Background To evaluate the efficacy of tulsi extract mouthrinse in reducing halitosis as compared to chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide mouthrinses using spectrophotometric analysis. Material and Methods It was a parallel, single center, double blinded randomized controlled trial of 15 days duration. A total of 300 participants were screened, out of which 45 subjects those fulfilled inclusion criteria of age range 17-35 years were included in the trial. The participants were randomly provided with tulsi, hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine mouthwashes (control group) to use 10 ml twice daily for 15 days. Clinical measurements were taken at baseline and 15 days using arbitrary 0-5 scale for organoleptic odor assessments, spectrophotometric analysis for Volatile Sulphide Compounds (VSCs) from saliva samples, Löe & Silness gingival index and Silness & Löe plaque index. Results After intervention, organoleptic, VSCs, gingival and plaque scores showed statistically significant decrease in all the three study groups. The mean percentage reduction in VSC and organoleptic scores was significantly greater in chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide groups than in the tulsi group and the mean percentage reduction in plaque and gingival scores was significantly greater in chlorhexidine group than in hydrogen peroxide and tulsi group. Conclusions Tulsi may not have the efficacy of chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide mouthrinses. But, Tulsi is effective in reducing halitosis, plaque and gingivitis and with its lack of side effects & cost effectiveness, can be an effective & economic tool to deal with halitosis. The spectrophotometric technique appears to be a promising method for evaluation of oral malodor. Key words: Halitosis, tulsi mouthwash, chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide, spectrophotometric analysis.

Objectives:(1) To assess the impact of different lifestyle factors on periodontal health of adults. (2) To assess the impact of overall/combined lifestyle variable (calculated by health practice index [HPI]) on periodontal health of adults.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study consisting of a structured questionnaire on HPI, oral health-related behavior, and personal habits as well as sociodemographic variables was conducted on 800 subjects aged 20–50 years attending dental outreach set-ups of Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal. Clinical examination for periodontal status was done by recording loss of attachment scores using community periodontal index (FDI/WHO-1982). Statistical analysis was done by bivariate analysis using Chi-square followed by multivariate analysis to obtain adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval.Results:After adjusting for all the confounding variables in multivariate logistic regression analysis, the variables that showed an independent association with periodontitis were age, location, marital status, smoking, hours of sleep per night, physical activity, and overall poor lifestyles.Conclusion:Our results support studying a combined approach using various lifestyle behaviors for controlling chronic periodontitis. Necessary public health action on conditions which determine unhealthy lifestyle behaviors across population is needed which is possible by patient's involvement in self-care by promoting healthy lifestyles.

Objectives:(i) To assess reduction in Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus species count in saliva sample after ten minutes of oil gum massage therapy (massage of gingival tissues) per day for three weeks with sesame oil, olive oil, and coconut oil in three different groups of subjects. (ii) To compare the efficacy between three different oils and the “gold standard” chlorhexidine gel. (iii) To assess reduction in gingival scores and plaque scores of study subjects.Materials and Methods:Study design – Single center, parallel design, and triple blind randomized clinical study with four treatment groups. Participants: 32 of the 40 study subjects working as housekeeping personnel at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal; aged 18-55 years completed the three-week study period. Interventions: Subjects were randomly assigned to massage their gingiva everyday for three weeks with sesame oil, olive oil, coconut oil (tests), and Chlorhexidine gel (control). Oral health status and paraffin stimulated saliva samples were obtained at baseline and after three weeks of oil gum massage therapy. Outcome measures: Microbial culture, plaque index, and gingival index. Statistical analysis: Paired t test and Kruskal Wallis test.Results:There was a significant reduction in mean Streptococcus mutans count, Lactobacillus count, plaque scores, and gingival scores in all four groups after the study. However, there was no significant difference found in percentage reduction of these variables between the four groups.Conclusion:These oils can be used as valuable preventive agents in maintaining and improving oral health in low socioeconomic status population. However, it is recommended that further research should be conducted in other populations with a larger sample and longer duration of follow-up period.

Background. Miniplates are commonly used for the fixation of maxillofacial fracture segments. Removal of the hardware is controversial. A retrospective study of medical records was performed to observe the reasons for plate removal. Materials and Methods. A 10-year retrospective study of medical records was performed. Demographics, type of fracture, location, type of miniplate used, the time gap between the insertion and removal, and causes of hardware removal were assessed. Results. About 1472 patients had undergone internal fixation for the facial fractures. Stainless steel miniplate was used in 489 patients, and titanium was used in 983 patients. Out of the 42 cases, 22 cases involved the removal of titanium hardware and 20 patients involved the removal of stainless steel hardware. Infection/osteomyelitis was the main cause of hardware removal. The maximum amount of hardware failure was in the mandible. 78.6% of hardware removal was performed in males. Conclusion. Based on our study, routine removal of titanium miniplates can be performed in children to avoid growth disturbances, not indicated in adult patients unless symptomatic.

A BSTRACT Background: Dental caries is preventable if favorable health behavior is successfully established. Exploring the broader concept of lifestyle will be useful to determine that how lifestyle of people can affect dental caries. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of overall lifestyle of an individual (analyzed using health practice index) on dental caries of adult population. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study comprising structured questions on health practice index, sociodemographic variables, and oral health-related behavior was conducted on 800 study subjects of age 20–50 years attending outreach dental setups of a dental school in India. Dental caries was recorded with decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index. Statistical analysis was carried out using frequency distribution for variables related to lifestyle, mean ± standard deviation for DMFT, and negative binomial regression to predict a dependent variable (DMFT) that consisted of “count data.” Results: The study subjects who were older age, women, unemployed, and unskilled; those with lower education, lesser income, and lower socioeconomic status; those never visited dentist; and those with lesser frequency of cleaning teeth, overall poorer lifestyles, and moderate lifestyles were more prone to have dental caries than their counterparts. Conclusion: Dental caries is a multifactorial disease. Patients’ involvement in self-care by promoting healthy behaviors such as brushing twice a day, visiting dentist regularly, negating orally abusive substance addiction, having breakfast every day, eating a balanced diet, and reducing stress leads to an overall good lifestyle. These factors along with sleeping a minimum of 7–8h per night and working for 8–9h per day and ample daily exercise may help patients improve or protect their oral health for years to come.