Rajiv Saini

Ozone therapy in dentistry: A strategic review.

The oral cavity appears as an open ecosystem, with a dynamic balance between the entrance of microorganisms, colonization modalities, and host defenses aimed to their removal: To avoid elimination, bacteria need to adhere to either hard dental surfaces or epithelial surfaces. The oral biofilm formation and development, and the inside selection of specific microorganisms have been correlated with the most common oral pathologies, such as dental caries, periodontal disease, and peri-implantitis. The mechanical removal of the biofilm and adjunctive use of antibiotic disinfectants or various antibiotics have been the conventional methods for periodontal therapy. Ozone (O3) is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms, and its application in medicine and dentistry has been indicated for the treatment of 260 different pathologies. The ozone therapy has been more beneficial than present conventional therapeutic modalities that follow a minimally invasive and conservative application to dental treatment. The exposition of molecular mechanisms of ozone further benefits practical function in dentistry.

Nanotechnology: The future medicine

Nanotechnology is an exciting new area in science, with many possible applications in medicine. This article seeks to outline the role of different areas such as diagnosis of diseases, drug delivery, imaging, and so on.

Oral sex, oral health and orogenital infections.

Oral sex is commonly practiced by sexually active male-female and same-gender couples of various ages, including adolescents. The various type of oral sex practices are fellatio, cunnilingus and analingus. Oral sex is infrequently examined in research on adolescents; oral sex can transmit oral, respiratory, and genital pathogens. Oral health has a direct impact on the transmission of infection; a cut in your mouth, bleeding gums, lip sores or broken skin increases chances of infection. Although oral sex is considered a low risk activity, it is important to use protection and safer sex precautions. There are various methods of preventing infection during oral sex such as physical barriers, health and medical issues, ethical issues and oral hygiene and dental issues. The lesions or unhealthy periodontal status of oral cavity accelerates the phenomenon of transmission of infections into the circulation. Thus consequences of unhealthy or painful oral cavity are significant and oral health should be given paramount importance for the practice of oral sex.

Biofilm: A dental microbial infection

Recent advances in research technology have allowed researchers to study bacteria in their natural environment. Dental biofilm forms via an ordered sequence of events, resulting in structured and functionally organized species rich microbial community and modern molecular biological techniques have identified about 1000 different bacterial species in the dental biofilm, twice as many as can be cultured. Sites for biofilm formation include all kinds of surfaces: natural materials above and below ground, metals, plastics, medical implant materials—even plant and body tissue. Wherever you find a combination of moisture, nutrients and a surface, you are likely to find biofilm. The biofilm is used to describe the communities of micro-organisms attached to a surface; such microbes are usually spatially organized into three-dimension structure and are enclosed in matrix of extracellular material derived both from the cells themselves and from the environment. Dental biofilm pathogenicity in the oral cavity is magnified by specific biofilm characteristics and modern molecular biological techniques have identified about 1000 different bacterial species in the dental biofilm, twice as many as can be cultured. Adaptation to a biofilm lifestyle involves regulation of a vast set of genes, and the micro-organisms are thus able to optimize phenotypic properties for the particular environment.

Periodontitis: A risk for delivery of premature labor and low birth weight infants.

Periodontitis is a destructive inflammatory disease of the supporting tissues of the teeth and is caused by specific microorganisms or a group of specific microorganisms. Association of periodontal infection with organ systems like cardiovascular system, endocrine system, reproductive system, and respiratory system makes periodontal infection a complex multiphase disease. Inflamed periodontal tissues produce significant amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, mainly interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), which may have systemic effects on the host. Low birth weight, defined as birth weight less than 2500 g, continues to be a significant public health issue in both developed and developing countries. Research suggests that the bacteria that cause inflammation in the gums can actually get into the bloodstream and target the fetus, potentially leading to premature labor and low birth weight (PLBW) babies. One reasonable mechanism for this is the deleterious effect of endotoxin released from gram-negative bacteria responsible for periodontal disease. Hence, periodontal disease appears to be an independent risk factor for PLBW and there is a need to expand preventive measures for pregnant women in coordination with the gynecological and dental professions.

Periodontal disease: The sixth complication of diabetes

the sixth complication of diabetes The diabetes epidemic – in Australia the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has doubled over the past 20 years, and is now occurring in children and adolescents. Research has confirmed that people with diabetes are more likely to have gingivitis and periodontal disease, particularly when diabetes is poorly controlled. Recent evidence suggests that periodontal disease may make it more difficult for people who have diabetes to control their diabetes. Special Topic No. 3

Oral lesions: A true clinical indicator in human immunodeficiency virus

From the onset of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic over 20 years ago (since the appearance of the first cases of contamination by the HIV virus in the 1980s), more than 60 million people have become infected and more than 20 million people have died. An estimated 15,000 new infections occur each day, with more than 95% of these in developing countries. The distinctive characteristic in the pathogenesis of HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is that the primary target cell for HIV is immune cells bearing the CD4 marker at their surface, and the CD4 cell count and viral load have been used lately as the most important laboratory parameters to evaluate the evolution of the disease. Oral lesions are common (30–80%) in patients infected by the HIV virus and may indicate an impairment in the patients general health status and, consequently, a poor prognosis. Oral manifestations can suggest decreased cluster-differentiated (CD4+) T cell count and increased viral load, which might also aid in diagnosis, progression, and prognosis of the disease. At the tertiary level of oral care, a dentist should be available to make definitive diagnoses of oral lesions and provide professional oral services such as prophylaxis, restorations, biopsies, and the prescription of appropriate medication.

Coenzyme Q10: The essential nutrient

This study shows that in 28% negative studies, the conclusions are incorrect as insignificant P values are used to prove null hypothesis, which is incorrect. This incorrect conclusion shows the poor knowledge of research methodology of not only the researchers but also the peer reviewers and editors of the journals. If investigators are interested in testing equivalence of interventions, different study designs, for example, studies with a non-inferiority design, should be used.[5,6] This study highlights the importance of adequate reporting of various parameters in published studies which can be useful in checking the validity of the study. The issues of underreporting of these parameters are already explored in a few studies done for western and Indian journals.[7-9] This article highlights the importance of statistical review of submitted manuscripts. All manuscripts should be sent for statistical review and every journal should have a statistical editor. It is possible that conclusions of such articles become the basis for the application of one intervention at the place of another. To avoid this, readers who identify such wrong conclusions in articles should write a letter to the editor of the respective journal in order to communicate such errors to other readers.

Periodontitis: A risk factor to respiratory diseases

189 the mucosal surface; and (4) cytokines originating from periodontal tissues may alter respiratory epithelium to promote infection by respiratory pathogens.[5] In elderly patients living in chronic care facilities, the colonization of dental plaque by pulmonary pathogens is frequent. Notably, the overreaction of the inflammatory process that leads to destruction of connective tissue is present in both periodontal disease and emphysema. This overreaction may explain the association between periodontal disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the fourth leading cause of death in the United States; these findings underline the necessity for improving oral hygiene among patients who are at risk and those living in long-term care institutions.[6] Thus, it is concluded that lesions of oral cavity have an immense impact on the quality of life of patient with complex advanced diseases.[3] Oral diseases especially periodontitis should be treated on priority basis to maintain the overall health and to minimize the risk for systemic infections and diseases.

Knowledge and awareness of Hepatitis B infection amongst the students of Rural Dental College, Maharashtra, India

Objectives : To determine the current knowledge and awareness of undergraduate dental students of Rural Dental College regarding the Hepatitis B infection. Materials and Methods : This cross-sectional observational study was conducted among the students of Rural Dental College, Maharashtra, India. Predesigned questionnaire which assessed knowledge and awareness about Hepatitis B infection and transmission was the tool of data collection. Results : A total of 150 students participated. The male female ratio was 1:2; mean age of respondents was 20.66 ± 1.01 years. On an average, 59.23 and 40.67% had correct and incorrect knowledge about Hepatitis B infection, respectively. A total of 81.55% exhibited adequate level of awareness while 18.45% exhibited incorrect level of awareness about transmission of Hepatitis B infection Conclusion : Results indicate that students had adequate awareness and perception level about awareness of Hepatitis B infection.