A Study on Nature of Violence Against Doctors in Tertiary Care Centers in Karnataka, India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Over the previous decades, violence against physicians has risen. To comprehend the issue connected with it, we need to know the nature of violence and doctor's views on the current state of safety at their disposal. The purpose of the study was to assess the incidence and nature of violence against doctors in tertiary health care centers in Karnataka, India. Objectives: The objectives were to collect data from three tertiary care centers, evaluate the incidence of violence against doctors in tertiary care centers, and evaluate the nature of violence against doctors in tertiary care centers. Methods: From the list of all tertiary care centers in Dakshina Kannada, three tertiary care hospitals were randomly chosen. Approval of the Ethical Committee from the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) of KVG Dental College and permission from chosen hospitals were obtained. A pre-validated questionnaire was handed over to the available physicians and surgeons in these hospitals to be filled. The total number of participants in the study was 330. Results: Nearly half (48.02% of physicians) reported experiencing violence during working hours. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology recorded 43.2% of instances, while surgery, medicine, and other departments reported 23.6%, 22.8%, and 10.4%, respectively. Conclusions: Violence against physicians continues to be a huge issue that must be addressed through decisive measures by the police and hospitals. This impacts the healthcare system in the nation and often cripples it owing to the loss of human resources and working hours.

Prevalence and determinants of oral potentially malignant disorders in rural areas of South India.

Purpose: Oral potentially malignant disorders are associated with a risk of undergoing malignant transformation and a concomitant increase in morbidity and mortality. Moreover, epidemiological studies, especially from rural areas, are important in assessing their prevalence and the identification of determinants of these disorders so that preventive strategies can be employed in tackling them. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted based on guidelines of the World Health Organization's Guide Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Oral Mucosal Disease and Conditions 1995 in rural areas of south India. Results: Prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) in the studied population was 13.28%, with oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) accounting to 6.21% and erythroplakia at 1.3%. Regression analysis revealed, age 40-54 years (odds ratio [OR] = 3.8, confidence interval [CI] at 95%-1.5-4.0, P < 0.05), lower socioeconomic groups (OR = 2.1, CI at 95%-1.4-3.1, P < 0.05), habits (OR = 3.2, CI at 95%-1.9-3.8, P < 0.05), smoke form of tobacco-beedi (OR = 2.5, CI at 95%-1.6-2.8, P < 0.05), smokeless form of tobacco-areca nut lime and leaf and tobacco (OR = 3.1, CI at 95%-1.9-3.4, P < 0.05) to be the possible determinants for OPMDs. Conclusions: The overall prevalence of OPMDs in the studied population was 13.28%. The most common OPMDs were OSMF. Identified determinants were age, socioeconomic group, ethnicity, diet, body mass index, and associated harmful habits.

Conceptual knowledge of oral health among school teachers in South India, India.

OBJECTIVE: To measure conceptual oral health knowledge among school teachers using comprehensive measure of oral health knowledge (CMOHK) instrument. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 240 school teachers drawn through cluster random sampling from across Sullia taluk. Conceptual knowledge was assessed using Comprehensive measure of oral health knowledge questionnaire. Oral health status was recorded on a World Health Organization oral health assessment Proforma. RESULTS: Overall distribution of CMOHK scores revealed that 106(44%) subjects had good conceptual oral health knowledge, 81(33.7%) subjects had fair and 53(22%) subjects were categorized under poor conceptual knowledge respectively. Statistically significant difference was observed for mean scores for conceptual knowledge in relation to gender (12.8v/s 15.3), in terms of type of school teachers (14.4 v/s 11.2) and in relation to age of the subjects. Primary school teachers exhibited a consistently better CMOHK scores 0.003(0.001-0.011) compared to their high school counterparts 0.003(0.001-0.012). CONCLUSION: The mean CMOHK score of this group was 12.5±1.3 and is considered to be fair. There is an inverse association between age, educational levels and income in relation to CMOHK scores.

Pyruvic acid levels in serum and saliva: A new course for oral cancer screening?

OBJECTIVE: Cancerous cells show increased glycolysis rate. This will increase overall levels of pyruvate as it is one of the end products of glycolysis. The present on-going study is to estimate the levels of pyruvate in saliva and serum among healthy and oral cancer subjects. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Hospital-based cross-sectional comparative study. METHODOLOGY: A total of 50 subjects among healthy and oral cancer subjects were selected based on clinical and histological criteria. Saliva and serum samples were collected and subjected to pyruvate level estimation using biochemical analysis. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive analysis and Mann-Whitney test were used to find the statistical difference between the two independent groups. RESULTS: Serum pyruvic acid levels of the healthy group were 1.09 ± 0.14 and for oral cancer, it was 2.95 ± 0.59 and salivary level were 3.49 ± 0.47 and 1.32 ± 0.10 respectively. Mann-Whitney test showed statistically significant difference in serum and salivary pyruvate level in between two groups (P < 0.000 respectively). CONCLUSION: The present study showed noticeable variation in the level of pyruvic acid among healthy and oral cancer subjects. This generates the hypothesis that estimation of the pyruvic acid can be a new tool to screening of the cancer.

Exploring Oral Health Beliefs and Behaviour Among Tibetan Immigrants of Bylakkupe.

PURPOSE: To explore the oral health beliefs and behaviour among Tibetan immigrants of Bylakkupe village. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A stratified random sampling technique involving 366 Tibetan monks in Bylakkupe monasteries was used in this study. The oral health beliefs were measured using a pre-tested questionnaire. RESULTS: The results showed that seriousness was higher compared to other domains in the health belief model. Further, as the duration of the stay increased, the perceived importance was also higher among the population studied. CONCLUSION: The results show that in general, although the seriousness of oral health was high among the participants, the perceived benefit of dental treatment was relatively low.

Association of ABO Blood Group and Rh factor with Periodontal Disease in a Population of Virajpet, Karnataka: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there was an association between periodontal diseases and ABO blood groups. MATERIALS & METHODS: An epidemiological study was was carried out on 220 subjects who were randomly selected from individuals referred for periodontal treatment or for other reasons regarding Oral health at Coorg Institute of Dental Sciences. RESULTS: The findings of our study revealed that subject's blood group O (65.8) and Rh positive (73.33%) had a greater propensity for periodontitis. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study revealed blood groups and Rh factor can act as a determinant of periodontitis. How to cite this article: Vivek S, Jain J, Simon SP, Battur H, Supreetha S, Haridas R. Association of ABO Blood Group and Rh factor with Periodontal Disease in a Population of Virajpet, Karnataka: A Cross-Sectional Study. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(4):30-34.