Global Scenario of Teledentistry during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Insight.

With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, dentistry has faced a halt as it involves face-to-face interaction with patients which had to be suspended for quite some time. Teledentistry (TD) can offer an innovative solution to resume dental practice during this pandemic. This paper gives an insight into the practice of TD being used in various countries to aid in the management of dental problems arising during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. It also reviews the utilization of TD for academic institutions to facilitate educating dental students across the globe. How to cite this article: Kumar G, Rehman F, Al-Muzian L, et al. Global Scenario of Teledentistry during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Insight. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(3):426-429.

Evaluation of Oral Hygiene Status among 12-14-Year-Old School Children.

BACKGROUND: Oral diseases such as dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis are common among population. The present study was conducted to assess dental caries status and oral hygiene practice among school children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This school-based study was conducted on 520 children of age group of 12-14 years of both genders. Location, education, and employment status of parents, use of toothbrush, frequency of brushing, dental floss, total number of meals in a day, number of snacks between meals and sugar consumption, and decayed, missing, filled teeth were recorded. RESULTS: There were 266 males and 254 females. Age group 12 years had 80 males and 90 females, 13 years had 70 males and 60 females, and 14 years had 116 males and 104 females. Ninety-six males and 110 females were from urban and 170 males and 144 females were from rural. The mean plaque score in 12-year male children was 0.61 ± 0.32, in 13-year children was 0.68 ± 0.45, and in 14 years was 0.74 ± 0.48. In males, the mean plaque score was 0.70 ± 0.38 and in females was 0.66 ± 0.42. In children from urban area, the mean plaque score was 0.62 ± 0.34 and from rural area was 0.74 ± 0.40. Four hundred and eighteen children were using toothpaste and they had plaque score of 0.76 and 102 children were using floss and they had plaque score of 0.89. Three hundred and twenty children were brushing once, 90 twice, and 110 irregular and there mean plaque score was 0.70, 0.61, and 0.76, respectively. The difference was significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Authors found that oral health status of children consuming high sugar, more snacks per day, and brushing occasionally was poor.

Knowledge, awareness, attitude and practice of dental practitioners regarding Covid-19 pandemic and infection control: a cross sectional study in Kolkata metropolitan region.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic with more than 53,973 people affected in West Bengal state of India. OBJECTIVES: The aim of present study was to assess the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of dental practitioners in Kolkata city, West Bengal, India regarding COVID-2019 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Online questionnaire was distributed among dentists across West Bengal city, using a combination of convenience and snowball sampling. The questionnaire had 17 questions: (1) Section A was 'General section' which comprised of socio-demographic and professional details of the subjects; and (2) Section B comprised of 14 questions depicting knowledge, awareness attitude and practice regarding COVID-19. The data collected was subjected to statistical analysis with level of significance at p=0.05. The descriptive statistical analysis was done to compute frequency and percentages. Intergroup comparison was determined by Chi-square statistical analysis to determine the level of significance for responses of each question. RESULTS: Around 70.4% undergraduates participated in the study. Only 4.3% showed accurate knowledge with respect to the incubation period of coronavirus. Coughing and sneezing was considered to be the most common mode of transmission. 98.9% of dentists considered fever to be the characteristic symptom of the disease. Hand washing and alcohol rubs was advocated by 99.5% of the dentist. Emergency procedures were considered necessary by 90.8% dentists. 75.1% of dentists agree that their practice has been affected by the pandemic. CONCLUSION: A constant update regarding COVID-19 should be made available to dental health care professionals through webinars, seminars, discussions and articles. Dentists should keep themselves updated and help to fight against this pandemic.

Cu-sil Denture- A Space Maintainer for Function- In Paediatric Patients.

The purpose of this report is to introduce Cu-sil like denture as a functional space maintainer. Here, we report two paediatric cases treated with Cu-sil like denture with multiple edentulous spaces and partially erupted/compromised permanent teeth. Cu-sil like denture not only serves as removable partial functional space maintainer, but also restores the vertical dimension of occlusion, mastication and aesthetics in children. Cu-sil like denture is used in elderly patients who are not willing for extraction of remaining few healthy teeth in the oral cavity. This concept utilizes the remaining natural teeth in the arch, accommodates them within the denture through perforations made in the denture base. The gap between the denture base and the tooth is sealed using a resilient liner. Such denture is used for the paediatric age group in this report for functional rehabilitation temporarily. The report describes the pros and cons of the Cu-sil like denture use in children with technique of preparation along with review of literature.