Effectiveness and Feasibility of Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation to Adolescent Girls and Boys through Peer Educators at Community Level in the Tribal Area of Gujarat.

BACKGROUND: Anemia during adolescence affects growth and development of girls and boys increasing their vulnerability to dropping out-of-school. Hence investing in preventing anemia during adolescence is critical for their survival, growth and development. OBJECTIVE: To find out the burden of anemia on adolescent age group in the tribal area of Jhagadia block and to assess the change in the hemoglobin level through the weekly Iron and Folic Acid IFA (DOTS) directly observed treatment supplementation under Supervision by Peer Educators at Community level among adolescents. METHODS: Community based intervention study conducted with adolescents (117 girls and 127 boys) aged 10-19 years, through supplementation of IFA (DOTS) by trained Peer Educators for 52 weeks in 5 tribal villages of Jhagadia. Hemoglobin level was determined by HemoCue method before and after intervention and sickle cell anemia by Electrophoresis method. Primary data on hemoglobin and number of tablets consumed was collected and statistically analyzed in SPSS 16.0 software by applying paired t-test. RESULTS: The overall findings suggest that the prevalence of anemia reduced from 79.5% to 58% among adolescent girls and from 64% to 39% among boys. Mean rise of hemoglobin seen was 1.5 g/dl among adolescent boys and 1.3 g/dl among girls. A significant association was found in change in hemoglobin before and after intervention (P = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of anemia among girls and boys can be reduced in their adolescent phase of life, through weekly supplementation of iron folic acid tablets under direct supervision and Nutrition Education by Peer Educator at community level.

Precision of dimensional measurements of mandible in different positions on orthopantomogram.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the precision of dimensional measurements of the mandible in two different positions on orthopantomogram (OPG) (one with mandibular plane parallel to the floor and the other with Frankfort horizontal plane parallel to the floor) and determine the dimensional reliability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anatomical landmarks were used to denote points for measurements on mandible as well as OPG and respective measurements made. Magnification was hence calculated and compared with magnification factor (1.2) listed by the manufacturer. RESULTS: Vertical measurements and anterior horizontal and oblique measurements showed minimal magnification. Posterior horizontal and oblique measurements showed increased magnification. The difference in measurements in the two positions and on comparison with the one given by the manufacturer was statistically significant for posterior horizontal measurements but not for posterior oblique. Horizontal measurements crossing the midline were highly magnified and the difference was statistically significant for the two positions and on comparison to the one given by manufacturer. CONCLUSION: Magnification factor given by the manufacturer is not uniform in all locations and varies with changes in positioning and hence should not be relied upon when accurate measurements are to be made.

3-D imaging in post-traumatic malformation and eruptive disturbance in permanent incisors: a case report.

Injury to the primary dentition is one of the common problems of childhood. Disturbances during crown development of the permanent teeth result in morphologic alterations. This case report highlights the role of 3-D imaging when conventional dental radiographs are not enough to answer our clinical questions regarding future eruptive disturbances. 3-D imaging can many times give us a definitive diagnosis and improve the treatment planning after early injuries in the deciduous dentition. The current status of multislice computed tomography (CT) and cone beam CT (CBCT) as diagnostic tools in pediatric dental population is also discussed briefly.

Efficacy of He-Ne Laser in the prevention and treatment of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in oral cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of low-level lasers for the prevention and treatment of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in oral cancer patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four hospitalized patients with oral cancer, scheduled to undergo radiotherapy at KMC, Manipal, were enrolled in the present study and assigned to laser (Group I)/control group (Group II). They were treated using He-Ne laser (lambda = 632.8nm, output = 10 mW and energy density = 1.8 J/cm(2)). Patients were subjected to treatment using laser scanner for 8 days and subsequently were treated using laser probe at 6 anatomic sites in the oral cavity for 5 minutes each. The patients were evaluated on each day of treatment for pain severity (NRS), functional impairment (FIS), and oral mucositis (RTOG) and were followed until the end of cancer treatment. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 10. RESULTS: Laser therapy applied prophylactically during radiotherapy can reduce the severity of oral mucositis, severity of pain, and functional impairment.

Large erupting complex odontoma: a case report.

Odontomas are the most common odontogenic tumours. They are usually asymptomatic and are often discovered during routine radiography. We report a case of a large erupting complex odontoma that caused pain, infection and facial asymmetry. This case is significant as there are few reports of complex odontoma erupting in the oral cavity.