Impact of socioeconomic factors on deciduous teeth eruption among infants born after low-risk pregnancy compared to infants diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction

Aim: The aim is to assess the impact of socioeconomic factors on deciduous teeth eruption among infants born after low-risk pregnancy and infants diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Materials and Methodology: The cross-sectional study included 110 neonates recruited at birth using stratified random sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Neonates diagnosed without IUGR were allocated to Group I (n = 55) and those diagnosed with IUGR were allocated to Group II (n = 55). The perinatal case history was recorded, followed by intraoral examination at birth, 6 months, and monthly up to 1 year or till first evidence of teeth eruption. Results: The difference between both groups based on socioeconomic status (SES) was found statistically significant (P = 0.043). The first evidence of eruption of deciduous teeth was found delayed in Group II (P = 0.0001). Secondary school education was found statistically significant between both the groups (P = 0.024). The difference between the two groups based on religion (P = 0.353) and gravidity (P = 0.571) was found statistically insignificant. Conclusion: Lower SES and secondary maternal education can be considered statistically significant risk factors of IUGR and delayed deciduous teeth eruption. No correlation of IUGR with religion and gravidity was found.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 and Dentistry A Summative Review of Guidelines issued by National Health Authorities

COVID-19 was first reported in China, in November 2019 and since then the spread of this disease was so rapid that on March 11, 2020, it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Due to the high transmissibility of the COVID virus and the associated morbidity and mortality, various International and National health authorities released different guidelines for day-to-day living, laying down “new norms” which has impacted our lives enormously. Although these guidelines seem to be convoluted but owing to some differences in the guidelines, it raises an ambiguity in the minds of dentists. Hence, we felt the need of this review to summarize different guidelines issued by various National health authorities for catering emergency and routine dental care. We included guidelines from CDC, ADA, NHS, India, UAE, Egypt, and Tunisia and compared and consolidated to reach a consensus that teledentistry is a good alternative to face-to-face management for nonemergency patients. Triage should be done for all patients coming to the health-care facility. Temperature and other vital parameters should be recorded in our daily practice. Antibacterial mouth rinses before the dental procedure can reduce the microbial load and therefore can alleviate transmission. To reduce indirect transmission through fomites on inanimate objects various waiting area changes must be ensured. Air conditioners can be used in well-serviced conditions with due care given to ventilation of the operatory after each patient. Strict disinfection protocols and personal protective equipment for dentist safety are mandatory.

Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding generic drugs and branded drugs: a cross sectional study

Background: Medicines play a main role in the process of human development. The rational utilization of medicines can decrease morbidity and mortality as well as improve quality of life. In an era of steeply rising health care expenses, generic medicines provide a less expensive alternative to branded medicines. Use of generic drugs can contribute to substantial savings in medicines expenditure and the issue of access and affordability is thus addressed.Methods: A sample of 500 patients selected from out patient department was randomly selected. A self-instructed questionnaire was used for the study for the duration of 1 month. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics Version 20 New York, United States. Summary statistics were expressed using mean and standard deviation (SD) for numerical variables (median and interquartile ranges [IQRs] when skewed) and counts and percentages for categorical variables.Results: Participants reported with 17.23% knowledge score, 40.65% attitude score, and 7.96% attitude score.Conclusions: In the study it was found that there is significant correlation between knowledge and attitude whereas no correlation was found between knowledge and practice regarding usage of generic drugs.