Relationship Between the Eruption of Third Molar Teeth and the Growing Status of the Assamese Inhabitants of a North-Eastern State of India.

Objectives Even though permanent teeth eruption time may vary, the tooth eruption stage represents a critical developmental milestone, which may help in the monitoring of the child's growing status towards adolescence. This paper aims to evaluate the relationship between the third molar eruption (TME) and investigate any possible association with the body mass index (BMI), which is used to monitor the growth of children and adolescents. Methods We included 1060 student participants aged 14 to 26 years from selected educational institutions in Assam for this study. We performed a conventional clinical dental examination to determine the stages of TME. Moreover, to calculate the individual height and weight, we have carried out a thorough physical examination to assess the BMI and rule out any visible congenital developmental anomalies. Result The overall mean age of the status of no eruption (NE), incomplete eruption (IE), and complete eruption (CE) categories of the third molar in the current research were 17.39±2.273, 18.67±2.282 and 20.33±2.566 years, respectively, and the difference in mean age was statistically significant (p-value <0.05). Among the 1060 participants assessed, 163 (15.38%) were underweight, 625 (58.97%) belonged to the average category, 207 (19.52%) were at risk of being overweight, and 65 (6.13%) were obese. The CE in both average and overweight categories was 109 (17.4%) and 37 (17.9%). Similarly, the NE status of the third molar in the underweight and obese category was 120 (73.6%) and 39 (60.0%), respectively. These differences in the frequency of TME in different BMI categories were found statistically significant (p-value <0.05). Conclusion The result shows a substantial relationship between the mean age of eruption of third molar teeth and BMI among children and adolescents in 14 years to 26 years in the Assamese population. Further, the mean age can be used in forensic age determination.

Indian Medical Undergraduates' Perceptions of Effective Teaching Methods: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: It becomes a challenge for a teacher to find a student-friendly approach to teach too many students in a class. The teaching methods used during medical education have a significant impact on learning among medical students. A practical and informative teaching technique is considered an essential component of that education. The present study aimed to determine the best interactive teaching method based on Indian medical undergraduates' perceptions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current investigation was a cross-sectional descriptive study that included 100 undergraduate medical students. A structured sample class on a specified topic was conducted using Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) and a "chalk and talk" (CNT) method. Students' opinions of the class were assessed via a Likert scale questionnaire in which, for each of the two methods, the students were asked to rank twelve comments on a four-point scale: strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. Descriptive statistics were calculated to evaluate the distributions of their responses. The z test for two proportions was used to test a significant difference in respondents' proportions towards various perceptions regarding the two teaching methods under study. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22. RESULTS: Students understood the lesson content better when the teacher used the CNT approach (p<0.005). The CNT method was also associated with better interaction than the PPT technique (p=0.03) and facilitated better student concentration and retention of the class content (p=0.03). The students reported that there was less eye contact associated with the PPT technique (61%) but found the content thus delivered fascinating (78%), informative (91%), and organized (85%) as compared to the CNT approach. CONCLUSION: The traditional CNT approach is an effective classroom teaching method. The current study highlights student preferences for a combined teaching method that includes CNT and PPT.

Assessment of the Clinical Interpreter of Death in Life-Threatening Infective Cases Admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of a North-Eastern State of India.

Objectives The clinical factors affecting a patient's condition monitored over time could be useful not only to decide on an intervention that may increase the patients' possibilities of survival but also to predict the treatment outcome. Therefore, this study evaluates the clinical factors as predictors of mortality among severe sepsis patients admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care center. Method We did a prospective study on over 50 life-threatening infective cases with different causes admitted in the ICU. Clinical and biochemical parameters like temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, bicarbonate levels, blood lactate levels, and pH were monitored at admission, after 24 hours, and after 72 hours. The statistical analysis was done using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA) and the Statistical Package for the Social Studies (SPSS) version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). We have obtained ethical clearance from the ethics committee (human) of Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh. Before the collection of the data, we also took informed consent from the participants. Results The mean age of non-survivors was 44.35±11.64 years and that of survivors was 36.60±9.28 years, and the difference was statistically significant (p-value <0.003). An analysis of values of the various vital signs indicated substantial differences in the mean at different time intervals among survivors and non-survivors (p-value <0.05). Among non-survivors, mean temperature, pulse, and rate of respiration were observed to increase over time while blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels were significantly decreasing. Compared to survivors, the mean lactate levels of non-survivors at different time intervals were statistically significant (p-value <0.05). It is also observed that the pH of non-survivors was lower than survivors, and the mean pH value significantly different at different time intervals among the two groups (p-value <0.05). Conclusion The temperature, pulse, rate of respiration, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation levels are essential determinants of patient mortality in those suffering from a severe infection, besides serial lactate levels, bi-carbonate levels, and pH levels.