Awareness and preparedness of dentists at handling medical emergencies in Delhi-National Capital Region - A cross-sectional survey.

CONTEXT: A medical emergency (ME) may come as a surprise during our busy appointment schedules. Whether or not the office has prepared for this emergency generally decides how it will turn out. AIM: This cross-sectional survey aimed to evaluate the awareness and preparedness of dentists at handling MEs in a dental office. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The study was conducted over three months (December 2015 - February 2016) at two dental colleges of Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). Materials and. METHODS: The total number of participants was 384, which were divided into four groups of ninety-six participants each, i.e., Group 1 (Interns); Group 2 (Academicians); Group 3 (Postgraduate students (PG)) and Group 4 (Private practitioners (PP)). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The collected data was analysed on the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and subjected to ANOVA and Posthoc Bonferroni tests. RESULTS: Academicians were found to have the maximum awareness about MEs occurring in the dental office, while, interns had the minimum preparedness for the same and their difference with the other groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A huge gap exists between the awareness and preparedness of dentists at managing MEs. Sound knowledge of essential drugs reinforced by regular practical training, mock drills and properly equipped dental offices is the need of the hour.

Age estimation based on Kvaal's technique using digital panoramic radiographs.

INTRODUCTION: Age estimation is important for administrative and ethical reasons and also because of legal consequences. Dental pulp undergoes regression in size with increasing age due to secondary dentin deposition and can be used as a parameter of age estimation even beyond 25 years of age. Kvaal et al. developed a method for chronological age estimation based on the pulp size using periapical dental radiographs. There is a need for testing this method of age estimation in the Indian population using simple tools like digital imaging on living individuals not requiring extraction of teeth. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Estimation of the chronological age of subjects by Kvaal's method using digital panoramic radiographs and also testing the validity of regression equations as given by Kvaal et al. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample included a total of 152 subjects in the age group of 14-60 years. Measurements were performed on the standardized digital panoramic radiographs based on Kvaal's method. Different regression formulae were derived and the age was assessed. The assessed age was then correlated to the actual age of the patient using Student's t-test. RESULTS: No significant difference between the mean of the chronological age and the estimated age was observed. However, the values of the mean age estimated by using regression equations as given previously in the study of Kvaal et al. significantly underestimated the chronological age in the present study sample. CONCLUSION: The results of the study give an inference for the feasibility of this technique by calculation of regression equations on digital panoramic radiographs. However, it negates the applicability of same regression equations as given by Kvaal et al. on the study population.

Facial asymmetry in young adults with condylar hyperplasia-unusual changes in the facial bones.

Facial asymmetry can be caused by various pathological conditions, condylar hyperplasia (CH) is one of such condition, characterized by unilateral or bilateral mandibular condylar overgrowth, causing facial asymmetry, mandibular deviation, malocclusion and functional impairment. Advanced imaging and scintigraphic methods, helps the clinicians in diagnosing and monitoring its macroscopic aspects. Here we report three interesting and illustrative cases of facial asymmetry with unilateral CH discussing the unusual changes in the facial bones.

Notching in the posterior border of the ramus of mandible in a patient with neurofibromatosis type I - a case report.

Neurofibromatosis Type I (NFI) is a relatively common hereditary, autosomal dominant neurocutaneous condition. It is a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumour arising from Schwann cells and peripheral fibroblasts. Even though it is a neurocutaneous disorder, NF I has significant skeletal manifestations. Oral and maxillofacial skeletal structures are also often involved in the form of deepening of sigmoid notch, enlarged mandibular canal and notching of inferior border of mandible. In this paper, we are reporting a female patient of NF I who presented with a notching in the posterior border of ascending ramus of mandible.

Encysted Tenia solium larva of oral cavity: Case report with review of literature.

Cysticercosis is caused by the larvae of the pig tapeworm, Tenia solium. Oral cysticercosis is a rare event and is often a diagnostic challenge to the clinician. We report a 12-year-old girl who presented with a single, painless, nodule on the lower lip that was diagnosed as cysticercosis. Current literature on the clinical presentations, investigations, and treatment of the condition has been reviewed in this article. We have also proposed a set of criteria for the diagnosis of oral cysticercosis.