Cyclosporine A and amlodipine induced gingival overgrowth in a kidney transplant recipient: case presentation with literature review.

Drug-induced gingival overgrowth is a condition caused by side effects of treatment with one of three types of drugs: phenytoin (used in epilepsy treatment), cyclosporine A (used in transplantology after allogenic organ transplants) and calcium channel blockers (used in the treatment of hypertension). Gingival overgrowth leads to inflammation within the gums and periodontium and can amplify the existing periodontal disease leading to tooth loss. Patients who have undergone kidney transplant are given immunosuppressants to prevent transplant rejection and mostly it is accompanied with calcium channel blockers to treat hypertension associated with kidney transplant. This article reports a case of recent gingival enlargement associated with cyclosporine A and amlodipine given to a kidney transplant patient from the past 11 years.

Knowledge and Awareness Regarding Swine-Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection among Dental Professionals in India - A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Swine flu or Influenza A (H1N1) flu is the most recent of the pandemic disease that has affected the world's population. We, as health care providers should feel responsible for reducing the transmission of influenza. AIM: To conduct a systematic review of observational studies and to assess dental professionals' knowledge and awareness regarding swine flu. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant cross-sectional observational studies were included in the systematic review to assess the level of knowledge and awareness regarding swine flu among dental professionals. Three studies out of 28 were finally included in the present review after conducting both electronic and manual search of scientific databases like Pubmed, Medline, and EMBASE. No limitation in terms of publication date and language was considered. Potential biases were reported and appropriate data were extracted by the concerned investigators. Descriptive statistics, student t-test were used for analysis. RESULTS: Majority of the subjects (92.6%) had heard about swine flu, and 64.3% of them knew about the H1N1 virus in one of the study reports. More than 80% of subjects were aware regarding the availability of swine flu vaccine in one study reports as compared to another study in which only 31.5% had awareness. Majority of the subjects were of the opinion that frequent hand washing and use of sanitizer are one of the effective methods to prevent swine flu in all the three studies. CONCLUSION: The results of the present review showed that some knowledge gaps existed among dental professionals regarding swine flu. Therefore, there is an urgent need for training and continuous education programs regarding infectious diseases.

Comparison of Nano-Sized Hydroxyapatite and ß-Tricalcium Phosphate in the Treatment of Human Periodontal Intrabony Defects.

BACKGROUND: Since the advent of nanotechnology, various materials have been introduced for the treatment of the bone defects which have shown promising results. AIM: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of nano-sized Hydroxyapatite (NHA) and ß-Tricalcium Phosphate (ß-TCP) in the treatment of human periodontal defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tweleve patients with a total of 24 sites which were almost identical as determined clinically and radiographically were selected for the study. The selected sites were treated with access flap surgery were divided into two groups: Group I was treated with NHA and Group II treated with ß-TCP. Following clinical and radiographic parameters were recorded at baseline, 3 months and 6 months post operatively: 1) Probing pocket depth (PPD); 2)Clinical attachment level (CAL); 3) Gingival recession (GR); 4) Radiographic Defect Depth. RESULTS: Groups showed statistically significant improvements in soft and hard tissue parameters after 3 months and 6 months. Greater reduction in PPD, gain in CAL and Radiographic Defect Fill (RDF) was seen in Group I after three months whereas after six months were no statistically significant difference was seen with regard to soft and hard tissue measurements. CONCLUSION: Within limits of the study, both NHA and ß-TCP have proved to be beneficial in the management of periodontal defects. Treatment of intrabony periodontal defects with NHA leads to significant improvement in early clinical and radiographic outcomes as compared to ß-TCP.

Root conditioning in periodontology - Revisited.

OBJECTIVE: Root surfaces of periodontitis-affected teeth are hypermineralized and contaminated with cytotoxic and other biologically active substances. To achieve complete decontamination of the tooth surfaces, various methods including root conditioning following scaling and root planning are present. The main objective of this article is to throw light on the different root conditioning agents used and the goals accomplished by root conditioning in the field of periodontology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 human maxillary anterior teeth indicated for extraction due to chronic periodontitis were collected and root planned. The teeth were sectioned and specimens were divided into two groups - Group I and II. Group I dentin specimens were treated with EDTA and group II specimens were treated with tetracycline HCl solution at concentration of 10% by active burnishing technique for 3 minutes. The root surface samples were then examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). RESULTS: The results of the study showed that EDTA and tetracycline HCl were equally effective in removing the smear layer. It was observed that the total and patent dentinal tubules were more in number in teeth treated with tetracycline as compared to EDTA group. However, EDTA was found to be much more effective as root conditioning agent because it enlarged the diameter of dentinal tubules more than that of tetracycline HCl. CONCLUSION: Results of in-vitro study showed that both the agents are good root conditioning agents if applied in addition to periodontal therapy. However, further studies are required to establish the in-vivo importance of EDTA and tetracycline HCL as root conditioners.

Informed consent: corner stone in ethical medical and dental practice.

Progress in health care technologies has enabled patients to be better informed about all aspects of health care. Patients' informed consent is a legal regulation and a moral principle which represents patients' rights to take part in the clinical decisions concerning their treatment. With increasing awareness among the patients, the concept of informed consent is also evolving in developing countries like India. It is important for the medical and dental practitioners to have a written and signed informed consent from their patients before performing any invasive or irreversible procedures. Informed consent is also needed when providing medical care to children, foreign patients, and incorporating images of the patients while conducting medical and dental research. The present review addresses some of the vital issues regarding informed consent when providing medical and dental care with current review of the literature.

Impact of school based oral health education programmes in India: a systematic review.

The teaching of Oral Health Education aims at preventing the dental disease and promoting dental health at early stages. Schools are powerful places to shape the health, education and well-being of our children. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of school dental health education programmes conducted in various parts of India. A systematic review from available literature was carried out. The study examined papers relating to oral health interventions which were published between 1992 and 2012. Ten articles were selected and included in the review. All the studies were found to contain the required information on the outcomes of school dental health programmes in India. Different methods were used to deliver oral health education. All the studies reported significant improvement in oral hygiene of school children after imparting dental health education. In some studies, school teachers were also trained to impart oral health education. Decreased level of awareness was found in children coming from low income families. Longer duration studies are needed to improve the results. School dental education programmes should be more focused on north-eastern Indian population.