Cognizance and Use of Minimally Invasive Dentistry Approach by General Dentists: An Overlooked Companion.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries begins with the decalcification of the first nonorganic part, followed by the decay of the organic tooth matrix. Minimally invasive dentistry (MID) focuses on using the adhesive technique for restoration as these techniques allow minimum removal of healthy tooth structure. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the attitude, knowledge, and behavior of the general dentists toward the use of MID and to evaluate if MID is considered as standard care measure among general dentists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-section observational survey and included 285 practicing dentists. The survey questions were divided into two parts. The question related to the use of sharp explorer utilized response categories (1-5), with options of always, most of the time, often, sometimes, and never or rarely. The independent variables collected were age, gender, years of practice, clinical hours, type of practice, postgraduate education, and clinic environment. The data collected were tabulated and were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The results of the present study showed that MID meets the standard of care for the treatment of both primary teeth 85.96% (n = 245) as well as permanent teeth 78.24% (n = 223). ART, sandwich technique, in-office, and at-home topical fluoride application were considered active for treating dental caries. The use of sharp explorers, nonsharp explorers, radiographs, and magnification were considered common for caries detection. CONCLUSION: The more dentists who listened to about MID in the past responded that the MID concept is the standard of care for the treatment of primary and permanent teeth than dentists who have heard little or nothing about MID.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma: A retrospective clinicopathologic study of 25 cases.

Background: Salivary gland tumors are rare and clinically represent a diverse group of neoplasms among which mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is a relatively common salivary gland tumor with varying potential for aggressive behavior. The purpose of the study was aimed at to analyze the relative frequency and correlate with age, sex, anatomical site and histological grade of MEC and compare the findings with epidemiological data from different geographic locations. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five cases diagnosed with MEC during the period June 1985 to June 2004 (19 years) were retrieved from the Department of Pathology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Ambajogai, and clinical data were recorded and reviewed histopathologically. Results: The relative frequency of MEC was 13.15%. Low-grade MEC (44%) was the most common, followed by intermediate-grade MEC (36%) and high-grade MEC (20%). The mean age for occurrence of MEC was 44.28 ± 13.29 years. MEC was predominant in females (60%) than males (40%). Thus, the overall female-male ratio was 1.5:1. Among minor salivary glands, palate (48%) was the most common site, and among major salivary glands, parotid gland (16%) was the common site. Conclusion: Comparing the present data with previous studies on MEC, one may infer that some demographic characteristics and the predominance vary in different geographic regions. Analysis of the distribution and particular features of MEC in a specific population helps in establishment of appropriate treatment.

Evaluation of Proliferative Marker Ki-67 in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study.

AIM: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a malignant tumor of salivary gland origin. Although the histologic appearance of ACC is low grade, management of this malignancy is a distinct therapeutic challenge because of its tendency for perineural involvement and potential for distant metastasis. Ki-67 antigen is expressed during the G1, S, G2 and M phases in the cell cycle but is absent in the quiescent G0 phase in tissue sections. Aim of the study was to review hematoxylin and eosin stained slides in order to confirm the previous histopathological diagnosis as per the criteria given by World Health Organisation (WHO) and to evaluate the expression of cell proliferation marker, Ki-67 antigen in Adenoid cystic carcinoma and correlate the expression of Ki-67 antigen histopathologically with different grades in Adenoid cystic carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue samples of 32 cases (12 males and 20 females) were selected from minor salivary glands with age range from 21 to 70 years. Two paraffin-embedded sections of these total 32 cases each of 4 µm thick were cut on a rotary microtome. One section was stained using hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and the other was used for Immunohistochemical staining with Ki-67 antigen. RESULTS: Among these 32 cases of Adenoid cystic carcinoma, Histologically 14 (43.75%) tumors were classified in grade I, 8 (25%) were in grade II, and 10 (31.25%) were in grade III. The average percentage of Ki-67 expression was 27.12% in grade I, 34.43% in grade II and 38.45% in grade III. CONCLUSION: Ki-67 immunoreactivity increased with increase in histopathological grades of ACC. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Since Ki-67 is a useful marker for assessing the proliferative potential of tumors, the prognosis of patients can definitely be predicted.

Effect of DHA+EPA on oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by ischemia-reperfusion in rat kidneys.

Apoptosis, as well as necrosis, has an important role in post-ischemic renal pathology. The effect of pretreatment with Docosahexaenoic acid+Eicosapentaenoic acid (DHA+EPA) on renal injury and apoptotic protein expression was evaluated. Right nephrectomy was completed on male Wistar rats (255-300 g). The rats received DHA+EPA (200 mg/kg/day) of distilled water orally for 14 days before ischemia reperfusion (IR) or sham operation. A total of 81 rats were divided into three main groups with 6, 24 and 48 h of post-operation or reperfusion period. Serum creatinine (SCr), BUN, creatinine clearance (CCr) and fractional excretion of sodium (FEN a ) were measured. Tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, Bax and Bcl-2 protein expressions and renal histological injury were determined. SCr, BUN and FEN a increased 6-48 h of reperfusion (P < 0.01). Tissue MDA content and Bax expression increased (P < 0.01) and CAT and SOD activities decreased (P < 0.05) in the IR group. DHA+EPA decreased SCr and BUN, FEN a , tissue MDA levels (P < 0.05 vs. IR) and increased CAT and SOD activities and Bcl-2 expression (P < 0.05 vs. IR) for 6-48 h after ischemia. IR induced mild (6 h, P < 0.05) and severe (24-48 h, P < 0.01) tissue damage. Mild-to-moderate tissue damage was observed in DHA+EPA groups from 6 to 48 h of reperfusion period (P < 0.05 vs. IR, 24-48 h). In conclusion, the results suggest that pre-ischemic exposure to DHA+EPA could improve the outcome of early graft function by inhibition of IR-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis.