Background: The abrasive action of herbal-based toothpastes is important to evaluate in order to prevent the risk of damaging the tooth surface and to prevent the injudicious use of such toothpastes by educating the patients. Objectives: The present study was performed to evaluate the abrasive action of four herbal-based toothpastes by measuring change in surface roughness of tooth enamel using profilometer and to compare it with conventional toothpaste. Materials and Methods: Thirty freshly extracted human anterior teeth were taken, and enamel samples of approximately 5 mm × 5 mm × 3 mm were obtained using diamond discs. These were mounted on acrylic blocks. The specimens were then distributed into five groups (n = 6) according to the toothpaste used: Patanjali Dantkanti, Vicco Vajradanti, Dabur Red, Meswak, and Colgate Total (control). The mounted specimens were brushed using respective toothpastes in each group. Profilometric readings were recorded before and after the toothbrushing, and the differences in readings were used to assess the change in surface roughness. Results: The least change in surface roughness was showed by Vicco toothpaste (0.15 ± 0.08), followed by Dantkanti (0.17 ± 0.13), Colgate Total (0.22 ± 0.08), Meswak (0.54 ± 0.22), and Dabur Red (0.81 ± 0.40). The mean change in surface roughness in Dantkanti, Vicco, and Colgate Total was found to be significantly lower (P ≤ 0.05) as compared to Dabur Red and Meswak. Conclusions: It can be concluded that based on abrasivity, Vicco and Dantkanti toothpastes are better choices as compared to Dabur Red and Meswak.

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Total quality management (TQM) is an administration attitude of uninterruptedly refining the quality of the goods/services/processes by concentrating on the customers' (patients') requirements and anticipations to augment consumer (patient) contentment stable performance. Successful TQM implementation leads to improved organizational performance success. The present review paper comprehensively presents relevant data from the literature pertaining to the impact of TQM implementation and barriers to execute the same in various hospitals. The review also stresses the need of TQM application in dental setups and hospitals. It also presents various gaps in TQM practices in improving the quality of services provided by the medical and dental hospitals, which need to be studied along with future directions.

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Yoga is a holistic and ancient practice that traces its origins back about 3000 years and enables us to be more productive by activating all of the body's functions. The name yoga itself means union, intertwining of body, brain, and soul. Yoga can prevent periodontal diseases. This may sound extraneous, but it is a scientifically proven truth; yoga will prevent not only periodontal disease but also many other systemic diseases. A search was done to find the articles that have been published on various databases Medline/PubMed, Google Scholar, LILACS, Cochrane, OpenGrey, and USC Upstate Library. We included only original research studies which clearly explain the influence of yoga on periodontitis with specified result. Meta-analysis was done of the clinical periodontal parameters used for observation of the periodontal health in the selected studies. Five studies were selected after analyzing various factors, and coincidentally, all the selected studies were from various regions of India. Forest plots were made of the studies selected. We conclude very clearly from the analysis done that yoga, an ancient practice, has a favorable impact on human body in stress control, henceforth maintaining the periodontal health.

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Background: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis is distinguished by complexity or failure to open the mouth, leading to facial asymmetry, and malaligned teeth due to fusion of temporal bone with mandibular condyle. Objective: The present review aimed to discuss the different options of condylar reconstruction in TMJ ankylosis patients by autogenous grafts as reported in previous studies. Materials and Methods: A wide-ranging electronic search was performed by the following electronic databases: PubMed (Central), Hinari, and Google Scholar. A total of 25 full-text articles were found to meet the inclusion criteria and were reviewed for qualitative analysis in this study. Results: Surgery with or without condylar reconstruction is the only treatment alternative for TMJ ankylosis patients. Removal of ankylotic mass followed by condylar reconstruction with different existing autogenous grafts such as costochondral (CCG), sternoclavicular (SCG), coronoid, and metatarsal are done by surgeons. However, the costochondral graft is a preference by most surgeons due to its easy accessibility and adaptation. Distraction osteogenesis (DO) provides fewer complications with excellent efficient results in TMJ reconstruction. Conclusions: Up till now, any of the autogenous grafts for condylar reconstruction are not ideal for rebuilding the TMJ complex anatomy. CCG is still now the main choice for surgeons to reconstruct the TMJ in pediatric patients. DO has become popular recently.

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Background: Toothbrush serves to be an important mechanical tool in maintaining oral hygiene. In today's era of modern medicine, with a finite knowledge and awareness about toothbrush disinfection, this tool could be reason for cross-contamination. Thus, the study aimed at comparison of the efficacy of two different mouth rinses (chlorhexidine and hiora) in inhibiting the growth of Streptococcus mutans on the bristle of toothbrush used by children. Materials and Methods: A total of 52 children were elected for this study based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were divided into subgroups based on the time duration for after which the microbial count was assessed in both the groups. Each of the toothbrushes was placed in the phosphate-buffered saline solution, vortexed and then diluted serially. Mitis salivarius bacitracin agar plates were inoculated following which the incubation was done for 48 h. S. mutans were identified by morphology of the colonies formed, Gram staining and biochemical tests. Results: The difference between the two groups was statistically significant in both scenarios when toothbrushes were processed immediately and when processed after 24 h. Bacterial counts were the least with chlorhexidine group and in those tested after the storage period suggesting the need for drying time for toothbrush to get disinfected before the next use. Conclusion: For disinfection of the toothbrush and avoid further risk of cross contamination, use of mouth rinses and adequate drying time will serve the purpose in an economic and strategic way.

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Introduction: Dental health is important for the overall health and well-being of an individual. Traumatic dental injuries (TDI) need to be treated on time with proper dental care. This study was done to assess the negligence of TDIs among schoolchildren by evaluating the time elapsed between TDI and seeking the dental treatment. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study comprised 1000 school-going children of age group 12 and 15 years of schools randomly included from the urban and rural regions. Permanent teeth were examined, and dental traumatic injuries were recorded using Ellis and Davey's classification in the pro forma. Study data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The majority of affected children of rural (48.7%) and urban (44.1%) schools had no treatment of any kind (P < 0.05); 0% rural and 1.7% urban traumatized children sought treatment in <24 h of TDI event. About 6.6% rural and 10.2% urban affected children with dental trauma had treatment only when pain was experienced. About 26.3% rural and 44.1% urban affected schoolchildren were not able to remember about the time of injury and treatment obtained. Conclusion: The study results indicated the lack of awareness and motivation for the prevention of dental injuries and its consequences. The study's findings also reflected the negligence by children, parents, and teachers for seeking timely optimal dental care.

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Aim: According to recent surveys, the elderly uses oral health services at a lower rate than any other age group which is mostly driven by their perceived need and perceived barriers. The purpose of this study is to assess the perceived barriers of care home geriatric residents in the utilization of oral health care services in Chennai city. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 237 elders from 14 randomly selected care homes in Chennai. Anderson and Newman's, framework was used to assess the utilization of oral health-care services. A structured interview was conducted to collect the demographic data and to assess the perceived need and barriers. Data collected were analyzed using the SPSS software version 20. Multiple logistic regression analysis was done to assess the association between the various perceived barriers. Results: Among the 237 participants, 24% were male and 76% were female. The mean age was 74.1 years. The primary perceived barrier was found to be a lack of perceived need for oral health-care services (72%) despite the poor oral health status (93%). The other barriers were unacceptability (89.9%), unaffordability (39.2%), unavailability (33.3%), inaccessibility (35.4%), and lack of accommodation (8.9%). Aging was found to a major perceived barrier in the utilization of oral health services (81.4%). Conclusion: The current study highlights the importance of oral health education and promotion among institutionalized elderly, as well as the need for domiciliary oral health-care services. The need for geriatric dentistry in the curriculum of dentistry is also emphasized.

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Background: The assessment of experience, difficulties encountered, and comparison of root canal preparation using manual versus rotary technique among undergraduate students is needed. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of undergraduate dental students' first-time experience using Nickel–Titanium rotary instruments for root canal treatment. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study among 26 final year undergraduate dental students of batch 15 (2014–2015) from the University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Sudan. A self-administered questionnaire composed of two parts; in the first part the questions were relating to the students' confidence levels and experience of clinical root canal treatment using both rotary and manual instruments, while the second part focused on the comparison between rotary and manual instrumentation; difficulties encountered, complications, and preferences. The Chi-square test was used for comparison between different variables with the level of statistical significance set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: The majority (80.8%) had a satisfactory first-time experience when using rotary instruments in the root canal treatment of their patients. When using rotary, 26.7% of students experienced separated instruments, and 30% experienced over-preparation. However, the most common complications arising with the use of a manual instrument was ledge formation (23.4%). The most common canal in which separation of instruments occurred was the mesiobuccal canal of molar teeth with percentages of 72.7% for rotary and 52.9% for manual. The most commonly separated rotary file was S1 Protaper (77.8%). Conclusion: The majority of the undergraduate students had a satisfactory experience when using rotary instruments for root canal treatment. A high prevalence of complications was associated with the use of either rotary or manual technique. The most common complication was the separation of the instrument in the mesiobuccal canal of molar teeth.

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Background: Traumatic injuries to dentoalveolar tissues in children are considered the most grievous oral health problem and the prognosis of these injured teeth depends on the primary care. Pediatricians must hold sufficient knowledge on primary management of dental injuries such as tooth avulsion before referring to dentists as they experience such type of dental trauma in an emergency more routinely. Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge and perception of the practicing pediatricians of New Delhi about dental trauma and its emergency management in children and adolescents and to understand the experience of Paediatricians in the primary therapy of dental trauma. Results: Fifty-seven of 60 respondents completed the questionnaire, of which 87.7% had encountered dental trauma in their career. Although 89% of respondents had received training regarding oral injuries and their management; still they felt that their knowledge was incomplete and they wanted to attend further training. Conclusion: More and more workshops and short-term courses should be conducted to improve the current knowledge of pediatricians. In the current scenario, the management of dental and dentofacial trauma should be included in the undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

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Aim: The aim of this research was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and surface tension of a combination of herbal extracts and compare them with the gold standard in irrigating solutions that is sodium hypochlorite. Methodology: A combination of lime peel and reetha extract and ashwagandha and triphala extract was prepared in the ratio of 1:1 and 2:1, and the antimicrobial activity of all the four groups was evaluated against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans. The microbial testing was done using the standard protocols for testing the zone of inhibition. The surface tensions of the prepared solutions were also evaluated using a tensiometer. The gold standard in irrigating solutions, 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, was used as the positive control. Results: Results from the study showed that all the four solutions had antimicrobial activity, however, it was significantly lower than the control group. Intergroup comparison using one-way ANOVA within the groups showed a significant difference between the zone of inhibition of the solutions against E. faecalis and C. albicans with P = 0.001. Post hoc Tukey's test was applied to the results, and the groups showed a significant difference with the positive control. Within the groups, a significant difference was seen, indicating that there were differences between the zone of inhibition due to the separate solutions. The surface tension which gives an idea of the surface wetting capacity of the irrigating solution was better in the test groups. It was highest (67.94 dynes/cm) for the positive control that is NaOCl which signifies a lower surface wetting capacity. Conclusion: It was seen that the herbal ingredients did show antimicrobial activity, however, it was not as good as the gold standard NaOCl. The test groups, however, had a lower surface tension as compared to the control group which implies a better surface wetting capacity and a better ability of the solutions to reach the uninstrumented areas.

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The article highlights the current scenario on the fight against tobacco and oral cancer in the state of Jharkhand. The Khaini and bidi are the most used tobacco products in the state. India is among the top three countries on the charts in both tobacco production and tobacco consumption globally. The state of Jharkhand has shown higher use of tobacco than the national average, with approximately 38.9% of the adults aged 15 or above using tobacco. The regulatory mechanism in place to control the use of tobacco and thus prevent oral cancer is discussed. The article focuses on the prevention of oral cancer in the early stage for better prognosis and preventing mortality.

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Dental trauma is a challenge for dental integrity and can lead to various consequences, among which internal inflammatory root resorption can also be the fate of anterior teeth as they are commonly involved in traumatic events. The internal inflammatory root resorption occurs as a result of damage to the predentin due to trauma, plus root canal system becoming infected with bacteria. Trauma generates chronic inflammation, which leads to periapical inflammation and necrosis of epithelial cells, resulting in the formation of a cyst. The aim of the treatment approaches should be to assure complete biological healing and functional integration. This case report presents the unique characterization of traumatic consequences, including large periapical lesion and unique pattern of internal tooth resorption with intact apical barrier which was diagnosed by cone-beam computed tomography imaging and well managed by surgical intervention using mineral trioxide aggregate – both as a retrograde filling and tooth reinforcement material and sticky bone (platelet-rich fibrin + Bio-Oss) as a regenerative approach. The follow-up showed good results both clinically and radiographically. Thus, it can be concluded that endodontic reinforcement of thin roots due to internal resorption with intact apical barrier and surgical microendodontic procedure with regeneration is a potential therapeutic option in cases of traumatic injuries.

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Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the oral hygiene awareness, knowledge, and practice attitude of employees, working in different departments of a hospital in Amritsar, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 203 volunteer participants between the ages of 23 and 56 years, both males and females, who were divided into four groups: doctors, nurses, support medical staff, and support nonmedical staff. Subjects were administered self-administered questionnaire addressing demographics, knowledge, and attitude and practice behavior of participants. The data were collected, segregated, and analyzed. Results: The knowledge score of physicians was adequate, but their attitude and behavior scores were substantially low. Overall performance of the other three groups - nurses, support medical staff, and support nonmedical staff in terms of knowledge, attitude, and behavior sections was not satisfactory. Survey revealed that only 26.2% of subjects brushed twice daily. About 17% reported use of dental floss and 18.7% used either mouthwash or tongue cleaner as adjuncts. Conclusion: The inadequate knowledge about oral health and hygiene of hospital employees as well as their callous attitudes toward these areas suggest a pressing need for the implementation of continuous dental education. The efficacy of dental health education can be increased only if health programs are tailored to directly impinge on attitudes of targeted population. Interprofessional education programs for healthcare staff can create learning environment where health workers from various fields can interact and learn how to prepare them for seamless teamwork in collaboration for coordinated patient care. Hence, a proactive approach is required to create awareness about oral health and hygiene.

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Context: Silver diammine fluoride (SDF) is a neoteric preventive measure that effectively arrests caries at an early stage and prevents its further progression. Aim: SDF (38%) is an evidence-based nonrestorative treatment for carious lesions of both dentitions causing permanent black staining. The aim of this study was to find out primary caregiver's satisfaction with SDF treatment and factors affecting it during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subjects and Methods: Eighty-nine parents were contacted after 6 months of the application of SDF to their child's teeth through telephone and were asked questions related to SDF. Statistical Analysis Used: For statistical analysis, predictive modeling through machine learning algorithms by random tree and Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) model was done and accuracy was also checked. Results: In 92.1% of the cases, the primary caregiver was the mother. Only 19.1% reported esthetic concern related to black discoloration. Random tree and CHAID model showed chief complaint redressal as the main variable governing the satisfaction of primary caregiver. Random tree was a better model predictor with 96.6% accuracy against 82% of CHAID. Conclusions: Parents accepted SDF treatment for their child, especially in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and would go for its use in future as a treatment modality.

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Numerous studies have evaluated the efficacy, viability, and reliability of various fixation devices for the management of anterior mandibular fractures. Even though these fixation devices have shown identical and satisfactory results in the long term, they have some distinct disadvantages. Hence, an attempt is made to propose a novel technique of using the oblique L plates as a viable alternative fixation device for parasymphysis fracture management.

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Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the awareness and infection control practices among dental outpatients of COVID-19 who is visiting the department of oral medicine and radiology. Objectives: The objective of the study is to assess awareness about COVID-19 among dental patients visiting Vinayaka Missions Sankarachariyar Dental College, Salem. Background: Healthcare personnel must analyze the behavior of the general public and dental patients to raise awareness and guide patients through their treatments. The current study's goal is to examine dental patients' awareness and knowledge. Methodology: A cross-sectional study of 315 people was done using a questionnaire that analyzed the individual's knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on patients, and the preventive actions taken by the individual. Results: The survey shows that, though many respondents (n = 280; 88.89%) were aware of the virus and its spread throughout the country, a considerable number of dental patients (n = 37; 11.75%) were uninformed of the virus's secondary symptoms and other characteristics including incubation duration. The COVID-19 infection caused the majority of patients to experience a change in their overall quality of life. Conclusion: Majority of dental patients (36.19%) were aware of the virus's impacts on a person's health. Since few individuals (n = 16; 5.08%) chose to visit dental clinics despite possessing the virus, it is possible that the individual and those who come in contact with the patient are at risk. In spite of the role of social media and the news in spreading awareness, such cases are prevalent in society. Hence, we advocate the implementation of teledentistry and exercise the mandatory precautions for increasing awareness about COVID-19 infection among the public.

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A 62-year-old male presented with double upper lip and blepharochalasis of both the eyes. Ptosis was evident in both the eyes with edema in the left eye. His visual acuity was normal. A double upper lip giving a classical cupid bow shape was present. Furthermore, the lower lip was bulky and lax. He had normal thyroid function with no goiter. He was diagnosed with partial expression of Ascher's syndrome, which is a rare entity of unknown etiology. The patient was reassured of the benign nature of the condition. No surgical correction was done as it did not cause a functional problem. This case is reported for its rarity as <100 cases have been reported worldwide.

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