A cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 HIV patients (55 male and 45 female) age 21 years and older registered at the Antiretroviral Therapy Centre of Chigateri General Hospital, Davangere, Karnataka, India, to evaluate their knowledge and attitude toward HIV. Overall, the source of knowledge about AIDS was through newspaper or television, 38% were aware of their AIDS status, 61% disclosed their status to family, 86% had incorrect knowledge about transmission, 57% experienced no moral support, 62% felt stigmatized, 52% discriminated against, 44% were denied treatment, 57% felt isolated, 54% experienced difficulty in carrying out daily activity, 52% of patients' social and personal life was affected, and 41% felt shy when disclosing their disease. This data reveals the need to consider the basic knowledge of the HIV patients about HIV/AIDS.

Introduction: Dental plaque has been proved by extensive research to be a paramount factor in initiation and progression of gingival and periodontal diseases. Among chemical means, chlorhexidine mouthwash is regarded as the gold standard in dentistry in prevention of dental plaque. Chlorhexidine mouthwash, though effective, has certain side effects, such as brown discoloration of teeth, oral mucosal erosion, etc. Hence, there is need of an alternative medicine enmeshed within precious traditional Indian herbal therapy which is efficient, safe, and economical. Turmeric possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial properties along with hepatoprotective, immune stimulant, antiseptic, antimutagenic properties, etc. Objectives: This study was conducted to explore and prove the clinical efficacy of 0.1% turmeric mouthwash in mild and moderate gingivitis patients. Materials and methods: Sixty patients with moderate gingivitis were included and divided into two equal groups: Experimental (0.1% turmeric mouthwash) and control group (0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate). The clinical parameters evaluation was done on day 0 and day 21. Results: On intragroup comparison, statistically significant reduction in clinical parameters (plaque index, gingival index, gingival bleeding index) was seen in both groups on day 21, but on intergroup comparison, no statistically significant reduction in clinical parameters was seen on day 21 between the groups. Conclusion: Hence, it can be concluded that 0.1% turmeric mouthwash possesses antiplaque and anti-inflammatory properties which has been proven through clinical evaluation and it was almost equally effective when compared with 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash in moderate gingivitis patients.

Background: Sea buckthorn (SBT) (Hippophae rhamnoides, L., Family Elaeagnaceae) is a small orange yellow-to-red–colored fruit, found on high altitudes in several Asian and European countries. SBT is referred to as “wonder plant” as seed oil is rich in Vitamins A, E, K, carotenoids, and phytosterols. SBT pulp is an excellent source of omega-7 fatty acids, while seed oil has high content of omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. There are limited studies to evaluate its effects on periodontal pathogens. Objectives: (i) To evaluate the effect of SBT on clinical parameters (plaque index, gingival bleeding index, pocket depth, and clinical attachment level) in periodontitis patients. (ii) To evaluate the effect of SBT on microbiological parameters, i.e., anaerobic culture for Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) levels before and after nonsurgical therapy in chronic periodontitis patients. (iii) To compare the efficacy of SBT as an adjunct to nonsurgical therapy and nonsurgical therapy alone on Aa. Materials and Methods: A total of 24 patients were randomly allocated to control group (12 patients) that underwent scaling and root planing (SRP alone) and test group (12 patients) that underwent SRP along with intrasulcular SBT thixotropic solution delivery as local drug delivery (SRP + SBT). Clinical and microbial parameters are assessed at baseline and after 1 month. Results: The treatment modality used showed statistically significant improvement in both clinical and microbial parameters in test group compared to the control group. Conclusion: SBT was an effective adjunct in improving the clinical and microbial parameters compared to SRP alone in periodontitis patients.

Introduction: Ethical practice in health care is defined as consisting of informed consent, respect for integrity, and patient's autonomy. In the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of disputes ranging from inadequate and inappropriate treatments to serious problems of medical malpractice and negligence. There is thus a growing need to identify whether or not patients are satisfied with services provided and which ethical challenges, if any, patients value most in a health-care setting. This is not only to elevate the quality of treatment but also to potentially avoid unnecessary legal complications. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the opinion of patients at a dental hospital about some commonly encountered ethical challenges and to investigate the ethical challenges which patients feel most important to them. Materials and Methods: One hundred and two participants were recruited for this cross-sectional study among patients who have visited the dental hospital more than twice. Each participant completed a self-administered questionnaire on some common ethical challenges. A three-point Likert scale was used. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2016 spreadsheet (Microsoft, USA), and Chi-square test was performed using SPSS (IBM) software (version 23.0). The results were considered as statistically significant whenP< 0.05. Results: Seventy percent of the participants felt that doctors were competent in completing procedure in the time frame, and 82% felt that doctors followed the personal hygiene protocol. Only 47% of the participants felt that doctors accommodated missed appointments/lateness. Category E (infection control) was the category most commonly selected as the most important ethical challenge to patients with 36% of the participants. Conclusion: Participants were satisfied with a majority of the clinical services provided. The majority of the patients considered doctor competence and infection control as important issues. There is, however, a general lack of awareness regarding ethical issues in the dental field.

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