-year literature search encompassing this variant of ACC of the parotid region was also performed, which showed four reported cases. A 60-year-old woman reported to our college, Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences, with the chief complaint of pain and swelling in her upper right back tooth region for the past three months. Upon incisional biopsy, histopathological examination revealed a follicular variant of ACC. Further, immunohistochemistry was also performed using markers such as DOG-1, CK7, S-100, and thyroglobulin, which showed CK7 marker positivity. Subtotal parotidectomy was performed and the tissue was sent for histopathological analysis. Although ACCs are slow-growing and indolent in character, they can frequently recur locally decades later and spread to distant organs. Long-term follow-up is necessary following therapy as ACC has a noticeably high propensity to relapse and create latent metastases.

Probiotics: Dawn of a New Era in Dental Caries Management.

Dental caries is considered to be the most common pathology of the oral cavity. The pathogenesis of dental carries is believed to be because of imbalance in the microbiological niche creating an ecological pressure. Probiotics are living microorganisms which when dispensed in appropriate amounts can benefit the health of the host. They have posed as a promising replacement to antibiotics that can aid in solving dental issues like dental caries. There are numerous Randomized control trials to validate this fact. There are also various modes through which a probiotic can be delivered against dental caries. Numerous new avenues like effector strains and synbiotics are also explored nowadays. The present review is about the significance of probiotics in the management of dental caries.