Evaluation of extracellular matrix changes among oral submucous fibrosis and oral squamous cell carcinoma patients of Malwa region of Punjab using special histochemical stains: An insight into cancerous transformation.

Background: To assess extracellular matrix changes among oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients using special histochemical stains. Materials and Methods: Twenty biopsy specimens of OSMF and 30 biopsy specimens of OSCC were included in the present study. Among 20 OSMF specimens, 10 were of early OSMF and the remaining 10 were of advanced OSMF. Out of 30 OSCC specimens, 10 cases each were of well-differentiated OSCC, moderately differentiated OSCC and poorly differentiated OSCC. Three sections, each 4 µm thick, were obtained from all specimens. One section was stained with routine H&E staining, whereas the other section was stained with Masson's trichrome (MT) stain for collagen and Verhoeff-Van Gieson (VVG) for elastic fibres. Evaluation of all specimens was performed under the light microscope. The arrangement of collagen fibres and elastic fibres was compared between the OSMF group and OSCC group, in between different grades of OSMF and in between different grades of OSCC. The results were evaluated using SPSS software. Results: Early OSMF cases were associated with fibrosis in the superficial lamina propria, whereas advanced OSMF had fibrosis involving deeper muscle fibres. In all early OSMF cases, elastic fibres were arranged in thin bundles, whereas in advanced OSMF cases, elastic fibres were in thick bundles. In well- and moderately differentiated OSCCs, the collagen fibres were arranged in thick bundles and in poorly-differentiated OSCCs, the collagen fibres appeared to be fragmented. The elastic fibres in well-differentiated OSCC and moderately-differentiated OSCC were thickly arranged, and poorly-differentiated OSCC showed thin fibres and 70% of cases showed the absence of elastic fibres. Conclusion: Changes observed in both collagen and elastic fibres in the extracellular matrix (ECM) can be taken as a study model to further understand the progression of OSMF to OSCC using histochemical stains.

To Assess the Serum and Salivary Biomarkers in People with and Without Diabetes.

The study was conducted to assess the serum and salivary biomarkers in people with and without diabetes. Among the 100 participants in this cross-sectional comparative study, 59 men and 61 women aged 32 to 59 years old were randomly assigned to category I (consisting of 50 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients of both types 1 and 2) or category II (consisting of 50 healthy volunteers) to serve as comparisons. Since there is no difference in the amounts of salivary biomarkers across the various types of diabetes, they are all grouped together. Several biochemical indicators were measured by measuring the amounts in the participants' saliva and serum samples. There was little to no difference between the two categories when comparing saliva and serum levels. Although there was a strong correlation between serum and salivary glucose, amylase, total proteins, albumin, and globulin levels in DM patients, there was also a strong correlation between diabetics and non-diabetics for these same markers.

Assessment of Perception of Dental Students to OSCE Exams: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Aims and Objective: To assess the knowledge as well as attitude of dental students to OSCE exams. Materials and Methods: With the aim of evaluating the knowledge and attitude of dental students to OSCE exams, the present study was planned and it consisted of total 1000 dental students (Third year, Final year, and Interns) who have taken the OSCE examinations. The survey included a questionnaire in addition to a subsection on participants' demographic information. In addition, a 3-point scale was used to rate the OSCE's impartiality, complexity, education level, as well as favored frequency of usage in comparison with various evaluation formats. Results: 562 were males while the remaining 438 were females. While evaluating the student's perception, 36.3 percent of the students agreed that OSCE examination gave precise measure of clinical dental skills. 23.1 percent of the students said OSCE was uniform in terms of standardization, while 25 percent of the students agreed that OSCE score was independent of personality, ethnicity, and gender. Conclusion: To recapitulate, the outcomes of this research gave rise to the notion that the OSCE represents a valid as well as objective evaluation tool for clinical abilities.

Myofibroblasts as important diagnostic and prognostic indicators of oral squamous cell carcinoma: An immunohistochemical study using alpha-smooth muscle actin antibody.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity, with multifactorial etiopathogenesis. Data from the past literature suggest that myofibroblasts (MFs) can also contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of the disease. Hence, the present study was undertaken for assessing the expression of MF in well-differentiated OSCC (WDOSCC), moderately differentiated OSCC (MDOSCC), poorly differentiated OSCC (PDOSCC) and healthy controls by immunohistochemistry using alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) antibody. Methodology: Forty cases each of WDOSCC, MDOSCC, PDOSCC and healthy controls were included. 4-µm thick sections from each tissue sample were stained with routine hematoxylin and eosin as well as immunohistochemically using α-SMA. Among different grades of OSCC, expression of MFs was compared. All the results were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: While comparing the expression of MFs in between different grades of OSCC, nonsignificant results were obtained. While comparing the expression of MF in between OSCC cases and normal controls, significant results were obtained. Conclusion: MFs are one of the vital pathogenetic components in OSCC cases in predicting their invasive behaviors. We advocate the use of MFs as a stromal marker for visualizing invasion and progression in OSCC patients.

A Retrospective Study to Evaluate Biopsies of Oral and Maxillofacial Lesions.

BACKGROUND: The clinical manifestations of these lesions comprises pain, paresthesia, swelling, drainage, tooth loss, root resorption, and facial deformity. Alteration in oral and maxillofacial (OMF) tissues of the lesions may cause esthetically and functionally unfavourable effects in patients. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of odontogenic cysts, tumors, and other lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient's records of histopathological reports from the archives of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology were obtained and reviewed over a period of 2 years, and therefore, the lesions were classified into four groups. In cases of recurrent lesions, only the primary diagnosis was considered. The research protocol was approved by the ethical committee of the institution. RESULTS: About 56.4% of males had ameloblastoma, 54.9% of females had cementoma. 59.4% females had giant cell granuloma, 87.5% females had pyogenic granuloma, 77.2% females had osteoma, 65.1% of the female population were belongs to the benign fibro-osseous lesions and 50.2% of females were from fibrous dysplasia in group 3. About 58.8% females had squamous cell carcinoma in group 4. CONCLUSION: To adequately determine the prevalence and incidence rate of OMF lesions, biopsies performed by other specialists such as otolaryngologists and plastic surgeons in OMF regions should also be evaluated.

Evaluation of effect of gestational diabetes mellitus on composition of the initial oral microbiota of neonates.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the commonly occurring high-risk obstetric complications that accounts for 4%-9% of total pregnancies. The present study was an attempt to assess the effect of GDM on composition of the neonatal oral microbiota. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, oral samples from 155 full-term vaginally delivered newborns were collected with sterile swabs. Seventy-five mothers diagnosed with GDM group and 80 were nondiabetic mothers (control). The oral microbiota was evaluated and analyzed by SPSS software. RESULTS: The mean gestational age in Group I was 38.1 weeks and in Group II was 39.6 weeks. Firmicutes was present in 38.1% in Group I versus 77.6% in Group II patients, Actinobacteria was seen in 15.2% in Group I and 7.4% in Group II, Bacteroidetes in 27.6% in Group I and 7.9% in Group II, Proteobacteria in 9.5% in Group I and 3.8% in Group II, and Tenericutes in 9.6% in Group I and 3.3% in Group II. There was a significant difference in major genera Prevotella, Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium, Corynebacterium, Ureaplasma, and Weissella in both groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There was increased bacterial microbiota in neonates born to mothers with GDM as compared to neonates born to nondiabetic mothers. Assessment of initial oral microbiota of neonates could help in assessing the early effect of GDM on neonatal oral microbial flora.

An Innovative Method to Determine the Width of Maxillary Anterior Teeth with the Help of Measurements Obtained from the Master Cast.

AIM: Analyse the correlation between the measurements made from the landmarks on the cast and the width of the anterior teeth in dentulous study subjects and assessed whether a similar correlation exists in edentulous condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Measurements were made on the cast of dentulous and edentulous subjects. The measurements made were, from incisive papilla to the right hamular notch, from incisiv e papilla to left hamular notch and distance between two hamular notches. After measuring these distances, the predicted value was calculated by taking mean of these three distances. The actual value in both the groups was measured with a flexible ruler. The mean and standard deviation of both groups were calculated. Results were analyzed with correlation and regression analysis. RESULTS: The analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between actual and predicted values in both dentulous and edentulous group of study subjects (p-value <0.01). As the actual value increased in both the groups, the predicted value also increased. So the actual value can be derived with the help of predicted value which will be useful in selecting the proper tooth mold size of the maxillary teeth for edentulous patients. CONCLUSION: A positive correlation exists between the width of the maxillary teeth (actual value) and mean of the distance (predicted value) between the right hamular notch and incisive papilla, left hamular notch and incisive papilla and interhamular distance in dentate subjects. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The results obtained from the present study will be helpful for selecting the proper teeth mold size along with other teeth selection methods. Further studies are required to derive a more scientific and reliable method for anterior teeth selection.

Evaluation of myofibroblasts in oral submucous fibrosis and oral squamous cell carcinoma: The pathogenesis and correlation.

BACKGROUND: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic debilitating disease of the oral cavity having premalignant potential and unclear pathogenesis. Recently, myofibroblast has been postulated to play an important role in its pathogenesis and in the process of carcinogenesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the presence of myofibroblasts in normal mucosa, different grades of OSMF, and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present in vitro cross-sectional descriptive study sample consisted of three groups, including 40 OSCCs, 40 OSMF, and 10 sections of normal oral epithelium taken as control group. Alpha-smooth muscle actin was used to identify myofibroblasts using immunohistochemical technique. P < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. RESULTS: The presence of myofibroblasts was significantly higher in OSMF cases when compared with normal epithelium specimens. The presence of myofibroblasts was significantly higher in OSCC compared to OSMF cases. A significant difference was not observed between the different grades of OSCC. CONCLUSION: These findings favor the possibility that OSMF actually represents an abnormal healing process in response irritation caused by areca nut. A significant increase in myofibroblasts in OSCC as compared to OSMF also highlights the possible role it may play in the malignant transformation of OSMF.

A comparative evaluation of static frictional resistance using various methods of ligation at different time intervals: an in vitro study.

Aim. To compare and evaluate the static frictional resistance offered by the four different types of ligation methods in both dry and wet conditions and at different durations when immersed in artificial saliva. Material and Methods. Alastik Easy to Tie modules, Super Slick Mini Stix elastomeric modules, Power "O" modules, and 0.009(″) Stainless Steel ligatures were used to compare the static friction using maxillary canine and premolar Preadjusted Edgewise brackets with 0.022(″) × 0.028(″) slot and 0.019(″) × 0.025(″) stainless steel wires. Results. The mean frictional resistance for Alastik modules was the lowest and that of Stainless Steel ligatures was found to be highest among the four groups compared and the difference among the four groups was statistically significant (P < 0.005). The mean static frictional resistance in all groups under dry conditions was lower than that under wet conditions. No statistical significant differences were found when the groups were compared at different time periods of immersion in artificial saliva. Conclusion. This study concludes that the Alastik modules showed the lowest mean static frictional forces compared to any other ligation method, though no significant difference was found for different time periods of immersion in the artificial saliva.