Assessment of Knowledge Regarding Furcation Defects among Dental Practitioners: A Multinational Survey

@#This study was undertaken to assess knowledge regarding furcation defects among dental fraternity. This is an open-ended, randomized, web-based cross-sectional multinational online survey. A total of 904 responses were gathered by sending 13 questions through a google form. Data were expressed in frequency and percentages. Chi-square test was performed to determine significant difference between gender, education level and variation between dentists of India and other countries. P value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Present study had 650 dentists from India and 254 dentists from other countries. For overall knowledge regarding furcation, 90.7% (average of first and second question) of dentists had knowledge regarding furcation. There was no significant difference between males (range 54%-93%) and females (range 46%- 95%) (p>0.05) in terms of knowledge. Majority (88.7%) of post-graduates knew about the use of Nabers probe for furcation measurements and values were significant (p<0.05). Present study also revealed 65%-67% of undergraduates and post-graduates knew that Degree II furcation defects showed predictable periodontal regeneration, however values were non-significant (p>0.05). There was no statistical significance (p>0.05) between dentists of India and other countries. Dental fraternity in general had adequate knowledge regarding the furcation defects, their treatment modalities and expected complications.

Influence of Bispectral Index Monitoring on Isoflurane Minimum Alveolar Concentration in Off Pump Cardiac Surgeries

Off pump CABG is the most commonly performed cardiac surgical procedure involving multi vessel grafting through median sternotomy. Approach of lateral and posterior walls of heart for grafting, necessitates need for lifting or tilting heart producing elevated atrial pressures, fall in cardiac output and thus profound hypotension. Maintaining delicate balance between myocardial oxygen demand and supply is crucial to prevent myocardial insults and associated sequelae for which the mean arterial pressure is maintained >70 mmHg to facilitate adequate coronary perfusion pressure achieved by infusion of vasopressors like dobutamine and increased preload. Another strategy adopted by anaesthesiologist to limit this hypotension is by reducing isoflurane and thus cardiac surgical patients are prone for awareness. Awareness is the explicit recall of sensory perceptions during anaesthesia.METHODSWe studied 40 patients with ASA physical status II & III, between age group of 18 to 65 years scheduled for elective off pump CABG after institutional ethical committee clearance and written informed consent. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups of 20 each. Group 1 (isoflurane in oxygen given with BIS maintained at 55+/-5) and Group 2 (isoflurane in oxygen given without BIS).Comparison of the two groups was done in terms of gender, age, height, weight, heart rate, hemodynamics, dial concentration, minimum alveolar concentration, drugs consumed, time to extubation and intraoperative awareness. Results were statistically analyzed using independent t test, chi square test and Fischer exact test. Data was presented in terms of mean, median and standard deviation. The 'p' value of <0.05 was considered significant.RESULTSHeart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure were higher in Group 1 compared to Group 2. The dial concentration and minimum alveolar concentration were found to be statistically significant 5 minutes after intubation upto 4.5 hours of the cardiac surgical procedure with 'p' value <0.05. Amount of midazolam and propofol used in Group 1 was higher when compared to Group 2 while there was no statistical significance with use of opioid (fentanyl) or muscle relaxant (pancuronium). Time to extubation and intraoperative awareness were comparable between both the groups.CONCLUSIONSBIS monitoring reduces amount of isoflurane used along with the prevention of awareness in cardiac surgical patients. It helps not only the anaesthesiologist but also the other operation theatre personnel by preventing environmental pollution.

Aerosol, a health hazard during ultrasonic scaling: A clinico‑microbiological study.

Context: Ultrasonic scaling is a routinely used treatment to remove plaque and calculus from tooth surfaces. These scalers use water as a coolant which is splattered during the vibration of the tip. The splatter when mixed with saliva and plaque of the patients causes the aerosol highly infectious and acts as a major risk factor for transmission of the disease. In spite of necessary protection, sometimes, the operator might get infected because of the infectious nature of the splatter. Aim: To evaluate the aerosol contamination produced during ultrasonic scaling by the help of microbiological analysis. Materials and Methods: This clinico‑microbiological study consisted of twenty patients. Two agar plates were used for each patient; the first was kept at the center of the operatory room 20 min before the treatment while the second agar plate was kept 40 cm away from the patient’s chest during the treatment. Both the agar plates were sent for microbiological analysis. Statistical Analysis: The statistical analysis was done with the help of STATA 11.0 (StataCorp. 2013. Stata Statistical Software, Release 13. College Station, TX: StataCorp LP, 4905 Lakeway Drive College Station, Texas, USA). Statistical software was used for data analysis and the P < 0.001 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The results for bacterial count were highly significant when compared before and during the treatment. The Gram staining showed the presence of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species in high numbers. Conclusions: The aerosols and splatters produced during dental procedures have the potential to spread infection to dental personnel. Therefore, proper precautions should be taken to minimize the risk of infection to the operator.

Evaluation of the Truview[TM] EVO2 laryngoscope for nasotracheal intubation

The Truview[TM] EVO2 laryngoscope, with its unique optical lens system and blade tip angulation, has proved its usefulness in providing adequate laryngeal exposure and intubation via the oral route. However, the same has not been evaluated for nasotracheal intubation. We evaluated the suitability of the Truview[TM] EVO2 laryngoscope for nasotracheal intubation. Fifty ASA grade I and II elective surgical patients were studied. Patients aged below 15 years or having difficult airway were excluded. Under standard anesthesia protocol, nasotracheal intubation was performed using a Truvie[TM] EVO2 laryngoscope and, in cases of inability to complete intubation in three attempts, the Macintosh laryngoscope was used. Time taken for intubation, use of Magill's forceps and need for optimization maneuvers were noted. The primary outcome was percentage of successful intubation, while hemodynamic changes and duration of intubation were taken as secondary outcomes. Majority [94%] could be intubated successfully with the Truvie[TM] EVO2 laryngoscope. Average time taken for intubation was 50.1 s. The hemodynamic changes were not clinically significant. Regression analysis revealed lack of association between duration of intubation and hemodynamic changes. There were no serious complications. The Truview[TM] EVO2 laryngoscope is a useful tool in performing nasotracheal intubation, ensuring a high level of success rate among patients with normal airway anatomy

In vivo clearance of Japanese encephalitis virus by adoptively transferred virus specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a positive stranded RNA virus that belongs to the flavivirus group. JEV infection damages the central nervous system (CNS) and is one of the main causative agents of acute encephalitis. H-2 restricted virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) have been generated specifically against JEV in our laboratory and these CTL have been shown to protect mice against lethal challenge with JEV. Virus replication was found to be inhibited in the brains of animals that were adoptively transferred with JEV specific CTL as revealed by immunohistological staining as well as viral plaque assays. We further show that virus specific CTL could be recovered from such protected mice as long as 45 days after adoptive transfer.