Pd Madan Kumar

Tobacco use among school children in Chennai city, India.

AIMS The present study was done to build a database on prevalence of tobacco use among students of grade 8 to 10 in Chennai city, for the purpose of advocacy of tobacco control and planning tobacco control interventions and evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A two-stage stratified probability sample of students in grades 8-10 corresponding to 13 to 15 years of age were selected from private/government aided private schools and purely government aided corporation schools. Data was collected by a pretested, closed-ended self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS A total of 1255 students participated in this survey. Among them 64.4 boys and 35.6% were girls. Ever tobacco use was reported by 37.6% of the students (41.6 males and 30.2% females). Current users of tobacco (any products) were reported by 41.1% of the students. Prevalence was more among boy students (46.3%) when compared to that of girl students (31.6%). There existed no significant difference between current users of tobacco based on the zones of the school. Tobacco users prevalence was found more in corporation schools when compared to that of private schools. Parental and friends tobacco use was reported more often by tobacco users compared to never users. Purchasing tobacco products in a store was reported by 82.5% and almost no one was refused because of age. Almost everyone reported watching a lot of cigarette advertisements on TV, whereas about half reported watching advertisements on other medias like outdoor hoardings (45.7%), newspapers (65.3%) and social events (67.4%). CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that among the 13 to 15-year old school going children (corresponding to grades 8 to 10) in Chennai city, the current tobacco use is high.

An assessment of groundwater quality using water quality index in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Context : Water, the elixir of life, is a prime natural resource. Due to rapid urbanization in India, the availability and quality of groundwater have been affected. According to the Central Groundwater Board, 80% of Chennais groundwater has been depleted and any further exploration could lead to salt water ingression. Hence, this study was done to assess the groundwater quality in Chennai city. Aim : To assess the groundwater quality using water quality index in Chennai city. Materials and Methods: Chennai city was divided into three zones based on the legislative constituency and from these three zones three locations were randomly selected and nine groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for physiochemical properties. Results: With the exception of few parameters, most of the water quality assessment parameters showed parameters within the accepted standard values of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Except for pH in a single location of zone 1, none of the parameters exceeded the permissible values for water quality assessment as prescribed by the BIS. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that in general the groundwater quality status of Chennai city ranged from excellent to good and the groundwater is fit for human consumption based on all the nine parameters of water quality index and fluoride content.

Knowledge and attitudes of pharmacists regarding oral health care and oral hygiene products in Chennai city

OBJECTIVES This study was done to find out the knowledge and attitudes of pharmacists regarding oral health care and oral hygiene products in Chennai city. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional survey among a sample of the pharmacists in Chennai city was done and data regarding their knowledge and attitudes towards oral health care and oral hygiene products were obtained using a closed-ended questionnaire. RESULTS Among the 60 pharmacies approached, 50 pharmacists participated in the study and completed the questionnaire. Though 48% of the participants gave a positive answer when asked whether they had met the dentist practicing close to their pharmacies, the frequency with which they met the dentist ranged from once a week (24%) to once a month (28%). Most of the pharmacists stocked oral health-related products, which comprised 15-25% of their total stock. Of these products toothpaste was the most common (62%), followed by mouth rinses (12%). Toothache or painful teeth was the most common dental problem (78%) for which patients approached the pharmacists for advice. With regard to the advice given, 38.5% of the pharmacists asked the patient to consult a nearby dentist after dispensing medications, while 22.4% of the pharmacists dispensed antibiotics and painkillers without any referral. Seventy percent of the pharmacists expressed interest in giving oral health care advice to patients. However, many of them (38%) felt that lack of proper knowledge is a barrier to providing oral health care advice. CONCLUSION It is clear from the present study that pharmacists are presently an underutilized resource, and there is a definitive need to improve their training and access to information on available dental services.

In vitro antibacterial activity of Camellia sinensis extract against cariogenic microorganisms

Context: Dental caries, a ubiquitous multifactorial infectious disease, is primarily caused by microorganisms like Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Use of antimicrobials is an important strategy to curb cariogenic microorganisms. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of C. sinensis extract on S. mutans and L. acidophilus. Study Setting and Design: Experimental design, in vitro study, lab setting. Materials and Methods: Aqueous, acetone and ethanolic extracts of C. sinensis were subjected to antioxidant analysis. The ethanolic extract was used for assessment of antimicrobial properties. Ethanolic green tea extract at ten different concentrations and 0.2% chlorhexidine was used. Microbiological investigations were carried out to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and zone of Inhibition of the test and control agents against S. mutans and L. acidophilus. Statistical Analysis: Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: MIC of green tea extract on S. mutans and L. acidophilus was found to be 0.2% and 0.3% respectively, MBC was found to be 0.8% and 0.9%, respectively. The mean zone of inhibition for 30 μl containing 300 μg of ethanolic extract of green tea and control against S. mutans were 18.33 mm and 14.67 mm, respectively. The mean zone of inhibition for 30 μl containing 300 μg of ethanolic extract of green tea and control against L. acidophilus were 12.67 mm and 7.33 mm, respectively. Conclusion: Green tea has antibacterial activity against predominant cariogenic bacteria namely S. mutans and L. acidophilus.

Contributions of Indian conservative dentists and endodontists to the Medline database during 1996-2009: A bibliometric analysis

Background: Analysis of publication trends will guide the policy framers, administrators, and dentists to frame future policies and design programs for the development of scientific and technological policies in the field of dentistry. Aims and Objectives: This study was undertaken to assess the trends in Indian Conservative dentists and endodontists’ Publication in PubMed-Medline database during 1996–2009. Materials and Methods: Using the time limitation of publication date limit of 1st January 1996 to 31st December 2009, all articles where authors’ affiliation had the words Dental AND India were selected. From this collection of articles, the following were noted down: year of publication, number of authors, name of the journal, reach of the journal, status of the journal, specialty of the first, state of origin, and type of research. From this database, the performance of department of conservative dentistry and endodontics was analyzed. Results: The number of articles published by conservative dentists and endodontists was 124. Among them, 63 got published in international journals and 61 in Indian journals. A majority of 33 journals were published in Indian Journal of Dental Research followed by 25 in the Journal of Conservative Dentistry. Out of these articles, 66 were on the basis of original research done by the authors. Nearly 45.2% of the published articles were from the institutes in Tamil Nadu, followed by Karnataka (30.6%), and Maharashtra (8.1%). Although the overall distribution of the publication trends seems to be constant from 1996 to 2006, there seems to be boom in the publication trend since 2007.

Patterns of tobacco usage among subjects with potentially malignant oral lesions or conditions in Chennai city: A comparative study

Objective: To determine the patterns of tobacco usage among subjects with potentially malignant oral lesions or conditions through a comparative study design. Methods: The study was carried out in a span of 2 months on a sample of 120 subjects; 60 in case group (30 subjects with leukoplakia and oral submucous fibrosis [OSMF], respectively) and 60 subjects in control group (30 current smokers and current chewers, respectively), attending the tobacco cessation clinic at a private dental college hospital in Chennai city. Demographic data, details of tobacco usage, and Fagerstrom nicotine dependence scores (FNTD) were recorded in a prevalidated tobacco cessation intake form. Results: Cases with leukoplakia had a higher mean FNTD score when compared to the control group (P = 0.0001). The most common form of smokeless tobacco used by case (OSMF) subjects was found to be mawa (53%) significantly higher than the control group (P = 0.05). Mean FNTD scores of mawa users were higher than other tobacco users in both case and control group. Conclusion: The current study has hence put forth the role of mawa form of tobacco in causation of OSMF at a time when implementation of tougher anti-tobacco laws is the talk of the town.

Comparison of microhardness and micromorphology of enamel following a fissurotomy procedure using three different laser systems: An in vitro study

Aim: To compare the microhardness and microstructural changes induced in pits and fissure following a fissurotomy procedure using three different light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (LASER) systems. Materials and Methods: Thirty caries free premolars, extracted atraumatically for orthodontic treatment were included in the study. Using a diamond low-speed disc, enamel blocks containing the pits and fissure were cut from the tooth and divided into three groups containing 10 samples in each (G1 - diode, G2 - carbon dioxide [CO 2 ], and G3 - erbium). The enamel blocks were mounted using self-cure acrylic resin and irradiated using the three LASER systems at lower energy densities. Post irradiation, the microhardness of enamel in the pit and fissure region was measured using Vickers microhardness test. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was done to check the microstructural changes of the lased enamel. Data obtained were subjected to Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and ANOVA with statistical significance set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: All three groups showed an increase in microhardness when compared to the value taken as control (control - 209.6, diode - 237.56 ± 19.27, CO 2 -294.92 ± 29.38, erbium - 264.39 ± 11.83). ANOVA test revealed a highly significant (P = 0.001) difference between the means of the three groups. Tukey post-hoc analysis showed that CO 2 LASER showed a higher increase in microhardness followed by erbium and diode LASER. Conclusion: This study revealed that the increase in microhardness and microstructural changes obtained with CO 2 LASER was higher than the other two LASER systems. Furthermore, diode LASER can be used as a viable option for fissurotomy procedure as it improves the hardness of enamel, with a homogenous sealing effect of the pits and fissure.