Background: Civil servants are adults that cut across all ages, educational status, and social class. This study describes and compares dental service utilization among federal and state civil servants in Port Harcourt and identifies the determinants and barriers to the utilization of dental services among these groups. Materials and Methods: This study was a comparative cross-sectional study carried out among Federal and State civil servants in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study units were selected using multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using pretested self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0. Results: A total of 638 participants comprising of 313 and 325 civil servants from the federal and state civil service respectively, completed and returned the questionnaires.Only 143 (22.4%) of the participants had visited the dentist in the past 1-year, this is made up of 80 (25.6%) federal and 63 (19.4%) state civil servants. Most of the federal workers 55 (68.8%) and state workers 45 (71.4%) had visited the dentist based on need. Participants with tertiary education were significantly more likely to utilize dental services (P = 0.009). The reasons for nonutilization of dental services reported among the respondents were no need for treatment 59%, cost of treatment 20%, being scared 13.5%, and fear of infection 10.3%. Conclusion: Dental visits were based on the need for treatment. Whereas education was a determinant of dental service utilization, perceived lack of treatment and cost of treatment constituted barriers to utilization of dental services.

Introduction: Periodontal diseases are currently understood to be more complex by nature than previously considered. It is multifactorial. It is not only produced by bacteria, but also by numerous local and systemic factors. Smoking may be considered as one of the major risk factor for periodontal diseases and early loss of teeth. Aim: To assess the periodontal status and early loss of teeth among smokers and nonsmokers of bank employees of Meerut city. Materials and Methods: All the available bank employees of 72 banks were included in the study. The investigator was trained and calibrated before the start of the study. Information about age, sex, religion, occupation, education, tooth brushing frequency, smoking habit, associated systemic diseases, awareness about oral health were recorded by investigator using WHO oral health assessment form (1997). Results: Sextants affected with deep pockets among smokers was 59.8% compared to nonsmokers 31.2% was statistically significant (P < 0.05). A teeth lost among smokers was 62.45% compared to nonsmokers was 35.86%, respectively (P < 0.05).

Introduction: The increases in multidrug-resistant pathogens has become a challenge to the researcher to develop newer natural and active components to combat these problems in future. Hence this study was undertaken to determine the anti-microbial activity of wheat grass (Triticum aestivum) extract against Gram-positive bacteria. Materials and Methods: Experimental design, in vitro study, lab setting. Wheat grass powder (T. aestivum) was obtained from the pharmacy in Belgaum city. Ethanolic extract of wheat grass powder was prepared by cold extract method. The extract was then diluted by inert solvent, dimethyl formaldehyde, to obtain different concentration of extract. The extract, along with the concentrations of range 1-10, was then subjected to microbiological investigation to determine which concentration of the extract will give a wider inhibition zone against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus spp. Results: Minimum inhibitory concentration by broth dilution method was found to be 5% of extract for S. mutans and 1.25% for Lactobacillus spp. Conclusion: Wheat grass extract demonstrated anti-microbial activity against S. mutans and Lactobacillus spp.

Background: Post-retained crowns are indicated for endodontically treated teeth (ETT) with severely damaged coronal tissue. There are still controversies for the most suitable choice of restorative material and the placement method that will result in the highest success rate. This clinical study compares the metal post and fiber post ins the restoration of the endodontically treated teeth. Materials and Methods: Forty endodontically treated and indicated for the post and core were selected for the study and divided into 2 groups equally. In, one group patient's teeth were restored by metal post, while other group patient's teeth were treated by fiber post. Comparative evaluation was done on follow-up of the patients on the basis of selected clinical and radiographical criteria. The results were compared using student's t test with the help of IBM SPSS Statistics 20. Results: More number of failures was noted in patients whose teeth restored with the metal post as compared to those of the fiber post, both clinically as well as radiographically. (Student's t test, P < 0.01). Conclusion: From the present study, it was shown that fiber post retained restored teeth has less chances of failure as compared to that of metal post. But the results of the present study should be supported by carrying out study on large scale.

It is truly said that the tongue is a mirror of the body. Very often, the manifestations of diseases or systemic conditions of body are reflected on the tongue. There are a variety of different lesions present on the tongue out of which geographic tongue (GT) is the second most common, but its frequency of occurrence in the pediatric population is very rare. This condition is most commonly asymptomatic and is usually discovered on routine clinical examination. This case report describes symptomatic GT, an uncommon occurrence reported in the pediatric literature.

Odontomas are considered to be a developmental anomalies resulting from the growth of completely differentiated epithelial and mesenchymal cells that give rise to ameloblasts and odontoblasts. A rare case of complex odontome in posterior maxilla involving maxillary sinus, associated with impacted tooth and erupting into oral cavity is presented in this article which was treated with an en block resection and palatal obturator.

Technological advances in the fields of medicine and allied sciences had given much needed momentum into the field of molecular biology and regenerative medicine. They indeed provided a boost to innovate new yields for both hard tissue and soft tissue regeneration in dentistry. One among them is the use of platelet concentrates (platelet rich plasma [PRP], platelet rich fibrin [PRF]). Autologous concentrate of blood platelets with a suspension of growth factors offers an enhanced healing of hard and soft tissues. It is an auxiliary benefit for an operator to be aware of platelet concentrates and its healing properties for delivering unsurpassed oral health care to patients. The current article outlines the principles, objectives and clinical insight to the regenerative potential of platelet concentrates in various fields of dentistry. The search words of the PubMed data base were PRF and other permutations of keywords such as "PRP dentistry", PRF dentistry, PRF regenerative dentistry.

It is the god given right of every human being to appear human. Few areas of dentistry offer more challenges to the technical skills or greater satisfaction for the successful rehabilitation of function and esthetics in the patient with gross anatomic defects and deformities of the maxillofacial region. Although remarkable advances in the surgical management of oral and facial defects, but cannot be satisfactorily repaired by plastic surgery alone. Hence, the demand for maxillofacial prosthetic devices for the rehabilitation of patients with congenital or acquired defects has intensified in recent years. This paper gives an insight into the latest innovations and improvisations in the field of maxillofacial prosthodontics.

The technological progress in the digitalization of a complete histological glass slide has opened a new door in the tissue based diagnosis. Automated slide diagnosis can be made possible by the use of mathematical algorithms which are formulated by binary codes or values. These algorithms (diagnostic algorithms) include both object based (object features, structures) and pixel based (texture) measures. The intra- and inter-observer errors inherent in the visual diagnosis of a histopathological slide are largely replaced by the use of diagnostic algorithms leading to a standardized and reproducible diagnosis. The present paper reviews the advances in digital histopathology especially related to the use of mathematical algorithms (diagnostic algorithms) in the field of oral histopathology. The literature was reviewed for data relating to the use of algorithms utilized in the construction of computational software with special applications in oral histopathological diagnosis. The data were analyzed, and the types and end targets of the algorithms were tabulated. The advantages, specificities and reproducibility of the software, its shortcomings and its comparison with traditional methods of histopathological diagnosis were evaluated. Algorithms help in automated slide diagnosis by creating software with possible reduced errors and bias with a high degree of specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. Akin to the identification of thumbprints and faces, software for histopathological diagnosis will in the near future be an important part of the histopathological diagnosis.

Fire safety is essential component and requirement in health care sector. It includes components like emergency exits, manual call outs, different types of fire extinguishers, safe assembly area, fire hydrant system with water sprinkler systems etc. We attempt to provide some basics about fire and fire safety that are prerequisite for safe working environment in dental clinics along with some recommendations that can be incorporated in the curriculum.