Behavioral Patterns Toward Preventive Dental Care at School Dental Camps: An Observational Study in Bengaluru.

Background Dental behavior management problems of children towards preventive dental care at school dental camps in India remain largely undocumented. This study aimed to assess such behavior patterns in preschool and school-age children at a school dental health camp. Materials and methods The cross-sectional study included 462 children, with 261 children each in the preschool (three to five years old) and school (six to 12 years old) age groups in Bengaluru. On the school dental camp day, their behavior and anxiety were gauged using the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale and the Raghavendra, Madhuri, and Sujata Pictorial Scale, respectively. The Chi-square test was used to uncover predictive variables for children's behavior patterns toward preventive dental procedures at the dental school camps. Results A high prevalence of definitely negative Frankl Behavior Rating Scale ratings (59%, n=272) and dental anxiety (53%, n=245) were noted among the participants. Age, sex, the area of residence of the child, and the previous history of dental visits and treatment were predictors of their behavior at a school dental camp setup. Conclusion The present study gives an insight into the behavior of children towards preventive dental care at a school dental camp in a mobile dental van, stressing the need for behavior assessment before the treatment.

Age, Purpose, and Perception With Regard to the First Dental Visit of Children of Goa State in India.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Early first dental visits (FDVs) are crucial for educating and informing parents about their children's oral health. The age for the FDV is dependent on several factors and data regarding the same is unavailable in Goa state. The aim of the study was to determine the age, purpose, and parental perception with regard to the FDV of children in Goa State. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry for children reporting for their FDV. Data for the study was recorded from validated and pilot-tested questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed using the STATA (version 17; StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX) software. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Continuous variables were summarized using means and standard deviations. RESULTS: A total of 544 children were included in the study. The mean age of the FDV was 7.15 ± 2.98 years. Out of the total, 257 (47.24%) children reported with pain. The absence of dental problems was the reason why 485 (89.01%) children and their parents had not visited earlier. Most parents perceived the FDV to be important but were unaware of the ideal age for the same. CONCLUSIONS: Children in Goa state have delayed FDVs. Although parents recognized the importance of early dental visits and oral health, their knowledge regarding the recommended age was found to be deficient.

Teeth in forensics: A review.

With the ever-increasing crime rate in our society, the field of forensic sciences has become highly evolved. Forensic dentists play a pivotal role in various areas of crime scene investigations and thereby help solve innumerable mysteries. Teeth appear to be vital pieces of evidence in several such investigations. Teeth are preserved in the closed cavities of the mouth and are generally resistant to the threatening environmental conditions that may be associated with the death of an individual, making them very useful in postmortem analysis. Teeth thus obtained may be useful in age estimation of the deceased victim or in determining his blood group. Identification of individuals in mass disasters can also be performed based on the unique morphological characteristics of the human dentition and through dental DNA fingerprinting. Again teeth play an all important role in catching a culprit through the positive correlation of the bite marks left behind at the crime scene and the suspect's own teeth marks. Thus, teeth prove to be an important adjunct in forensics. Its scope is ever-increasing with time, and a great amount of research is being carried out to implement the same. A PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus search was conducted of the past 70 years using several search terms like "Forensic odontology," "history of forensic odontology," "dental DNA fingerprinting," "forensic age estimation," "age estimation from teeth" and "bitemarks." Other articles and textbook references which were considered to be important were also included in this study. The articles gathered were divided into the following groups: history of forensic odontology, teeth and DNA (dental DNA fingerprinting), teeth and blood grouping, teeth and age estimation, and teeth in bite marks.