ABO blood grouping: A potential risk factor for early childhood caries - A cross-sectional study

Aim: The paradigm of etiology of early childhood caries (ECC) is shifting toward genetics. Of various inherited factors, blood group of an individual is genetically determined. The aim of the study is to determine if blood group of an individual will serve as a potential risk factor in the development of ECC. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Chennai. Blood samples were collected from a total of 500 children <71 months of age for determination of the blood group. Of which 96 children (24 per blood group) were randomly selected and were included in the study. Oral screening of the selected children was done by a pediatric dentist who was blinded to the blood group of the children. Decayed, extracted, and filling index was noted. Details on other associated factors for the development of ECC such as the socioeconomic status, oral hygiene measures, diet, and feeding practices were collected by directly interviewing the parents through a questionnaire. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square and Kruskal–Wallis test and post hoc Tukey test with significance level set at 0.05. Results: Intergroup analysis of the associated factors showed no significant differences between the children of different blood groups. A statistically significant relation was noted between the blood groups and development of ECC (P = 0.025). Conclusion: Blood group is a potential risk indicator for the development of ECC.

Local Anesthetic Used for Dental Treatment in Children- Systematic Review.

Aims: To analyse the existing literature on the effectiveness of various injectable amide local anaesthetic agents for children undergoing routine dental treatment. Design: A systematic search was carried out for the databases of PubMed, Central, LILACS, Science direct, Metapress and SIGLE to identify clinical trials published on the effectiveness of injectable amide local anaesthetic agents in dental journals from the inception of the databases up to July 2015. Results: The systematic search gave nine studies. Four of out seven studies found articaine to more effective. No significant difference in anaesthetic effectiveness of the agents were found in seven studies. One study reported significant difference in the anaesthetic effectiveness in favour to articaine. Two studies reported articaine to have longer duration of action. Conclusion: With the available evidence, this review may suggest that articaine is an effective amide anesthetic agent. Lignocaine is most effective at 2% concentration. Prilocaine and mepivacaine show comparable effectiveness. As eight of the studies have high risk of bias, there is a greater need for well-designed randomized controlled studies to be conducted to assess effectiveness of various injectable amide local anaesthetics to be used in children for routine dental treatment.

Single-rooted primary first molars.

Knowledge regarding the morphological variations in roots and root canals aids in successful dental treatment. However, literature regarding dysmorphology of roots in primary dentition is sparse. The purpose of this article is to present a case of bilateral primary mandibular first molars with an unusual morphology of single root. Review of literature regarding variations in root number in primary dentition has been discussed in this article. The etiology for occurrence of such variations has also been briefly reviewed.

Neglected child with substance abuse leading to child abuse: A case report.

Child abuse and neglect is any interaction or lack of interaction between a caregiver and a child resulting in nonaccidental harm to the child's physical and developmental state. Substance abuse is ingestion of any drug, which is capable of altering the mental functioning eventually leading to addiction. This paper presents a case report of a 12-year-old neglected girl with substance abuse for which she was physically abused by her mother.