Maxillofacial Trauma in Pediatric Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: The study was conducted to analyze the pattern, etiology and management of maxillofacial trauma in children up to 16 years of age. Study Design: Records of the patients who sustained maxillofacial trauma from 2013 to 2018 were retrospectively evaluated for age, gender, etiology, pattern of injuries and their management. Children were divided into three groups-primary (0-5 yrs), mixed (6-11 yrs) and permanent dentition group (12-16 yrs). Maxillofacial trauma was observed as midface fracture, mandible fractures, soft tissue injuries and associated tooth fractures. SPSS software version 19.0 was used for the data analysis. Result: A total record of 99 children were evaluated. Gender-wise distribution was reported twice in male than females. Fall was observed as the major etiological factor (73.7%) with a significant p value of 0.012 using chi-square test. The highest frequency of maxillofacial trauma is noted in mixed dentition group (47.4%). Mandible fracture was most frequently observed followed by associated soft tissue injury. Conservative approach/closed reduction for management was executed for the majority of cases. Conclusion: Knowledge gained from the present study would help in assessing the effectiveness of present preventive modalities and facilitate elaboration of future preventive measures and new research works as well.

Oral Health Status of Children with Special Healthcare Need: A Retrospective Analysis.

Aim: To evaluate the oral health status of children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) having either systemic illness or any disabilities. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of oral health status was done from Jan 2013 to Dec 2018 on 58 CSHCN (both genders) up to 16 years of age. The oral health status of patients was assessed with the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) indices and simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) by using the World Health Organization (WHO) 2013 oral health survey criteria. Results: Fair oral hygiene was dominantly present (62%) among all the subjects. Association between oral hygiene status and systemic illness/disability was done using the Chi-squared (χ 2 ) test and was found statistically nonsignificant. The overall mean DMFT/dmft found was 4.16. The highest mean DMFT/dmft score was recorded in nephrotic syndrome patients (16.0%), while the least score was seen among cleft anomalies (1.89%). Comparison between mean DMFT/dmft scores among various systemic illnesses/disabilities were done using Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA) test and found statistically significant (p-value 0.048). Conclusion: The majority of the CSHCN fall under fair oral hygiene status. A high caries prevalence and statistically significant value were demonstrated between mean DMFT/dmft scores of various systemic illnesses/disabilities. Clinical significance: Present study aids in understanding the needs of the community, identifying high-risk groups, planning the required treatment and prevention strategies, and thus monitoring and improving the oral health status of children with special healthcare needs. How to cite this article: Patidar D, Sogi S, Patidar DC. Oral Health Status of Children with Special Healthcare Need: A Retrospective Analysis. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(4):433-437.

Efficacy of Transdermal Diclofenac Patch as an Analgesic Following Premolar Extractions in Orthodontic Patients.

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of transdermal diclofenac patch versus oral diclofenac tablet as analgesic following premolar extractions in orthodontic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three symmetrical pairs of indicated premolars (either first or second) were included for the present study. Each patient was given either transdermal diclofenac sodium patch 100 mg once a day or oral diclofenac tablet 50 mg twice a day for 3 days after the extraction. Pain was assessed by a 10-point visual analog scale and 4-point verbal rating scale given to the patient for each day for 3 days after the extraction. All observational findings were recorded, tabulated, and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: This study consisted of 33 patients with a mean age of 18.73 ± 3.677 years. Out of 33 patients included in this study, 5 were male and 28 were female. The result of the study showed that consecutive postoperative days transdermal diclofenac patch was slightly more efficient in controlling the postoperative pain in the extraction done for the orthodontic purpose than diclofenac oral tablet, however statistically no significant difference was observed using Chi-square test (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Transdermal diclofenac patch showed potential analgesic modality for the management of mild-to-moderate intensity pain in premolar orthodontic extraction, with lower incidence of systemic adverse effects. However, cost and availability may limit the use of transdermal patch.

Salivary levels of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis in early childhood caries: An in vivo study.

BACKGROUND: The oral microflora primarily involved in early childhood caries (ECC) is Streptococcus mutans while Streptococcus sanguinis is related to healthy caries-free mouth. The antagonism between the two at biological level is well recognized. AIM: This study aims to compare the pre- and posttreatment salivary levels of S. mutans and S. sanguinis in ECC. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 40 eligible participants. Clinical examination was done, and decayed teeth were recorded. Pre- and Posttreatment saliva sample was taken, processed and bacterial counts were compared. RESULTS: A statistically significant posttreatment reduction was found in S. mutans counts; however, a significant posttreatment elevation was seen in S. sanguinis counts (P < 0.001) using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A significant weak positive correlation was found between S. mutans and decayed teeth in the mouth (r = 0.366 and P = 0.028) using Spearman's correlation. No significant gender association was found between pre- and posttreatment S. mutans and S. sanguinis counts (P = 0.908) and also between decayed teeth (P = 0.321) using Mann-Whitney U-test. CONCLUSION: Complete dental treatment procedure showed significant reduction and elevation in S. mutans and S. sanguinis counts, respectively. A positive association was observed between S. mutans and ECC while S. sanguinis were positively associated with posttreatment oral environment.

Proximity of maxillary posterior teeth roots to maxillary sinus and adjacent structures using Denta scan®.

AIM: The study aimed to investigate the proximity of maxillary posterior teeth roots to maxillary sinus and measure the distance of maxillary posterior teeth roots and the sinus floor as well as the thickness of bone between the roots and alveolar cortical bone using Denta scan®. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study samples include Denta scan® images of fifty patients with normally erupted bilateral maxillary first premolar to maxillary second molar. The vertical relationship of each tooth root with maxillary sinus is classified into four types of Denta scan® images (based on the classification by Jung in 2009). The distance between the sinus floor and root, and the bone thickness between the root and alveolar cortical plate will be measured and analyzed. CONCLUSION: The buccal root of the maxillary molars was more commonly protruded into the maxillary sinus. Among the roots of maxillary posterior teeth, mesiobuccal root of first molar and palatal root of second premolar were found in close proximity to the floor of maxillary sinus. The bone thickness on the buccal aspect to the root was significantly thinner in the maxillary first premolar and maxillary first molar as compared to other maxillary posterior teeth roots. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Knowledge of anatomical relationship between the maxillary posterior teeth and maxillary sinus guides us not only in proper preoperative treatment planning but also avoids the possible complications encounter while performing the minor oral surgical procedures involving maxillary posterior teeth, which are close to the maxillary sinus.