Influence of information source regarding COVID-19 knowledge among the undergraduate dental students during the early lockdown: a multi-national study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of information sources on the knowledge regarding COVID-19 among undergraduate dental students in India, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Turkey. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An online questionnaire in a Google form link was circulated among the target population via various online platforms. It consisted of 14 close-ended questions assessing these students' knowledge and source of COVID-19-related information. SPSS software version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used to compute descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, independent t-test, and ANOVA tests for comparing various variables, and a p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study yielded 809 responses from dental undergraduate students from India, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Turkey. Dental students from Turkey reported a higher mean knowledge score of 7.91±1.34 and 7.88±0.58 for Malaysian dental students. In contrast, the lower scores were achieved by Saudi Arabia (7.36±1.22) and India (7.37±1.21) dental students, and the findings were statistically significant (p<0.05). The study population used various sources to attain information regarding COVID-19. Most respondents (63.1%) utilized information regarding COVID-19 from multiple sources rather than single sources (36.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Reliable and validated information sources resulted in higher knowledge scores. Turkey and Malaysia dental students reported a higher mean knowledge score and the lowest for Saudi Arabia and India dental students. There is increased popularity of social media platforms as information sources.

Morphometric analysis of the apical foramina in extracted human teeth.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to analyse the morphology of the apical foramen in permanent maxillary and mandibular human teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anatomic parameters include shapes (rounded, oval, uneven, flat and semilunar) and location (centre, buccal/labial, lingual/palatal, mesial, and distal) of the apical foramina was evaluated. The shapes and locations of apical foramen were analysed based on tooth type (central incisor, lateral incisor, canine, premolars, and molars) arch type (maxillary and mandibular), and position (anterior and posterior). All the teeth were investigated for the apical foramina shape and location using a stereomicroscope at a magnification of 10×. Descriptive statistics performed using SPSS (Version 21.0, IBM, NY, USA) at p value less than 0.05. RESULTS: The common shape of apical foramina was round (65%) and location was centre (32%). The frequency of deviation of apical was 68% in overall teeth. Apical foramina in maxillary anterior teeth showed more deviation while posterior teeth in mandibular teeth. The most common shape of apical foramina was round (65.1%) followed by (31%) and flat and semilunar shapes are very rare in studied subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent direction of deviation is the distal surface, followed by the mesial surface. The variation is more common in mandibular posterior teeth, while maxillary posteriors showed the least difference. The commonest shape of the apical foramen is of a round shape, followed by the oval. The oval shape of the apical foramen is most frequent with central incisors.

Efficacy of ferric sulphate as a pulpotomy medicament in primary molars: an evidence based approach.

AIM: To evaluate the available evidence on the efficacy of ferric sulphate (FS) compared to other pulpotomy medicaments in primary molars. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted through five databases (PubMed, Ovid®, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library and ProQuest) and only those papers which met the inclusion criteria were accepted. The quality of the studies used for systematic review was rated by two independent researchers based on Fuks and Papagiannoulis (Eur Arch Paediatr Dent 7:64-71, 2006) criteria and graded as A (38-42), B1 (32-37), B2 (25-31), C (≤ 24). Inter-examiner reliability was measured using Kappa statistics. RESULTS: A total of 1371 studies were available, of which only two studies full-text articles were included for quality assessment with an excellent inter-researcher agreement (k = 0.9). The comprehensive search revealed that, none of the 20 studies obtained grade A. Only three studies were graded as B1, 5 studies received grade B2 and 12 studies attained grade C. Only 4 prospective randomised clinical trials reported high success rate with FS compared to other materials. Remaining 14 studies revealed low success rate with FS compared to other pulpotomy medicaments. CONCLUSION: There is insufficient evidence to support the application of FS as a pulpotomy medicament in primary molars in the existing English literature. Hence, properly planned randomised clinical trials with large sample size and long-term follow up are needed to support FS as an effective pulpotomy medicament compared to other traditional and new medicaments.

Reliability of horizontal and vertical tube shift techniques in the localisation of supernumerary teeth.

AIM: To assess the reliability of the vertical tube shift technique (VTST) and horizontal tube shift technique (HTST) for the localisation of unerupted supernumerary teeth (ST) in the anterior region of the maxilla. METHODS: A convenience sample of 83 patients who attended a major teaching hospital because of unerupted ST was selected. Only non-syndromic patients with ST and who had complete clinical and radiographic and surgical records were included in the study. Ten examiners independently rated the paired set of radiographs for each technique. Chi-square test, paired t test and kappa statistics were employed to assess the intra- and inter-examiner reliability. RESULTS: Paired sets of 1660 radiographs (830 pairs for each technique) were available for the analysis. The overall sensitivity for VTST and HTST was 80.6 and 72.1% respectively, with slight inter-examiner and good intra-examiner reliability. Statistically significant differences were evident between the two localisation techniques (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Localisation of unerupted ST using VTST was more successful than HTST in the anterior region of the maxilla.

Pre-maxillary hypo-hyperdontia: report of a rare case.

Agenesis of bilateral maxillary canines is very rare and mesiodens is a commonly occurring supernumerary tooth type. Concomitant occurrence of both hypodontia and hyperdontia is extremely rare and it is a condition of mixed numeric variation in the same individual. The reported prevalence of this condition ranges between 0.002% and 3.1%. The purpose of this case report is to describe a rare occurrence of hypo-hyperdontia involving agenesis of both maxillary canines, mesiodens and associated with taurodontism.

Talon cusp affecting primary dentition in two siblings: a case report.

The term talon cusp refers to a rare developmental dental anomaly characterized by a cusp-like structure projecting from the cingulum area or cement-enamel junction. This condition can occur in the maxillary and mandibular arches of the primary and permanent dentitions. The purpose of this paper is to report on the presence of talon cusps in the primary dentition of two southern Chinese siblings. The 4 years and 2 months old girl had a talon cusp on her maxillary right primary central incisor, while her 2 years and 9 months old brother had bilateral talon cusps on the maxillary primary central incisors. The presence of this rare dental anomaly in two siblings has scarcely been reported in the literature and this may provide further evidence of a hereditary etiology.

Case report: idiopathic pre-eruptive coronal resorption of a maxillary permanent canine.

BACKGROUND: Coronal resorption is a coronal degeneration of enamel and dentine in which ultimately the crown is replaced by vascular connective tissue through a defect in the enamel organ of an unerupted tooth. This is also known as pre-eruptive coronal resorption. However, the aetiology of resorption remains unclear. CASE REPORT: A 13 years 7 months old Caucasian boy who attended an orthodontic consultation for anterior crossbite correction presented with idiopathic pre-eruptive coronal resorption of an erupted right maxillary permanent canine (FDI 13). Clinically, the enamel remaining on the crown was extremely thin and had a shell-like appearance. There was erythematous soft tissue within the parameters of the crown that resembled pulp tissue. From the radiographs, the irregular radiolucency area within the crown portion extended widely into the enamel and dentine. TREATMENT: Following excisional biopsy, it was decided to retain the right maxillary canine and monitor its progress. FOLLOW-UP: He has been reviewed at frequent appointments over 18-months since the time there was radiographic evidence of resorption. CONCLUSION: It is prudent to make an early diagnosis of this condition and to formulate short and long-term treatment plans, which may involve keeping the affected tooth to retain the alveolar bone height and width to allow for the option of planning for an implant.

Estimation of the levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, total leukocyte count, and differential count in peripheral blood smear of patients with chronic periodontitis in a South Indian population.

AIMS: The aim of the present study is to investigate systemic levels of inflammatory markers of cardiovascular diseases like C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), total leukocyte count and differential count in patients with chronic periodontitis, in comparison to healthy individuals without periodontal disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 42 individuals, both males and females, above the age of 30 years, were included. Healthy controls (Group I, n = 14), patients with chronic localized periodontitis (Group II, n = 14) and chronic generalized periodontitis (Group III, n = 14), all without any other medical disorder were recruited and peripheral blood samples were taken. Serum samples of CRP and IL-6 were estimated by using different techniques. Total leukocyte count and differential count were estimated by standard clinical laboratory method. RESULTS: Groups II and III had higher mean CRP levels than Group I (0.479, 0.544 versus 0.304 mg/dL). C-reactive protein level in Group III was statistically significant when compared to Group I (p = 0.04). Group III had higher median IL-6 level (6.35 pgm/ml) than Group II (< 5.0 pgm/ml) and Group I (< 5.0 pgm/ml). Median values of IL-6 were not statistically significant in any group (p = 0.29). Total leukocyte count was also elevated in Group III (10.4 x 10(3)/c.mm) compared to Group II and Group I (9.2 x 10(3)/c.mm and 7.9 x 10(3)/c.mm). This was statistically significant between different study groups (p < 0.0001). Neutrophil count in Group III was higher (68.0%) than Group II (62.4%) and Group I (57.4%). Neutrophil percentage was statistically significant in Group III, when compared to Group I (p = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: Periodontitis results in higher systemic levels of CRP, IL-6, total leukocyte count and neutrophils. These elevated inflammatory factors may increase inflammatory activity in atherosclerotic lesions, potentially increasing the risk for cardiovascular events.