BackgroundSaliva plays a major role in preserving the integrity of oral tissues. The oral health of renal failure patients could be negatively affected by the underlying pathology, the dialysis treatment, or an altered salivary composition. Major systemic changes occur during hemodialysis (HD), which could affect the flow rate and biochemical composition of saliva. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of HD on the salivary flow rate, pH and biochemical composition before and after completion of a dialysis session.Material and MethodsThirty Renal failure patients undergoing hemodialysis were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria set forth for the study. Unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) was collected by the spitting method, immediately before and after a dialysis session. Salivary flow rate, pH, concentration of urea, creatinine, sodium, chloride, potassium and calcium were measured.ResultsHemodialysis had an acute stimulating effect on the salivary flow rate. The mean pH of UWS showed no significant changes before and after dialysis. The concentrations of urea, creatinine, chloride and potassium in whole saliva changed markedly before and after a hemodialysis session; whereas no significant difference was seen in the concentration of sodium and calcium. ConclusionsThis study shows that HD has significant acute effects on both salivary secretion and biochemical composition in saliva. We conclude that the observed changes in salivary concentrations and flow rate are mainly due to an increased watery secretion from the salivary glands and also saliva can be used as a tool for monitoring hemodialysis. Key words:Saliva, Hemodialysis, Flow rate, pH, biochemical constituents.

Eosinophilic ulcers are rare, benign, reactive and often self-limiting lesions of the oral cavity. Although the aetiology is not clear, trauma is believed to play a role in their development. Clinically, the lesion manifests as an isolated ulcer, with raised, indurated borders and a yellow fibrinous floor; because of its long duration it often leads to the suspicion of squamous cell carcinoma. Although the ulcer is benign in nature, a biopsy is necessary to rule out malignancy. Histopathologically, the ulcer is characterised by the presence of dense inflammatory infiltrate extending into the deeper muscle layers with sheets of lymphocytes intermixed with eosinophils. This is a case report of a 65-year-old woman with an eosinophilic ulcer on the lateral border of the tongue. The ulcer healed rapidly after an incisional biopsy and topical steroid application. The final diagnosis was achieved following clinical and histopathological examination.

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Materials and Methods Twenty patients with periapical lesions of pulpal origin which were clinically diagnosed and indicated for extraction were selected for the study. Pre-operative periapical radiographs were obtained using bisecting angle technique at70 kVp, 8 mA, and Kodak E-speed film.The conventional

Tobacco use is one of the major causes of mortality due to non-communicable diseases. The chemicals present in tobacco affect almost all the parts of the body and cause various diseases. Although majority of the tobacco users are aware about the ill effects of tobacco, they are unable to quit because of the presence of highly addictive substance nicotine. Tobacco users experience various withdrawal symptoms in their attempt to quit which further discourages them from quitting. Despite the fact that Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is found to be effective, it is associated with several side effects. Natural products or herbal remedies are safer alternatives to NRT. Numerous herbs with antioxidant and antianxiety properties have been tried to combat nicotine withdrawal symptoms and thereby facilitate tobacco cessation. Alternative therapies those are easily available, with fewer side effects can be used to reduce the burden of tobacco in the world. In this review, we have enlisted the various herbs that have been used for tobacco cessation with their medicinal properties and effects on nicotine and tobacco.