Public Health Dentistry

President's Message K Pushpanjali Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):273-274

Honorary Secretary's Message Vamsi Krishna Reddy Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):275-275

From the Editor's Desk KR Sowmya Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):276-276

Dental public health: Fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic Venkitachalam Ramanarayanan, Vineetha Karuveettil, Chandrashekar Janakiram Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):277-278

Herbal irrigants in primary teeth: A step toward green dentistry based on the wisdom of past Archna Agnihotri, Rosy Arora, Urvashi Sharma, Poonam Sood Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):279-284 A wide plethora of chemical endodontic irrigants are used to achieve the desired results in terms of disinfection and removal of debris besides mechanical means. However, their detrimental properties such as allergic potential, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial resistance, and safety concerns have intrigued researchers over the years to look for safer options. During the past decade, the number of studies has increased utilizing herbs as irrigating solutions. This literature review was conducted to summarize the existing knowledge and provide a comprehensive review of clinical trials on herbal irrigating solutions in pediatric dental patients. An exhaustive literature search was performed in the indexed databases electronically for publications in peer reviewed scientific journals to find the relevant clinical studies evaluating efficacy of herbal root canal irrigants employed in primary teeth.

Awareness of night brushing and its importance in oral health in parents and among their children P Akhil, Jyothsna V Setty, Ila Srinivasan, Clarissa Suting, Swathi Kakathkar, KM Nayana Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):285-289 Background: One of the goals of a pediatric dentist is providing awareness among children and their parents about oral hygiene and health. Night brushing is an important step in the prevention of plaque accumulation and caries and is inevitable in maintaining good oral health. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the awareness of importance of night brushing and its significance on oral health among parents and their children aged 3–13 years in East Bangalore, Karnataka. Materials and Methods: Sample of 300 children was divided into three age range groups, and each group was subdivided into five socioeconomic strata (SES). Separate questionnaires, which were validated by pediatric dentists, were used to record data from the child and the parent. Descriptive analysis of all the explanatory and outcome parameters was done using mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables, frequency, and proportions for categorical variables. SPSS for Windows version 22.0 was used to perform statistical analyses, and the value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There is an increase in awareness about night brushing in all SES due to increased educational standards and influences of social media and advertisements, but the frequency of practicing the same is questionable. The total child awareness scores in Class I SES demonstrated that 3–6-year age group showed a significant difference as compared with 7–10-year age group (P < 0.001) and 11–13-year age group (P = 0.003). In Class II, 3–6-year age group showed a greater awareness as compared to 7–10-year age group (P = 0.02) and total parent awareness scores in Class III and Class V demonstrated that 3–6-year age group showed significant differences with 7–10-year age group and 11–13-year age group. Conclusion: The awareness of the importance of night brushing is an essential factor affecting oral health. The extent of awareness varies in different SES among the various age groups of children and their parents.

Association of oral health status and oral health-related quality of life among adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study Nagashree Savanur Ravindranath, Rekha Raju Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):290-295 Background: The growing burden of noncommunicable diseases like type II diabetes mellitus is a challenge worldwide. Type II diabetes mellitus has a number complications which includes oral conditions like periodontitis, tooth loss, dry mouth, and taste alterations. However, it is unclear if these oral conditions affect the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in diabetic patients. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the association between oral health status and OHRQoL in adult type II diabetes patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in a teaching dental hospital setting on a convenient sample of 350 participants. The WHO Oral Health Survey Proforma 2013 was used to assess oral health status, and Oral Health Impact Profile-20 (OHIP-20) questionnaire was used to collect information on OHRQoL. The mean OHIP score of the participants was compared between the different categories of the oral health status variables using independent t-test and Chi-square test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 19 was used for analysis. Results: Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth score, bleeding on probing, loss of attachment, and presence of denture were significantly associated with high OHIP scores as compared to the absence of these conditions (P < 0.001). The presence of oral mucosal lesions was not associated with OHIP scores (P = 0.099). Conclusion: The present study found an association between oral health status and OHRQoL in type II diabetes mellitus patients.

Knowledge, perceptions and practices about tooth brush sterilization among dental students and faculty in Andhra pradesh, South India – A Cross sectional study Kuna Vandana, S Harikrishnam Raju, D Rajesh Kumar, J Narendra Babu Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):296-301 Background: Toothbrush is habitually used as an oral hygiene aid to maintain good oral health. The contamination of toothbrushes leads to oral and systemic diseases. Awareness on toothbrush disinfection is essential for oral health-care professionals in order to educate people. Aim: The aim was to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practices about toothbrush storage, contamination, and disinfection among dental professionals in Andhra Pradesh, South India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire among 450 oral health professionals categorized into three groups (faculty, postgraduates, and interns) in Andhra Pradesh. The statistics were computed with the Statistical Package of Social Sciences version 22. Chi-square test and analysis of variance were used for statistical analyses. P < 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the three groups regarding the P value denoted by (*) is considered as statistically significant, frequency of brushing, change of toothbrush, storage of toothbrush and knowledge on toothbrush disinfection (P value is 0.01), whereas knowledge on toothbrush contamination (P value is 0.04). P value denoted by (**) is considered as statistically highly significant. A highly statistical significance was noticed pertaining to the factors on type of toothpaste,reason behind change of toothbrush,contact between toothbrushes during storage and sharing of toothpaste with family members ( P value is <0.001). Conclusion: The study conclude that there were varied opinions regarding the toothbrush contamination and disinfection among faculty, postgraduates, and interns which might be attributed to the difference in academic knowledge, exposure to a wide range of information, and clinical experience over the years between the groups.

Access and dental health service utilization by children of government schools in Bangalore, India: A parent perspective Vinod Kumar A, Romshi Raina, Ranjini Narayanaswamy, Varsha K Pavithran Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):302-307 Background: Access to oral health care refers to patient's ability to utilize oral health care. The availability of oral health services is very scarce in rural India; therefore, the unmet treatment needs of rural population are very high. Aim: We aimed to determine the dental service utilization and factors affecting the same among the 6–12-year-old government schoolchildren in Bangalore South-1, Karnataka, India. Methodology: In-depth interviews regarding access, utilization of dental services, and factors affecting them were conducted with 1080 parents/guardians of 6–12-year-old government schoolchildren from Bangalore South-1 in this cross-sectional analytical study. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis using SPSS version 20.0 (IBM Corp. Ltd.). Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The most common ailment reported by parents was gum problem (17.5%). Only 7.80% of the parents visited dental facility in the past 12 months. Majority of the parents (62.1%) had access to private dental health services. The barriers to utilization of dental services majorly included financial constraints (45.19%) and parent's unawareness of the oral health-care facilities nearby (21.84%). Multiple regression analyses showed that the head of the household with middle school education and high school education (odds ratio = 1.55; 1.74) had a higher probability of having visited a dentist in the past 1 year. Conclusion: Dental service utilization rate was very low in the past 12 months. Relief from pain was the sole reason for visiting a dentist. Oral health-promoting programs and provision of government hospitals are required for increased utilization of dental services so as to improve the dental attitude, accessibility, and affordability and overcome the barriers among the parents.

Perception toward low-cost generic medicines and their usage among dental patients visiting community outreach programs in the peripheral areas of Bangalore South: An exploratory cross-sectional survey Nigy Johnson, Y Shweta Somasundara, Padma K Bhat, Santhosh Kumar, M Nayana Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry 2020 18(4):308-312 Background: The burden and prevalence of oral diseases are higher in developing countries, especially among the poor and disadvantaged populations. These people may suffer from various dental and systemic illnesses. Hence, provision of reducing the out-of-pocket money by purchasing generic drugs might enable better oral and general health-care-seeking behavior. Objectives: The objective was to assess the perception toward low-cost generic medicines available through the Pradhana Manthri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana and their usage among dental patients visiting community dental outreach programs conducted in the villages near a tertiary care dental teaching hospital, Bangalore South. Materials and Methods: An exploratory descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out over a period of 3 months among 200 residents participating in the dental outreach programs in 15 villages of Bangalore South. Data were collected using a prevalidated closed-ended interviewer-administered questionnaire. Results: Most respondents (82.5%) were not aware of Prime Minister Jan Aushadhi Kendra (PMJAK) and only 17.5% knew about the nearest PMJAK. The majority (96.5%) were not aware of the availability of dental-related medicines in PMJAK and (95.5%) preferred to buy Jan Aushadhi drugs over branded medicine if the quality of generic and branded medicine is the same. Most respondents (98%) liked to have more awareness through mass media about PMJAKs/medicines. Conclusion: The results indicate that more awareness must be created, and strict laws implemented about the Jan Aushadhi scheme to save health cost expenditure; if the quality of generic and branded medicine is the same, most people are willing to use the medicines sold at PMJA Kendras.

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