Jithesh Jain

Knowledge and attitude regarding management of tooth avulsion injuries among school teachers in rural India.

Objectives: Traumatic dento-alveolar injuries are frequent in children and adolescents, affecting teeth, their supporting structures, and adjacent soft tissues. Because school teachers are likely to be in contact with the child soon after injury, it is important to ascertain their knowledge and attitude about this. Aim: The study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of school teachers in Coorg with regard to immediate management of avulsed teeth. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among school teachers in Coorg district. A self-administered questionnaire containing 16 questions was given to a sample of 600 school teachers. Results: Descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test were used for analysis. Only 24.7% teachers thought the tooth was important and wanted to search for the avulsed tooth. Regarding the knowledge about replantation of tooth, 25.7% teachers knew that a fallen tooth can be placed back in the socket. Extraoral time for replantation of the tooth that was opted by 44 teachers (30.3%) was ≤30 min. Conclusion: This survey reflected the lack of experience and inadequate knowledge regarding dental trauma management among school teachers in Coorg. The implications of this study are directed toward education of these school teachers who are involved in the supervision of children in schools.

Oral Health Status of Tibetan and Local School Children: A Comparative Study.

INTRODUCTION India has seen a large influx of refugee populations throughout history and the Tibetan immigration is one among them. Understanding the health status and needs of immigrants is imperative because of their growing numbers and their input to the health of the nation. The oral health professionals face many challenges while confronting refugees and immigrants from cultures different from their own. Earlier studies have shown that children, especially refugees and immigrants have had a higher prevalence of unmet oral health needs. AIM The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the oral health status of 11-13 year old Tibetan and non-Tibetan school children in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS A stratified cluster sampling of 11-13 year old Tibetan and non-Tibetan school children (431 and 434 respectively) formed the study participants for this study. Assessment of dental caries, periodontal disease and malocclusion was done in accordance with criteria laid down by WHO in oral health assessment survey basic methods, 1997. Data was collected by a single trained examiner. The results obtained were analyzed by SPSS version 18. The data was statistically analyzed by using chi-square test and independent t test. The level of significance was set at 5%. RESULTS The prevalence of caries was found to be higher among the Tibetan school children when compared to the non-Tibetan school children (71% and 53.9% respectively). The mean number of sextants with healthy gingiva (2.49±2.40) and calculus (1.63±2.28) was higher among the non-Tibetan school children. The mean Dental Aesthetic Index score was found to be higher for Tibetan school children than the non-Tibetan school children (26.57±4.62 and 23.52±4.36 respectively). CONCLUSION The prevalence of caries, periodontal disease and malocclusion were found to be higher among immigrant Tibetan school children as when compared to non-Tibetan school children. The high level of unmet needs in the study population highlights the need for a comprehensive dental care programme in Bylakuppe.

Ethnic variation of selected dental traits in Coorg

Purpose: In a country like India, in addition to the great innate diversity, there are distinct migrant populations with unique dental traits. Aim: To assess the distribution and degree of expression of cusp of Carabelli of maxillary first permanent molars and shoveling trait of maxillary central incisors, between three ethnic groups of Coorg, namely Kodavas, Tibetans, and Malayalees. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, indirect, anthropometric, study was carried out among 15- to 30-year-old subjects belonging to three different ethnic origins. A random sample consisting of 91 subjects were recruited for the study. The shovel trait of incisors and the Carabelli trait of molars were recorded according to the classification given by Hrdliƈka and Sousa et al., respectively. Statistical Analysis: The Kruskal-Wallis test was employed to determine the difference in three populations for shoveling and Carabelli traits. Mann-Whitney Test was used for pair-wise comparisons of three populations. Result: Of the total 91 subjects, 31 were Kodavas, 30 Malayalees and 30 Tibetans. There was a statistically significant difference in shoveling trait among the three ethnic groups. For Carabelli traits, there was no statistically significant difference among three ethnic groups. Conclusion: The present study findings showed that Tibetans have a higher degree of shoveling trait than the selected South Indian ethnic groups.

Perception of diet counseling among dental students in India

Introduction: Nutrition has always been recognized as an integral part of oral health. However, most dentists do not incorporate diet counseling in routine dental practice. The current study was set to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) on diet counseling among dental house surgeons. Materials and Methods: Interns from four different colleges (under different universities) spread across the four states of South India were selected. Of them, 220 interns who completed the questionnaires were chosen for final analysis. Results: Of the subjects, 75% agreed that nutrition was a vital component of total health care. However, only 42% of the subjects reported that they had received adequate training in diet counseling. Most of the subjects agreed that diet counseling needed to be emphasized in dental education and only 37% of the subjects expressed their confidence in rendering diet counseling to their patients. Conclusions: Students possessed not only good knowledge but also a positive attitude toward diet counseling. Lack of confidence and apprehension about financial reimbursement were two main reasons cited as obstacles for the incorporation of diet counseling in routine clinical practice.

Exploring Oral Health Beliefs and Behaviour Among Tibetan Immigrants of Bylakkupe.

PURPOSE To explore the oral health beliefs and behaviour among Tibetan immigrants of Bylakkupe village. MATERIALS AND METHODS A stratified random sampling technique involving 366 Tibetan monks in Bylakkupe monasteries was used in this study. The oral health beliefs were measured using a pre-tested questionnaire. RESULTS The results showed that seriousness was higher compared to other domains in the health belief model. Further, as the duration of the stay increased, the perceived importance was also higher among the population studied. CONCLUSION The results show that in general, although the seriousness of oral health was high among the participants, the perceived benefit of dental treatment was relatively low.

Association between socio-demographic factors and the type of tobacco consumption among subjects attending a rural hospital, south India.

Aim : To assess the association between socio - demographic factors and type of tobacco consumption among subjects attending a rural hospital in south Indi a. Methods: A pre - tested questionnaire was designed for recording the relevant data pertaining to selected socio - demographic variables and the details of tobacco consumption. Patients as well as persons accompanying them formed the study sample and they were chosen by systematic r andom sampling method. Chi - square test was used to assess the association between the variables. Results: A total of 350 subjects were included in the study. There was statistically significant association between age groups, gender, education, occupation , economic status and the type of

Impact of caries prevalence on oral health-related quality of life among police personnel in Virajpet, South India

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the impact of caries prevalence on oral health-related quality of life among police personnel in Virajpet, South India. Materials and Methods: Police personnel were randomly selected from the 296 police staff working in Virajpet, India. They were invited for a dental examination and a questionnaire survey. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect their demographic information, and to determine the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Caries experiences of the participants were recorded as per the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria (1997). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare within-group differences of the selected sociodemographic factors and the Chi-square analysis was used to explore the association between the variables. Results: All the 172 invited participants joined this study. Their mean age was 38.02 ± 9.08 years. There was no significant difference in oral health-related quality of life scores according to gender and age. The prevalence of dental caries was found to be 78% in the current study. Data analysis showed that there was no statistically significant association between the oral health-related quality of life scores and caries prevalence. Conclusion: The present study showed that there was no association between the oral health-related quality of life and caries prevalence among the police personnel in Virajpet.

Awareness of emergency drugs uses among students and teaching faculty in a dental college in Coorg, Karnataka

Introduction: Effective management of an emergency situation in the dental office is ultimately the dentists responsibility. The lack of training and inability to cope with medical emergencies can lead to tragic consequences and sometimes legal action. It is logical to provide training on emergency care during undergraduate years ensuring basic competence in all graduating healthcare students. Previous surveys of medical and dental schools have highlighted deficiencies in such training. This survey sought to assess awareness of emergency drug use among students and teaching faculty in a dental college in Coorg, Karnataka. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out among a convenience sample of 250 dental students (III rd BDS, IV th BDS, Interns, and post graduates) and teaching faculty at the Coorg Institute of Dental Sciences, Coorg, Karnataka. The Closed - ended questionnaire containing selected basic multiple choice questions was used to assess the awareness. Results: About 60% of the responders scored < 50% marks, 15.6% of the responders scored between 50% and 59% marks, 14% of the responders scored 60-69% marks, 4.8% scored marks between 70% and 79% marks, only 5.6% of the responders scored between 80% and 89% marks. Conclusion: Awareness of emergency drug use among dental students and teaching faculty needs to be improved and updated.

Dental neglect among college going adolescents in Virajpet, India

Introduction: Dental neglect (DN) has been defined as behavior and attitudes which are likely to have detrimental consequences for the individuals oral health, or more specifically as failure to take precautions to maintain oral health, failure to obtain needed dental care, and physical neglect of the oral cavity. Aim: The aim was to assess the association of DN with dental caries and oral hygiene among adolescents in Virajpet, India. Materials and Methods: A total of six hundred adolescents aged 15-18 years were selected. DN was recorded using self-administered questionnaire. Oral health status was clinically assessed using simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) and dental caries through dentition status as per WHO criteria. Results: The mean DN score for this population was 10.18. Sociodemographic variables and Dental Attendance pattern were significantly associated with DN. Mean decayed missing filled value and OHI-S values were also significantly associated with DN. Conclusion: The present study revealed that variations in DN exist in relation to sociodemographic characteristics and pattern of dental attendance. In addition, oral health status was significantly associated with DN among adolescents.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Anganwadi Workers Regarding Oral Health of Children in Virajpet Taluk

ABSTRA C T Background: Oral health is an essential and leading component of children’s overall health, functional capacity, and social welfare. The anganwadi worker (AWW), the community-based voluntary frontline worker of the Integrated Child Development Services program, is formally trained for many services, including non-formal, pre-school education, which caters to the developmental needs of children between 3 and 6 years of age and primary health care to children under 6 years. Objective: The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of AWW regarding oral health of children aged 0-6 years, by means of a self-administered questionnaire, in Virajpet Taluk of Coorg District, Karnataka. Material and Methods: A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the respondents. The data was statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 291 AWW took part in this study. About 69.8% of the AWW knew the appropriate eruption time for the first milk tooth, whereas only 50.5% AWW were aware that the baby’s mouth must be cleaned even before the eruption of first milk tooth. Majority of the AWW agreed that they had an important role to play when it comes to the oral health of children. Only 39.5% of the AWW reported having regularly discussed the child’s oral health with parents during home visits. Conclusion: The AWW is a force to be reckoned with. She is an agent of change in the community. AWW have a pivotal role to play as the torch bearers of oral health promotion at the grass root level. There is an urgent need to educate them regarding oral health of children.