Practical lessons from a general dentist of more than 50 years private practice plus 2 years of United States Air Force practice

Having practiced over 54 years the art and science of general dentistry, many changes in philosophy and performance have occurred. Some are minor while others very major. This series of observations will treat some in detail while others very briefly. The physical locations have been in the Dallas, Texas area of the USA. Definitions of terms set the stage for discussion of the basis of dentistry. Support for the scientific as well as evidence-based approaches is laid forth. Filling materials have transitioned from amalgam to composite being most prevalent. Fluoride added to local water supplies has decreased the number of decayed/sensitive teeth, the timing of initial decay, and the prognosis for remediation. pH is a major player in the deterioration of tooth structure. New understandings of tooth brushing and oral hygiene have significantly improved the future for continuing dental health. Absence of fluoride in bottled water has taken a front-center stage for helping/hurting chances of keeping teeth free of decay. Fluoride varnishes have widespread acceptance in America. Failure to seek routine dental care has influenced the outcomes for many younger patients, especially those who have graduated high school, gone off to college or into the workforce. Such lack of routine preventive influence raises the costs of care when it is received, often leading to complaints from patients about the high costs of repair. The alternative is prevention with ongoing consistent 6-month recalls/repairs when problems initiate, rather than allowing problems of long duration. The USA dental insurance industry adverse impact on practicing dentists is a vital monologue. Revealing the dental insurance industry as a number one concern of many surveys of practicing dentists is a way of preparing international countries for learning from the flawed USA models. Recent Congressional law, HR 1418, the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, will address some of the most critical wrongs by placing the dental insurance industry into antitrust restraints. Current concerns about digital X-ray’s diagnostic potential are revealed. Conservative dentistry is promoted. Results of conservative practice from nearly 50 years are documented with photos and X-rays. Bonded bridge technology is highlighted for its valued impact.

Routine personal protective equipment in COVID-19 pandemic: What dentists need to know

The coronavirus pandemic of 2019 has increased the risk of occupational cross infections among dentists. Dental procedures are inherently risky in this scenario due to the need for close proximity with patients and generation of aerosols and splatters. Regulatory dental health bodies, including World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control, and American Dental Association, have devised guidelines for various forms Personal protective equipment for routine outpatient procedures during this pandemic and in the post-COVID-19 world. Stringent regulations are also advisable to conserve these resources at a time when the threat of COVID-19 is likely to persist indefinitely.

A comprehensive review of pathogenesis of mucormycosis with implications of COVID-19: Indian perspective

Mucormycosis is a deadly fungal infection that targets immunocompromised individuals. India being the “diabetes” capital of the world contributes to about 40% of global burden of the infectious disease. With the addition of COVID-19 pandemic to the equation, there has been an alarming increase in the number of reported cases of mucormycosis. The disease itself along with corticosteroid and certain other strategies used in its treatment predispose the patients to develop secondary bacterial and fungal infections. Therefore, it is imperative for clinicians to understand the pathogenesis of mucormycosis at present so that they can develop combative counter strategies. We provide a comprehensive review of the pathogenetic process of mucormycosis while also elucidating implications of COVID-19 pandemic in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of the infectious malice in an Indian background.

Deciphering dimensions of overlapping publications

Proving research efficiency and academic growth by the number of publications flag the researchers to publish more articles from a single dataset. They are crossing into unethical practices such as self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, and other research misconducts, which warrant disciplinary action against them. The thrust of this review is to draw the attention of the authors, reviewers, editors, and readers toward different dimensions of overlapping publications in research. Various guidelines and ethical bodies such as Committee on Publication Ethics and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors were considered for the review. The present review provides an expansive outline of publication overlap available in the literature. The reasons for conducting and problems associated with different types of overlapping publications are identified. Preventive and remedial measures as well as recommendations for authors, editors, and reviewers have been highlighted. Because of the strain to “publish or perish” from the researchers’ end, journals are ending up being flooded with overlapping publications.

An analysis of YouTube videos on oral hygiene practices during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to examine the usefulness and content of YouTube videos regarding additional oral hygiene practices that need to be taken during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: A search of YouTube videos was performed using the terms “oral health,” “dental hygiene,” “oral health child” and “dental hygiene child” in combination with “COVID-19”. When analyzing each video, the descriptive characteristics such as title, country of origin, date of upload, duration of the video, the number of views, comments, likes, and dislikes were recorded. The quality of the videos were assessed through indices: Video ınformation and quality ındex (VIQI), modified DISCERN, and global quality score (GQS). The content quality score of the videos was examined. Results: The majority of the analyzed videos were uploaded by health-care professionals (67%). About 40% of the videos were slightly useful, and 6% were useful. There was no statistically significant correlation between the source of upload and GQS, VIQI, total content, or modified DISCERN scores (P > 0.05). Highly-watched videos appeared to have a higher total content, VIQI, Modified DISCERN, and GQI scores than poorly-watched videos, but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: YouTube videos related to oral hygiene practices during COVID-19 pandemic were a limited source for children. Oral health-care professionals and organizations should play an active important role for providing educative oral hygiene-related information on YouTube videos.

Antibacterial efficacy of spice extracts against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus – An in-vitro study

Objectives: To evaluate the antibacterial activity of black pepper, Indian bay leaf, cinnamon, and cumin against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus in-vitro and to determine their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Materials and Methods: The spices (cinnamon, cumin, Indian bay leaf, and black pepper) were obtained from local market, were dried and powdered. Solvent extracts were prepared with methanol by maceration, followed by filtration and evaporation. The antimicrobial activity was assessed using cup plate diffusion method, followed by determination of MIC of the extracts. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s post hoc test was used for pairwise comparison. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: All the four extracts showed significant antimicrobial activity. Cinnamon demonstrated maximum activity against S. mutans (zone of inhibition of 18.1 mm ± 0.30) and L. acidophilus (zone of inhibition of 17.9 mm ± 0.44) with the least MIC against the organisms (<0.05 mg/ml). Conclusion: All the spice extracts tested demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against S. mutans and L. acidophilus. On comparison of the antibacterial activities of all the four extracts, cinnamon extract emerged as the potent agent.

Association between oral health status and family quality of life among schoolchildren – A cross-sectional study

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the association between oral health and family quality of life (QoL) among 6-12 years schoolchildren. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 schoolchildren of age group 6–12 years in Bengaluru, India. A 14-item pre-validated family impact scale (FIS) instrument was used to assess parental family QoL. The World Health Organization oral health pro forma (2013) was used to assess oral health status of children. Pearson’s correlation, Spearman’s correlation, and logistic regression analysis were performed. P <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Mean age of the study participants was 9.33 ± 1.85 years. Mean FIS score was 8.1 ± 5.5. The proportion of participants with caries experience, gingival bleeding, dental trauma, and dentinal erosion was 66%, 41%, 16%, and 17%, respectively. Children with caries experience were more likely to have family impact than those without caries (decay, missing, filled teeth) [P < 0.05]). Conclusion: There was an association between oral health status and family QoL among 6–12 years schoolchildren. Dental caries had an impact on family QoL among the schoolchildren in Bengaluru city.