ABSTRACT
@#The introduction of the recent 2017 classification of periodontal diseases has been welcomed by the periodontal fraternity. The new classification has used available evidence as the backbone for its development. It has been felt by many experts that a good understanding is required for its practice. Towards this, a Malaysian PerioSymposium was organised in May 2019 to comprehend the classification and also to identify the right path towards its learning among undergraduate students of dentistry in Malaysia. The symposium was conducted and moderated by local and international experts. Apart from the few limitations identified, the new classification was recommended to be taught in the undergraduate dental programme across schools in Malaysia.
ABSTRACT
AIM: To find out the relationship between severe-early childhood caries (s-ECC) and salivary counts of mutans streptococci (MS) and lactobacillus (LB) in preschool children of low socioeconomic status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed among 50 children aged 2-5 years selected from five Anganwadi centers in Bengaluru city. Clinical examination was carried out and caries status was recorded using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Twenty-five children diagnosed with s-ECC based on American Association of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) criteria and 25 caries-free counterparts were selected. Whole non-stimulated saliva was collected from all children and cultured for MS and LB. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 14. Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman's correlation were used to find out significant relationships. P values <0.05 were considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Twenty-one out of 25 children with s-ECC were positive for MS and 22 children were positive for LB. A significant difference in the mean number of MS colonies (12.2 vs. 4.16) and LB colonies (8.4 vs. 3.8) among children with s-ECC and caries-free counterparts (P < 0.01) was also found. A significant positive correlation was also found between caries experience and salivary MS and LB counts. CONCLUSION: s-ECC is positively correlated with salivary levels of both MS and LB in preschool children of low socioeconomic status. Suitable preventive strategies need to be planned when children are still young.
