Aim and objectives 1 To assess the prevalence of self‐medication practices for tooth pain amongst patients seeking dental care in the Oral Surgery Department. 2 To identify reasons for self‐medication. 3 To assess the awareness of the side effects and contra indications of the drugs used for self‐medication. Material and methods 300 patients over the age of 14 years attending the out patient clinic of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics complaining of tooth pain were given a questionnaire containing 18 questions pertaining to the practice of self medication. Results 59% of the respondents in the study reported self medication for tooth pain and almost 86% of these individuals obtained pain relief. However only a very few were aware of the dosage, side effects and contra indications of these medicines. Conclusion Self medication is desirable when used responsibly. Hence modifications in self medication practices, such as, patient education, display of basic drug information on the drug packages, and stringent and uniform international laws regarding drug dispensing will optimize the present health care system.

Aim:The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of tobacco and its association with oral precancers and cancers. Materials and methods: Medical records of 1,007 individuals were assessed for the patterns of tobacco abuse and the presence of tobaccorelated oral mucosal alterations. Results: This study comprised 1,007 individuals (M:F: 95.4%:4.6%). In the cohort, 60.1% had smoking habit and 56.1% had smokeless habit. Of the bidi smokers, 18.2% developed carcinoma, 14.3% developed leukoplakia, which is statistically significant (p < 0.001). A logistic regression analysis of the development of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) shows that habit of smokeless forms of tobacco has an odds ratio (OR) of 18+ when compared with smoking. Combination of bidi and gutkha had 12.3 times higher risk of developing oral cancer and 4.4 times risk of developing leukoplakia. A total of 33.3% betel quid and gutkha chewers presented with tobacco pouch keratosis, which is statistically significant. Conclusion: Smoked and smokeless forms of tobacco were equally popular among the study population. The packeted form of smokeless tobacco (gutkha) was more prevalent. Oral submucous fibrosis was more common than leukoplakia, and oral cancer developed more frequently in elderly men smoking bidis. Clinical significance: This study throws light on the fact that the use of both smoke and smokeless forms of tobacco is still prevalent, and the use of gutkha was most prevalent. These findings will help tobacco cessation and counseling centers to focus their effort in motivating people to stop gutkha chewing habit. This also brings to the forefront the need to create better treatment strategies to manage OSMF.

Introduction:Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) causes progressive debilitating symptoms, such as oral burning sensation (stomatopyrosis) and limited mouth opening. The standard of care (SOC) protocol includes habit cessation, intralesional steroid and hyaluronidase injections, and mouth opening exercises. The objective of the study was to evaluate efficacy of rebamipide in alleviating burning sensation of the oral mucosa in OSF in comparison with SOC intralesional steroid injections. Materials and methods:Twenty OSF patients were divided into two groups [rebamipide (100 mg TID for 21 days) and betamethasone (4 mg/mL biweekly for 4 weeks)] of 10 each by random sampling. Burning sensation was assessed every week for 1 month. Burning sensation scores were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired t-test.Results: Change in burning sensation score was significant (p < 0.05) in the first four visits. However, score between the 4th and 5th visit was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion:Our study has shown that rebamipide can be considered as an effective modality to manage burning sensation in patients suffering from OSF. Clinical significance:Considering stomatopyrosis and trismus as a major cause for inability to eat in OSF, use of newer adjunctive modalities, such as rebamipide will ease patients suffering and also encourage them to consume food.

No abstract

Fracture of the coronoid process is rare and account for only 0.6 to 4.7% of all facial fractures. 1 They are usually simple and linear fractures with minimal displacement, since the fragment is splinted by the tendinous insertion of the temporalis muscle. But in cases of complex trauma, the bone might be displaced into the temporal fossa. 2 Natvig et al 3 classified coronoid process fractures into two types:1. Intramuscular: where the fracture fragment is within the investing fascial attachment of the temporalis muscle. 2. Submuscular: where the fracture is below the musculotendinous attachment. In these cases, there may be superior and medial displacement of the fragment.The zygomatic complex shields the coronoid process; hence, an isolated coronoid fracture is rarely seen in the absence of an arch fracture. 1 Case Reports Case 1A 40-year-old male patient presented to our trauma center following a road traffic accident. Patient was referred to a neurosurgeon as he had frontosphenoidal trauma. He was managed conservatively by the neurosurgeon for the same.As the patient also had facial injuries and difficulty in opening the mouth, he was referred to us. The computed tomography (CT) scan, apart from the fractures of the cranial bones, revealed a right zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fracture along with right coronoid, nasal bone, and an incomplete Le fort I fracture (►Fig. 1).All the facial bone fractures, apart from the right coronoid fracture, were managed with open reduction and internal fixation with mini plates. Case 2A 33-year-old male patient presented to our trauma center following a road traffic accident. Patient was referred to a neurosurgeon for the management of head injury. He was managed conservatively by the neurosurgeon.The CT scan revealed frontosphenoidal fractures along with a left ZMC and left coronoid fracture (►Fig. 2).Patient was managed with open reduction and internal fixation for the ZMC fracture and the coronoid process fracture was managed conservatively.As both our patients had intramuscular coronoid fractures, they were managed conservatively for the same. They recovered uneventfully, and were asymptomatic postoperatively with no difficulty in mouth opening and lateral excursions of the mandible. DiscussionFractures of the coronoid process are often not evident clinically. Many such injuries go undiagnosed 4 because it is difficult to radiologically diagnose these fractures with Keywords ► coronoid process fractures ► frontosphenoidal injury ► treatment options AbstractCoronoid process fractures are rarely encountered, commonly undiagnosed, usually asymptomatic, and most commonly treated conservatively, hence very little written about. We present two cases of coronoid process fractures with associated frontosphenoidal injuries.