Determination of prevalence of dental erosion in 12 -14 years school children and its relationship with dietary habits

Objective: To determine the frequency of dental erosion in 12-14 years school children and its association with dietary habits

Study Design: Observational cross-sectional analytical study

Place and Duration of Study: Fatima Jinnah Dental College, Karachi, from January to June 2010

Methodology: School children aged between 12 - 14 years were included in this study. Dental erosion was detected by visual examination. A self-developed questionnaire was used to assess the dietary habits of children. Acidic diet was considered a diet that has an acidic pH. The amount of consumption of acidic drinks and food per week was categorized into low consumption [1-7 times / week] and medium consumption [8 - 21 times / week]. Chi-square test was applied to see any statistical difference between diet and tooth erosion at 95% Cl

Results: The results showed a high frequency of [46%] dental erosion in children, which was significantly higher [p < 0.001] in children with more acidic diet

Conclusion: This study highlights the impact of dietary habits on the prevalence of dental erosion in children. Acidic diets need to be controlled in frequency to prevent dental erosion

Comparison of intracanal medications for the assessment of pain after root canal treatment

The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic effects of Calcium hydroxide and Chlorhexidine as intracanal medicaments in three different groups of patients. This interventional study was conducted over a period of one year at the Department of Operative Dentistry, Fatima Jinnah Dental Hospital, Karachi. 465 single rooted teeth of patients were divided into three equal groups with 155 teeth in each group.155 canals were filled with Calcium Hydroxide, 155 canals with Chlorhexidine and another 155 canals with cotton pellets. The effectiveness of one intracanal medication versus another was checked in controlling post operative pain after endodontic treatment. The results showed that there was a significant difference between post operative pains in the three different groups. Group B [chlorhexidine] proved to be most effective against pain [22.58%] followed by group A [calcium hydroxide] [9.68%] and group C [cotton pellets] [1.29%] respectively. The McNemar Chi-Square test showed significant result with p-value<0.00. This study showed that Chlorhexidine has better analgesic effects as an intracanal medicament than Calcium hydroxide or no medication