Evaluation of Load-bearing Capacity of Interim Fixed Partial Dentures Reinforced with Glass Fibers: An In Vitro Study.

AIM: To compare the load-bearing capacity of three and four-unit fixed partial denture (FPD) with two different designs of pontics reinforced with industrial glass fibers at two different positions of the FPD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 64 samples were made with Bis-acryl composite temporary material and reinforced with industrial glass fibers (E-glass). The specimens were divided into eight groups (groups I-VIII) depending on the number of units, type of pontic design and area of placement of fibers. A universal testing machine was used to evaluate and compare the load-bearing capacity of the specimens. The evaluated data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests (p ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: Three-unit interim FPD and modified ridge lap pontic design showed greater load-bearing capacity after reinforcement with glass fibers than a four-unit interim FPD and hygienic pontic design, respectively. Fiber placement at the occlusal plus connector area as well as the cervical plus connector area had comparable results. CONCLUSION: Industrial glass fibers (E-glass) could be used as a cheaper alternative but clinical performance and their safety are yet to be evaluated. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Reinforcement with industrial-grade glass fibers can be a cheaper option for increasing the load-bearing capacity of interim partial dentures, but it needs to be studied in vivo through further studies.

Sargassum polycystum and Turbinaria conoides Seaweed-based Novel Denture Cleanser: An In Vitro Study.

AIM: The study ventures into evaluating the antifungal and antibacterial efficacy of commercially available denture cleanser with Sargassum polycystum, Turbinaria conoides seaweeds, and the combination of seaweeds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Poly(methyl methacrylate) disks measuring 10 × 2 mm were fabricated. The samples are divided into four groups of 21 samples each. The denture base was coated with Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans individually. Group I was treated with Fittydent, group II (S. polycystum and T. conoides seaweeds combination), group III (S. polycystum), and group IV (T. conoides). The colony-formation units present on the surface of the denture were evaluated before and after treatment with different denture cleansers using the serial dilution method. Statistical analysis was done using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and post hoc Bonferroni analysis. RESULTS: At 10-5 dilution, T. conoides (group IV) was statistically significant in reducing both C. albicans and S. mutans. At 10-10 dilution, T. conoides (group IV) and S. polycystum and T. conoides combination (group II) had high antibacterial efficacy and were statistically significant. Fittydent (group I) had higher antifungal efficacy and was statistically significant in comparison to S. polycystum (group III) alone. At 10-10 dilution, the T. conoides (group IV), S. polycystum, and T. conoides combination (group II) showed no evidence of a significant difference in comparison to Fittydent (group I). Fittydent had higher antibacterial efficacy and was statistically significant in comparison to S. polycystum (group III) alone. CONCLUSION: Sargassum polycystum and T. conoides combination and T. conoides were found to have higher antibacterial efficacy in comparison to commercially available denture cleanser and also were found to have equal antifungal efficacy in comparison to commercially available denture cleanser.

Comparison of antifungal efficacy of commercially available denture cleanser and the extract of Turbinaria conoides seaweed against Candida albicans adherent to acrylic denture base resin: An in vitro study.

Aim: One of the main factors responsible for the development of Candida albicans on the surface of denture is improper maintenance of dentures. Denture hygiene can be achieved by regular cleansing of dentures using an appropriate denture cleanser. The aim of the study is to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of commercially available denture cleanser and the extract of Turbinaria conoides seaweed against C. albicans adherent to the surface of denture base resin. Settings and Design: This was an in vitro experimental study. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four Acrylic resin samples of dimension 10-mm radius and 2-mm thickness was randomly divided into two groups. The denture base resin was coated with C. albicans. The colonies present on the surface of each denture base resin were evaluated by serial dilution method. Group A was treated with commercially available denture cleanser and Group B was treated with extract of seaweed T. conoides. The colonies were then evaluated using serial dilution. Statistical Analysis Used: The colony count values obtained by serial dilution were tabulated. These values were statistically analysed using t-test. Results: Reduction of colony count is more in T. conoides than commercially available Fittydent; the difference was statistically significant with a mean difference of 65 at dilution 10-2 and 29.25 at dilution 10-3 using t-test with P < 0.001. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this in vitro study, it was proved that the extract of T. conoides seaweed and commercially available denture cleanser Fittydent was effective in reducing the colony count of C. albicans. T. conoides seaweed is statistically significant than commercially available Fittydent.

Evaluation of Bond Strength of Cantilever Resin-retained Bridge Designs: An In Vitro Study.

AIM: The aim of the study was to compare the bond strength of three cantilever resin-bonded bridge (RBB) designs cemented with resin cements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four extracted human mandibular canines with eight teeth per group were used in this study to evaluate the bond strength of cantilever resin-retained bridge designs of the mesh, perforated, and combination of mesh and perforated luted to the prepared lingual surface of canine teeth using resin cement. Debonding was done using Instron universal testing machine by applying load on the mid-buccal region of the pontic and the obtained values were evaluated. The data was analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The mean shear bond strengths of mesh, perforated, and combination of mesh and perforated are 0.88 ± 0.31 MPa, 0.81 ± 0.31 MPa, and 0.93 ± 0.32 MPa. However, there is no significant differences in the statistical analysis that were performed using a one-factor analysis of variant (ANOVA) test (p = 0.744). CONCLUSION: Within the limitation of this study for cantilever resin-retained bridge designs, the combination of mesh and perforated design showed greater mean shear bond values when compared with the mesh design and perforated designs. This shows equal in vitro performance to the gold standard designs (group A is mesh design and group B is perforated design). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The new design which is the combination of mesh and perforated shows equal in vitro performance to the gold standard designs. Thus, their use in clinical situation can bring better result in concern to cantilever resin-retained prosthesis.

Perception of Faculty toward Challenges in Teaching and the Role of Medical Education Workshops in Addressing Them: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Background A medical teacher has a very complex job profile, wherein they are expected to train a cohort of newly joined medical aspirants to competent health care professionals. The current study was conducted to identify the challenges faced by the faculty members in medical teaching and to assess the perception of teachers on the role of medical education workshops in addressing these challenges. Methods It was a Mixed Methods study conducted over a period of 9 months from January to September 2021 in a tertiary teaching medical college and hospital of Chengalpet District of Tamil Nadu amongst the faculty members of the teaching medical college and hospital. In the first phase, universal sampling method was employed, wherein all faculty members were asked to fill the online semi-structured questionnaire. In the second phase, purposive sampling was employed, wherein all teachers who have a minimum teaching experience of 3 years and have attended any medical education workshop were included and interviewed using a focus group discussion guide. The quantitative date was analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data was analyzed using manual content analysis. Results In the quantitative phase, 149 faculty members filled the online questionnaire, of which majority were females (52.3%) and were from the clinical departments (63.1%). The manual thematic content analysis of the FGD resulted in the identification of two themes (challenges and utility of workshops). The challenges theme consisted of three categories of Faculty, Students, and Administration, while Utility of workshops theme included two categories of refinement of skills, and suggestions for future Conclusion In conclusion, lack of teamwork in the department, multiple responsibilities assigned to a single person, and shortage of clinical material during COVID-19 were identified as the main challenges in teaching-learning. The medical education workshops play a significant role in improving the knowledge of various domains of teaching and assessment, introduction of innovations, and ensure better performance of the faculty members.

Interprofessional education - a case for Gerodontology training.

Increasing life expectancy, concepts of patient well-being, and the multiplicity of needs of the geriatric population, demand contribution, and collaboration of physicians, dentists, psychologists, pharmacists, and other allied health disciplines, to provide quality care to patients. Interprofessional education (IPE) is an approach to education that improves collaboration among health professionals and it can aid in better management of geriatric patients. Communication and cooperation affect health care performance and hence, influence patient outcomes. Currently, each of the disciplines mentioned has customized undergraduate and/or postgraduate training in geriatric care. Though a uni-disciplinary educational approach increases knowledge and skills of individual professions separately, IPE offers significant advantages. IPE seeks to have students learning together, as well as from each other to develop exemplary collaborative practice. The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed that IPE will ensure optimum health care. However, IPE is yet to find its proper place in dental education. It would help dental students to develop a positive attitude toward geriatric patients and increase their empathy and efficiency in the management of these patients. This manuscript seeks to highlight the concept of interprofessional education (IPE) in gerodontology and develop recommendations for implementation of IPE in India.

Predictive utility of performance of students of dentistry in the first periodic assessment.

Background: Predicting students who need extra support academically may help initiate early remedial measures. We assessed the predictive utility of the first periodic assessment as a tool to identify students who need additional curricular support in the first year of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) course. Methods: We retrospectively compared the performance of two batches of BDS students in the first periodic assessment and final university examination. The students were divided into three groups on the basis of their ranks in the first periodic assessment as high, middle and low achievers. We assessed the tendency of the students to be in the same group in the university examination. Results: Though the performance of all the three groups improved significantly from the first periodic assessment to the final university examination, 73% of low achievers and 80.6% of high achievers stayed in the same group in both examinations. All those who failed in the final university examination were from the low achiever group. Conclusion: Performance of students in the first periodic assessment is a valid tool to identify students who need additional curricular support.

The Proposal of a BDS Syllabus Framework to Suit Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).

INTRODUCTION: Higher education takes a new dimension universally in the form of choice based Credit System (CBCS). In India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has made CBCS mandatory in all fields except for Health Profession. Not much attempts were made in designing a BDS syllabus to suit CBCS. AIM: Aim of the study was to propose a model dental syllabus to fit into choice based credit system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A model BDS syllabus Prototype for CBCS was designed based on the UGC guidelines for terms as well as calculations for CBCS. Engineering curriculum models from IIT and Anna University were also referred to. RESULTS: Semester based BDS syllabus was designed without changing the norms of Dental Council of India (DCI). All the must know areas of the subjects were considered as "core" areas and the desirable and nice to know areas are left for "electives" by the students. By this method, none of the subject was left out at the same time students are provided with electives to learn deeper on their topics of choice. CONCLUSION: The existing BDS syllabus can be effectively modified by incorporating few changes based on the UGC regulations for Choice based credit system. The proposed framework gives an insight on the nature of modifications that are needed. By adopting this, BDS Course regulations can also follow CBCS without neglecting or reducing the weightage of any subject.