Herbal smoke: Next hurricane on horizon.

Unsupervised marketing strategies of alternative smoke have made the youth fall prey to herbal smoke in the form of herbal cigarettes and hookahs. The easy online access, exotic looks, and flavors; marketed as safer, healthy alternatives, as an aid to quit smoking has made global herbal cigarette and hookah market see soaring sales in the past decade. Various studies have proven their popularity among the youth and minors with perceptions of being safer and smart alternatives. The scientific studies have shown that herbal smoke is as harmful as tobacco smoke. The marketing strategies of smoke industry to capture the minors and young adults could result in another stronger lobby besides tobacco to be dealt with in coming years. This creates an urgent need for the laws to be reviewed and amended keeping in view the changing scenario.

Azadirachta indica A. juss, Morinda citrifolia L. and Triphala as herbal endodontic irrigants: A scoping review.

Background: The success of the root canal treatment depends on the complete elimination of the microflora, biofilms and smear layer from the pulp space. A wide variety of chemical endodontic irrigants are available to achieve disinfection and thorough debridement besides mechanical means. However, detrimental properties such as allergic potential, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial resistance and safety concerns have intrigued researchers over the years to look for safer options. Aim: The review is aimed at providing comprehensive information of the studies evaluating the efficacy of Azadirachta indica A. juss (A. indica), Morinda citrifolia L. (M. citrifolia) and Triphala (fruits of Emblica officinalis Gaertn., Terminalia chebula (Gaertn.) Roxb. and Terminalia belerica Retz.) as herbal endodontic irrigants. Materials and methods: The literature review was conducted using indexed databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane) electronically for publications in peer-reviewed journals for relevant articles evaluating the efficacy of A. indica, Triphala, M. citrifolia as endodontic irrigant from the year 1985-March 2020. Results: A total of 58 studies were identified for full text reviewing after duplicate removal and screening title and abstracts. A total of 32 studies were included and processed for data extractions. Conclusion: Various in-vitro/in-vivo studies utilizing these herbal irrigants have documented promising results and hold the potential to replace chemical endodontic irrigants in routine practice but more preclinical and clinical trials are needed to substantiate these results before they can conclusively be recommended as intracanal irrigating solutions.

Effect of oral health behavior and demographic variables on gingival health in 11-16-year-old school children in Chandigarh, India: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: The aims of the present study were to assess the prevalence and pattern of gingival bleeding on probing (BOP) and to evaluate the effect of oral health behavior and demographic determinants on gingival health in 11-16-year-old school children in Chandigarh, India. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, using stratified random sampling, was conducted across two age groups, 11-13 years and 14-16 years, and two socioeconomic strata: upper and lower. The World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Questionnaire for Children was used to record the data, and the WHO Community Periodontal Index (modified) was used to assess gingival BOP. RESULTS: Among all the 2294 children examined, an estimated 54.2% had gingival BOP. The odds of BOP were also higher in the younger age group (odds ratio [OR]: 1.261, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.068-1.487, P = 0.006), higher for boys (OR: 1.200, 95% CI: 1.017-1.416, P = 0.031), and lower in the upper strata (OR: 0.805, 95% CI: 0.682-0.951, P = 0.011). Gingival BOP was 58.5% in the mandibular and 41.5% in the maxillary arch (P < 0.0001); χ2 -test found tooth cleaning frequency to be a significant contributing factor for gingival BOP (P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: An inverse co-relation of gingival BOP with age, socioeconomic status, and a higher prevalence in boys was observed, necessitating periodic preventive dental education, particularly focusing on the target group. Additionally, early screening and prompt treatment to intercept the disease is advocated.

Central hemangioma: an overview and case report.

Central hemangioma of the mandible and maxilla is extremely rare. Although the mucosal and soft tissue lesions are readily suspected by their clinical appearance, the intrabony lesions may be difficult to distinguish visually. The clinical and radiographic presentation is relatively nonspecific; therefore, a proper diagnosis has to be made. The management of central hemangioma is difficult because of the abundant vascular network in this region. Various therapies have been considered, but surgery has most frequently been used. A case report of an 8-year old boy with central hemangioma of the left mandibular body with vague clinical features but a characteristic radiographic and histological picture of central hemangioma is presented here. Also presented is a literature review that includes: (1) clinical features; (2) radiographic appearance; (3) histology; and (4) possible treatment modalities. Enbloc resection of the mandible was performed, followed by the insertion of a reconstruction plate, which will later be replaced by an autogenous graft.