ABSTRACT
Early childhood caries can lead to a higher risk of new carious lesions in both primary and permanent dentition, hospitalizations, increased treatment expenditure, risk for delayed physical growth and development, loss of school days with restricted activity, diminished oral health related quality of life and psychological distress to parents. Infant oral health is one of the foundations on which dental care and preventive education must be built to allow a lifetime opportunity free from preventable oral diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the baseline knowledge and attitude of undergraduate dental students regarding early childhood caries and infant oral health and to propose ways to improve the undergraduate dental curriculum particularly in the prevention of Infant Oral Health diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among third and final year students of Government Dental College and Hospital, Srinagar, India in December 2019. Data was collected using a self-structured questionnaire. The questionnaires were entered into excel worksheet for cleaning and imported into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) for analysis. Results: About eighty five (85 %) of students had a good knowledge about early childhood caries and infant oral health care. Conclusion: There is still a need to improve the knowledge of graduating dental students through effective strategies. They require adequate training in infant oral health care to be included in their curriculum.
ABSTRACT
Background: The beneficial uses of magnetized water in medical sciences has been tried but its application in the field of dentistry is still at its infancy. Magnetized water can be a cheaper alternative to adjuncts used for chemical plaque control. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of conventionally prepared magnetized water and 0.2% Chlorhexidine on gingival and plaque status among children attending a Government Dental College. Methods: The present double blinded randomized control clinical study was carried out in Department of Pedodontics, Govt. Dental College, Srinagar. A total of 75 children between 12-15 years were randomly allocated into 3 groups A, B and C, each comprising of 25 subjects who were asked to rinse with Mint Water (Control Group), Magnetized water and 0.2% Chlorhexidine respectively. Examination was carried on day 0 (Baseline), 14 days (2 weeks) and 21 days (3 weeks) whose Turesky- Gilmore Modification of Quigley Hein Plaque Index and Gingival Index were assessed. Results: There was a significant difference in the mean PI and GI scores of magnetized water and Chlorhexidine groups when compared with that of Control group, both at 14 days (2 weeks) and at 21 days (3 weeks). Conclusion: It was concluded that both Magnetized water and 0.2% Chlorhexidine showed less plaque accumulations as well as improvement in the gingival status as compared to the control group.