Imaging More Imagining less: An Insight into Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Radiation Risk on Pregnant Women among Dentists of Ghaziabad - A Cross Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: The safety of diagnostic imaging during pregnancy is an important aspect for all clinicians. Pregnant women often do not receive proper dental care as the dentists are not aware of low diagnostic radiation doses involved in dental radiation. AIM: To assess awareness of radiation risks on pregnant women among dentists of Ghaziabad city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 268 practicing dentists in Ghaziabad were selected for a questionnaire based cross-sectional study. Data consisted of 18 questions which assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice of dental professionals regarding radiation risks on pregnant women. The questionnaire was distributed and collected personally by the principal investigator. Data was analyzed by Mann Whitney U test and chi-square test. The level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed that the dentists who had attended continuing dental education program had increased level of knowledge regarding radiation effects among pregnant women as compared to the dentists who had not attended continuing dental education programs (p<0.05). Among them who had attended continuing dental education programs 93.3% were aware of the safe dose of radiation and 62% were aware of threshold radiation doses of pregnancy termination. On the contrary there was no significant difference in the knowledge, attitude and practice scores regarding radiation risks on pregnant women based on their academic qualification (p≥0.05). CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge among dentists was found to be satisfactory, this outcome shows that continuing dental education regarding radiation protection principles and its risks on pregnant women is required to ensure maximum safety both for clinician as well as pregnant women.

Graphical Assessment Technique (GAT) - An Objective, Comprehensive and Comparative Hand Hygiene Quantification Tool.

INTRODUCTION: There has been a profound leap in developing countries in sectors of human development but it falls short of millennium development goals. Diarrhoea, respiratory infections are primary cause of child deaths around the world due to improper hygiene practice. There is lack of systematic objective analysis, follow-up and quantification of hand hygiene guidelines. So, there is an urgent requisite of a tool to assess the same. AIM: To conduct a pilot test for assessing the efficacy of Graphical Assessment Technique (GAT) in objectively evaluating and comparing intervention based hand hygiene among students of National Association of Blind School (NABS) and a government school. MATERIALS AND METHODS: GAT was used to assess the baseline and post-intervention improvement of 80 students considered for the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS software version 20.0 and was subjected to quantitative analysis and parametric tests. RESULTS: Non-significant difference (p≥0.05) was found at baseline and immediate post-intervention on percentage mean scores of blind school students and government school student, while government school children also showed non-significant difference at one week. Significant difference (p≤0.05) was found at baseline, post-intervention one week and post-intervention one month for blind school children along with baseline and post-intervention mean percentage scores for government school children. CONCLUSION: The primary agenda behind the study was to test a tool which can objectively evaluate, quantify and compare the follow-up of hand hygiene guidelines and aid in better hand hygiene promotion.

An Insight into Health Care Setup in National Capital Region of India using Dimensions of Learning Organizations Questionnaire (DLOQ)- A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Over the past decades India, though being a developing country has progressed in multiple sectors but has not shown a substantial qualitative progress in healthcare. To be able to evaluate learning organization in a healthcare setup would thrust millennium development goals and infuse continuous learning model into health sector. AIM: To assess health care context using the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) in a health care setting in National Capital Region of India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DLOQ proforma were distributed among 315 employees at all levels of the hospital. Data was analysed using SPSS software version 19.0 and was subjected to quantitative analysis and non-parametric tests. RESULTS: The Kruskal-Wallis test indicated a significant difference between the means of the different professions where as Mann-Whitney tests compared the relation between each of the profession and a significant difference (p < 0.05) was noted, except dimension "systems connection". CONCLUSION: The results provided sufficient inputs about the multidimensional learning organization capacity of a health care setting in a rapidly developing country.

The Clinical Effectiveness of Post-Brushing Rinsing in Reducing Plaque and Gingivitis: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Dental plaque is the major etiological factor associated with the development of gingivitis. Hence, maintenance of oral hygiene is very essential. AIM: To systematically review the literature on the effects of a post toothbrushing rinsing on plaque and parameters of gingival inflammation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature review was performed in PubMed Central and Cochrane library, embase, google scholar were searched up to February 2015 to identify appropriate studies. The primary outcome measure was plaque and gingival inflammation reduction. RESULTS: Out of the total 56 titles appeared, 08articles fulfilled the criteria and were selected for the review. One article which was hand searched and one article which was through e-mail was included. A statistically significant reduction in overall plaque and gingivitis was noted when different mouth rinses were compared to the control (p<0.05). It was seen that chlorhexidine is the best antiplaque and antigingivitis agent but due to its side effects after continuous use, was not indicated for long term use. Probiotic was superior to chlorhexidine in terms of reduction of gingival inflammation. CONCLUSION: There are relatively few studies evaluating the association between post toothbrushing rinsing and gingivitis. A clear effect was observed, indicating that different mouthrinses (chlorhexidine, probiotic, herbal, essential oil mouthrinse) when used as an adjunct to mechanical means of oral hygiene, provides an additional benefit with regard to plaque and gingivitis reduction as compared to a placebo or control.

Recasting Disaster Recovery Strategy at Dental Workplace in Combating Crisis - A Questionnaire Study.

INTRODUCTION: The number of reported natural and human-made disasters continues to rise worldwide. Disasters occur every day somewhere in the world with dramatic impact on individuals, families and communities. AIM: This study was designed to measure the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding disaster management among academicians and practitioners in Ghaziabad city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 487 dentists. A questionnaire (15 items) measuring knowledge, attitude and practice was distributed manually to the participating dentists and data was analysed using SPSS software, version 19.0 and student t-test was performed to assess the differences. RESULTS: There was statistically significant relation between knowledge and attitude in relation to qualification degree, career prospective and years of experience (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Dentists form an important part of the health care community and thus there is a need to harvest the services of wide distribution of dentists practicing in our country.

Tobacco Control in India; A Myth or Reality- Five Year Retrospective Analysis Using WHO MPOWER for Tobacco Control.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco use is a major public health challenge in India and government of India has taken various initiatives for tobacco control in the country. India was among the first few countries to ratify WHO the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004 and to make it easy, WHO introduced the MPOWER measures. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to quantify the implementation of MPOWER tobacco control policies in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective analysis information was collected from the WHO report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic Program, India for the year 2009, 2011 and 2013 using MPOWER and this analysis was based on the checklist which was designed previously by Iranian and international tobacco control specialists in their study on tobacco control and its cut-offs were set according to the scoring of key sections of the MPOWER 2011 report. RESULTS: In this study India was ranked by scores and these scores were obtained from each indicator for each activity. The highest scores were achieved in 2013 and there are marked increase in scores in health warning on cigarette packages but as far as the cessation programmes and taxation is concerned, there is decline in the progress. CONCLUSION: MPOWER programmes are accepted in the India but there is considerable room for improvement as we are still far from the ideal situation.

Is Oral Health of the Sugar Mill Workers Being Compromised?

INTRODUCTION: Occupational environment has an immense influence on the general as well as oral health. The specific exposure to sugar and its byproducts might influence the dental health of sugar mill workers. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The present study was conducted to assess and compare the oral health status of production line workers and administration staff working in the sugar mills of Western Uttar Pradesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in four Government aided and four Private sugar mills of West Uttar Pradesh, India among the production line workers and administration staff. Multistage random sampling methodology was employed to select total of 600 sugar mill factory workers (449 production line workers and 151 administration staff). The oral health status of the study subjects was assessed using the modified WHO Oral health survey Performa 1997. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SPSS 19 Version was used for statistical analysis. Mean, Standard Deviation and proportions were calculated for each clinical parameter. Student t-test and Chi-square analysis was done to analyse inter group comparison. RESULTS: Mean DMFT for production and non production line workers was 7.67± 2.99 and 0.15 ± 1.34 (p= 0.001) respectively. 80.17% of production line workers had maximum CPI score 2 in contrast to 63.57% of administration staff (p=0.324). CONCLUSION: The dental health was found to be debilitated among the production line workers of Sugar mill as compared to the Administrative staff. It is therefore recommended to raise the awareness among the sugar mill workers regarding the same.

Bibliometric analysis of journal of clinical and diagnostic research (dentistry section; 2007-2014).

BACKGROUND: The role of scientific journals in diffusion of data concerning researches in the field of Public Health Dentistry is of premier importance. Bibliometric analysis involves analysis of publications reflecting the type of research work. AIM: The present study was conducted with an aim to determine the number and trends of published articles in Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR) from Feb. 2007 to Oct.2014. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A retrospective observational study was conducted for JCDR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All issues of JCDR were electronically searched for the parameters : study design, area of interest of research, state /college where research was conducted, authorship pattern, source of articles published each year, changing study trends, disease under study and publication bias. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The data was organized and analyzed using software SPSS - version 21.0; descriptive statistics was used. RESULTS: Bibliometric analysis was done for 601 articles of JCDR published from Feb. 2007 to Oct. 2014. The total number of articles published under Dentistry section have tremendously increased from mere 2 articles in 2007 to 328 articles in 2014.Majority of the study designs published in both the journal were case reports (42.6%) followed by cross sectional studies (24.8%). 96.3% of the articles were from India. Majority of the articles published were of multi authors (65.2%) and from Educational institutes (98.4%). The trends of the articles published indicated that the case reports/series formed the major bulk (others=59.1%) followed by research studies (21.3%). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that most articles published were case reports followed by researches indicating an inclination towards better quality methodology. The SJR and the citation count of the articles published also indicated the quality of the scientific articles published.

Tobacco Cessation Counselling Practices and Attitude among the Dentist and the Dental Auxiliaries of Urban and Rural Areas of Modinagar, India.

BACKGROUND: The increasing use of tobacco among youths warrants the need for dental health professionals to effectively provide tobacco cessation counselling (TCC) in the office and community settings. However, there have been concerns among the dental professionals regarding TCC in dental settings. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the attitude of dental professionals including the dentist and dental hygienist towards the TCC and identify the possible barriers towards the implementation of these practices in the rural and urban areas of Modinagar district. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present questionnaire based survey was carried among the qualified dentist and dental hygienist from the urban and rural areas of the Modinagar district to attitudes in tobacco cessation, practices in tobacco cessation interventions and related barriers towards implementation. The survey data were analyzed using the SPSS 16 version software package. The descriptive statistics (frequency) was generated for the each question to assess their attitude and practice. RESULTS: The response rate of the questionnaire among the dentist and dental hygienist was 100%. The attitude of the majority of dentist towards the tobacco cessation counselling was positive as compared to the dental hygienist. 69.2% of the dentist were of the view that the dental health professionals should provide TCC as compared to 54.2% among the hygienist. Regarding the practice, only 12.5% and 5.8% of the dentist and dental hygienist had ever used the nicotine replacement therapy in their dental practice. The lack of the knowledge and information regarding TCC was the only perceived barrier among the dentists (51.7%) and dental hygienist (68.3%). CONCLUSION: Dental professionals must expand their horizon and armamentarium to include TCC strategies inclusive of their regular preventive and therapeutic treatment modalities. Also, the dental institutions should include TCC into the curriculum, but it should not be just theoretical knowledge rather it must have a practical component.

Reach the unreached - a systematic review on mobile dental units.

Provision of health care facilities and the extent of their utilization is one of the indices of human development. The services for the masses need to be designed with the basic objective of alleviating and preventing the vast amounts of diseases of the mass. This could be achieved by mobile dental units (MDUs). The present systemic review access the efficacy of MDUs for community settings. A review of literature was performed both electronically and manually using MeSH Terms- Mobile Dental Units/clinics. Eight articles, which fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for the review. MDUs help in overcoming the accessibility, affordability and sustainability barrier. They are able to reach more people than fixed-site clinics. Even in Government sector, mobile dental vans can help reach the underserved at an affordable cost.The present systematic review revealed that MDUs prove to be an effective adjunct to the oral health service providers like dental colleges and private practitioners.

Domestic violence and its effect on oral health behaviour and oral health status.

INTRODUCTION: Violence against women is one of the major public health and human rights problem in the world today. Hence, the present study was conducted with the aim to assess the effect of domestic violence on oral health behavior and oral health status of females attending community outreach programmes in and around Modinagar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted through the community outreach programmes organized in Modinagar. A structured questionnaire was used to illicit information regarding socio demographic characteristics, oral health behavior and domestic violence. The dental health examination was done to record dental health status, intraoral and extraoral soft tissue injury, tooth fracture and tooth avulsion due to the injury. RESULTS: Out of the total 304 women, 204(67.1%) reported positive domestic violence. Psychological violence was found to be severe whereas sexual violence was found to be mild in most of the cases. Significant difference was found between oral hygiene aids used , frequency of tooth brushing, periodontal status, missing teeth, intraoral soft tissue injuries and fractures between both the groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study confirmed that domestic violence had significant influence on oral health behavior and oral health status of women. Thus, the dental professionals also should make an attempt to help victims gain access to support and referral services and to provide adequate treatment to them so as to make a positive difference in their lives.