Aim: To assess the oral health status and treatment needs with special emphasis to oral mucosal lesions and wasting diseases among prison inmates of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. Methods: Data regarding oral health status was recorded on a WHO oral health assessment form 1997 using mouth mirror and CPI probe. WHO criteria for recording oral mucosal lesions were included in the form and wasting diseases were recorded using Smith & Knight index. Results: The inmates were suffering from periodontal disease with a Mean Number of Sextants for bleeding 1.3 ± 0.06, calculus 1.1 ± 0.7. Leukoplakia was found to be prevalent among 2.2% and Erythroplakia in 3.3% of study population. Wasting disease especially attrition was highly prevalent in the study population. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the standard of past oral health care for prison inmates is low. There is a need to be more attentive to oral health promotion as eventually respondents will be returning to the community.

Background: 'Destiny is decided' No doubt about it but the almighty has given us wisdom and knowledge to share and apply in a particular circumstance. One such difficult circumstance is choosing a career in dentistry in tertiary education for eg. Public Health Dentistry. The aspirations and reasons for foraying in to a particular specialty by an aspiring candidate in turn contributes a lot for the future of the particular specialty. Aim: To find out reasons for choosing Public Health Dentistry as a career option in M.D.S among the students pursuing Masters in Public Health Dentistry in state of Karnataka. Materials and methods: A questionnaire study with a cross section design, comprising of 85 students pursuing their career in Masters in Community Dentistry in all three years in state of Karnataka were included in the study. The questionnaire tries to extract information pertaining to various motives to enter in to the specialty, ranging from, financial stability, prior interest and knowledge of the prospects of subject to current status and interest in the subject and perceptions and plans of the students pertaining to their career in foreseeable future. Results: The primary reason for choosing Public Health Dentistry as a career option in M.D.S was, prior interest in the subject by 29%of repondentents. And again the favorite subject of choice before counseling was Public Health Dentistry by 27% of respondents. Teaching job 22.4 % as a frontline choice as future plans after M.D.S by respondentents is not a very encouraging trend. Conclusion: A sizable proportion of the students quoting job security as a reason for the choice of specialty is not a very encouraging trend in a long term. Many students are not aware of the future prospects the subject. There is a need to create awareness and inculcate interest among the students during their graduation. Teaching job as a preference for maximum number of candidates points towards the dearth of opportunities for dental public health professionals at the first place.

Background: There have been relatively few investigations of oral conditions of deprived children. Studies have noted that deprived children have higher level of caries and lower level of care. Objective: To assess the dental caries and oral hygiene status among the residents of observation home. To provide baseline data for developing dental health programmes to be implemented in future course. Method: A cross sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 86 residents of observation home. Specially designed proforma was used to collect the data about oral hygiene and Dental caries by using OHI-S and DMFT index, Results: 49.54% participants had decayed tooth and none of the subjects had filled teeth. Oral hygiene was found to be good. Conclusion: Results of the study are quite alarming. Immediate intervention is recommended for this group of children. Efforts must be made to encourage the authorities of observation home to promote and improve their oral health.

Dental Caries is an important public health problem. Its high morbidity potential has brought this disease into the focus of dental health professionals. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and treatment needs among 12 and 15 year old school going children of Udaipur city, Rajasthan, India. Methodology: The study population consisted of 1000 school children of both sexes (495, 12 year old & 505, 15 year old). A simple random sampling method was used to select the schools. Dental Caries was assessed using Dentition Status and Treatment Needs described by WHO (1997). Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 26.22 % among 12 year olds with 26.22% for males (mean DMFT = 1.79) and 18.51% for females (mean DMFT = 1.41) .In 15 year old children,caries prevalence was 30.80%, with 35.59% for males (mean DMFT = 2.08) and 26.02% for females (mean DMFT = 1.84). The evaluation of the treatment need revealed that the greatest need was for one surface filling followed by two or more surface fillings. Conclusion: It may be concluded that provision of oral health education in the schools and school based preventive programmes may thus help to reduce further caries prevalence in this state.

The Ottawa charter, an important milestone in Health Promotion practice worldwide, defines Health Promotion (HP) as the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. Five key strategies for HP action in the charter were developed. Most people in the developed countries enjoy all the determinants of good health, adequate income, nutrition and education, sanitation, safe drinking water and comprehensive health care. These areas are still in infancy in the developing countries. In a developing country like India, principles of Alma Ata of Primary Health Care are still followed. The urban centric style of healthcare delivery has created major health equity in our country. The essence of prevention has always been neglected in a clinical setting. A lack of adequate orientation to the upcoming graduates coupled with insufficient incentives generated through preventive model makes any health promotion in the country a difficult task. Further the health promotion programs are never evaluated due to its questionable effect. The purpose of the articles is to explore the practical applicability of the principles laid down in the Ottawa charter in India. The article stimulates discussion by setting examples and analysing the need to adapt principles of Ottawa charter

Objectives: To determine the oral health status and treatment needs of the Institutionalized elderly people of Bangalore city and to suggest plan to meet their treatment needs. Methods: All the elderly people from 52 old age homes of Bangalore were Clinical examined by criteria describe by WHO basic oral health survey 1997. A total of 1536 elderly population were examined with the age ranged from 65 to 96 years. Results: Total of 1536 elderly people was examined, their mean age for females 77.7 ± 7.22 yrs and for males 75.7 yrs ± 5.24 yrs. Subjects with gingival bleeding and calculus were 28.13% and 26.11%. Percentage of inmates with highest loss of attachment of 6-8 mm was in 17.60%, followed by 4-5 mm in 11.60%. More than 37% of the elderly people require some form of periodontal treatment and the total Mean DMFT per person was found to be 22.8. With respect to prosthetic status Number and percentage of subjects with full prosthesis were 7.3% in upper and 13.7% in lower jaw, partial denture were seen in 12.43% of upper and 12.83% in lower jaw, With respect to Prosthetic Needs Number and percentage of subjects requiring both upper and lower full prosthesis were 23.6% elderly people. Conclusion: The oral health of institutionalized elderly people in Bangalore is poor. Special training of dentists and caregivers who work in old age homes, and development of special care programmes must be evolved.

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of deciduous tooth wear in 5-10 year old school children in Lucknow and its relationship with potential explanatory factors. Materials and Methods: A random sample of 210 children (5-10 years old) of Lucknow city was selected. Clinical examinations were carried out by one examiner, using Tooth Wear Index of Smith & Knight, 1984. A questionnaire addressing the etiological factors of tooth wear was applied to parents. Results: Wear on the Cuspids was diagnosed in 52% of the children; 34% presented wear in Molars and 14% in Incisors. A significant correlation was observed between consumption of beverages and occurrence of Tooth Wear (Chi-square test, p = 0.018). Conclusion: Tooth Wear was found in 81% of children. Wear on Enamel was highest, followed by Dentine, which was significant in children having carbonated drinks, children using hard bristled toothbrush and children exhibiting nail biting habit.

Aim: To assess the Oral health knowledge, attitude and practices of Nursing Students of Sumandeep Vidyapeeth Piparia, Vadodara, Gujarat Material & Methods: The study population comprised of 97 under graduate Nursing students. All the nursing students of Sumandeep Vidyapeeth were included. A self designed, pre-tested, close-ended questionnaire was developed for collection of data consisting of 23 questionsregarding oral health knowledge, attitude and practice and also to assess the oral health knowledge, attitude and practices of Nursing Students. Statistical analysis was done using chi-square test and p < 0.05 was selected in describing the level of significance. Result: Nursing student's knowledge regarding oral health was57.7% while attitude and practice were 67% and 53.6% respectively.92% of nursing students had positive attitude towards incorporation of oral health information in their study course while the main source of knowledge for the 72.2% of subjects was dentist. Conclusion: Nursing student's knowledge regarding oral health was satisfactory while attitude and practice were poor.The nursing student's were moderately informed regarding various issues pertaining to oral health. However, a few deficiencies were noticed in this regards and recommendations have been suggested.

Aims and objectives: (i) To assess the prevalence of dental fluorosis among the school children (ii) To estimate fluoride level in drinking water source in Enjilgere village known for endemic flourosis. (iii) comparison of two indices measuring dental fluorosis. Study subjects and Methods: 125 school children of government school were included. Demographic data was collected followed by general and oral examinations. Prevalence of dental fluorosis was assessed using Deans Fluorosis index (T.H.Dean, 1942) and Severity was assessed using Tooth Surface Fluorosis Index (TSIF)(Horowitz, 1986). Water samples were collected and fluoride in water was assessed in Public Health Institute. Results: The overall prevalence of dental fluorosis was 69.3%. The mode of Dean's Score for Dental Fluorosis was 2, highest score was 4 and for TSIF score was 2 but the severity assessed by TSIF was score 7. The fluoride content of the drinking water samples ranged from 1.57-2.22 ppm Conclusion: Increase in fluoride concentration in the drinking water, resulted in increased prevalence of Dental Fluorosis in this village and TSIF was more sensitive index for assessing dental fluorosis .

Back Ground and Objectives: Fluoride has been the corner stone and integral part of the preventive programs worldwide. The present study was undertaken with the objective to assess caries preventive effect, feasibility and cost of fluoride varnish and fluoride mouth rinse programs for preventing dental caries. Methods: 228 children in age group of 12 to 14 year were selected and are randomized in to three groups. Group 1 (77 children)-receiving fluoride varnish and placebo mouth rinse, Group 2 (75 children) - receiving fluoride mouth rinse and placebo varnish and Group 3 (76 children) - Control group. A double blind design was adopted. Caries diagnostic criteria given by Nyvad and Colleagues (1999) was adopted and caries was diagnosed clinically at both cavitated and non-cavitated lesion at 6 months, 12months and 18 months. Results: Fluoride varnish has an efficacy value of 33.26% where as efficacy of mouth rinse is 31.51% along with an increment of 13.7%DMFS in control group at the end of 18 months. A total of 66.86% (113/169) initial lesions in the varnish group and 66.25% (108/163) of the lesions in mouth rinse group healed at eighteen months compared to baseline. A total of 1.46 and 1.44 surfaces are saved per child in terms of noncavitated lesions at 18 months. There is substantial saving of costs in varnish group i.e four times than the conventional restorative treatment. Interpretation and Conclusion: Fluoride varnish and fluoride varnish are effective practical, feasible and cost saving procedures at primary health care level in school settings.

Aim: The present study has been done to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and oral hygiene practice amongst the students studying in Management Institutes in city of Lucknow. Materials and Method: The colleges included in the study have been chosen by simple random sampling method from which a sample of 1470 students was taken. A questionnaire was filled which contained 30 close ended questions. Result: The study showed weak positive correlation between Knowledge and Attitude (r = 0.328) while weak positive correlation was also observed between Attitude and Practice (r = 0.377). The correlation between Knowledge and Practice was very weak and almost negligible (r = 0.197). All the correlations were statistically significant (p<0.01). Conclusion: On assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice level of oral hygiene amongst the students studying in Management institutes in city of Lucknow, it was seen that knowledge level scored the minimum whereas level of attitude amongst the students scored the maximum

Aim: The present study has been done to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of oral health among chicken-kari workers of Lucknow city. Material and Method: The sample size of 1500 workers was conveniently selected by simple random sampling method. The city of Lucknow was geographically divided into five zones. The data collection was done with a close-ended pre-tested questionnaire which comprised of 25 questions. Result: Majority of the chicken-kari workers had fair knowledge about number of permanent teeth (70.1%), types of teeth (72.4%) but they had poor knowledge about causes of dental caries (21.3%) and fluoride tooth paste use (35.8%). The chicken-kari workers had poor attitude about daily brushing (30.7%) and rinsing mouth after meal (30.4%). Only 31.6% of the chicken-kari workers had the opinion that dentist should be consulted for regular check up of their teeth. ONly 36.1% of the chicken-kari workers went to dentist in case of problem in teeth. It was alarming to note that 71.5% of the workers had adverse habit of chewing tobacco/pan masala. Conclusion: On assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of oral health among chicken-kari workers of Lucknow city, it was seen that education should be provided to chicken-kari workers in overcoming their few short comings with special practices such as use of fluoridated toothpaste, maintenance of oral hygiene by a dentist and regarding the ill effects of chewing tobacco/pan masala. Health authorities should develop community oriented, oral health care programs for further improvement of oral self care practices, regular dental visiting habits among the chicken-kari workers and thus pave a secure way in establishing oral health.

Oral health is an integral part of general health. There are a number of diseases of the oral cavity which affects the oral health. Oral malodour also reflects the condition of the oral cavity. It is associated with a number of factors, conditions and diseases. Periodontal diseases commonly results in bad breath. Oral malodour is an important sign and symptom while it is usually due to benign disorders it may be the first manifestation of a serious or even fatal disease. Therefore, a proper diagnosis and determination of the etiology of oral malodour is important for its proper treatment. Hereby, the knowledge regarding malodour is of high public health importance.

Objectives: To assess dentition status and treatment needs and association with socioeconomic status, gazetted status and oral hygiene practices among state government employees in Shimla city, Himachal Pradesh in India Design: Cross-sectional study. Participants: This study was conducted on 1008 dentate subject 705 (69.9%) males and 303 (30.1%) females out of 10908 government employees. Data regarding dentition status and treatment needs was recorded on a W.H.O. format 1997. Type III examination was conducted under good illumination by the investigator himself. Results: Total teeth examined were 29575 out of which 14.84% were decayed. Overall mean DMFT was 3.29 (1.86). Females were reported significantly higher (p<0.05) DMFT 3.49 (2.31) than males 3.12 (1.42).Subjects with higher SES had lesser mean DMFT than lower SES. Employees who brush their teeth once a day presented with higher DMFT than those who brush once daily. The difference was highly significant (p < 0.001).Gazetted officers had significantly lower (p<0.05) mean DMFT than non gazette employees. 'D' component presented the major proportion of the caries index. Conclusions: A preventive and curative oral health policy for the government employees in Shimla city needs to be planned and implemented to maintain their commitment in their official work.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of different aids for tongue cleaning- Tongue scraper, Tooth brush, Back side of tooth brush head and Neem stick. Materials and methods: It is a double blind randomized clinical trial, in which 120 volunteers (paramedical students) were selected for the study and randomly allocated into 4 groups. The supervised tongue cleaning was done in the department. Before and after cleaning, the scores were recorded by a calibrated examiner according to Lee tongue coating index. Results: All the groups using tongue cleaning materials showed a significant reduction in tongue coating. The tongue cleaning efficacy was most in TS group followed by TB group, NS group and least was in BTB group. In inter group comparison there was no significant difference between the post scores of TB group and NS group. All the other differences were highly significant. Conclusion: All the materials used in the study to clean the tongue removed the tongue coating to a significant level and so might be helpful in reducing oral malodor.

A Journal Club is a group of individuals who meet regularly to critically evaluate recent articles in scientific literature. Journal clubs are usually organized around a defined subject in basic or applied research. The general purpose of a journal club is to facilitate the review of a specific research study and to discuss implications of the study for clinical practice. There are many advantages of participating in a journal club, including keeping abreast of new knowledge, promoting awareness of current nursing research findings, learning to critique and appraise research, becoming familiar with the best current clinical research, and encouraging research utilization. Several factors are key in promoting a successful journal club, including promoting interest, attendance, and involvement. The value of a journal club is that it can promote a better understanding of the research process and an improved ability to critically appraise research

Oral health is an integral part of overall health and general well being. Untreated oral disease in children frequently leads to serious general health problems, significant pain, and interference with eating as well as lost school time. To plan for the optimum dental care facilities, it is essential to have a baseline data about the gravity of the problem in the existing system. The dental caries experience varies greatly among countries, even within a country and from region to region. In India, several studies have been carried out in the past on prevalence of dental caries and the treatment needs of varied populations. In the present study we have made an attempt to assess and compare the caries experience among government and private sector school going children in Chandigarh region.

Aim/objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) regarding bioterrorism amongst the medical and dental interns of Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical and Dental College, Deemed University, Pune, Maharashtra (India). Materials and methods: A cross sectional study with validated self administered questionnaire was conducted amongst dental interns (n = 71) and medical interns (n = 64), who were present on the day of the survey. Pre-testing and internal consistency of the questionnaire was measured. Statistical analysis was done using chi-square test. Results: Almost 75% of medical and dental interns were aware of bioterrorism. But 87% of dental and 40% of medical interns were unaware of the highest priority pathogens, and 87% of dental and 59% of medical interns believed that dentists do have a role to play during bioterror attack. Conclusion: Medical interns had better knowledge, attitude and practice as compared to dental interns. But syllabi for both faculties are insufficient to provide basic information regarding bioterrorism. Hence there is need for curriculum reform as well as need for new training courses on preparedness against bioterrorism.

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of Burnout and its relation to various factors among Dental practitioners of Bangalore city. All practicing dentists of Bangalore city aged 30 years and above were included in this study. The names and addresses of the dentists were obtained from the voters list of the Karnataka State Dental Council, Maslach's Burnout inventory was adopted for the measurement of Burnout. The study revealed that the overall prevalence of Burnout in the population studied was 40%. Age of the subjects was found to be strongly associated with Burnout (42.2 ± 5) years compared to non Burnouts (39.85 ± 6) (P <0.01) and statistically significant difference in the proportion of burnout was observed among males and females [p 0= 0.43 males and p = 0.30 females (,Z,= 1.96, P<0.05].

Aim: The present study has been done with the aim to assess the prevalence and treatment needs of dental caries among 12 and 15 years old school going children in Lucknow city. Materials and Method: Total sample of 1040 children was randomly selected for the study. A total of 20 schools were selected by lottery method for the study. WHO proforma (1997) was used to examine the children. Results: The prevalence of dental caries in 12 years old children was 57.7% and in 15 years old children was 48.5%. The treatment needs assessed were 48.2% females and 52.1% males amongst 12 years required one surface filling and amongst 15 years 43.2% females and 48.2% males required one surface filling. Conclusion: As it was seen the prevalence of dental caries was high in the school going children of Lucknow city. Thus the need to impart knowledge about maintaining of oral hygiene is very important.

Background: Dental caries has afflicted man since agriculture replaced hunting and gathering. Man became more dependent on plant food. However, the prevalence of caries was considerably less in ancient times that of today. Objective: To assess the oral health status and treatment needs of Lambanis and to suggest measures for improving their oral health status. Methods: All the available population were examined in their habitat. A total of 554 Lambanis and 205 Nonlambanis. Examination was done in natural day light using mouth mirror and CPITN probe. Data was recorded in printed WHO oral health assessment form (1997) modified. Information about oral hygiene practices, diet, and habits was collected through interviews. Results: The DMFT value was 0.79 in Lambanis and 1.55 in NonLambanis. The prevalence of periodontal diseases was 56.67% and 48.29% respectively. The difference was not statistically significant (p<0.05). The Treatment needs of both Lambanis and NonLambanis are high. Oral hygiene practice followed by NonLambanis was much better than Lambanis. It is interesting to find that 18.38% of Lambani females consume alcohol, which may be due to their cultural beliefs, customs and illiteracy.

Objectives: The present study was conducted to assess the oral health knowledge, attitude and practices among the residents of Saraswathi nagar Nellore. To educate them on common oral health problems, methods of prevention and on self referral for the treatment of common oral health problems at the earliest. Methodology: A Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the 392 house holds. One person in each house hold was involved in the study. A specially designed closed ended questionnaire consisting of 18 questions to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice toward oral health was used. Results: About 92% of the total respondents felt that good oral health maintains general health. 65.5% of the total respondents knew that regular visit to dentist keeps away dental problems but about 43.87% of the respondents didn't visit dentist regularly, when asked related to attitude of participants towards dental treatment 29.34% of total respondents felt that cleaning teeth results in loosening of teeth and about 33.6% felt that removal of teeth results in loss of eye sight. 85% of the respondents cleaned their tongue regularly, 52% of the total respondents did not massage their gums after brushing. Conclusion: Findings of this study showed that there was no proper utilization of dental services and significant misconceptions regarding dental treatment among the participants'.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of oral submucous fibrosis among people in periurban areas in the city of Lucknow, aged 15 years and above. Material & Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to access the prevalence of oral submucous fibrosis in peri-urban areas of Lucknow city, among 1000 subjects using a multistage random sampling technique. Subjects were interviewed with the help of a pretested proforma. The clinical diagnosis of OSMF was made when patient showed characterstic features of OSMF, including intolerance to spicy foods, blanching and stiffness of the oral mucosa, presence of palpable bands in the buccal or labial mucosa and difficulty in mouth opening and protruding the tongue. The statistical analysis was done with SPSS software version I1.5. Results: The prevalence of oral submucous fibrosis in the study population was 4.2%. Maximum numbers of oral submucous fibrosis diagnosed subjects were males 34(81.0%). In the study population, 62 (6.2%) had difficulty in tongue mobility, 69 (6.9%) had difficulty in mouth opening, 48 (4.8%) had blanching & stiffness of oral mucosa and 42 (4.2%) had presence of fibrous bands. Among the 42 subjects dignosed with oral submucous fibrosis, all the symptoms were present. Conclusion: The observations and findings of the study clearly indicate that prevalence of OSMF among study population of the peri-urban areas of Lucknow is on the rise. Preventive measures like awareness programs should be started as early as possible.

Background: Oral diseases are highly prevalent among children and their consequences are harsh resulting in chronic pain, missed school days, poor nutrition and poor self esteem. Hence the present study was conducted to assess the oral health status of school children which would help in planning and implementing necessary preventive measures. Aims and Objectives: Aim of the study- To assess the oral health status of 9-11 year old government school children of Bangalore city. Objectives- To assess the prevalence of dental caries, gingival status, plaque accumulation and dental fluorosis among school children using DMFT and deft indices, Loe and sillness index,. Modified Quigley-hein plaque index and Dean's fluorosis index respectively. Material and Methods: A school based survey was conducted using stratified random cluster sampling technique among 8 government schools of Bangalore city. Study population comprised of 1217 school children aged 9-11 years. Results: Overall caries experience was 64.9% with no gender predilection. Mean GI score was 1.58 and PI score was 1.63 & children with oral hygiene practices like use of toothbrush & twice daily brushing had significantly lower Gingival and plaque index scores. Only 12% of the children had dental fluorosis. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there is great need of oral health assessment and providing dental health education at an early age including school based preventive programmes, which would help in improving dental behaviour and attitude which is beneficial for lifetime.

Aim: To describe the ethical issues that postgraduate dental students perceive while doing clinical practice in dental college. Method: 107 postgraduate students in the dental college participated in the study. A self designed 7 itemed open ended questionnaire that provided opportunity for students to present their perceived ethical dilemmas perceived during their BDS or MDS course including how they might handle the situation should they encounter a similar circumstance in future was given to the postgraduate students to fill. Fifty randomly selected papers were reviewed in order to develop preliminary categories for the ethical issues described by the students. Twenty five different papers were then selected for a trial consensus coding. All data were entered using Microsoft Excel 2007 and frequency data were calculated using SPSS 15.0. Results: The most often identified ethical issue were financial constraints (22.43%), truth telling or disclosure (19.63%), patient/parent refusal of treatment plan (17.76%). 36 % responded that they would change their plan to the ideal treatment plan for that case and 28 % of the students reported that they would be truthful to the patient if a similar situation arises in their practice in future. Conclusion: Ethical dilemmas are a part of the student life and though students may deviate from the path of ethics at certain circumstances, the majority of them assure that they will not deviate from the ethical principles if a similar situation arises in the future.

Objective: To know the emergence of permanent teeth among school children of Mysore city. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on a sample of 525 school children from schools of Mysore city. Data was collected in Performa for the gingival emergence of all the permanent teeth both in maxilla and the mandible except for third molars. Data was analyzed using SPSS statistical package for social sciences version 10.0 software packages. Results and Conclusion: Maxillary Central incisors, lateral incisors, canine, first and second molars emerged earlier in girls when compared to boys. For boys central incisors lateral incisors canine first molar and second molar emerged earlier in mandible compared to maxilla and the Sequence of eruption for girls was M1 I1 I2 C P1 P2 M2 and for boys was M1 I1 I2 P1 P2 C M2.

Aims: The present study was done to examine caries prevalence and treatment needs among 19-25 year-old Engineering students of Lucknow city, Uttar-Pradesh. Methods and Material: The engineering colleges included in the study have been chosen by random sampling method and a sample size of 505 was drawn symmetrically from these colleges. The clinical assessment of dental caries and treatment needs was done by Dentition status and Treatment needs index according to (W.H.O 1997) criteria. Statistical analysis used: The differences in proportions were tested by using Chi-square test. Evaluation of mean DMFT among different age groups was done using ANOVA while comparison of mean DMFT between two genders was done using Student "t"-test. The p-value was considered to be significant. All the analysis was carried out using SPSS -15.0 version. Results: In the present study overall caries prevalence was among 56.5% and 53.4% of male and female students respectively. Higher percentage of decayed teeth were seen in males of all age groups (72.1%) as compared to females (71.6%).Similarly mean DMFT was higher for males as compared to the females. One surface restoration and two-surface restoration was treatment of choice for both the males and females.

Research process comprises of various steps in which the method of data collection is one of the important steps in the research process. Questionnaire is the frequently used tool in surveys for data collection. The two issues one has to consider in research are the accuracy and practicality. Basic steps involved in questionnaire development are listing the key variables, deciding on the information required, determining the sequence of questions, determining the types of questions, presenting and pretesting the questionnaire. Questionnaire development is both an art and a science. Presentation and layout forms the art part of questionnaire; formulating questions, sequencing questions and pretesting forms the science part of the questionnaire. To be a successful tool, researcher has to follow all above mentioned steps diligently followed by pretesting of questionnaire. Pretesting involves checking reliability, validity and practicality. Revisions are made accordingly before administering tool in main study.

Background: Excessive intake of fluoride from dietary sources increases the risk of dental fluorosis. Consumption of carbonated drinks has increased over the years. Some children may receive substantial intake of fluoride from soft drinks, but there is a lacunae in literature regarding the fluoride content in beverages. Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze the fluoride concentration in carbonated drinks which are from international brands and those manufactured locally. Materials and Methods: Samples of the carbonated drinks were analyzed using Fluoride ion specific electrode Results: The mean fluoride concentration of carbonated drinks from international brands ranged from 0.4ppm - 0.5ppm and those available locally ranged from 0.1ppm- 0.16ppm. Students-t test was used to find the significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: The findings suggest that it forms an additional source of fluoride exposure for the population

Aim: To find out the retrospective incidence of cancer patterns at a cancer institute in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh over a period of one year. Methodology: Retrospective analysis of hospital records was undertaken to find incidence and distribution of cancer among patients attending an cancer institute during January 2009 to December 2009. Emphasis was given to age, gender and site distribution of oral cancer. Results: A total of 2435 cases reported to the institute with various cancers with male female ratio of 1:4. Breast cancer was the most common cancer reported. Oral cancer accounted for 5.6% of all cancers. Among Oral cancers, tongue was the most common site to be involved among males and buccal mucosa among females. Conclusions: Breast cancer was most common followed by cancer of Cervix and Stomach. Oral cancer was fourth in the order of occurrence. Buccal mucosa was the most common site followed by tongue. The least common site affected with Oral cancer was lip.

Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices towards oral health among Anganwadi workers. And perceived role of anganwadi workers in promoting oral health. Methodology: A total of 104 Anganwadi workers of the Mysore City, Urban were interviewed at their monthly meetings and the purpose of the study was explained. A specially designed, close ended questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge, attitude and practices towards oral health. For the purpose of analysis, an ordinal scale was developed by using Hamilton and Coulby (1991) formula. Results: Only 16.7% of Anganwadi workers had good knowledge, 51% had a favourable attitude towards oral health. A majority i.e. 94.1% of the workers were using tooth brush and paste. Only 18% of the workers were brushing twice daily and 60% of the workers had gone for dental consultation. Conclusion: Since, the subject of oral health is not included in the training curriculum, the Anganwadi workers lack knowledge about oral health. There is a real need to educate them on oral health in order to reach children at an early and receptive age.

Aim: To assess and compare the periodontal health status of 12 and 15 years old urban and rural school children of Lucknow. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional study was designed on 1198 school going children aged 12 and 15 year. The study consisted of 2 parts; the first part was a questionnaire which consisted of demographic informations, educational status, oral hygiene practices, habits related to oral cavity, adverse habits and dietary pattern. The second part consists of clinical assessment using Gingival index, Oral Hygiene Index -Simplified, Community Periodontal Index. Result: Statistically significant difference was noted in urban and rural on the basis of OHI-S, Gingival index and CPI scores. Genderwise there was no significant difference. Conclusion: School children attending urban Schools had significantly better periodontal health than rural children.

Despite advances in both pain control and patient management, dental fear remains a serious issue for patients and dental clinicians. Associations have been found between dental fear and less frequent dental visiting, poorer oral health, and greater functional impairment with the subject ending up as a dental cripple. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of dental fear reported by a group of 12 - 15 year old high school children belonging to low socioeconomic status (SES) and to explore the relationship between dental fear and age and gender. Using Prasad's social classification, only children of low SES were included. A group of 1452 children with a mean age of 13.56 1.04 years from 8 government high schools in Bangalore city took part in this study. The dental fear was assessed using the single item Dental Anxiety Question. The prevalence of high dental fear was found to be 23.6%. Though dental fear did not show any correlation with age, it was significantly higher among females when compared to males. Given the high prevalence of dental fear in children of low SES, there are clear clinical implications for oral health professionals in terms of both fear identification and treatment.

Geographic tongue is a very descriptive name for one of the most common medical conditions of the tongue. This is manifested as several large, red, slightly depressed, usually smooth patches on the dorsum of the tongue. The etiology and pathogenesis of geographic tongue are still poorly understood. Geographic tongue is commonly reported in adults but both of the cases reported here belong to pediatric age group. As a red and white lesion, geographic tongue may produce cancer anxiety in patients.

Background: Rampant type of dental caries is observed in healthy adult patients who have no relevant medical or drug history which involves more than 1/3rd of the dentition. Objective: To assess the various risk indicators associated with dental caries in caries rampant adult patients who are visiting outpatient department of St Joseph Dental College, India. Methods Design: Case-control study. Setting: Out patient department of St Joseph Dental College, Eluru, India. Participants: A sample of 224 patients out of which 112 were cases and 112 were controls. Method of data collection: Data collected by using a questionnaire for preliminary data, clinical examination and blood investigation. Results: The mean DMFT for cases and controls is 20.38 and 3.2. Among the factors considered in this study, Significant associations with dental caries experience was found with only two factors such as stimulated salivary flow rate and haemoglobin levels Conclusions: Stimulated salivary flow rate and haemoglobin levels are inversely proportional to caries experience. Well designed longitudinal follow up study is needed to confirm risk factors for rampant type caries in this population groups.

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate clinically the efficacy of the Neem mouthwash on common microbial flora of mouth. Materials and Method: This was double-blind, randomized, parallel study design. Ninety subjects were randomly assigned in to three groups. (30-Neem, 30-Chlorhexidine and 30-Distilled water). Interventions consisted of a 15 days therapy of the 25% Neem mouthwash, 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate (positive control) and distilled water (negative control) respectively. The subjects were supervised to rinse approximately 15ml of mouth rinse for 30 seconds, twice per day for 15 days. The microbial assessment for saliva responsible for dental caries and periodontal disease was assessed before and after treatment. Results: The data shows that a mouthrinse based on the Neem is equally effective in reducing microbial flora responsible for dental caries and periodontal disease. Conclusion: Microbial analysis indicates that 25% Neem mouth wash has significant role in reducing the common microbial flora (responsible for dental caries and periodontal diseases).

This study was conducted in order to identify the literature on pregnancy & oral health related quality of life, review the findings systematically, and assess the association between them. A literature search was performed of reports published till date, using three databases including Pubmed/ Medline & Cochrane library. Only studies that have assessed oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) in pregnancy with six validated generic OHRQoL instruments were selected. The reviewers evaluated selected articles independently and selected articles respectively with agreement out of 45 articles. All the four were cross-sectional studies, selected for review showed a significant impact of pregnancy on OHRQoL. Observational studies were concerned mainly with the number of permanent teeth, use and type of prosthesis, presence of untreated carious lesions, oral pain, periodontal health and gingivitis. Painful mouth, difficulty in eating, oral pain, cleaning teeth, bleeding gums contributed to reduce OHRQoL during pregnancy. Assessment of OHRQoL in pregnancy with validated instruments remains insufficient. The present findings suggest that pregnancy could affect OHRQoL in some settings, however further evidence is needed to support this interpretation.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of three different bristle designs (Zig-zag, Wavy, Flat-trim) of manual toothbrushes on plaque removal. Materials and Methods: The study was an investigator-blind, randomized three-visit parallel design study for 12 weeks. Three different types of commercially available manual toothbrushes with different pattern of bristle arrangement (Flat-Trim, Wavy pattern and Zig-Zag) were selected. 30 subjects were allotted in each group. The plaque was examined using Turesky-Gilmore-Glickman modification of the Quigley Hein plaque index. Plaque score were recorded at baseline and follow-up was done at 6 weeks and 12 weeks. The Mean Plaque Score (MPI) was determined for each subject. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The baseline mean plaque scores were balanced between all the three groups with the mean score slightly higher in Group B (2.32 ΁ 0.32). Compared to the baseline scores, at the end of 6 weeks and 12 weeks, a significant reduction in the mean plaque scores was observed for all the three groups (p = 0.000). However, though there was a reduction in the mean plaque scores from 6 to 12 weeks, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that all the three different bristle design of manual toothbrushes significantly reduced the plaque scores from baseline scores yet no significant differences were observed between the three groups

Background: The elderly population in India has been growing steadily since the last century. Certainly, the improving living conditions, advances in medicine and the biomedical sciences have been major factors in the increase of life expectancy. It is known that good oral health is a critical factor in maintaining general health which is no exception in older people. Despite this, geriatric oral health has not been regarded as important in our country. Objectives: Hence the objective of this study was to explore the private dental practitioners' knowledge and perceptions about aging, psycho-social influencers and oral health care of their geriatric patients. Methods: This is a descriptive study based on a questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 30 structured questions about the aging, health problems of older people and social concerns that may influence the oral health care requirements of elderly patients. It was conducted among randomly selected 200 private dental practitioners in the Bangalore city. Results: The results showed that the 55% of the practitioners have moderate to high correct response rate regarding the knowledge of aging. 80-90% of practitioners believe that transportation, financial and family problems are the top three barriers in causing the older patients to miss their appointments. Existence of a serious illness is the major mental health factor which influences the oral health of older adults. Being independent is the major physical factor influencing the oral health and among the social factors isolation is the most influential. Conclusion: The knowledge regarding aging was found to be moderate among the dental practitioners. The results indicate a need to include geriatric dentistry in curriculum.

Objectives: To assess oral hygiene practices and deleterious habits related to oral health among students studying in dental institution in Bangalore, India. Materials and methods: In a cross-sectional study, 294 dental students (156 males and 138 females) were surveyed using a self structured close ended questionnaire including 18 questions. The data was subjected for statistical analysis. Results: Among first year students, 84.1% of them were brushing once daily whereas 56.9% of the interns were brushing twice daily. Almost 98% of the first year students were not using floss whereas approximately 22% of the interns were using floss. Among first year students, 42.7% participants and 35.1% among second year were smokers. Smoking habit was less among final year participants (21.1%) and interns (29.4%). Consumption of Smokeless tobacco was maximum by second year students (14%) and least by 11.8% interns. Very few students (10.6% of third year and 5.9% of interns) had habit of alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Besides the positive changes revealed in the oral hygiene practices and deleterious habits related to oral health among the students passing through the undergraduate curriculum from first to final year of dental studies, preventive behavior among the students could still be improved, which can bring positive changes in oral health of these students and their society.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to obtain the prevalence of malocclusion traits in school children aged between 12-15 years using IOTN index and also ascertain a specific treatment need based on its severity. Materials and Methods: Assessment of the prevalence of malocclusion and treatment need was done by the examiner using the Dental Health Component (DHC) and Aesthetic Component of IOTN index. Data was fed into the computer and analysed using the SPSS 9.0 version and the Chi-square test. Results: On the whole, 21.6% had DHC Grade 1 and "No treatment" need 31.0% had DHC Grade 2 and "Little treatment" need, 23.8% had DHC Grade 3 and "Moderate treatment" need, 21.9% had DHC 4 and "great treatment' need and 1.7% had DHC Grade 5 and "very great treatment' need.

Evidence based dentistry is an emerging concept in the practice of dentistry. The practice is becoming more complex and challenging because of the continuous changes in dental materials and equipments. Therefore, there is a need to provide best quality care based on the current evidence. Evidence-based practice integrates the best available evidences with clinical experience and what a patient prefer in making clinical decisions. The use of evidence-based dentistry may help in the reducing the variations in patient care and outcomes.

Human identification is a universal process of certification of death and for personal, social and legal reasons. Lip prints are unique and do not change during the life of a person. So it can be taken as one of the person identification tool. The present study was aimed to find out whether there are any peculiar / common lip patterns found among males and females and to determine the frequency and repetition of different lip patterns in each quadrant of lip among the same subject. The present study was conducted among 210 subjects, aged 5-70 years. The lip-imprints were taken by researcher 1 and analysis of different lip patterns was performed by researcher 2. Results showed that 91.4% males and 89.4% females were positively identified. It has been found that Type I, I-, II patterns were most commonly found in females, while Type III and Type IV lip patterns in males. As per the quadrant wise analysis the most frequent lip pattern in males and females in upper right quadrant was Type III (53.3%) andType II (52.2%), in upper left quadrant Type III (65.7%) and Type II (44.8%), in lower right quadrant Type IV (47.6%) and Type II (45.7%) and in lower left quadrant it was Type III (65.7%) and Type I (33.3%) respectively. The study concludes that, quadrant wise determination of the lip patterns may aid in confirmation of the sex of an individual.

Aim: Firstly, conduct a survey in all the dental colleges in India to collect information of the health education activities undertaken in their respective Public health dentistry department and Secondly, to review the literature, to know the applicability of IT for health education and recommend e-health education methods which can be included in the dental curriculum. Material and Methods: A multi-centre study was conducted among the 291 dental colleges in India. 7 item structured questionnaire was used and data was collected by telephonic interview. Pubmed search was initiated to obtain information on the applicability of IT in health education. Results: Of the 291 dental colleges, survey was completed in 193 colleges. The most common location for health education was schools. Lecture and demonstrations were widely used methods and visual and audio visual aids were used for health education. Only 21.2% reported of selecting urban location for health education. 77% always targeted lower class for health education. Literature review showed that CD-ROMS, Computer games, Internet and mobile phone applications and teledentistry can be successfully used by the dental students for health education. Conclusion: Keeping abreast with the developing advances in IT, the dental students should be given assignments based on e-health education methods

Objective: Stress adversely affects various health behaviours. Oral hygiene behaviour, however has been rarely studied in this context. The present study aims to assess the effects of academic stress on oral hygiene behavior and gingivitis. Design: In a case control design 30 pairs of dental students,each consisting of 1 student participating in a major academic exam (case) and 1 student not participating in any exams (control) were studied. Methods: A professional tooth cleaning was performed 4 weeks prior to exams for obtaining Dental plaque score and gingival scores. Immediately prior to professional tooth cleaning and on the last day of exams plaque levels Dental plaque score and gingival scores were assessed.Self reported oral hygiene behavior was assessed using a multiple-choice questionnaire. Results: No group differences were observed at the beginning of the exam period; however significant higher rates of plaque (P<0.001) and gingivitis (P<0.001) were observed in exam students as compared with controls after exams. Group difference were observed in oral hygiene behavior also. Conclusions: The study illustrates the clinical significance of effects of stress on gingival inflammation and oral hygiene behaviour.

Complete edentulism has great impact on a patient's life style and quality, several reports have been published evaluating patient's satisfaction with complete denture and to identify the reasons some patients are difficult to satisfy. Patients denture satisfaction questionnaire based on visual analogue scale was used to evaluate the patients satisfaction with their denture. 60 patients were treated with complete denture and results showed that 61.6% were moderately satisfied, 65% (retention) 65% (stability), 78.33% (ability to speak), 78.33% (comfort), 85% (comfortable in chewing soft food), 78.33% (comfortable in chewing tough food), 65% (comfortable in chewing hard food). Therefore, it is highly recommended that the technician and doctor should incorporate modification into their procedure for fabrication of denture as it reduces patient's dissatisfaction.

Objectives: To assess the dental caries status and treatment needs of sportspersons in Mysore city and to suggest suitable measures to improve their existing oral health status. Methodology: A total of 549 sportsmen who were active in sports and the same number of individuals with same age and sex selected randomly from the respective schools and colleges of the sportsmen, who are not active in sports, were examined. Information regarding age, sex, education, visit to dentist, oral hygiene practices, dietary habits and sport activities were collected using a predesigned structured questionnaire. Data regarding dental caries and treatment needs was recorded using WHO Performa 1997 modified. Results: The mean DMFT of sportspersons was found to be 1.641.35 when compared to non-sportsmen 1.031.12 and it was found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: The sportsmen had more number of DMFT which may be associated with high consumption of sweets and soft drinks.

Tourism and medicine have become synonymous in India. The latest one to join the bandwagon is our line of talented dentists. Holidaying in India has become all the more relaxing as the tourists are set to get a perfect smile, all at a much lower cost than other countries. Though dental tourism has a number of benefits, increased patient mobility comes with numerous risks. Inexpensive cost and quality care plays an important role in seeking dental care outside their local healthcare systems.

Background: Few studies reported the relationship between concentration of fluoride in drinking water and eruption of permanent teeth. Aim and Objectives: The aim of the present study was to find the relationship of fluoride concentration of drinking water supply and prevalence of dental fluorosis in permanent teeth, eruption of permanent teeth. Materials and Methods: The present survey was carried out in three villages of Hungund Taluk, Bagalkot District, Karnataka, India, with the fluoride concentration of 1.36 ppm, 0.381 ppm and 0.136 ppm. The children aged between 9 and 15 with the permanent teeth present in the child's mouth were examined for dental fluorosis using Dean's index according to WHO criteria. Number of primary and permanent teeth were recorded in the survey questionnaire. Result: Results from present study revealed that percentage of children with severe fluorosis increased with the increase in concentration of drinking water. No statistical significant difference were found in the eruption of teeth between the groups. Conclusion: In our study we did not find any significant effect of concentration of fluoride in drinking water on eruption of permanent teeth or exfoliation of deciduous teeth.

Objectives: To assess the oral health status and treatment needs of fishermen population in coastal regions of Tamil Nadu. To suggest possible measures to improve their present oral health status. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in Karaichuthuvari coastal village of Thirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu was selected by multistage sampling method. Prior permission was obtained from president of concern village and secretary of fishermen co-operative society. All the available 297 population in which 144 fishermen and 153 Non-fishermen were examined with their consent. Information regarding demographic details, dietary habits, oral hygiene habits, personal habits and past dental visits was obtained by using pre-designed questionnaire. The oral health status was recorded on the WHO oral health assessment form 1991 (modified) and the examination was carried out under natural light by using mouth mirrors and CPI probe. Results: Significant observation was that (52.7%) of the fishermen had oral mucosal lesions compared to Non-fishermen (37.9%). The prevalence of dental caries high among fishermen (54.9 %) compared to Non- fishermen (44.4%) The different stage of periodontal disease was higher among the fishermen (93.1%) than the Non- fishermen (83%). 43.1% of the fishermen had loss of periodontal attachment compared to non-fishermen (28.8%). The treatment needs for fishermen were extraction 39.6%, filling 20.8%, pulp care 11.8%, prosthetic upper 30.5%, and prosthetic lower 37.5% for Non-fishermen extraction 35.5%, filling 18.3%, pulp care 15.6%, prosthetic upper 27.4%, and prosthetic lower 30.7%. Conclusion: Oral health status of fishermen was relatively poor with high caries prevalence (54.9%) poor periodontal health (93.1%) and high prevalence of oral mucosal lesions (52.7%) when compared to Non-fishermen. High prevalence of dental caries may be due do their high sweet consumption (75.7%) and poor oral hygiene practice (84.7%). High gutka (31.3%) and pan chewing habits (38.9%) might be the reason for higher oral mucosal lesions among fishermen. Treatment needs like extractions 39.6%, filling 20.8% and prosthetic rehabilitation were required for fishermen.

Nanotechnology, also known as molecular nanotechnology or molecular engineering, is the production of functional materials and structures in the range of 0.1 to 100 nanometers-the nanoscale-by various physical or chemical methods. Today, the revolutionary development of nanotechnology has become the most highly energized discipline in science and technology. Trends in oral health and disease also may change the focus on specific diagnostic and treatment modalities. Increasingly preventive approaches will reduce the need for curative or restorative interventions. Nanodentistry will give a new visionary to comprehensive oral health care. Nanodentistry will make possible the maintenance of comprehensive oral health by employing nanomaterials, biotechnology, including tissue engineering, and ultimately, dental nanorobotics. New potential treatment opportunities in dentistry may include, local anesthesia, dentition renaturalization, permanent hypersensitivity cure, complete orthodontic realignments during a single office visit, covalently bonded diamondised enamel, and continuous oral health maintenance using mechanical dentifrobots. This science might sound like a fiction now, but nanodentistry has strong potential to revolutionize dentist to diagnose, to treat disease in future. It opens up new ways for vast, abundant research work. Nanotechnology will change dentistry, health care and human life more profoundly than other developments.

Background: Adolescence is a period of intense physical development, it is also the stage in psychosocial development in which a unique personal identity is acquired. With increasing social development in the adolescence there is a strong desire to look attractive and mouth is being the center of face takes a significant importance to the teenagers vanity. In the oral cavity, periodontal diseases and dental caries are the most predominant diseases. Hence, by understanding, the knowledge and attitude towards these diseases in adolescence and by analyzing their treatment needs will help in future planning, to promote health in general and the oral health in particular. Coimbatore a textile city (Manchester) of south India situated in the western part of Tamilnadu state. Industries like small scale, electrical motors, pumps, automobile spares, iron and steel, aluminum casting form major exports from Coimbatore. New industries like software and information technology have started appearing in to the city. Hence, Coimbatore is second fastest growing city in Tamilnadu next to Chennai. The growth of a city mainly depends on adolescence and hence the general health of young adult is an important factor. Oral health is an integral part of general health. Objectives: 1. To assess the knowledge, attitude and treatment needs for periodontal diseases and dental caries in 15 to 19 yrs individual. 2. To find out the factors of knowledge and attitude, which can influence the level of periodontal diseases and dental caries. Methodology: A cross sectional point prevalence questionnaire study of 1806 subjects of 15 to 19yrs were selected using stratified cluster random sampling in coimbatore city. A series of questionnaire was given to assess the knowledge and attitude, out of which some questions are to assess the knowledge of oral hygiene practice, type of brush and paste, to identify early signs of dental caries and periodontal diseases and its prevention. Specific questions were asked to assess the attitude towards dental attendance and barriers towards regular attendance. The treatment needs was assessed by clinical examination under natural light with sterile mouth mirror, explorer and CPITN probe. CPITN index and dentition status, treatment index were used to find out the disease level. Results: The study reveals females have good knowledge on oral health when compared to males. Periodontal diseases and dental caries prevalence increases with age. 99.8% brush teeth daily, 40% of them brush their teeth for 3 minutes, 50% of them rinses their mouth after every food and sweets, 40% of adolescents didn't have the habit of consuming sweets, 70% didn't know what kind of toothpaste they use, 70% of them used medium tooth brush, 70% changed their brush once in 3 months, 60% didn't know what is bleeding gums means, 50% will meet the dentist immediately when they have gums bleeding, 50% of adolescents will visit dentist only when they have pain, 65% of adolescents have visited dentist when they had problem,60% thought regular dental visits are not necessary. 86.5% (p < .000) is the prevalence rate of periodontal diseases and 69.8% (p < .000) is the prevalence of dental caries with a mean DMFT of 2.5. In chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis it has found that periodontal diseases and dental caries level can be influenced by regular dental visits, barrier to dental visits, frequency of brushing, frequency of having sweets, knowledge on gum diseases and tooth decay, type of tooth paste and brush and frequency of changing tooth brush. Conclusions: As the age advances the periodontal diseases and dental caries increases, knowledge level also increases but good oral hygiene habits and attitude decreases. So the increase in disease level with age might be influenced by poor oral hygiene habits and attitude of the individual. A community oriented health education program should be implemented for parents, teachers and adolescents.

Background: Tobacco habits exist amongst various age groups, societies, cultures and communities and have been a subject of great speculation amongst researchers, health officials and epidemiologists. Similar studies have been undertaken at length, done and dealt with time and again. Perhaps the desire to do a study at Dayananda Sagar Institutions has never been greater, given the fact that we come from an expansive campus of more than 10,000 students amongst whom smoking has been casually observed as a rampant behavior, especially in light of the recently passed smoke-free policies, requiring due attention. Hence, an attempt was made to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior on the habit of cigarette smoking amongst the students. Aim and Objectives: To assess knowledge, attitude, behavior on the habit of cigarette smoking amongst Dayananda Sagar Institution (DSI)students in the age group of 19-25 years Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire containing 28 questions on knowledge, attitude was administered randomly to a sample size of 500 students belonging to various branches at DSI campus. Data analysis was done using SPSS software. Results: 59% of the total study population was in the habit of cigarette smoking.The main reason for initiation of the habit seems to be social acceptance into friend's circle (15%) followed by casual experimentation (13%), and personal problems (8%).Parental influences on the habit of cigarette smoking stand at 13.43%. Conclusion: The habit of cigarette smoking appears to be considerably high among the campus students. Social pressures and personal problems appear to have a significant role in one picking the habit. There seems to be a dire need of provision of a counseling cell at the campus premises for handling such similar issues and implementing health awareness programmes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti- plaque efficacy of commercially available two herbal dentifrices using a randomized, triple blind, parallel design method. A total of 32 subjects were selected. All the subjects (aged 13- 54 years) were given the test dentifrices, packed in plain white colour coded tubes. The subjects were instructed to brush their teeth twice daily for two minutes with the allocated dentifrice. The total study duration was 4 weeks. Plaque scores were recorded at the baseline, 2 weeks and 4 weeks respectively, using the Turesky modification of the Quigley Hein Plaque Index. The results of the in-vivo study reported that there were significant differences in the reduction of plaque by the herbal dentifrice on intra-group and inter-group comparison. It was concluded that further research is required to know the dental benefits of herbal products being incorporated in to the commercially available dentifrices.