Context: Considering the effectiveness and safety concerns of synthetic intracanal medicaments (ICM), alternative usage of herbal ingredients in the root canal treatment may prove to be beneficial. Hence, the naturally available potent proteolytic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial pineapple extract Bromelain as an ICMs needs to be studied. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of calcium hydroxide (CaOH) and triple antibiotic paste (TAP) with Bromelain against Enterococcus faecalis bacteria using the turbidity method. Materials and Methods: Forty-four freshly extracted single-rooted teeth were collected and 6 mm sections were prepared. These samples were infected with E. faecalis bacteria (ATCC 29212), randomly divided into four groups. Negative control, CaOH paste, TAP, and Bromelain paste. After the removal of medicament, the optical density (OD) of the dentinal shavings was measured using a spectrophotometer. Statistical Analysis: The Chi-square and Kruskal − Wallis ANOVA test were used. The confidence interval was set to 95% at 5% significance level. Results: TAP showed less OD than CaOH 2 paste which is statistically significant. ( P = 0.0022). The OD reading of Bromelain paste was less than CaOH 2 with P = 0.007. The OD of Bromelain and TAP were statistically insignificant ( P = 0.095), indicating their comparable antibacterial efficacy. Conclusions: The antimicrobial efficiency of Bromelain was found to be more effective than Ca (OH) 2 paste and comparable to TAP against E. faecalis .

Objective: To study and compare the effects of dental amalgam and composite restorations on human dental pulp. Materials and Methods: One hundred sound premolars scheduled for orthodontic extraction were divided equally into two groups: group A, teeth restored with silver amalgam, and group B, teeth restored with composite resin. Each group was equally subdivided into two subgroups [extracted after 24 h (A-1 and B-1) or 7 days (A-2 and B-2)], and the histological changes in the pulp related to the two different materials at the two different intervals were studied. Results: It was found that after 24 h, the inflammatory response of the pulp in teeth restored with amalgam and composite was similar (p = 1.00). However, after 7 days, the severity of the inflammatory response of the pulp in teeth restored with amalgam was less compared to that in teeth restored with composite (p = 0.045). Conclusion: This study confirmed that amalgam continues to be the mechanically as well as biologically more competent restorative material. Composite could be a promising restorative material to satisfy esthetic needs for a considerable period of time. However, its biological acceptance is still in doubt.

The primary goal of this study was to assess the prevalence of oral involvement and, secondarily, the likely variables in patients with confirmed COVID-19 accompanied by mucormycosis infection. The study design was a cross-sectional descriptive sort that was performed at a tertiary centre. The non-probability convenience sampling approach was used to determine the sample size. Between May 2021 and July 2021, all patients who presented to our tertiary care centre with suspected mucormycosis were considered for the investigation. The research only included individuals with proven mucormycosis after COVID-19. The features of the patients, the frequency of intraoral signs/symptoms, and the possible variables were all noted. Of the 333 COVID-19-infected patients, 47 (14%) were diagnosed with confirmed mucormycosis. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 59.7 (11.9) years. Of the 47 patients with confirmed mucormycosis, 34% showed sudden tooth mobility, 34% expressed toothache, 8.5% reported palatal eschar, 34% presented with jaw pain, 8.5% had tongue discoloration, and 17% had temporomandibular pain. About 53% of the patients were known cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus, 89% of patients had a history of hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection, 89.3% underwent oxygen support therapy, and 89.3% were administered intravenous steroids during hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection. About 14% of the suspected cases attending the mucormycosis out-patient department (OPD) had been confirmed with definite mucormycosis. Oral involvement was seen in 45% of cases of CAM (COVID-associated mucormycosis). The most frequent oral symptoms presented in CAM were sudden tooth mobility and toothache. Diabetes and steroids were the likely contributing factors associated with CAM.

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Among the oro-facial defects, cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common and occurs in the 4th-12th week of intrauterine life. The classification proposed by Veau's divides cleft palate into four main categories: Group I: Defects of Soft Palate only, Group II: Defects involving hard and soft palate, Group III: Defects involving soft palate to the alveolus usually involving lip; and Group IV: Complete bilateral clefts. 1 Panamota et al.'s systematic review showed that cleft lip and palate prevalence varies from 0.57-1.57 per thousand live births. 2 The etiology of cleft lip and palate is multi-factorial and influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Environmental factors include cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, and nutritional status of the mother, such as vitamin and folic acid deficiencies, obesity, diabetes mellitus, etc. Genetic factors are associated with various genes and loci known to cause isolated clefts-IRF6, ch8q24, vax1, and PAX7. 3 Strong correlation is also seen between consanguineous marriages