Aim:The aim of the study was to identify risk factors and treatment needs of orphan children of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Objectives: (1) To identify the association between the frequency of snacking and caries among orphan schoolchildren, (2) To assess Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli (microbiological assessment) in saliva of orphan children, and (3) To formulate treatment needs for orphan children. Materials and methods:A cross-sectional study was done among 253 children of 5-, 12-, and 15-year-olds living in various orphanage houses of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Demographic data, and dietary and oral hygiene practices were collected through a structured questionnaire. Clinical examinations of children were conducted to assess oral health status and recorded in the World Health Organization oral health assessment form (1997). Stimulated saliva was collected for S. mutans and Lactobacilli levels. The statistical software, namely, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 19.0 was used for the analysis of the data. High levels of salivary microbiological counts (S. mutans and Lactobacilli), i.e., ≥10 5 , stress the importance of necessary preventive oral health services. Treatment needs among orphan children showed that most of the children, i.e., 58 (22.9%), need preventive or caries-arresting care followed by 49 (19.4%) who require two-surface filling as an immediate measure. Results Conclusion:From the results of our study, orphan children have low utilization of preventive and therapeutic oral health services. Urgent attention is required to plan a comprehensive dental health-care program to improve their oral health status.Clinical significance: Parents are the primary caretakers of children, but woefully some of them have to lead their lives without parents, the latter either being dead or incapable of bringing up their children. Such a group of children is known as orphans. As oral health is an integral part of general health, it is essential for health-care policy makers to address oral health needs of this underprivileged group of society. This article highlights the risk factors and treatment needs among orphan schoolchildren.

Pain is a common aftereffect following a dental treatment, especially extractions. Hence, the main aim of the study was to compare the effect of pre-operative and post-operative analgesic usage on post-operative pain management following dental treatment. Moreover, the efficacies of three types of painkillers (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and Mefenamic Acid) in pain relief were also evaluated. Volunteers (n = 120) who were undergoing extraction participated in this study and were randomly divided into two groups. One group consisting of 60 participants were given pre- and post-operative analgesics while another group (n = 60) received post-operative analgesics only. A visual scale was used to record pain from zero to 56 hours post-operatively at 8-hour intervals. The results showed that patients who were taking analgesics pre-operatively experienced significantly (p = 0.0045) less pain compared to those who had taken post-operative analgesics only However, a lower cumulative number of moderate and severe experiences of post-extraction pain was recorded for the pre- and post-operative analgesic treatment groups as compared to the postoperative only analgesic treatment group; no significant differences were observed. Moreover, no significant differences were observed among the analgesics used in this study as well. On the basis of these results, we conclude that preoperative analgesic usage has a positive impact on postextraction acute pain management.

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COVID-19 otherwise called as SARS-Cov-2 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome declared as pandemic by WHO, resulted in increased mortality globally. Post covid recovered patients developed a wide range of opportunistic bacterial and fungal infections including mucormycosis. Even though mucormycosis is known as a life-threatening disease in immunocompromised patients and patients with uncontrolled diabetes with high rates of morbidity and mortality, application of a proper protocol and adhering to the standard guidelines in the management from initial stage to advanced complex stage can reduce the morbidity and mortality. Since the early clinical signs and symptoms arise in the oral and maxillofacial region, the role of general dentist in early detection of the clinical signs and symptoms and in particular the early surgical intervention by the Oral & Maxillofacial surgeons can definitely reduce the morbidity and mortality caused by mucormycosis. Poor prognosis and increased morbidity are often related to delayed diagnosis and delayed management without proper guidelines. This article aims to describe in brief mucormycosis with the current update and the role of an endodontist in diagnosis and management of this fungal infection.