Systematic Analysis of Palatal Rugae Pattern for Use in Human Identification between Two Different Populations.

Background: Forensic odontology plays important role in identification of human remains in mass disasters such as air crash, tsunami, and accidents. Palatal rugae act as an ideal requisite for human identification as they are present in all victims and are resistant to changes such as aging and trauma. The study aimed to analyze differences in shape and number of palatal rugae in population from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states.

Impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy on oral manifestations of patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immuno deficiency syndrome in South India.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains a global health problem, although the development of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly modified the course of HIV disease into a manageable disease with improved quality-of-life mainly in the developed countries. Very few studies are available regarding effect of HAART on oral lesions in developing countries like India.

Aims And Objectives: The aim was to document and compare oral lesions in HIV-seropositive patients before and after HAART.

Isolation, identification, and carriage of candidal species in PHLAs and their correlation with immunological status in cases with and without HAART.

Aims And Objectives: To know the prevalence of Candidal colonization, and to isolate and know the Candidal species prevalent in the oral cavity from the oral rinse samples collected from the individuals attending to the Voluntary Counseling and Confidential Testing Center (VCCTC) and the antiretro-viral therapy (ART) Center at Government General Hospital, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, South India.

Materials And Methods: The study group consisted of 50 HIV negative asymptomatic individuals (Group I); 50 HIV positive individuals (people living with HIV AIDS [PLWHA's]), who are naïve to antiretro-viral therapy (direct walk-in clients of VCCTC) (Group II); and 50 HIV positive individuals with CD4+ count less than 250 and who are started on highly active anti retroviral therapy (HAART) (Group III). Routine mycological tests for the isolation of pure cultures of Candida and also the speciation procedures were done.