Establishing an Eco-friendly Dental Practice: A Review.

Have dentists paused to think as to where the gloves, fixer, plastic waste, mercury waste, and X-ray films used in the clinic end up after disposal? Or considered how much water, electricity, and other resources our dental clinics use? Dentists need to take off their tinted glasses and consider the effects of their dental practice on the planet. Though individual dentists generate only small amounts of dental waste, the accumulated waste produced by the profession may have significant environmental impact. Thus the concept of “green dentistry” or “ecofriendly dentistry” has evolved. Eco-friendly dentistry is an environmentally friendly way of practicing dentistry by using techniques and equipment to reduce waste, conserve energy, decrease pollution, and reduce our carbon footprint. The incorporation of eco-friendly dentistry to the dental practice is not only effective from an environmental perspective but is cost-effective for the dentist too. If a dental practitioner is looking for a way to distinguish his clinic from the others, eco-friendly dentistry could be the answer. This article reviews the scientific literature on eco-friendly dentistry and suggests comprehensive steps to start an eco-friendly dental practice.

Effectiveness of a school dental education program in improving oral health knowledge and oral hygiene practices and status of 12- to 13-year-old school children.

Background: Children with poor oral health are 12 times more likely to have restricted-activity days. Dental health education [DHE], with the objective of improving the oral hygiene of the participants, would have obvious merits. Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of school DHE, conducted at repeated and differing intervals, in improving oral health knowledge, practices, oral hygiene status, and the gingival health of schoolchildren belonging to two socioeconomic classes. Materials and Methods: This 36-week duration study assessed the effectiveness of school DHE conducted every three weeks against every six weeks on oral health knowledge, practices, oral hygiene status and gingival health of 415, 12- to 13-year-old schoolchildren belonging to social classes I and V. Of the three selected schools of each social class, one each was subjected to the intervention of either three or six weeks or was a control, respectively. Oral health knowledge and practices were evaluated using a questionnaire. Oral hygiene and gingival health were assessed using plaque and gingival indices. Statistical Analysis Used: Friedman's test was used for the longitudinal analysis of data. ANOVA and Student's t test were used for continuous data. Results: Plaque and Gingival score reductions were highly significant in intervention schools, and were not influenced by the socioeconomic status. When oral health knowledge was evaluated, highly significant changes were seen in intervention schools; more significantly in schools receiving more frequent interventions. The socioeconomic status influenced the oral hygiene aids used and the frequency of change of toothbrush. Controls showed no significant changes throughout. Conclusions: The DHE program conducted at three-week intervals was more effective than that conducted at six-week intervals in improving oral health knowledge, practices, oral hygiene status, and gingival health of schoolchildren.

Periodontal disease as a risk factor in pre-term low birth weight--an assessment of gynecologists' knowledge: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Pre-term low birth weight (PLBW) is a condition having tremendous financial impact on health care systems as well as the affected families. Studies suggest that 18.2% of all PLBW cases may be attributable to periodontal disease. OBJECTIVES: To assess gynecologists' knowledge of periodontal disease as a risk factor in PLBW and their knowledge with regard to the oral manifestations of periodontal disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted on gynecologists in the city of Mangalore. The respondents were divided into four groups--those practicing only in medical colleges, those having only a private practice, those practicing in both medical colleges and in private practice, and post-graduate students of gynecology in the medical colleges in the city. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The Chi-square test for proportions was used to test the differences between the groups. RESULTS: Out of a total of 142 gynecologists, 93 participated in the survey. Group II respondents were omitted from the statistical analysis as the response rate was only 18.8%. Periodontal disease was considered to be a risk factor in PLBW by 52 (59.8%) respondents while 13 (14.9%) stated that it was not a risk factor at all. Sixty-seven (77%) respondents stated that bleeding/enlargement of the gingivae was a sign of periodontal infection. CONCLUSIONS: Respondents' knowledge was high regarding the oral manifestations of periodontal disease but was low regarding periodontal disease as a risk factor in PLBW.