Dental pain and self-care: a cross-sectional study of people with low socio-economic status residing in rural India.

CONTEXT: Self-care is one of the ways in which people without access to professional care can actively engage in managing their oral health problems. AIM: To find out the prevalence of dental pain and the type of self-care remedies utilised for pain relief by people with low socio-economic status residing in Kollipara mandal, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional population-based study. METHODS AND MATERIAL: A multistage simple random-sampling technique was adopted to obtain an appropriate sample. A questionnaire, which consisted of sections on socio-economic and demographic variables, dental pain, pain characteristics and self-care remedies utilised to combat dental pain, was used to collect data. Statistical analysis used the chi-square test and descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The survey covered a total population of 630 individuals. The mean age of the population was 32.8±16.7 years. Among the total study subjects, 44.1% were male and 55.9% were female. The prevalence of dental pain reported during the preceding 6 months was 28.3%. Subjects who experienced dental pain reported the home remedies and self-care methods that they utilised to get relief from the pain. They more frequently reported using over-the-counter medication (49.6%) for pain relief. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an insight into the type and usage of self-care in relief of dental pain. Pain sufferers used a variety of self-care methods to deal with their problems.

Prevalence of Dental Fear and Anxiety and Its Triggering Factors in the Dental Office among School-going Children in Al Ahsa.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of dental fear and anxiety (DFA) among school-going children in Al Ahsa.To identify the factors that trigger DFA in the dental office. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted. Eight hundred and sixteen, 7-12-year-old children studying in government and private schools spread across the city of Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, participated in the study. A self-reported questionnaire with 15 close-ended questions pertaining to DFA in logical order was distributed to all the participants. Each question had three options as responses with images. The children were asked to choose the option that best fitted their response. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The prevalence of DFA among boys and girls was found to be 50.4 and 71.28%, respectively. The majority of the boys studying in government schools reported DFA when informed about the treatment in advance, while most of those studying in private schools reported DFA at the sight of the dental chair and dental injections, while walking into the clinic, in the waiting room, when informed about the treatment in advance and their tooth being drilled. On the contrary, the responses were very similar among girls irrespective of their school. Most of the boys and girls did not experience any DFA when their parents were allowed to accompany them. Hence, a tailor-made approach for the management of the child in the dental office is warranted. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A tailor-made approach for the management of DFA in the dental office plays a significant role in successful treatment. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Alshuaibi AF, Aldarwish M, Almulhim AN, et a l. Prevalence of Dental Fear and Anxiety and Its Triggering Factors in the Dental Office among School-going Children in Al Ahsa. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(2):286-292.

A Simplified Single-Penetration Technique of IANB (MK Technique) for Mandibular Anesthesia.

INTRODUCTION: Owing to the anatomical basis established on the detailed course, distribution and innervations of buccal nerve in the literature, we believe that an effective and extensive buccal nerve block could be achieved when the nerve is anesthetized proximal to its branching point which relates to anteromedial aspect of ramus (retromolar fossa). Though several techniques of inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) including few single-penetration approaches were already well reviewed and practiced, pitfalls remained in terms of achieving adequate retromolar soft tissue anesthesia, as well as undermining the very importance of contacting the bone and the orientation of the bevel. We propose a simplified single-penetration technique aligning almost similar to conventional technique and its well-adopted landmarks, but still obviating the need for a separate penetration for long buccal nerve anesthesia. AIM: To study the efficacy of a simplified single-penetration technique for mandibular anesthesia. OBJECTIVES: To study the adequacy of the simplified IANB technique in minimizing the number of penetrations required to achieve buccal nerve anesthesia decreasing patient's pain and discomfort when IANB is performed and the ease of adaptability across the operators. MATERIALS: A 25-gauge 42-mm needle, local anesthesia with adrenaline-2% lignocaine HCl (1:80,000), 2.5-ml syringe, observation form. METHOD: Study 1-A sample size of 120 cases, in oral surgery department of our college, with 60 patients in Group I (control) where patients received anesthesia through conventional IANB and 60 patients in Group II (experimental) where patients received anesthesia through simplified IANB. Both the groups are again subdivided into group A (single operator) and group B (multiple operators). Study 2-20 bilateral mandibular impacted third molar in oral surgery department of our college, with right side (control-conventional technique) and left side (experimental-simplified single-penetration technique). VAS data are recorded in the excel sheet. RESULTS: The success rate of the simplified technique is quite comparable to the conventional groups. The mean pain and discomfort score in simplified technique was 3.08 which is relatively lower when compared to mean value in conventional technique which was 6.88. The difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Simplified technique minimizes the number of penetrations, which substantially decreases patient's pain and discomfort levels not only during injection, but also during surgical procedures on mandibular posterior region because of extensive and profound buccal nerve territorial anesthesia.

Is accredited social health activists' basic oral health knowledge appropriate in educating rural Indian population?

INTRODUCTION: Accredited social health activists (ASHAs) are the grassroot level health activists in the community who are involved in health education and community mobilization toward utilizing the health services. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the oral health knowledge among ASHAs working in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Five Primary Health Centers were randomly selected, and the total sample was 275. Categorical data were analyzed using Chi-square test. P ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean age was 32 ± 5.11 years and mean education was 9 ± 1.329 years of schooling. ASHAs were categorized into two groups based on their education levels, i.e., Group I whose education qualification is <10th class and Group II whose education qualification is above 10th class to observe any difference in knowledge based on their education. Overall knowledge among ASHAs was poor and also it was observed that both the groups were having poor knowledge regarding dental caries, calculus, dental plaque, oral cancer, and change of tooth brush. About 69.5% of the ASHAs were approached by public with dental problems, but only a few, i.e., 15.8% have referred the patients to the nearby dentist. CONCLUSION: As we know that most of the dental diseases are preventable, there is a dire need that ASHAs should be thoroughly educated in the aspects of oral health and diseases during their training period. This not only helps in creating awareness among them but also serves the ultimate purpose of improving the oral health of rural population.

Dental Service Utilization: Patterns and Barriers among Rural Elderly in Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh.

INTRODUCTION: The biological process of ageing is outside human control and has its own dynamics. It is a known fact that elderly people have more treatment needs compared to the younger population and at the same time elderly people are facing a multitude of barriers in utilization of health care as well as oral health care. AIM: To identify the utilization patterns of oral health care and barriers for utilization among rural population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done on 621 rural elderly subjects to identify the utilization of oral health care services and the barriers for utilization. Using stratified cluster sampling study area was stratified into 13 rural clusters, fifty houses were randomly selected from each stratum. All the elderly subjects, as defined by the age criteria were considered for study. The data were analysed using SPSS 20 v and Chi-square tests were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Only 31.9% of participants reported visiting a dentist in the past while 36.7% reported experiencing a dental problem at some point in their life. There were no significant differences in utilization of dental services based on gender, socio-economic status, age groups and religion. However, significant differences were found in utilization of dental services based on the response of participants to past experience of dental problems. CONCLUSION: The present study results conclude that fear was one of the most commonly reported barriers for utilisation of dental services and there is a need for oral health education and promotion among elderly population.

Assessment of the Status of National Oral Health Policy in India.

BACKGROUND: National oral health policy was conscripted by the Indian Dental Association (IDA) in 1986 and was accepted as an integral part of National Health Policy (NHP) by the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare in one of its conferences in the year 1995. Objectives of this paper were to find out the efforts made or going on towards its execution, its current status and recent oral health-related affairs or programs, if any. METHODS: Literature search was done using the institutional library, web-based search engines like 'Google' and 'PubMed' and also by cross referencing. It yielded 108 articles, of which 50 were excluded as they were not pertinent to the topic. Twenty-four were of global perspective rather than Indian and hence were not taken into account and finally 34 articles were considered for analyses. Documents related to central and state governments of India were also considered. RESULTS: All the articles considered for analysis were published within the past 10 years with gradual increase in number which depicts the researchers' increasing focus towards oral health policy. Criticisms, suggestions and recommendations regarding national oral health programs, dental manpower issues, geriatric dentistry, public health dentistry, dental insurance, oral health inequality, and public-private partnerships have taken major occupancies in the articles. Proposals like "model for infant and child oral health promotion" and "oral health policy phase 1 for Karnataka" were among the initiatives towards national oral health policy. CONCLUSION: The need for implementation of the drafted oral health policy with modification that suits the rapidly changing oral health system of this country is inevitable.

Socio-economic Status, Needs, and Utilization of Dental Services among Rural Adults in a Primary Health Center Area in Southern India.

BACKGROUND: The oral disease burden in India is showing a steady increase in the recent years. Utilization of dental care being the major factor affecting the oral health status of the population is used as an important tool in oral health policy decision-making and is measured in terms of the number of dental visits per annum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional house to house questionnaire survey was conducted in three rural clusters which were randomly selected from a total of eight clusters served by a primary health center. Simple random sampling was used to select 100 houses from each cluster. Screening was done to examine the existing oral diseases. A total of 385 completed questionnaires were collected from 300 houses. RESULTS: Of 385 study subjects, 183 have experienced previous dental problems. Major dental problem experienced by the study subjects was toothache (68.85%) and the treatment underwent was extraction (50.27%). Most preferred treatment centers by the study subjects were private dental hospital (68.25%) and reason identified was accessibility which constituted (45.24%) of all the reasons given. Negative attitude toward dental care is one of the important barriers; 50.8% of the non-utilizers felt dental treatment is not much important. CONCLUSION: Person's attitude, lack of awareness, and affordability remain the barriers for utilization of dental services. Effective methods have to be exercised to breach such barriers.