ABSTRACT
Context: In India fishing is a traditional occupation second only to agriculture. Fishermen are a marginalized group with high levels of occupational stress predisposing them to develop addictions to tobacco, alcohol, and areca nut chewing. These habits are well-established causes of developing oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer. Aims: To determine the prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders among the fishermen population in and around Pondicherry. Settings and Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire to assess the prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders among the fishermen population in and around Pondicherry. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics were used with Pearson's correlation. Results: The study showed 24.8% of fishermen consumed tobacco, and 7.3% consumed both tobacco and alcohol. Oral potentially malignant disorders were seen in 16.79% of the population. Conclusions: The fishermen had a higher rate of addictions to tobacco, alcohol, and areca nut chewing and a higher prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The root canal treatment is one of the common dental or endodontic therapies associated with high levels of patient anxiety. Yoga therapy (YT) is reported in medical literature as an effective modality in bringing down anxiety in clinical scenarios; however, the reports of the same for dental settings are fewer. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of YT on biopsychosocial parameters in patients undergoing root canal therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted on 50 participants who underwent dental root canal therapy. The sample was divided into two groups: Yoga group (Group A; n = 25) who received YT and control group (Group B; n = 25) who were subjected to self-relaxation during dental procedure. The state of anxiety was measured by a 5-point single-item Likert scale and the cardiovascular (CV) parameters (systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP], heart rate [HR]) and CV indices (pulse pressure [PP], mean arterial pressure [MAP], rate-pressure product [RPP], and double product [DoP]) were derived and compared between both the groups. RESULTS: The intergroup comparison showed statistically significant differences in anxiety score (P < 0.001), SBP (P < 0.001), MAP (P < 0.001), RPP (P < 0.001), DoP (P < 0.001), HR (P < 0.029), DBP (P < 0.003), and PP (P < 0.116). CONCLUSION: A significant reduction was recorded in terms of anxiety and primary and derived CV parameters in the yoga group. The YT can be adopted as an interventional tool for anxiety management in patients indicated for dental root canal therapy.
