Smear layer removal efficacy of conventional endodontic irrigants v/s phytochemical extracts-an in vitro study

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of two natural extracts for the irrigation of root canal. A descriptive study was conducted at the Department of Operative Dentistry and Department of Oral Biology, Hamdard University Dental Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Irrigation solutions were made in Operative Department.100 single rooted extracted teeth were collected from Oral Surgery Department. These teeth were disinfected and cleaned using ultrasonic tip and stored in distilled water until use. These teeth were decoronated below the cementoenamel junction to obtain standardized root length of 10mm.Root canals were instrumented using rotary files at working length 1mm short of the apex .Specimens were randomly divided into 4 groups and subjected to each irrigants for 5 minutes accord-ing to the irrigation protocol, Group A contained distilled water and was taken as control. Group B contained 17 % EDTA while Group C contained herbal extract of lemon grass and Group D contained herbal extract of Green tea. Specimens were longitudinally sectioned and evaluated under scanning electron microscope for smear layer removal efficacy. Statistical analysis was done by using Krus-kal-Wallis test [?=0.05].Group A, Group C and Group D showed the presence of debris and smear layer and they were statis-tically different from Group B where debris and smear layer were totally removed [p < 0.05]. Group D showed removal of debris at middle third and ground portion of the tooth. EDS microanalysis showed the presence of Na, P, and Ca elements on the surface. Among all groups green tea was more effective in removing the smear layer and debris without causing erosion

Awareness of different treatment options for missing teeth in patient visited at hamdard university dental hospital

The study was conducted to know the awareness, level of knowledge and attitude about teeth-re-placement options among patients who visited Hamdard University Dental Hospital for prosthodontic treatment. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to patients reported to Prosthodontics Department at Hamdard University Dental Hospital. Questions focused on the awareness to replace the missing teeth and the preferable methods of choice for replacement. Age limits of the participants ranged between 14-77 years. All the participants were partially edentulous excluding the third mo-lars. A total of 201 patients were examined, 114 were males and 87 females. Data were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences [SPSS] version-16.Descriptive statistics i.e., frequencies were computed. Results of the present study showed that patient's awareness was 45% for fixed partial denture, 26% for acrylic removable partial denture, 17% for cast partial denture and only 4% for im-plants. The patients awareness for different treatment options for missing teeth was very low. So there is a need to increase the awareness about various dental prosthesis among patients need replacement for missing teeth. The oral health care providers have to play a vital role in this regard

Diabetes mellitus patients; immediate dentures

Objectives: To observe Quality of Life [QoL] in diabetes mellitus patients after fabrication of immediate dentures

Setting: Department of Prosthodontics in Hamdard University Dental Hospital, Karachi

Period: Two years from October 2011 to September 2013

Methodology: Thirty patients with established diagnoses of diabetes mellitus reported. In this study by purposive non-probability sampling technique. In this study patients were selected, male and female patients were 24 and 6 respectively with the age range of 22- 74 years. After getting consent Questions mention in OHIP-14 were asked from the patients on 1[st] visit and 2 months later after fabrication of immediate denture to assess the QoL of in these patients. Data was obtained after using SPSS-version 19. For analysis Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was applied to get results. Probability level of P

Results: There was marked improvement in different domains of QoL in diabetes mellitus patients after fabrication of immediate dentures, most of the patients were pleased with their prosthesis. Three patients had complained of pain on buccal side which was corrected by trimming the overextended flange of their denture. All patients had improvement in phonetics [P value 0.01], better choice of food [P value 0.00], eating ability [P value 0.01], decrease embarrassment [P value 0.08] and self-assurance [P value 0.025]. However, effect of immediate denture on variable like tension was not advantageous having P-value of 0.157

Conclusion: By fabrication of immediate dentures to diabetes mellitus patients, QoL can be markedly improved in such patients

Pattern of oral hygiene maintenance among patients seen at two tertiary hospitals

The study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals to observe frequency and duration of tooth brushing and their relation with incidence of caries, gingivitis and sensitivity. In this study total 1200 patients were selected randomly reported to Department of Operative Dentistry of both institutes. The duration of study was one year. Out of these 1200 patients 755 [62.91%] were male and 445 [37.08%] were female with age range from 15- 74 years. All patients were divided into three groups on the basis of their age, in group 1 age range was 15-25 years, in group 2 age range was 26-50 years while group 3 included patients of above 50 years. After taking consent from the patients a self designed questionnaire was used to get necessary details. Data compiling and statistical analysis was done by using SPSS - 20 and results were obtained. Brushing frequency and duration of brushing is better in group 2 followed by group 1 and 3 respectively. The rate of caries and gingivitis is also significantly higher in group 2 [50.8% and 40.4%] followed by group 1 [21.6% and 15%] and group 3 [1.8% and 2.5%] respectively

Oral hygiene status in patients visited Hamdard university dental hospital

To observe the status of oral hygiene and its association with other factors in patients visiting Hamdard University Dental Hospital. It was a descriptive type of study. The study was carried out at Hamdard University Dental Hospital, Karachi. Total duration of this study was one year. Non probability purposive sampling technique was used. Total 581 patients were included in this study, after taking consent structured questionnaire was administered to evaluate information from all patients. Then patients were divided into three groups on the basis of their oral hygiene status. In this study 228 were males while 353 were females. In males only 6.1% patients had good oral hygiene while 28.5% and 62.2% had fair and poor oral hygiene respectively. In females 8.2% had good oral hygiene while 39.6% and 18.13% had fair and poor oral hygiene respectively. Among males 88.1% use tooth brush while 3.5% use finger for teeth cleaning while in females this ratio was 91.7% 7 3.3%. In males frequency of poor oral hygiene was comparatively high which may be linked to smoking and dietary habits

Quality of life in pediatric patients after providing removable acrylic partial denture

The study was conducted to observe quality of life in pediatric patients provided with acrylic removable partial denture visiting Hamdard University Dental Hospital, Karachi. It was a descriptive type of study. The study was carried out in the Department of Prosthodontics, Hamdard University Dental Hospital, Karachi from January 2012 to December 2013. Non probability purposive sampling technique was used. Total 30 patients visited to Prosthodontics Department of Hamdard University Dental Hospital, Karachi for provision of prosthesis were included in this study. Age range varied from 03-14 years, while sixteen were boys and fourteen were girls. Four of them were already denture wearer. Questionnaire based on OHIP-14 was used to evaluate quality of life in these patients. After collection of data, results were tabulated on SPSS. All patients were provided with acrylic removable partial dentures. Regular follow up was maintained and all patients were satisfied with the performance of their prosthesis. Acrylic removable prosthesis can be very effective for oral rehabilitation of pediatric patients when fixed prosthesis is not feasible due to multiple factors

Achievement of retention in maxillary obturators

The study was done to evaluate various means of retention in fabrication of maxillary obturators. It was a descriptive study and it was carried out at Hamdard University Dental Hospital, Karachi. It was spread over three years from August 2010 to July 2013. Twenty eight patients formed the study group. Age ranged from 03-78 years. Twenty were males and eight females. Five of them had already used obturator. After taking consent, they were asked to fill a specially designed Proforma .Thus all required information was obtained. All patients were provided with maxillary obturators. Interim obturator was fabricated for 46% patients, while surgical and definitive obturators were made for 29% and 25% patients respectively. In 24 patients conventional means of retentions like clasp, indirect retainer, utilization of retentive under cuts, proper extension of prosthesis were used. In three patients implant supported obturator were fabricated while in one patient magnets were used. Utilization of various means of retention bring better compliance in maxillary defect patients

Maxillofaciqal rehabilitation of a large cleft palate using fixed-removable prosthesis

Maxillofacial defects either congenital or acquired, lead to a marked loss of both the functional efficiency and aesthetic profile of the affected individuals. Plastic surgery and tissue reconstruction is the treatment of choice. However, in certain clinical scenarios, removable and/or fixed obturator prosthesis can be the only option available. The management of these critical cases should be planned after a detailed investigation and diagnosis, evaluation of the subject's expectations and demands, socioeconomic status, available technical facilities and utilization of a multi-disciplinary team approach. This report discusses the intra oral rehabilitation of a complete, unilateral cleft palate along with dento-alveolar rehabilitation. A fixed-removable prosthesis was provided to gain functional as well as aesthetic results without extensive surgical correction

Management of diabetes mellitus patients in prosthodontics

Diabetes Mellitus is a nutritional metabolic disorder characterize by various oral and systemic problems. These patients when referred to dentist or prosthodontist for the provision of prosthetic treatment require multidisciplinary approach. In this article special focus is emphasized on the various factors important factors to be kept in mind when providing prosthodontic treatment for such patients

Oral stereognostic ability in hypodontia patients

Hypodontia is congenital absence of one or more, but not all, of the normal complement of teeth. It is one of the most frequent alterations of human dentition. Hypodontia either alone or association with craniofacial developmental disorders can pose speech and masticatory dysfunctions along with aesthetic and functional problems. Oral Stereognostic ability can be used to diagnose and predict the prognosis of different treatment modalities in hypodontia patients. To compare oral Stereognostic ability in hypodontia patients with those having normal dentition. Case Control study, conducted in the Department of Prosthodontics, de'Montmorency College of Dentistry/ Punjab Dental Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Forty hypodontia subjects were selected. Forty dental students of third and final year with normal dentition were selected as controls. Oral Stereognostic ability scores were calculated using specific test samples for both groups. This study showed that oral Stereognostic ability scores were reduced in hypodontia subjects with a significant p value<0.001. It confirms that hypodontia subjects had some difficulty in perceiving the intra oral objects. Oral Stereognostic ability was impaired in hypodontia subjects; correction at early age might improve the case

Gagging and its management

Gagging is a normal protective reflex to prevent foreign bodies entering the trachea. Some individuals are more prone towards gagging. Various local and systemic factors such as alcoholism, gastrointestinal reflux and foreign bodies irritating soft palate or choking the oro-pharyngeal region can trigger this reflex. In this paper various techniques to prevent gagging during dental treatment are discussed

Hollow bulb obturator: a blessing for maxillectomy patients - a case report

Patients suffering from maxillary defects often present themselves with problems like speech disturbances, difficulty in mastication and poor aesthetics. Fabrication of obturators for these patients will improve their quality of life. Different designs of obturators have been discussed in the literature. In this paper, fabrication of a hollow bulb obturator with its advantages and associated problems have been discussed

Papillon lefevre syndrome: a case report

Papillon Lefevre Syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, presented with palmoplantar hyperkeratosis with progressive periodontitis resulting in early loss of the teeth and patients eventually become edentulous in early stage of life. In this article classical clinical presentation, lab investigation and management of a patient of 20 year old man are presented