Assessment of maternal risk indicators for the development of caries in their children: A comparative, cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Certain factors in mothers could be risk indicators for certain diseases in their children. Hence, this study was undertaken to assess maternal risk indicators for the development of early childhood caries in their children. METHODOLOGY: A comparative, cross-sectional study was designed among 180 mother-child pairs attending various Anganwadi centers. Demographic, dietary, oral hygiene practices and other necessary information were collected from mothers using a structured questionnaire. Caries status and amount of plaque were recorded through clinical examination. Nonstimulated saliva from mothers was cultured for mutans streptococci (MS). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 17. Chi-square, Student's t-test, and logistic regression were used. A P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In the study group, 73.3% of mothers had caries as compared to only 53.3% mothers in control group. While mean DMFT and mean DMFS of mothers in the study group was 3.78 ± 3.91 and 8.37 ± 12.2, respectively, the same for the mothers in the control group was 2.66 ± 3.01 and 5.8 ± 5.3. Sixty (66.7%) out of ninety mothers in the study group had a high MS count as compared to only 40 (44.4%) mothers in control group (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that high salivary MS count and decay in mothers could be important risk indicators for the development of caries in their children.

Quantification of Dental Health Care Waste Generated among Private Dental Practices in Bengaluru City.

BACKGROUND: Bengaluru, in India has more than 1148 practicing dentists for a population of 8.42 million. The amount and type of dental health care waste (DHCW) generated by the dental practitioners has to be assessed prior to chalking out and implementation of an effective DCHW management plan. Currently, there is no evidence available regarding the quantity, type, and method of disposal adopted by these practitioners. Hence, this study was conducted with the objective of estimating the quantity of DHCW by the private dental practitioners in Bengaluru city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample size was estimated to be 110. The sampling frame was constituted from the registered dental practitioners in Bengaluru with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Karnataka. Sampling strategy employed included a probability proportional sampling strategy for the four zones in Bengaluru followed by a simple random sampling of clinics from each zone. Standardized weight method was followed to estimate the quantity of different category of waste. Three data collectors who were trained and calibrated collected the information regarding the type and quantity of waste generated, the nature of practice and years of establishment. RESULTS: Total quantity of waste generated was 0.161 kg/clinic/day with 0.130 kg and 0.026 kg of infectious and recyclables, respectively. The projected data for the actual number of private practices in Bengaluru city showed alarming figures of 41,535 kg and 8307 kg of infectious and recyclable waste being generated every year. Data also showed poor management practices of lead foil and plaster of paris and alarming figures projected annual quantity. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrated large quantities of hazardous waste generation and poor segregation practices of the practitioners. This warrants the immediate need for collective, voluntary measures to be initiated for appropriate and effective management of DHCW.

Prevalence of Various Orofacial Pain Symptoms and Their Overall Impact on Quality of Life in a Tertiary Care Hospital in India.

BACKGROUND: Pain is a major public health problem and is the most commonly reported symptom of oral and dental disease that has a significant impact on both individual and community. The present study was prevalence of various orofacial pain symptoms and their overall impact on the quality of life in a tertiary care hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out in the outpatient department of the Government Dental College and Research Institute, Bangalore. The severity of the chronic orofacial pain symptoms was assessed using the Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire by Von Korff. RESULTS: The results showed that toothache (57.6 %) was the most commonly reported symptom and burning mouth sensation (6.4 %) was the least commonly reported. Majority of the patients had grade 3 level of pain-related disability (34.8 %) followed by grade 2 (26.8 %), grade 1 (22.4 %) and grade 4 levels (16 %). The mean pain intensity was reported to be more among females and maximum among patients with facial pain. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that orofacial pain symptoms have a significant impact on the patients suffering from it. Therefore, proper measures should be taken for the management of the patients with these symptoms and associated conditions.

The Influence of Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus on Dental Caries and Salivary Flow.

Objective. To assess whether or not there was any change in the dental caries and rate of salivary flow of patients with Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) and the contribution of salivary flow to caries risk in IDDM. Setting. Department of Endocrinology, MS Ramaiah Hospital, Bangalore, India. Design. A comparative cross-sectional descriptive type. Materials and Methods. The sample consisted of two groups: 140 diabetic group (mean age 14.8 yr) and 140 nondiabetic group (mean age 13.7 yr). Dental caries by dmf(t) and dmf(s) indices for primary dentition and DMF(T) and DMF(S) indices was used in permanent dentition to assess the dental caries experience. Both stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rate were assessed after collection of saliva. Results. In diabetic group 76% had carious lesion and in nondiabetic group 85.3% had carious lesion. Diabetics have lower mean DMFT, DMFS, dmft, and dmfs compared to the nondiabetic group. Diminished unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rate in diabetic than nondiabetic group. Conclusions. The findings obtained conclude that even though there was reduced salivary flow rate in diabetic group the caries prevalence was low.

Association between maternal - child levels of salivary Mutans Streptococci and early childhood caries.

BACKGROUND: To find out if there is an association between levels of salivary Mutans Streptococci (MS) of mothers and salivary MS and Caries experience of their Children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study was designed among 180 mother-child pair attending Vanivilasa Children Hospital, Bangalore, India. Caries was diagnosed using WHO criteria. Ninety children with Early Childhood Caries (ECC) with their mothers were included in case group and 90 caries free children with their mothers were included in the control group. Whole non-stimulated saliva was collected from mothers and children and cultured for MS. Colonies were counted and compared. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 10. Chi-square test and t-test were used to find differences between groups. P value of <0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Among 180 children, 80 of them had a high MS count. Among them, 60 (75%) had ECC and only 20 (25%) were caries free. This difference was significant with P < 0.001. Among 180 mothers, 100 had a high MS count. Among them, 60 (60%) belonged to case group and 40 (40%) to the control group (P = 0.003). Forty nine of the Children in case group with a high count also had mothers with high count as against only 14 in the control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Present study showed a strong association between maternal and child salivary MS levels indicating that mother's MS count could be an important risk indicator for ECC development.

Prevalence of early childhood caries among preschool children of low socioeconomic status in Bangalore city, India.

AIM: To assess the prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) among preschool children of low socio- economic status in Bangalore city, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 566, 24-59 months old children attending various Anganwadi centers in Bangalore city, India, selected via cluster sampling. Caries experience was recorded using deft index (Greubbell, 1944). t Test, ANOVA, and Chi-square tests were used to find significant differences. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) was 37.3% with a mean deft of 1.90 ± 3.38 ranging from 0 to 17 teeth. Out of 211 children with ECC, 94.3% had severe Early Childhood Caries (s-ECC) with a mean deft score of 5.35 ± 3.77. All of the deft was due to untreated caries. Mean caries experience of 36-47 months age group was significantly higher than other groups (P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed a 37.3% prevalence of ECC. There is a need for preventive and curative oral health programs in this section of the society.

Dental caries experience and salivary Streptococcus mutans, lactobacilli scores, salivary flow rate, and salivary buffering capacity among 6-year-old Indian school children.

CONTEXT: Dental caries is a disease of multifactorial etiology. A variety of potential predictors have been examined for the association with caries increments in longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the possible relationship among salivary cariogenic microflora, buffer capacity, secretion rate, and caries experience among 6-year-old school-going children in Davangere city, India. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A total of 196 6-year-old school children were selected by a two-stage random sampling method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Parents were interrogated regarding sociodemographic details. Clinical examination of children was conducted to assess dental caries experience, and stimulated saliva was collected to assess S. mutans levels, lactobacilli, salivary flow, and buffering capacity of saliva. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The difference in proportions was tested using Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Mann-Whitney U-test for intragroup comparison, and the difference in mean was tested using ANOVA and independent sample t-test as necessary. Caries experience was correlated with salivary factors using Spearman's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Out of 196 children, 96 were boys and 100 were girls. Overall, 97 (49.49%) children were caries free (dmft, DMFT = 0) and 99 (50.51%) children presented with caries (dmft, DMFT>0). The mean dmft and dmfs score for the overall group was 3.20 and 5.43, respectively. The mean DMFT and DMFS score was 0.23 and 0.25, respectively. A highly significant correlation was seen between mean the caries score and salivary variables. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of salivary microbiological counts in correlation with the caries data stress the importance of these factors and urge the necessity of elective preventive programs in this region.

An anthropometric study of facial height among four endogamous communities in the Sunsari district of Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Facial anthropometry has well-known implications in health-related fields and has been utilised for forensic purposes in the past. It provides an indication of the variations in facial shape in a population. The facial anthropometric profile of a population can characterise the distinctive features of a likely face in that population. The present study aimed to examine the differences in facial height proportions and facial growth patterns in different communities in the Sunsari district of Nepal. METHODS: The upper facial height (UFH) and lower facial height (LFH) proportions of 857 subjects (429 male and 428 female) aged between three and 18 years old from four communities (Brahmin, Chhetri, Rai and Limbu) in the Sunsari district of Nepal were calculated, and comparisons were made. RESULTS: Significant differences (p is less than 0.05) in the UFH and LFH percentages were observed between the Brahmin and Rai, Brahmin and Limbu, Chhetri and Rai, and Chhetri and Limbu communities. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that there is evidence of statistically significant differences of the upper and lower face height proportions among the different racial groups. A change in the facial height proportions of the various age groups was evident. However, differences in facial height proportions between male and female were found to be insignificant.

A comparative study of two mouthrinses on plaque and gingivitis in school children in the age group of 13-16 years in Bangalore city.

Research and clinical evidence indicate that most forms of plaque associated periodontal disease start as inflammatory lesions of the gingiva which if left untreated, may progress and eventually involve and compromise the entire periodontal attachment apparatus of the affected teeth. A study was conducted to assess the effect of a mouthrinse containing chlorhexidine and sodium fluoride on plaque accumulation and gingivitis in comparison with a chlorhexidine mouthrinse alone in a group of school children aged 13-16 years in Bangalore city. This combination along with the well established effect of fluoride in the prevention of caries presents an important contribution to dental public health. The results suggest that the chlorhexidine-sodium fluoride mouthrinse potentially possesses a significant effect on inhibition of plaque accumulation and gingivitis. This combination along with the well-established effect of fluoride in the prevention of caries, presents an important contribution to dental public health.

Emergence of primary teeth in children of Sunsari district of Eastern Nepal.

UNLABELLED: This study assessed the timing and eruption sequence of primary teeth in children of Sunsari district of Eastern Nepal and compared the eruption pattern of males & females between various, ethnic groups. METHOD: This cross-sectional study, included 501 subjects, aged 3 months to 60 months selected by simple random sampling method. The determinant variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, and eruption of teeth were recorded. RESULTS: This study provides a model data on emergence of primary teeth and number of deciduous teeth in these children. This is a first study of its kind in Nepal. The findings of this study will help as a reference data for optimal use in clinical, academic, and research activities, especially for children of Eastern Nepal.

Oral health status and treatment requirements of hospitalized psychiatric patients in Bangalore city: a comparative study.

The purpose of the present study was to describe the oral health status and treatment requirements and to study the association between dental caries and mental illness in a group of hospitalized psychiatric patients.A total of 326 psychiatric patients were examined and compared with 156 normal persons of comparable age and sex. 75.5% of the psychiatric patients exhibited caries experience with significantly higher DMFT and DMFS compared to the 66% in controls. Stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that DMFT was related to age, type of the ward and duration of mental illness. Periodontal diseases were significantly higher among psychiatric patients than controls. Higher proportion of psychiatric patients were suffering from TMJ disorders. Further, extensive dental treatment requirements were observed among these patients.

Oral health status and treatment requirments of confectionery workers in Bangalore city. A comparative study.

The present study was undertaken to assess the oral health status and treatment requirement of cofectionery workers and also to assess the influence of confectionery environment ion their oral health. A total of 502 confectioners were examined and studied under 4 groups, Biscuits gp[107], chocolate gp[160], sweets gp[144] and Bakery gp[91]. Age and sex matched 294 wheat flour workers served as controls. 60.36% of confectioners exhibited caries experience with significantly higher DMFT compared to controls. Among confectioners sweets and chocolate groups had higher caries experience. Increase in caries experience with increase in duration of employment among confectioners were observed. Also confectioners consuming confectionery products more than 6 times/day had significantly higher caries experience than those consuming 0 to 3 and 4 to 6 times/day. Periodontal diseases was significantly higher among confectioners than controls more so in sweets and biscuit groups. Further extensive unmet treatment needs like oral prophylaxis, periodontal therapy, extractions, prosthetic rehabilitations were observed among confectioners.

Meningeal carcinomatosis complicating ovarian malignancy.

A case of meningeal carcinomatosis following ovarian carcinoma is reported. The rarity of this occurrence is highlighted.