Jatinder Kaur Dhillon

Oral health in children with leukemia

Leukemia is one of the most common malignancies affecting children in India. These children usually suffer from various oral complications, which may be due to the leukemia or due to the chemotherapeutic agents and/or radiotherapy. The complications may include some of the opportunistic infections like candidiasis, herpes simplex; hemorrhage, mucositis, taste alterations and increased incidence of dental caries etc. These complications can cause significant morbidity and mortality in the patients. The aim of this review is to summarize the various oral complications in these children and the methods of prevention and management.

Comparative evaluation of shear bond strength of three pit and fissure sealants using conventional etch or self‑etching primer

AIMS To compare the shear bond strength of three different pit and fissure sealants and evaluate the effect of a self-etching primer on shear bond strength of these three pit and fissure sealants as compared to conventional etch. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and eighty newly extracted non carious permanent molars were selected. The mesial or distal surface was cleaned and polished to obtain a flat enamel surface. The specimens were randomly divided into three groups of sixty teeth each and each group further divided into two subgroups of thirty each. The teeth in one subgroup were treated with 37% phosphoric acid etchant and the other subgroup with self-etching primer before formation of a sealant button using a Teflon mold. Then specimens were tested in a shear mode at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/minute. RESULTS The average bond strengths using conventional etch were: (1) Eco-S = 13.0986 MPa; (2) ClinPro = 13.4317 MPa; and (3) Dyract Flow = 13.0292 MPa and with self - etching primer were: (1) Eco-S = 19.7011MPa; (2) ClinPro = 20.8069 MPa; and (3) Dyract Flow = 19.5207 MPa. The values with self-etching primer were higher than and statistically different from those with the conventional etch system (student t test, P < 0.005). CONCLUSION It was concluded that the bond strengths of self - etching primer in conjunction with pit and fissure sealant, exceeded those of conventional etch.

Evaluation of indirect pulp capping using three different materials: A randomized control trial using cone-beam computed tomography

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the most suitable material for indirect pulp treatment (IPT) clinically and to determine the thickness (in mm) and type of tissue in terms of radiodensity (in Hounsfield units [HU]) formed after pulp capping using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal interventional single-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 94 children (7–12 years) with a deep carious lesion in one or more primary second molar and permanent first molar without the history of spontaneous pain indicated for indirect pulp capping (IPC) procedure. About 109 teeth were treated using three materials, namely, calcium hydroxide (setting type), glass ionomer cement (Type VII), and mineral trioxide aggregate randomly. The teeth were followed up at an interval of 8 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year for success of IPT as per the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry clinical criteria. For determining the thickness and type of dentin tissue formed, a CBCT scan was done immediately postoperative and another scan at an interval of 6 months. The scans were compared to evaluate the average thickness of the dentin bridge formed. Results and Conclusions: Success rate for IPC was 96.85%. A significant difference was obtained in the average thickness of reparative dentin at immediate postoperative and 6-month postoperative values in all three groups suggesting distinct barrier formation. Similar significant findings were obtained in radiodensity of barrier formed (in HU). All three materials were found to be equally suitable as IPC agents suggesting mineral gain.

Development and validation of oral health-related early childhood quality of life tool for North Indian preschool children

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable instrument [Oral Health related Early Childhood Quality of Life (OH- ECQOL) scale] for measuring oral health related quality of life (OHrQoL) in preschool children in North Indian population. METHODOLOGY Four pediatric dentists evaluated a pool of 65 items from various QoL questionnaires to assess their relevance to Indian population. These items were discussed with eight independent pediatric dentists and two community dentists who were not a part of this study to assess relevance of these items to preschool age children based on their comprehensiveness and clarity. Based on their responses and feedback a modified pool of items was developed and administered to a convenience sample of 20 parents who rated these items according to their relevance. The test retest reliability was evaluated on another sample of 20 parents of 2-5 year old children. The final questionnaire comprised of 16 items (12 child and 4 family). This was administered to 300 parents of 24-71 months old children divided on the basis of early childhood caries to assess its reliability and validity. RESULTS OH-ECQOL scores were significantly associated with parental ratings of their childs general and oral health, and the presence of dental disease in the child. Cronbachs alpha was 0.862, and the ICC for test-retest reliability was 0.94. CONCLUSIONS The OH-ECQOL proved reliable and valid tool for assessing the impact of oral disorders on the quality of life of preschool children in Northern India.

A new approach to facilitate apexogenesis using soft tissue diode laser

Traumatic injuries occur commonly in children and adolescents and the prevalence of such injuries has increased over the last decade. Such injuries may result in pulpal exposure, which can endanger tooth vitality. Therefore, the treatment for such injuries should be carefully planned so as to preserve the pulp vitality. Teeth with immature roots pose a great challenge for the clinician and procedures like pulpotomy may prove effective as a treatment strategy. Such procedure may ensure continued root development and apexogenesis. Lasers have varied applications in the dental practice such as oral surgical procedures, cavity preparation, disinfection etc. This article is a case report on the use of diode laser for pulpotomy in a young permanent tooth with traumatically exposed pulp in an 8-year-old male.

Contribution of Indian pediatric dentists to scientific literature during 2002-2012: a bibliometric analysis.

Introduction: Bibliometric analysis of publications is necessary to enable clinicians to make evidence based sound clinical decisions. It will also help policy makers & institutions to frame their decisions and policies so as to improve the quality of dental research in India. AIM: The purpose of this study is to identify publication output as well as descriptively and quantitatively characterize the contribution of Indian pediatric dentists to scientific literature through publication trend analysis from 2002 to 2012. Settings and design: Cross sectional analytical study. Material and method: A bibliometric analysis of publications by Indian pediatric dentists during 2002 to 2012 was performed on data collected from PubMed – MEDLINE database. Only the first author’s affiliations were considered and the publications were categorized according to the following variables: year of publication, number of authors, state of origin, type of article, reach of journal and country of publication. Results: There were 817 articles by Indian pediatric dentists during the study period. Of all the articles 399 (48.8%) were original research, 377(46.1%) were case reports and 41 (5.0%) were reviews. The inter-annual variation between the reach, country of publication of the journal and type of articles is presented. The growth trend analysis was performed and predictions are presented. Conclusion: There has been an increase in the number of publications by Indian pediatric dentists and most of the published work comprises of original research. The potential use of this data is discussed.

Perception of Indian Dental Surgeons regarding Molar Incisor Hypomineralization

Aim To determine the perception of Indian dental professionals about prevalence, severity, and etiological factors of molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH). Materials and methods An online survey was mailed to dental professionals encompassing various questions regarding etiology, diagnosis, prevalence, and management of MIH. Results More than 90% of the respondents encounter teeth with hypomineralization in their practice, with less than half of them encountering such teeth on a monthly basis. Among these more than one-third find it difficult to manage one or the other aspect of MIH. The etiology was found to be varying as per the respondents. Conclusion Molar incisor hypomineralization is a common condition encountered by dental professionals with no apparent consensus regarding the anticipated prevalence, severity, and etiology of this condition. Knowledge of clinicians’ level of perception could be an incentive for pediatric dentists to become more acquainted with MIH by conducting research into its different aspects. How to cite this article: Upadhyay S, Kumar G, Dhillon JK, Gill NC. Perception of Indian Dental Surgeons regarding Molar Incisor Hypomineralization. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018;11(2):116-121.

Dental Caries: A Disease Which Needs Attention

Dental caries is one of the most prevalent disease (about 50%) in children across the globe. If not treated in time, it can affect not only the mastication function but also the speech, smile and psychosocial environment and the quality of life of the child and the family. The treatment of dental diseases is very expensive in all countries and prevention is very simple and effective. The caries in children below 6 y is called early childhood caries (ECC). It is most commonly caused by milk bottle or mother’s feed during night. The ECC spreads very fast and can cause severe pain, abscess, swelling, fever and psychological disturbances in children. The treatment of ECC requires multiple appointments and still the prognosis is not very promising in mutilated dentitions. A physician or pediatrician can easily identify early caries and habits of parents leading to caries and can counsel them for prevention and refer them to the specialist. Good oral hygiene, dietary modification with respect to use of sugar and sticky food and healthy diet can help in preventing this disease in children. The need of the time is to appraise all on the methods of dental caries prevention.

A comparative evaluation of retention of pit and fissure sealants placed with conventional acid etching and Er,Cr:YSGG laser etching: A randomised controlled trial

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the retention rates of sealant placed either with conventional acid etching or Er,Cr:YSGG laser pretreatment of enamel surface. Materials and methods: This is a prospective, single blind randomised controlled clinical trial enrolling 200 permanent first molars in 50 patients, aged 6-12 years for sealant placement. Study followed split mouth design where each side of the arch was randomly allocated to the two treatment group. Group A(Acid etch group): 37 % phosphoric acid (Scotchbond, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany) was applied for 15 seconds, rinsed with water for 20 seconds and then air-dried using air spray. Group L(Laser etch group): Fissures were prepared with an Er,Cr:YSGG laser system (Waterlase, BIOLASE Technology, San Clemente, CA, USA) emitting photons at a wavelength of 2.78 µm. Laser irradiation at 1.5 W (60% air and 40% water), in a noncontact mode, with a repetition rate of 20 Hz for 10seconds was used. Pit and fissure sealant (3M ESPE, Clinpro) was applied and cured for 20 seconds. One blinded, calibrated examiner, who was unaware of which preparation method has been used and who was not involved in the treatment procedures, evaluated the sealant at baseline and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 month follow-up visits. Results: It was observed that overall retention rate in group A was slightly higher as compared to group L at all time periods, however, the difference was statistically non-significant (p-value>0.05). CONCLUSION Er,Cr:YSGG laser etching is comparable to acid etching in terms of retention and patient acceptability.

Images in Medicine: Triplicated Primary Anterior Teeth - A Report of Two Cases

Fusion is the union of two separate tooth buds during their development. The pulp chamber and root canal may be joined or separated, depending on the stage of development at the time of union [1]. Though fusion between two teeth is a common finding in primary dentition, occurrence of tooth triplet due to fusion of three teeth is a relatively rare occurrence with the reported prevalence of 0.02% in the primary dentition [2]. This paper presents two cases of unilateral triplication of primary anterior teeth due to fusion of primary anterior teeth with a supernumerary tooth.