Efficacy and feasibility of usage of hand signals during dental procedure among students in a Dental Institute in Maduravoyal, Chennai: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of the usage of hand signals during a dental procedure among students in a dental institute. METHODS: 268 students and their allotted patients from a dental institute were taught about hand signals (DentiSign) that can be used for communication during dental procedures. During the first dental visit, a pretested questionnaire was provided to students, before and after the treatment procedure, to assess the change in fear and anxiety in their patients. This protocol was followed for the second consecutive visit. The questionnaires were collected and subjected to statistical analysis. McNemar's test was used to analyze the responses for the questionnaire before and after treatment during the first and second visits. RESULTS: By the end of the first visit, 45.75% students felt that using hand signals can make patients feel comfortable and 35.68% students felt that the practitioner will be able to understand patients' fear and anxiety, which were statistically significant. By the end of second visit, the response increased significantly to 92.17% and 94.66%, respectively. A reduction in treatment time was also perceived by the students but was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Use of hand signals during dental treatment can be an option in reducing anxiety and fear for the patients. They can also help in effective communication during the treatment procedure and may help in reducing treatment time.

Evaluation of gingival blood as a minimally invasive screening tool for diabetes mellitus among 40-59-year-old adults in dental clinics: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a quick, safe, and minimally invasive method to screen for diabetes using gingival blood with the help of self-monitoring glucometer during periodontal examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hospital-based, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among 40-59-year-old diabetic and nondiabetic population who had come for their master health examination to a private tertiary care hospital (Global Hospital and Health City) in Chennai. Among them, those who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected for the study. Thirty diabetic and thirty nondiabetic patients with moderate to severe gingivitis were enrolled and subjected to routine clinical periodontal examination. Blood samples of two sites were analyzed using a glucose self-monitoring device (Accu-Check). Patients were tested for venous fasting blood sugar (VFBS), venous postprandial blood sugar (VPPS), gingival fasting blood sugar (GFBS) level, gingival postprandial blood sugar (GPPS) level, peripheral fingerstick fasting blood sugar (PFBS) level, and peripheral fingerstick postprandial sugar (PPPS) level. Data obtained were statistically analyzed using Student's t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation test. RESULTS: A significant positive correlation was found between GFBS and VFBS, GFBS and PFBS, GPPS and VPPS, and GPPS and PPPS (P < 0.01) in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients correlation. Using venous blood glucose level as a gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of GFBS was 93% and 100%, respectively, whereas in GPPS, the sensitivity and specificity was 80% and 96%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Gingival blood glucometry can be used as a minimally invasive screening tool for diabetes mellitus in dental clinics.