The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the amount of dentifrice used, salivary flow and rinsing after brushing to the retention of residual fluoride from dentifrice use in 40 children aged (5-11) years in Bangalore City. The children were asked to brush their teeth under supervision with the given paste and brush and subsequently rinse thrice with measured amounts of the provided water. All expectorations were collected and analysed for fluorides using a fluoride ion-specific electrode. The salivary flow/min was measured separately. The amount of dentifrice used noted. These three factors were then correlated with ingestion of fluoride. The striking features of this study were: (a) Increasing ingestion with usage of a dentifrice amount greater than 6 gms. (b) There is no significant variation in ingestion to the amount of saliva secreted. (c) There is a strong correation between rinsing and ingestion. Rinsing thrice reduced ingestion by 25%. Results show that fluoride dentifrice user must be properly educated to rinse as many times as possible, after brushing, to reduce excess fluoride ingestion.

A descriptive study was conducted among a group of hearing-impaired individuals in Pondicherry to assess the oral hygiene and periodontal status. A total of 114 individuals were examined. The data was collected by direct clinical examination using appropriate indices and findings were recorded on the proforma sheets. The data were statistically processed and the results were obtained. It was concluded that most of the study population has fair oral hygiene status (77.14%) and 70% of study population require TNII and 26.47% need TNI

An oral health survey was undertaken in Hassan district of Karnataka to obtain baseline data of oral health status. A multi-stage sampling design was adopted. The results showed that 63.60% of subjects used toothbrush and paste to maintain oral hygiene. 36% reported having deleterious habits. The prevalence of dental caries in the primary dentition was 42.67% and in permanent dentition 37.51%. The dmft ranged from 1.02 in 11 years to 3.10 in 8 year age group. DMFT varied from 0.06 in 8 years to 5.05 in 65 years and over. Assessment of periodontal status showed that only a very small percentage (6.03%) of the examined sample was free from periodontal disease. The percentage of population requiring one surface filling, two or more surface filling, crown, veneer/laminate, pulpcare, extraction were 25.67%, 21.28%, 1.48%, 0.89%, 7.34% and 27.39% respectively. There was an unmet need for prosthesis particularly in the older age groups. Other disorders were found to be very minimal.

The geographic spread of the human population is varied, vast and often isolated which makes access to dental care difficult. Mal-distribution of the oral health care personnel has lead to insufficiency to cope with increasing levels of oral disease and demand for treatment. Hence alternative methods of oral health delivery is required to meet the over-whelming need of the under served and less privileged rural and urban population. This review highlights the features of a typical mobile dental clinic. The review confirms that mobile dental system is a viable means providing essential dental service and an effective oral health delivery system, especially in a developing country like India.