Dentists are at high risk for musculoskeletal disorders (MSD's) due to their work. MSD's is an umbrella term for number of injuries affecting different parts of the body, including joints, muscles, tendons, nerves that can arise from sudden exertion or making the same motions repeatedly. These injuries can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability. Dental professional often develop musculoskeletal problems due to bad working habits, uncomfortable physical posture causing unnecessary musculoskeletal loading, discomfort and fatigue. Ergonomic principles when it is applied, it will help to reduce stress and eliminate many potential injuries and disorders associated with the overuse of muscles, bad posture, and repeated tasks. This can be accomplished by using a proper dental chair, lighting and the selection of ergonomically-friendly equipment to fit the dental professionals physical capabilities and limitations. This review addresses about the basics of ergonomics, positioning, viewing, handling, and prevention of MSD's.

Introduction: Medical emergencies can occur frequently in dental setting. Effective management of an emergency situation in the dental office is ultimately the dentist’s responsibility. The lack of training and inability to cope with medical emergencies can lead to tragic consequences and sometimes legal action. For this reason, all health professionals including dentists must be well prepared to attend to medical emergencies. Providing basic life support [BLS] is dentist’s most important contribution until definitive treatment for a medical emergency can be given. Hence the study is aimed to assess the dental graduates (Interns) knowledge, skills and competency regarding dentistry-medical emergency interface. Method: Data were collected from 105 Interns of two dental colleges of Belgaum City using a structured questionnaire consisting of 7 item questionnaire (6 closed and 1 open ended). Results: Overall in all the years, syncope / faint was seen by 40.9% of the respondents, 37.1% with hypoglycemic attacks, allergic reactions by 17.1%, epileptic attacks by 7.6%, asthmatic attacks by 4.5% and angina 0.9%. The frequencies of the emergencies encountered were once or even more. Knowledge of the presence of drugs and equipments in the emergency drug kit and the confidence in regard to use them was low. Medical emergencies training were undertaken by 42% respondents, but in varying degrees. There was a desire for further medical emergencies training by majority of respondents. Conclusion: The study showed that syncope is the commonest medical emergency event. Dental graduates had a superficial knowledge of medical emergencies, drugs and equipments. Emphasis is placed on the need for more medical emergencies training to be offered, to increase knowledge and confidence of dental graduates (Interns) in the management of medical emergencies. Key words:Medical emergencies, dental graduates, basic life support, emergency drugs.

BACKGROUND:This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and anxiety pertaining to basic life support (BLS) and medical emergencies among interns in dental colleges of Mangalore city, Karnataka, India. METHODS:The study subjects comprised of interns who volunteered from the four dental colleges. The knowledge and attitude of interns were assessed using a 30-item questionnaire prepared based on the Basic Life Support Manual from American Heart Association and the anxiety of interns pertaining to BLS and medical emergencies were assessed using a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Questionnaire. Chi-square test was performed on SPSS 21.0 (IBM Statistics, 2012) to determine statistically signifi cant differences (P<0.05) between assessed knowledge and anxiety. RESULTS:Out of 183 interns, 39.89% had below average knowledge. A total of 123 (67.21%) reported unavailability of professional training. The majority (180, 98.36%) felt the urgent need of training in basic life support procedures. Assessment of stress showed a total of 27.1% participants to be above highstress level. Comparison of assessed knowledge and stress was found to be insignifi cant (P=0.983). CONCLUSION:There was an evident lack of knowledge pertaining to the management of medical emergencies among the interns. As oral health care providers moving out to the society, a focus should be placed on the training of dental interns with respect to Basic Life Support procedures.

This study showed that knowledge and awareness regarding dental implants was disturbingly low. The patients had a very minimal and superficial knowledge regarding prosthetic options. Emphasis is placed on the need for conducting and implementing various public awareness campaigns and for establishing counseling centers.

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues to sweep across the globe, the world is responding by implementing public awareness campaigns, social distancing measures, and other preventive strategies to arrest the spread of this lethal disease. Infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exacts a heavy toll on patients with existing comorbidities. Smokeless tobacco (SLT) consumption is of particular concern in countries in South Asia with high population densities, as it facilitates exposure to SARS-CoV-2 within or between communities by the act of public spitting. Salivary droplets generated in this act are a potential threat because they can transmit this airborne infection. Moreover, large gatherings at tobacco retail outlets, frequent hand-to-mouth contact, and sharing of apparatus by SLT habitués could also aid in increasing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. SLT-induced higher expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors along with the presence of furin in the oral mucosa and dysfunctional immune responses among SLT habitués increase viral dissemination and an individual's susceptibility to COVID-19. Issuing rigorous regulations to restrict the use of various forms of SLT products and the obnoxious act of spitting in public can assist in arresting the spread of COVID-19. Widespread education campaigns enlightening the community regarding the adverse effects of SLT consumption and its relationship with COVID-19, along with providing effective assistance to quit for those who are addicted, would decrease the spread of COVID-19.