A specific study has been undertaken on the inmates of the central prison Belgaum (Karnataka) to assess their oral health status of treatment requirements. In total 630 male inmates have been examined with WHO Performa. In general it has been found that most percentage of people had bad oral hygiene, added with high percentage of dental decay. Many of them had various harmful tobacco habits which were causing sub mucous fibrosis added with severe attrition. Interestingly quite a good number of people had lower anterior crowding along with anterior fractured teeth. This phenomenon seems to be more than normal population when compared.

Only an individual who has made substantial intellectual contributions should be an author. Defining about what constitutes authorship is slightly controversial. According to International Committee of Medical Journal Editor {ICMIE}, to qualify as an author one should 1. have made substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2. have been involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and 3. have given final approval of the version to be published. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. Very frequently we fmd Thesis or dissertation of Postgraduate students published in our journals which contain multiple authors. Since authorship is a very valuable piece of intellectual property, two key issues what I would like to highlight through this review is who should be considered as first author in such publications? And the second issue is 'undeserved authorship'. The ICMJE guidelines are a good starting point for determining who qualifies to be an author, but they do not provide detailed guidance applicable for all situations. Furthermore some journals have adopted a system of listing contributors rather than authors. Therefore, the individual requirements of different journals should be respected.

Comprehensive Dental Insurance in India is a non-existent entity. Dental awareness in the Indian population continues to be low, thus reflecting on the priorities for seeking regular dental care. Dental Insurance thus has a large untapped market and its high time that more focus be given towards this potential by the insurance regulators, service providers and professional bodies. The present article is an attempt to focus on the available schemes on Dental Insurance in India.

An epidemiological survey of 1666 school children aged 9-12 years was carried out in Chennai city to detennine by sex and age, the prevalence of traumatic injuries to permanent incisors with their distribution according to type of injuries and occlusion. The prevalence of injuries was 7.7%. The overall ratio of trauma between boys and girls was 1.9:1. The most common type of injury was enamel fracture (51.2%). Maxillary central incisors were the most commonly involved teeth in trauma. Most fractures in were seen in children with class I Type 2 malocclusion (32.03%) and Class IT Div I malocclusion (21.9%). The results of this study suggest that preventive educational programs should be instituted, directed at parents and teachers. Adequate preventive and treatment care should be given in view of consequences on permanent dentition

The backbone of patients participation in a clinical study is informed consent. The Belmont Report suggests that informed consent should consist of three components: information about the research that is going to take place, evaluation of risks and benefits, and the ability of the participant to knowingly volunteer. The idea of informed consent in research is multifactorial and includes issues beyond an agreement to participate. The principles that rule the conduct of modem medicine, i.e. autonomy, beneficence and justice, should be implemented in decision-making. There is a need to improve informed consent documents in terms of their length and also their perceived purpose, which is to explain full details of the research.. Difficulties faced with vulnerable populations, ethnicity and cultural beliefs, language, a patient's educational level, children, pregnant women, prisoners, warrant a simplification of the consent forms. Informed consent is essential to protect the participants, not the researchers and institutions.

Periodontal diseases are very common in all populations. It is an infection mediated destruction of tooth supporting tissues and it is caused by host originating substances released by host inflammatory cells and activated tissue cells. In order to improve the treatment success, to enhance host resistance rate, to decrease the recurrence rate of periodontitis, and to inhibit the biological and mechanical irritants involved in the progression of periodontitis, the ameliorative effects of herbal drugs on periodontitis have been effectively addressed by new functional drugs. Bioflavonoids are prominent natural antioxidants, free radical scavengers, in general they have not been associated with any consistent side effects. Excess intake is simply excreted in the urine as they are water soluble nutrients, and they are of recent research interest through its various therapeutic activities, demonstrating antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties and a potentially valuable therapeutic tool for the treatment of variety of inflammatory conditions. Foods in this category contain natural ingredients that promote health by specific metabolic actions such as modulating the inflammatory response, inhibiting the growth of pathogenic organisms, promoting healing, fortifying tissue integrity, and hindering malignant transformation. Thus it could be suggested that dietary supplementation of bioflavonoid may be used as a preventive agent in those subjects who have a susceptibility to periodontal disease.

Aim of the study: To assess the relationship between drinking water fluoride levels and Developmental Defects Of Enamel among 12-15 years old school children of Nalgonda district , Andhra Pradesh. Objectives: Collection of drinking water samples and analysis of the same for fluoride concentration. To obtain and estimate the prevalence of developmental defects of enamel among 12-15 years old school going children of Nalgonda district. To correlate between drinking water fluoride concentration and developmental defects of enamel. Methods: The study area was divided in to 4 strata and from each stratum two villages were randomly selected totatling to 8 villages from Nalgonda district.From each village school all the children who satisfied the inclusion criteria were considered, till the required numbers of children were selected. Total sample size is 357 boys 148;girls209; (n = 357). Results: The prevalence of Developmental Defects of Enamel for these children. Percent distribution of hypoplasia of teeth is 46-56.9%; 36-56.6%; 14-44.8%; 24-39.2%; 13-29.7%; 23-24.9%; 12-18.5%; 22-17.9%; 11-12.6%; 21-13.2%, respectively (p<0.001).

Ozone is a naturally occurring compound consisting of three oxygen atoms. Usually it is found in the stratosphere in the form of a gas. It is an antimicrobial agent which has got the highest oxidation potential against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. Also it has got the capacity to stimulate blood circulation as well as immune response. It is universally accepted that the oxidant potential of ozone induces the destruction of cell walls and cytoplasmic membranes of bacteria and fungi. During this process, ozone attacks glycoprotein, glycolipids, and other amino acids and inhibits and blocks the enzymatic control system of the cell. Finally increases the membrane permeability, the key element of cell viability, leading to immediate functional cessation. It is also widely used for the treatment of alveolitis as a replacement for antibiotic therapy, as a mouthwash for reducing the oral microflora. remineralization of incipient dental caries as well as the adherence of microorganisms to tooth surfaces. The reliable microbiologic and metabolic properties of ozone, in either the gaseous or aqueous phases, make it a useful disinfectant with a wide range of activity. Also, the ozone can attack many biomolecules, such as the cysteine, methionine, and the histidine residues of proteins. Because of this nature of ozone, its application in dentistry and medicine has been indicated for the treatment of more than 250 different pathologies.

Aims and Objectives 1. To assess the gingival and periodontal status in pregnant women during the first, second and third trimester. 2. To compare the same with there matched controls (non pregnant subjects). Method: The study consisted of 80 pregnant and 80 non-pregnant women between the age group of 18-35 years old. Ramfjord's periodontal disease index was used to assess for plaque, calculus, gingival and periodontal status and was recorded on the proforma at intervals of three months. Results: There was a progressive increase in the plaque, calculus and gingival scores from the first to the third trimester in pregnant subjects compared to the controls that was statistically significant (p<0.001) and no statistical difference was found in the periodontal status between the groups. Conclusion: Progressive increase in plaque and calculus scores associated with gingival changes was observed from first to third trimester of pregnancy. This could be due to exaggerated response of gingiva to the hormonal and vascular changes during pregnancy.

Aim: This study was conducted to correlate the relationship between J3-glucuronidase activity in whole saliva with severity of periodontal disease. Methodology: The study population consisted of 20 subjects (14 males and 6 females), selected from the out patient department of periodontics, Meenak:shi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, Chennai. A sample of unstimulated whole saliva and a venous blood sample were obtained from each subject, and a periodontal examination, which included measurement of pocket depth, attachment level, and gingival index was performed. The unmodified saliva samples were frozen at - 20°C and analyzed for -glucuronidase activity. The blood samples were analyzed for number of total leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes. Results: A significant positive relationship was found between increase J3-glucuronidase activity with increase pocket depth and attachment loss. In addition a significant correlation existed between neutrophil count and -glucuronidase activity. Conclusion: The results suggest that a significant association between periodontal clinical parameters and salivary J3-glucuronidase activity. Due to non-invasive and simple nature of saliva collection when compared to GCF, estimating the level of the enzyme, -glucuronidase in whole saliva might be used as a marker to assess the severity of periodontitis, and a means of monitoring the response to treatment.

In dentistry one of the common modes of disease transmission is through inhalation of aerosols or droplets containing pathogens. The aim and objectives of this study was to perform qualitative and quantitative bacterial analysis of dental aerosols before, during and after clinical procedures in multichair dental environments, and to compare the consequent findings. The study was performed by collecting aerosol samples from the respective dental departments by placing the culture media plates 2 feet away from the patient's mouth, before, during and after clinical procedures. The samples were incubated aerobically at 37΀C for 48 hrs. Bacterial colony counting was performed and expressed as colonies per media plate (C/plate). The results revealed three main organism types (S. Epidermidis; S. Aureus; Diphtheroids) followed by other species. The largest bacterial colony counts were seen in the periodontics department, and the least count in the department of prosthodontics. t-test carried out to see if any significant difference existed in the colony counts between the various departments failed to demonstrate significant variations. The data from the present study confirms a potential transmission route for infectious agents in a multichair dental environment and supports the importance of protecting against cross infectious agents contained in dental aerosols.

Aim: To assess the level of professional satisfaction among Dental Practitioners of Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh. Objectives: (1) To understand the impact of various work related factors on professional satisfaction. (2) To compare the level of professional satisfaction with a few aspects in dental practice. Material & Methods: All active Dental Practitioners of Nellore District were included in the study. Dental Practitioners, who were retired, changed their profession, pursuing post graduation and full time academicians were excluded. Modified Shugars et al Inventory was used to measure professional satisfaction. Survey was conducted for a period of one month at the practice location by the Investigator himself. Analysis of data was done using SPSS 14. Statistical test employed was ANOVA. Results: The response rate was 85.7%. The mean score of overall professional satisfaction was (2.7 ± 0.4). In terms of work related factors, the most satisfying aspect was patient relations (3.8 ± 0.52) and the least satisfying aspect was personal time (1.8 ± 1.1). The overall professional satisfaction between urban and rural Dental Practitioners was statistically significant (p = 0.03). Conclusions: The overall professional satisfaction was found to be neutral. This study suggests that patient relations, income, respect, staff, and professional time are important work related factors for professional satisfaction among Nellore Dental Practitioners.

The change in caries prevalence in the developing countries makes it an important task to find effective measures to prevent the disease. Pit and fissure sealants have demonstrated to protect the surfaces of the teeth that are least benefited by fluoride. This study was undertaken to assess the survival of glass ionomer sealants in the field among 12 - 13 year old Government school children in Bangalore City. A total of 169 children received glass ionomer sealants. According to Actuarial Life Table Analysis, the survival ates of sealants at the end of 6, 12, and 18 months were 90.2%, 72.7% and 59.5% respectively. Caries was detected in 17.8% of sealed surfaces at 18 months. This study showed that despite the high and early loss of sealants, the caries incidence was very low.

Background: Exposure to Human Immuno Deficiency Virus (lflV) is a matter of concern for Dental Health Care Workers (DHCW). The extent of risk to DHCW depends on prevalence of infection in patient population. A majority of patient's lllV status is unknown at the time of initial presentation. Despite following universal precautions, accidental exposure may occur while segregating and cleaning the instruments. The lack of data pertaining to awareness of post -exposure prophylaxis (PEP) among non-teaching staff is the basis behind this study. Methods: A structured questionnaire was given to 60 non-teaching staff. This questionnaire study was designed to gauge the awareness among non-teaching staff in Mangalore city regarding the risk of lllV transmission. appropriate first aid treatment immediately following exposure, estimation of risk of transmission. drugs used for PEP, duration of PEP regime, cost of the PEP, time intervals to test lllV after taking PEP drugs and when prophylaxis should be commenced. Results: Fifty-one respondents (81%) knew whom to contact immediately after accidental exposure, while only sixteen (26.7%) respondents knew that washing with soap and water was the initial measure. Though more than half of the respondents knew that prophylaxis should be initiated within one hour of injury, only twenty respondents knew the correct duration of PEP. Conclusion: Ongoing awareness and training programmes are necessary to improve the awareness about PEP among non-teaching staff.

Honey has been rediscovered by the medical profession. Greater scientific understanding of how it works, particularly as an antibacterial agent, has led practitioners to reconsider the therapeutic value of honey. So this article is aimed at rediscovering the antimicrobial properties of honey and to synthesize the role of honey in oral health care. After having reviewed all the uses of honey in dentistry it can be concluded that, historical honey has been rediscovered to have many healing properties. With a broad spectrum antibacterial activity, honey can be given a place in therapeutics, but with more conduction of clinical trials and research on the better available preparations of honey. Honey may also be useful to promote oral hygiene in the general population. Further research in to this area needs to be done to determine honey's usefulness in oral health.

It is increasingly recognized that oral health plays an important role in overall health and well-being. Accessing timely oral health care during the perinatal period is essential for maintaining the health and well-being of both women and their children. Mother's role in the oral health of her child begins as early as her pregnancy. Pregnancy and early childhood are the most critical periods for ensuring good oral health in the future of a child. This review provides an overview of the major barriers to addressing oral health needs during the perinatal period and it also presents a range of strategies for improving women's oral health. The initialization of healthy dental habits should not have to wait until the child is born but should come into effect during perinatal period and association between all health care professionals will help us to pursue excellence.

Dentistry is still a neglectful branch of health sciences in our society as people are unaware of its essentiality in growth, personality, esthetics, and development of an individual and also its implication with general health of an individual. Outreach programme is an effective means to approach "needed ones". It is an early insight in "real life "conditions and variety of aspects related to public dental health workforce. With the help of outreach programme the dental professional can render dental care and knowledge to the society, especwlly those belonging to inapproachable areas of community. Here is a review on outreach programme and its effectiveness in reaching out to the community.

Dentist must be called as oral physicians in order to justify their work-potential. Dentists are individuals who autonomously and definitively apply the principles of health science to the prevention, treatment and healing of disease. Individuals who autonomously and definitively apply the principles of health science to the prevention, treatment, and healing of disease are physicians. Dentistry has developed an important identity as a fully responsible, scientifically based, and anatomically focused profession linked to medicine. However, conceptually, dentistry is not a discipline distinct from medicine; dentistry is medicine. On the contrary, government and industry develop separate standards for oral health, as if the mouth could be physically separated from the body, thus erroneously narrowing down a very huge scope of a comprehensive oral health care to a trivial confme of merely dental treatment.

Background: People of Lucknow practice various methods for their oral hygiene care. Aim: To assess the availability of oral hygiene aids used by Lucknow population at different distribution channels viz general stores and pharmaceuticals and to understand the pattern of use of oral hygiene aids viz toothpastes, toothbrushes and mouthwashes and interdental cleaning aids in order to find out which distribution channel would be appropriate for making these products more accessible and thus ultimately affecting the oral health care. Material and Methods: The study was a questionnaire based study. The study population had comprised of owners of general stores and pharmaceuticals who were interviewed with a preformed questionnaire. All the important general stores and pharmaceuticals were covered by multistage cluster random sampling method. Results: The results obtained showed a variation pattern in the availability of oral hygiene care products available in the distribution channel of urban and rural areas. Conclusion: The authors concluded that oral health education has to be imparted more in the rural area.

Supernumerary teeth are defined as an excess in the number of teeth when compared to the normal dental formula. The prevalence of non-syndrome multiple supernumerary teeth are comparatively lesser in prevalence. The term 'supplemental' is however used when the teeth are extra but have the shape and size of normal teeth. The etiology of supernumerary or supplemental teeth is ambiguous, with different factors giving rise to different types of supernumeraries with combined etiological factors responsible for same. Supernumeraries generally cause problems of malocclusion of local nature like tipping of adjacent teeth, rotation, bodily displacement, delayed eruption or prevent eruption of tooth of normal series. Also, they may lead to esthetic disharmony and functional distortion. Since the supplemental teeth did not cause alterations in the eruption, position or integrity of the permanent dentition, a conservative approach was preferred.

Objective: To analyze the profile of oral cancer patients at Regional Cancer Centre, Indira Gandhi Medical college (RCC IGMC), Shimla for the years 2003-2007. Method: A retrospective study of patients with oral cancers treated from 2003-2007 at RCC IGMC Shimla was conducted using the tumor registry data. Demographic characteristics, tobacco use and oral cancer characteristics related to site, histology and stage at presentation were recorded from patient file records at RCC, Shimla Analysis: Percentages and proportions. Results: Male: female ratio was 2.9:1. Most patients belonged to 51-60 years age group. 78% patients were smokers, out of which 81.5% smoked bidis, 11.8% smoked cigarettes and 6.5% chewed tobacco. Tongue was the commonest site of occurrence. Histologically, 95.6% were squamous cell carcinoma out of which 57.4% were well differentiated. Conclusion: The relative frequency of oral cancer is low in the state of Himachal Pradesh which may be due to less prevalence of chewing tobacco (khaini, ghutka, or any other chewable form).

Background: In India cancer registries have confirmed a high incidence of oral cancer and case-control and cohort studies have established that the high incidence is due to widespread habits of tobacco chewing and smoking. A variety of tobacco habits are prevalent in India and they differ from region to region. The use of tobacco in any form increases the risk of oral cancer. The most widespread is the chewing of betel-quid with tobacco and this has been demonstrated as a major risk factor for cancers of the oral cavity. Objective : To assess the prevalence of Betel quid (paan), Areca nut, and tobacco habits among general population of Gulbarga city, and to assess the knowledge and attitudes towards oral cancer risk factors and prevention among general population of Gulbarga city. Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among general population of Gulbarga city, Karnataka, Simple random samples of 700 subjects were screened for the habits in that 400 were selected for the study. Subjects were interviewed first individually, and qualitative data was collected using a specially designed proforma. Results: Prevalence of habits was 57.1% in Gulbarga city. 12.5% respondents were with the habit of only Betel quid, 5.3% were having the habit of only Areca nut, 6.8% were consumes Betel quid & Areca nut remaining 75.4% were consumes tobacco either in smoke or smokeless form along with Betel quid or Areca nut. Conclusion : There is extensive misinformation and a general lack of awareness about the risk factors of oral cancer irrespective of age, gender and religion

Background: Tobacco consumption is a major health menace owing to its widespread use. Impressionable curious mind of human being is highly prone to a number of influences within and outside the home, which lead to experimental use of tobacco. The addictive nature of tobacco is potent enough to turn this experimental user to regular user and ultimately an addict. Aim: To assess Tobacco /Smoking habits, Oral health status and awareness about Anti-smoking act in patients reporting to National Dental College and Hospital, vill.Gulabgarh, Distt Mohall. Method: A structured questionnaire consisting of 14 questions related to Tobacco/Smoking habits, Oral health status and awareness about Anti-smoking act were asked to patients and their response were recorded. Results: The study population consisted of total 215 patients, males 182(84.65%) and females 33(15.34%).Then questionnaires were asked and statistically analyzed. Around 143(78.57%) from 182 males were indulged in some form of tobacco usage (smoker=32.86%, tobacco chewer=16.78%, both=11.18%, alcohol+tobacco user=21.67%), In the present study, most common cause of tobacco use was pleasure 40.5%, inducing factor were friends 53.1% followed by parents and siblings. 36.20% patients used tobacco as second hand exposure in job places. About 70% of the study population used toothbrush and 77% used toothpaste for brushing. 54.8% were aware about the anti-smoking act in public places, so only 8.6% people from all males enrolled, were smoking in public places.

Objectives : To assess attitudes interests, importance of learning community dentistry and opinion towards dental public health by senior Dental students and Interns of dental colleges in Bangalore City. Methods: A sample size comprising of 295 students and interns were assessed using predesigned questionnaire containing 20 questions and statistical analysis was done using ANOVA ,and Factor analysis. Results: 91.2% had positive attitude, 7.8 % had undecided option, the result of all 5 factors excluding individual status and sex factor 71% of them had positive response and 18 % were undecided. Conclusion: Majority of the study group had positive response towards dental public health irrespective of the age, sex and designation.

Objectives : To know the oral health status of vegetarians and non vegetarians in Mysore city. Methods: 583 vegetarians and 599 omnivores were examined from different wards of Mysore city selected through systematic random sampling method. Data were recorded using WHO modified performa. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 10.0. Results: The mean DMFT was mores among vegetarians compared to omnivores and periodontal status was poor among omnivores presenting with more number of periodontal pockets and loss of attachment Vegetarians showed high prevalence of malocclusion compared to omnivores. Erosion was more among vegetarians where as attrition was more among omnivores. Omnivores had more number of fluorosis compared to vegetarians.

Aim: To assess Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Medical practitioners regarding prevention of oral diseases in Chennai. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 120 medical practitioners, who were practicing in Chennai. A personal interview with structured questionnaire was employed in the study. The questionnaire consists of structured questions related to knowledge about common oral diseases, risk factors, attitude, practice and information about prevention of oral diseases. Results: Medical practitioners are aware of all the main risk factors for dental caries, gum diseases and malocclusion. 109 (90.8%) subjects agreed that medical practitioners play an important role in the prevention of oral diseases; only 16(13.3%) subjects perform oral examination for all the patients. Among the study subjects, 12(10%) of them recommend first oral examination as soon as tooth erupts. 15(12.5%) medical practitioners provide dental health educational materials to their patients. 106(88.3%) subjects indicated that they were interested in acquiring more information on prevention of oral diseases. Conclusion: Knowledge was satisfactory, attitude was better towards prevention of oral diseases; but Practice needs improvement in providing oral preventive service to their clients.

Objective: To assess the dental anxiety among a group of patients anticipating various dental treatments at K.M.Shah Dental College and Hospital Material & Methods: A total of 150 subjects, waiting at the out patient department of conservative & endodontic, periodontia & oral surgery department participated in the study. For each of 3 dental treatments, 50 patients were selected by using convenience sampling. Dental anxiety was assessed by using Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Statistical analysis was made by descriptive analysis and one way ANOVA test. Results: 46% of participants were dentally anxious. Females found to be significantly more anxious than males. Relative influence of age, type of dental treatment was not significantly associated with dental anxiety. Conclusion: The study shows dental anxiety was high among study subjects. It is recommended that this issue should be given due importance and addressed in a practical and meaningful manner.

Objectives: To assess the knowledge and perceptions of pictorial warning present on cigarette packet used in India among graduating dental students in Bangalore city. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the graduating dental students of dental colleges in Bangalore, India. 490 graduating dental students participated in the study from 10 dental colleges which were randomly selected out of 17 dental colleges present in Bangalore, India. A self constructed close ended questionnaire was given. This questionnaire consisted of 26 questions, framed to assess their knowledge as well as their perceptions of pictorial warning on cigarette packet used in India. Results: 44.3% of the participants felt that the area covered should be full packet instead of the 40% of the packet that is covered right now.78.4% of them think that it should be present on both the sides of the packet. 79.2% of the participants were of opinion that picture with text message will be more effective.69.4% of the participants suggested that pictorial warnings should be present on single piece of cigarette too and 73.5% of them expressed that it should be changed regularly. Participants expressed less knowledge about pictorial warnings. Conclusions : Our study shows that most of the participants were of opinion that pictorial warning should be more clear and visible. It should be present on both the sides of the packet and should cover the full packet. Pictorial warning with text message is the most effective way, should be present on single piece of cigarette and should be changed regularly.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the oral health status and treatment needs among bank employees in Bangalore city. The possible association of stress in the pathogenesis of any oral disease was investigated. Methodology: The study participants consisted of 1312 bank employees belonging to different age groups selected randomly from various banks. The participants were interviewed to asses their dietary habits, lifestyle habits and oral hygiene practices. The occupational stress levels in the subjects were evaluated using a stress related questionnaire. The oral health status and treatment needs were recorded using standard WHO proforma 1997 [modified]. Results: The results of the survey indicated that majority of the bank employees were moderately stressed out (69.1%) due to their nature of work. The stress levels exhibited by the subjects were associated with development of periodontal disease and dental caries. There was a positive correlation found between the increase in age and progression of periodontal disease (p 0.001) and dental caries (p 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the study provided evidence to understand that the bank employees find very little time to relax during their busy work schedule. The cumulative effect of oral diseases like dental caries and periodontal disease was greater. Necessary changes have to be advocated at work place to reduce abnormal stress and provide this vulnerable group a harmonious environment devoid of abnormal stress so that the initiation and progression of oral diseases is intercepted at the earliest for the achievement of optimal oral health status.

Background and Objectives: In-equalities in oral health have been demonstrated consistently to be linked to differences in socioeconomic backgrounds. The present study was designed to assess dentition status and treatment needs among 12 and 15 year old school children belonging to different socioeconomic strata in India. Methodology: A cross sectional survey with stratified random sampling was conducted among 1,500 school children, 300 children representing the socioeconomic class from Class I to Class V. Dentition status & treatment needs were assessed according to oral health assessment form as prescribed in Basic Oral Health Surveys, W.H.O. Results: The mean DMFT was 1.70 1.91 and 2.15 2.20 among 12 and 15 years respectively, it was higher for low SE group children in both the age groups p 0.001 . Lower SE group required more complex treatment needs and needed multiple treatment modalities p 0.001 . 25% of the children had questionable to mild fluorosis in both the age groups and difference was statistically significant across the various social strata. Interpretation and Conclusions: The study reveled that SES, oral hygiene frequency and abnormal oral habits were significantly associated with dental caries experience and treatment needs.

Aim: To determine the Nicotine concentration and pH in commercially available brands of Cigarettes and Bidis. Materials and Methods: Tobacco products were obtained from the local markets. Pure form of Nicotine was used as standard which was obtained from Sigma Aldrich Chemicals. Nicotine was extracted and the concentration was estimated by Spectrophotometer. lgm of nicotine was suspended in 20 m1 of distilled water and pH was estimated using a pH meter, after 30 minutes. Statistical analysis was done using t-Test and p < 0.05 was selected in describing the level of significance. Results: The analyses shows that Nicotine Concentration was more in Bidi compared to Cigarettes and was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05), the pH was more in Bidi when compared to Cigarettes. Conclusions: The study results show a substantial difference in nicotine concentration in Bidi and Cigarettes, but there was no significant difference in the pH of Bidi and Cigarettes. However the addictive potential of tobacco products may be controlled by altering the pH, size of tobacco, use of filter.