Background: Sickle cell disease is the most pervasive autosomal recessive hereditary blood diseases and is characterized by the presence of sickle hemoglobin (HbS), which in turn gives rise to pathophysiological consequences. This HbS reduces the agility of erythrocytes plummeting their ability to pass through small vascular channels, which in turn results in increased blood viscosity and congestion of vascular beds, causing ischemia, local infarction, and hemolysis. Objectives: The current study was conducted to carry out the morphometric analysis in patients with sickle cell disease. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 75 subjects detected with sickle cell disease aged between 8 and 16.5 years. The study involved 38 males and 37 females. All the subjects were subjected to lateral cephalogram for the calculation of various angular and linear dimensions of the craniofacial structures. The linear measurements made were nasion-menton height, anterior nasal spine (ANS)-menton height, and nasion-ANS height, whereas the angular measurements made were Frankfurt mandibular plane angle, Frankfort mandibular incisor angle, and incisor mandibular plane angle. Results: Major chunk of the subjects had retruded mandible and vertical growth pattern. Few subjects exhibited with maxillary protrusion. Conclusion: It is concluded that early diagnosis and management of dental malocclusion in patients with sickle cell disease plays a pivotal role in an attempt to endow with a better quality of life to these individuals.

Background: Dental caries is a microbiological disease affecting teeth which has both genetic as well as environmental factors. Dermatoglyphics is the study of fingerprint patterns and is also genetically determined. This study is aimed to determine a correlation between dermatoglyphic patterns and caries susceptibility among children. Methods: A total of 250 children (125 each of case and control groups) were selected. Dental caries status was evaluated using the DMFT index while dermatoglyphic study was performed by recording impressions using stamp pad-ink method. Results: Higher frequency of all dermatoglyphic patterns was observed among female subjects with caries as compared to caries-free subjects as well as compared to male subjects. Conclusion: Dermatoglyphics can be employed as a positive indicator of caries susceptibility among children and holds importance in the area as future caries predictor.

Background: Malocclusion is defined as an occlusion in which there is malrelationship between the arches in any of the three planes or anomalies in tooth position beyond normal limits, the etiology being multifactorial. Malnutrition may also be allied to malocclusion, predominantly crowding, due to insufficient space for the teeth to erupt in the correct place. Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate the role of diet as an etiological factor in the occurrence of malocclusion. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and twenty malnourished subjects were examined by a single experienced dental professional and the occlusal relationships were evaluated at a centric occlusion position by instructing the subject to swallow and then bite on the teeth together. Results: Ninety-eight subjects (44.54%) had Angle's Class I malocclusion with crowding: 18 (8.1%) presented with spacing. Angle's Class II division 1 malocclusion was evident in 52 subjects (23.63%), while Class II division 2 in 38 subjects (17.27%). Only 14 subjects (6.3%) presented with Angle's class III malocclusion. Conclusion: Dietary factors and dentition measures from a subset 220 malnourished subjects found that malnourished subjects with basal metabolic index <18.5 had statistically significant relationships with the crowding variables.