K. Suresh

Psychosocial Characteristics of Oromucosal Diseases in Psychiatric Patients: Observational Study from Indian Dental College

Background: Psychiatric diseases like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders can affect the mental and physical statuses of an individual. Aim: The study was to investigate the different oromucosal diseases (OMD) in psychiatric patients and to evaluate the correlation between these OMD to severity of anxiety and depression. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out during a six-month period. Patients reporting to psychiatry department with anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder as diagnosed by an experienced psychiatrist, were subjected to complete oral examination by a skilled oral diagnostician to check for OMD like oral lichen planus (OLP), aphthous stomatitis (AS) and burning mouth syndrome (BMS). During the above mentioned time interval, 1320 patients with any of the above mentioned psychiatric diseases were included in this study. Of these, 278 had anxiety, 398 had depression, 295 had schizophrenia and 349 had bipolar disorder. Equal number of individuals reported to the Oral Medicine and Radiology department for routine oral screening with no mucosal diseases were included as control group. Results: In this study, statistically significant increase in the OMD of the psychiatric patients was recorded when compared with the control group. The OMD were significantly higher in patients with anxiety (20.86%) followed by patients with depression (9.04%), schizophrenia (7.7%), bipolar disorder (7.4%) and control group (5.17%), respectively. Most prevalent OMD in patients with anxiety was AS (12%) followed by OLP (5.7%), and BMS (2.87%) respectively. Patients with moderate to severe anxiety and depression showed significantly higher prevalence of these OMD compared to the ones with mild anxiety and depression. The AS and OLP were significantly more in the younger age group (18-49 year) and BMS was higher in 50-77 year age group in both the study and control groups. Conclusion: A positive association was established between psychological alterations and OMD. Emotional alterations may act as a precipitating factor that could influence the initiation and development of different OMD. Hence, better harmonization is essential between dentist and psychiatrists for comprehensive management of psychosomatic disorders of the oral mucosa.

Oral piercing: A risky fashion

Piercing is a more prevalent ancient form of body art all over the world, recently popularity attained in Western society. For centuries, piercing was part of many cultures and religious rites. Ancient Egyptians pierced their navels to signify royalty, Roman centurions wore nipple rings as a sign of virility and courage and Mayans pierced their tongues for spiritual purposes, The Eskimos and Aleuts pierced the lips of female infants as part of a purification ritual and the lower lip of the boys as part of passage into puberty. It is that apparent that oral piercings are becoming much more prevalent in todays society. Popular sites for body piercing include the ears, eyebrows, lips, nose, nipples, navel, penis, scrotum, labia, clitoris and tongue. Oral body art, as it is referred to, usually involves piercing of the tongue, cheeks, lips or uvula. The lip is the most commonly pierced site, but tongue piercing is becoming more prevalent. Due to increase in oral piercing, it is important for dental and medical professionals to have knowledge about piercings to educate their patients concerning risk factors, complications and optimal homecare for piercings.

Field efficacy of ready mix formulation, Alika 247 ZC (Thiamethoxam 12.6% + Lambda cyhalothrin 9.5%) against major pests on Onion

Pooled analysis of two seasons data on Bio-Efficacy of Alika 247 ZC on onion indicated that three rounds foliar application of Alika 247 ZC @ 150 ml/ha starting from 30 days after planting was significantly superior in reducing the nymphs and adults of Thrips tabaci and population of Spodoptera exigua (89.4% & 89.6%) which was at par with Alika 247 ZC @ 125 ml/ha (87.6 & 87.4%) followed by Alika 247 ZC @ 100 ml/ha (86.2 & 82.2%). Thiamethoxam 25 WG @ 100 g/ha and dimethoate 30 EC @ 660 ml/ha were next best which were at par with each other. Alika 247 ZC at all the doses did not cause adverse effect on population of spiders in onion ecosystem and recorded the highest bulb yield of 18.72 t/ha, while in untreated check it was 11.34 t/ha.

Impact of intercropping system to minimise the sucking pests incidence in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea Linnaeus)

Field experiment was carried out during 2014 – 2015 at DARS, Chettinad, Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu to find out cost-effective groundnut based inter-cropping system for the management of key insect pests. Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea Linnaeus; Variety: VRI II) when intercropped with bajra (Pennisetum glaucum L.; Variety: Co 7), maize (Zea mays L.; Variety; Co 6) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.; Variety: Co 30) 4:1 ratio harboured significantly less mean population of sucking pests viz. leafhopper, Empoasca kerri Pruthi, Aphids, Aphis craccivora Koch and Thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood recording 23.05, 24.81 and 25.47 nos./10 plants, 21.27, 23.52 and 22.44 nos./2.5 cm shoot and 11.15, 12.62 and 12.19 nos./5 leaflet respectively, whereas intercropping with redgram (Cajanus cajan L.; Variety: VBN (Rg) 3), marigold (Tagetes erecta L.; Variety: MDU 1), sesame (Sesamum indicum L.; Variety: Co 1) and onion (Allium cepa L.; Variety: Co 1) recorded high mean population as compared to other cropping systems while groundnut as pure crop recorded the highest mean population of 33.14 nos./10 plants, 33.22 nos./2.5 cm shoot and 19.00 nos./5 leaflet respectively.

Prevalence of Oral Cancer Screening Practices and Awareness among the Nursing Staff of Karad City, India

Endodontics is concerned with the biology, diagnosis, and pathology of the human dental pulp and periradicular tissues. The objective of endodontic therapy is to clean, shape, and fill the root canal system in order to remove all the organic materials and seal the canal three dimensionally.1 Debridement of the root canal system is essential for endodontic success.2 Irrigation is a vital part of root canal debridement. Unfortunately, many studies have shown that the currently used chemomechanical methods of root canal preparation do not effectively debride the entire root canal system. Ideally, root canal irrigants should flush out debris, dissolve organic tissue, kill microbes, destroy microbial byproducts, and remove the smear layer.3,4 The smear layer can inlet the residue of necrotic pulp tissues and bacterial biofilms. Residual biofilms can serve as a potential source of persistent infection and treatment failure.5 Moreover, it has been indicated that the elimination of the smear layer may boost the bond strength of the filling material to canal walls.6 The irrigation of the root canal is an essential procedure in the endodontic treatment for the elimination of the smear layer. Currently, the alternate use of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) irrigants is recommended to remove both inorganic and organic components of the smear layer.7 To accomplish these objectives, there must be an effective delivery system to working length. The effectiveness of irrigants is associated with their direct association with the entire canal wall. However, this might not be achieved with conventional needle irrigation because of the complex nature of root canal anatomy.8 During the last 2 decades, the field of endodontics as a specialty has shown noticeable improvements in the development of newer materials and techniques that have significantly altered the treatment modalities and enhanced the success. Different irrigation activation techniques have been proposed to improve the efficacy of irrigation solutions within the root canal system. These 1Professor and Head, 2,3,5Postgraduate Student, 4Consultant 6Private Practitioner 1-3,5Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics Chhattisgarh Dental College & Research Institute, Rajnandgaon Chhattisgarh, India 4Department of Endodontist, Family Dental Care, Nagpur Maharashtra, India 6Divine Smile Signatures Dental Clinic, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India Corresponding Author: Aastha Tiwari, Postgraduate Student Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics Chhattisgarh Dental College & Research Institute, Rajnandgaon Chhattisgarh, India, Phone: +919039179892, e-mail: aasthatiwari66@gmail.com ABSTRACT

A study on adolescents to assess the impact of pictorial and textual warnings on panels of smoked and smokeless tobacco products in Western Maharashtra, India

Introduction: Various pictorial and textual warnings are depicted with a hope that they will deter the individuals from using tobacco and inform them regarding the risks of tobacco. Yet there is lack of information regarding the comprehension of these signs by the adolescents. Aims: The aim was to explore the perception of the adolescents regarding the pictorial and textual warnings on tobacco packs. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 500 adolescents of Satara district using simple random sampling technique. A specially designed questionnaire was administered to assess understanding, credibility and persuasiveness of the pictorial and textual warnings on panel of smoked and chewable tobacco. A model containing the pictorial and textual warnings on panel of smoked and smokeless tobacco products were shown to the study subjects. Chi-square test was used for intergroup comparisons based on gender and age of the participants. The statistical analysis of data were done using SPSS version 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Nearly one-third of the study participants had often noticed warnings on tobacco packs in the last month, had sometimes read or looked closely at the warnings on tobacco packs in the last month and had rarely talked with anyone about these warnings. About more than two-third of the study participants had found the warning related pictures as not easy to understand, not believable and that these images did not deter them from the likely use of tobacco, and it did not stop them from using tobacco. Conclusion: We can infer that the textual and pictorial warnings failed to have desired deterrent impact on the adolescent who tend to initiate or continue the tobacco use despite the warning.

Prevalence and pattern of tobacco related habits among the college students of Satara district

Introduction: Tobacco use is a leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide, more so in developing countries like India. Tobacco consumption in various forms has been an integral part of Indian culture since many decades. Since few years, the vices of tobacco consumption have come to the forefront in various populations across the world. Aims: To evaluate the prevalence and pattern of tobacco related habits and also reasons for the initiation of tobacco use among the college students in Satara district. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the selected college students in Western Maharashtra. List of colleges in Western Maharashtra was obtained and permission to conduct the study was obtained from randomly selected colleges. A standardized questionnaire (Global Youth Tobacco Survey) regarding the tobacco related habits use was administered to the study subjects. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Ver 20.0 with P < 0.05. Results: Of the total sample of 500 subjects of age group 18-25 years, 65% were males and 35% females. The prevalence of tobacco was found to be 47.2% with 44.2% among boys and 3% among girls. Association between father′s and friend′s tobacco habits was observed. Conclusions: The prevalence of self-reported tobacco consumption was substantial among the college going students of Satara district.

Utility of pediatric cariogenicity index among preschoolers of the western part of Maharashtra: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a multifactorial infectious disease occurring on one or more decayed, missing or filled tooth surfaces in a child from birth to 6 years of age. ECC results from the interaction of behavioral and biological factors including fermentable carbohydrate, plaque, and dietary patterns. Diet is a major modifiable risk factor in the initiation of ECC. Aim: The aim was to assess the utility of pediatric cariogenicity index among the Indian population. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with sample size of 400 preschool children of Satara district, western Maharashtra. Data regarding the diet were obtained from caregivers and cariogenicity indices were used to score dietary data using a food frequency questionnaire. The 24 h dietary recall was taken. Preschool children were subjected to type 3 dental examinations. Solid and liquid cariogenicity scores were assessed by Statistical analysis - SPSS v 17.0. Results: The mean deft was 1.44 (±1.20) for the subjects. Similarly, according to the calculation using 24 h recall, mean solid cariogenicity score was 2.3 (±0.9) and mean liquid cariogenicity score 4.37 (±1.5). The correlation between deft and the solid cariogenicity score was not significant (r = −0.074). The correlation between deft and liquid cariogenicity scores was significant and positive (r = 0.671). Conclusions: There was definite positive correlation of liquid cariogenic food intake with the ECC experience among the preschool children of western part of Maharashtra.

Pulp polyp - A periapical lesion: Radiographic observational study

Introduction: Pulp polyp (PP) is a chronic hyperplastic condition resulting in formation of granulation tissue and proliferative mass. The radiographic appearance of PP has innumerable presentations. Diagnosing and treatment planning of periapical lesions, heavily relies on the radiographic changes surrounding the root structures. Objective: To evaluate different radiographic periapical changes in clinically detected PP patients. Materials and Methods: Patients reporting to Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology and who were clinically diagnosed with PP by an oral diagnostician were subjected to radiographic examination. Digital intraoral periapical radiographs of 50 patients with PP were taken. Various periapical changes in the digital radiographs were recorded by a skilled oral radiologist. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS ver 17.0 and P-value was set at <0.05 as significant. Result: Periapical changes like periodontal space widening (PDLW), loss of lamina dura, periapical abscess, periapical granuloma, hypercementosis, condensing osteitis and root resorption were noted. Periodontal space widening was seen in all patients (100%), loss of lamina dura was noted in 72%, periapical rarefying osteitis in 56%, condensing osteitis in 8%, hypercementosis, periapical granuloma, and root resorption were seen in 4% of PP patients. Majority of PP were asymptomatic (66%). Pulp polyp was commonly seen in mandibular first molar followed by mandibular second molar and maxillary first molar. Statistically significant difference was noticed between periapical changes in PP patients (P value <0.0001). All PP patients showed definite periapical changes suggesting it to be a periapical lesion. Conclusion: Pulp polyp is confined to the pulpal portion of the tooth which, may or may not cause changes in periapical region. The results of the present study showed that majority of the PP patients were associated with definite periapical changes. This observation suggests that clinically detected PP are radiographically associated with definite periapical changes suggesting it to be a periapical lesion.

Performance Analysis of Adaptive DOA Estimation Algorithms for Mobile Applications

Spatial filtering for mobile communications has attracted a lot of attention over the last decade and is currently considered a very promising technique that will help future cellular networks achieve their ambitious goals. One way to accomplish this is via array signal processing with algorithms which estimate the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of the received waves from the mobile users. This paper evaluates the performance of a number of DOA estimation algorithms. In all cases, a linear antenna array at the base station is assumed to be operating typical cellular environment.