Perilous periodontitis: a clinical study.

The aim of this study is to determine whether periodontitis in pregnant women could be a risk factor for pre term low birth weight. The oral hygiene status, periodontal status and periodontal treatment needs of mothers who birthed infants with normal birth weight and normal gestation period (group A) and mothers who birthed pre term low birth weight infants (group B) were assessed and compared. The clinical parameters used were Oral Hygiene Index--simplified (OHI-S), gingival bleeding index (GBI), probing pocket depth and Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN).

Breastfeeding: Nature's Safety Net.

Breastfeeding is a natural safety-net for the first few months in order to give the child a fairer start to life. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recognizes the distinct nutritional advantages of human milk for infants and endorsed the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics on the promotion of breastfeeding. It therefore calls for increase in need to negotiate the roles and responsibilities of pediatric dentists to eliminate the existing gaps in preventive care and anticipatory guidance.

Esthetic correction in open bite.

Deleterious oral habits, which are persistent, can lead to poor esthetics of a beautiful face. Conventional treatment modalities for an open bite usually include orthodontic treatment and/or skeletal surgery. This article focuses on a different treatment modality for an anterior open bite.

Patent law in dentistry: an overview.

Dentistry in recent years has developed interest in the field of intellectual property rights (IPR) and Patents due to extensive research in the fraternity and existing competition. There have been various patent applications and grants in the field of dentistry abroad due to better understanding of IPR but India still has very few patent grants and applications on the subject matter. This review article in particular deals with the understanding of IPR and Patents as a whole, especially for dental professionals involved in research and development.

Compound odontoma associated with an unerupted rotated and dilacerated maxillary central incisor.

Odontomas are benign tumors containing various component tissues of teeth. They usually remain asymptomatic and are diagnosed on routine radiographs. Clinically, they are often associated with delayed eruption or impaction of permanent teeth and retained primary teeth.

Influence of light curing units on failure of directcomposite restorations.

Light polymerizable tooth colored restorative materials are most widely preferred for advantages such as esthetics, improved physical properties and operator's control over the working time. Since the introduction of these light polymerizable restorative materials, there has been a concern about the depth of appropriate cure throughout the restoration. Photopolymerization of the composite is of fundamental importance because adequate polymerization is a crucial factor for optimization of the physical and mechanical properties and clinical results of the composite material.

In vitro assessment of photocatalytic titanium oxide surface modified stainless steel orthodontic brackets for antiadherent and antibacterial properties against Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Objective: To assess the antiadherent and antibacterial properties of surface modified stainless steel orthodontic brackets with photocatalytic titanium oxide (TiO(2)) against Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Materials And Methods: This study was done on 120 specimens of stainless steel preadjusted edgewise appliance (PEA) orthodontic brackets. The specimens were divided into four test groups.

Critical analysis of biomarkers in the current periodontal practice.

Periodontal disease is a chronic microbial infection that triggers inflammation-mediated loss of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone that supports the teeth. Because of the increasing prevalence and associated comorbidities, there is a need for the development of new diagnostic tests that can detect the presence of active disease, predict future disease progression, and evaluate the response to periodontal therapy, thereby improving the clinical management of periodontal patients. The diagnosis of active phases of periodontal disease and the identification of patients at risk for active disease represent challenges for clinical investigators and practitioners.

Tooth brushing, oil pulling and tissue regeneration: A review of holistic approaches to oral health.

Even though dentistry was not a specialized branch of Ayurveda, it is included in its Shalakya Tantra (system of surgery). Problems such as deformities of the oral cavity, plaques and infections were managed in ancient India. Traditional medicine can treat various infectious and chronic conditions.

Amelogenesis imperfecta: A challenge to restoring esthetics and function.

Rehabilitation of complicated cases poses difficulty in clinical practice, both with respect to restoring function and with esthetics. One such clinical condition where the dentist has to give importance to proper planning of the treatment and execution of the plan is amelogenesis imperfecta (AI), a condition where both function and esthetics are accommodated. This article discusses both the functional and esthetic rehabilitation of a patient with AI.

Role of macrophages in malignancy.

Macrophages themselves are a heterogeneous mixture of cells which mediate their effects not only through phagocytosis but also through the production of various soluble factors such as cytokines and chemokines. The most important function of macrophages is the defense of the body against pathogen aggressions. However, when recruited within neoplastic tissues, tumor-associated macrophages polarize differently and do not predominantly exert their immune function but rather favor tumor growth and angiogenesis.

Prevalence of dental caries and its correlation with the immunologic profile in HIV-Infected children on antiretroviral therapy.

Aim: To describe the prevalence of dental caries in HIV-infected children on antiretroviral therapy. METHODS One hundred and four HIV positive children on antiretroviral therapy, two to fourteen year old children of both sexes were examined for dental caries. Children were divided into three groups based on the dentition: primary, mixed and permanent.

Oral health status of two 12-year-old socially disadvantaged groups in South India: a comparative study.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to compare and assess the oral health status of 12-year-old children from two socially disadvantaged groups in the Udupi district of South India.

Materials And Methods: A total of 327 children were examined in Ashrama schools, and 340 children were randomly selected for comparison from other government schools. Modified WHO proforma was used for clinical examination.

A rare case of generalized pyogenic granuloma: a case report.

Gingival enlargement is defined as an overgrowth or increase in size of the gingiva. Enlargement can be of many types depending on etiologic factors like inflammation, drug-induced effects, neoplasm, hormonal imbalance, and systemic involvement (leukemia, etc). Drugs and hormonal imbalance are the most common causes of gingival enlargement.

Age estimation of indian adults from orthopantomographs.

The aim of this study was to develop a method for estimating the chronological age of Indian adults based on the relationship between age and various morphological variables of canine teeth, obtained using orthopantomographs. Orthopantomographs of 120 selected patients were digitized, and radiographic images of the right maxillary canine in each case were processed using a computer aided drafting program. Pulp/tooth area ratio, pulp/root length ratio, pulp/tooth length ratio, pulp/root width ratio at the cemento-enamel junction level, pulp/root width ratio at midroot level, and pulp/root width ratio at the midpoint between the cemento-enamel junction and the midroot of the canine were calculated by measuring various features on the images.

A young boy with a maxillary swelling and closed rhinolalia.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma belongs to a group of lymphoid neoplasia that is diverse in the manner of presentation, response to therapy and progress. The most common region for extranodal lymphoma is the gastrointestinal tract while for oral cavity buccal vestibule, posterior hard palate or gingiva is the common site. The maxilla is affected more commonly than the mandible.

Accessory mental foramen: a rare anatomical finding.

Accessory mental foramen (AMF) is a rare anatomical variation with a prevalence ranging from 1.4 to 10%. Even so, in order to avoid neurovascular complications, particular attention should be paid to the possible occurrence of one or more AMF during surgical procedures involving the mandible.

Extrafollicular adenomatoid odontogenic tumour.

Adenomatoid odontogenic tumour (AOT) is an uncommon, benign tumour that represents 3-7% of all odontogenic tumours. It is slow growing, occurs twice as common in females and usually in the second decade of life. There are three subclinical types of this tumour with identical histology: follicular type (73%), extrafollicular variant (24%) and peripheral form (3%).

A bilaterally recurring exophytic mass on the lower jaw.

Brown tumour is a rare focal giant-cell lesion that arises as a direct result of the effect of parathyroid hormone on bone tissue in patients with hyperparathyroidism (HPT). The lesions localise in areas of intense bone resorption, and the bone defect becomes filled with fibroblastic tissue. It can affect the mandible, maxilla, clavicle, ribs and pelvic bones.

Necrotizing fasciitis of face--our experience in its management.

Necrotising fasciitis (NF) is a severe soft tissue infection which spreads rapidly through fascial planes, characterised by soft tissue necrosis and potentially life threatening. Involvement of the face from NF is rare. Only 35 such cases have been reported in the literature since 1960.

Nonsyndromic double mesiodentes--hidden lambs among normal flock!

Mesiodens, a common supernumerary tooth, is found in the midline in anterior maxilla between the incisors. Its occurrence as multiples is termed as 'mesiodentes'. Double mesiodentes, a rare phenomenon, is seldom reported in literature and show a plethora of manifestations as described in the case report.

Binder's syndrome.

Binder syndrome or maxillonasal dysplasia is an uncommon developmental anomaly affecting primarily the anterior part of the maxilla and nasal complex. The characteristic findings are a failure of development in the premaxillary area with associated deformities of the nasal skeleton and the overlying soft tissues. Affected individuals typically have an unusually flat, underdeveloped midface (midfacial hypoplasia), with an abnormally short nose and flat nasal bridge, underdeveloped upper jaw, relatively protruding lower jaw and/or a 'reverse overbite' (or class III malocclusion).

Brown tumour of the jaw.

Brown tumours are classic bony lesions that arise as a result of the effect of parathyroid hormone on bone tissue in some patients with hyperparathyroidism. They are erosive bony lesions caused by rapid osteolysis and peritrabecular fibrosis, resulting in a local destructive phenomenon. Facial skeleton is involved in about 2% of all cases of which the mandible is frequently affected.

Osteoid osteoma of mandible.

Osteomas are benign, slow-growing osteogenic tumours rarely occurring in the craniofacial bones. Osteomas are characterised by the proliferation of compact and/or cancellous bone. It can be of a central, peripheral, or extra skeletal type.