Shruthi Acharya

Development and Validation of a Socio-Dental Impact Locus of Control (SILOC) Scale

Purpose: To develop a Socio-Dental Impact Locus of Control Scale (SILOC) and to study its relationship with oral health status as well as dental attendance. Materials and methods: In the pilot study, 100 students returned completed forms containing the Multi Dimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) and the (SILOC) scale. In the main study, 509 adolescent school children from three schools returned completed forms containing the SILOC scale and were examined for oral health status and dental attendance. Results: The SILOC scores highly correlated with the MHLC scores. A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.75 showed its internal consistency. Those with higher SILOC scores had greater levels of caries, plaque, gingivitis, and a history of postponing needed dental visits. Multiple logistic regression analysis after adjusting for potential confounders showed that those with high SILOC scores were more likely to be having caries (OR=3.32, p<0.001), plaque (OR=1.83, p=0.026), gingivitis (OR=1.80, p=0.012) and a history of ‘Postponement of needed dental treatment’ (OR=4.5, p<0.001) as compared to the others. Conclusion: The SILOC scale showed satisfactory reliability and validity in measuring Locus of Control orientation in relation to socio-dental impacts in an Indian adolescent population.

Unusual neoplasm on the hard palate of a child: a case report.

BackgroundMyoepitheliomas account for less than 1% of salivary gland tumors. They mostly affect the parotid glands of adults during the third to fifth decades.Case presentationA 10-year-old Indian boy reported a small swelling in the roof of his mouth of 10 days’ duration. History revealed that the lesion was painless and not associated with bleeding or pus discharge. On examination, a purplish well-circumscribed growth was noted on his posterior hard palate. Magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of a well-encapsulated hemangioma. An excisional biopsy was performed and histopathology along with immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the lesion was a spindle cell variant of benign myoepithelioma.ConclusionPalatal myoepitheliomas are rare and their occurrence in young individuals is rarer.

Hybrid ameloblastoma: An Amalgam of Rare and Conventional Ameloblastoma

Ameloblastoma is a common benign odontogenic tumor with multiple histologic types. This case report describes an unusual type of ameloblastoma called “Hybrid Ameloblastoma” with features of both follicular and desmoplastic ameloblastoma in a 50-year-old female. This is a very rare form of ameloblastoma as <30 cases have been reported so far in literature. Though this rare form of ameloblastoma is only a histologic variant, it poses a great challenge to diagnosticians and thus to surgeons as there will be mismatch of biopsy reports at different sites in the same tumor thereby changing the treatment plan. This case report is one such example of diverse presentation of this ameloblastoma with conflicting histopathological diagnosis at initial biopsy and on surgical excision.

Repeat film analysis and its implications for quality assurance in dental radiology: An institutional case study.

Context: The goal of any radiologist is to produce the highest quality diagnostic radiographs, while keeping patient exposure as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the reasons for radiograph rejections through a repeat film analysis in an Indian dental school. Settings and Design: An observational study conducted in the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal. Materials and Methods: During a 6-month study period, a total of 9,495 intra-oral radiographs and 2339 extraoral radiographs taken in the Radiology Department were subjected to repeat film analysis. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS Version 16. Descriptive analysis used. Results: The results showed that the repeat rates were 7.1% and 5.86% for intraoral and extraoral radiographs, respectively. Among the causes for errors reported, positioning error (38.7%) was the most common, followed by improper angulations (26.1%), and improper film placement (11.2%) for intra-oral radiographs. The study found that the maximum frequency of repeats among extraoral radiographs was for panoramic radiographs (49%) followed by lateral cephalogram (33%), and paranasal sinus view (14%). It was also observed that repeat rate of intraoral radiographs was highest for internees (44.7%), and undergraduate students (28.2%). Conclusions: The study pointed to a need for more targeted interventions to achieve the goal of keeping patient exposure ALARA in a dental school setting.

Oral changes in patients undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in India. Most of the patients with breast cancer are treated with chemotherapy which has multiple oral complications. Aims: The objectives of this study were to describe the occurrence of taste disturbances, xerostomia, oral mucositis, oral pigmentation, and candidal and salivary changes among patients receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer. Methods: Fifty-two women with newly diagnosed breast cancer (without distant metastasis), eligible for adjuvant/neoadjuvant chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide and adriamycin, 4 cycles × 3 weeks), were included in this study. All the observations were noted before, during (after 6 weeks of starting chemotherapy), and after the completion of chemotherapy (after 12 weeks of starting chemotherapy). Statistical Analysis Used: Variables such as mucositis, salivary flow rate, salivary pH, and candidal carriage rate were compared at baseline, and at 1st and 2nd follow-ups using Wilcoxon signed-rank test (P value corrected for α for pair-wise comparisons). Results: Mean unstimulated whole salivary flow rate reduced from 0.5 ml/min to 0.3 ml/min, and the mean colony-forming units of Candida reduced from 32.3 × 103 cells/ml to 13.1 × 103 cells/ml at the end of the study period. Xerostomia, taste disturbances, and oral mucosal pigmentation increased from 28.8% to 50%. Conclusions: There was a discernible change in oral mucosal, salivary, and candidal status during the course of the study.