No abstract

This audit has shown that clinical practice for antimicrobial prescribing did not follow the published guidelines. Following targeted interventions, a substantial improvement was made in the prescribing pattern. The target of 100% has not been reached, necessitating further intervention.

Preventive approaches seem to be a viable alternative to tackle the overwhelming problem of dental caries and other oral diseases. Provision of oral health education in schools and school based preventive programs are important for improvement of this situation.

Articaine infiltration has the potential to replace inferior alveolar nerve block for primary mandibular molars.

This study was conducted to compare pain perception of intraligamentary anesthesia (ILA) using a computer-controlled local anesthetic delivery system (CCLADS) versus a conventional intraligamentary injection for extraction of primary molars. A randomized controlled trial was designed where 82 children requiring 102 primary molar extractions were given ILA of 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine with either the conventional method or a CCLADS. Pain during injection and extraction was assessed using the Sound, Eye, Motor (SEM) scale and heart rate recording. Faces Pain Scale–Revised (FPS) scores were self-reported by patients. The Mann-Whitney test was used for evaluation of FPS and SEM scores and Student's t test for evaluation of heart rate readings. Heart rate values during injection were found to be higher, but not statistically significantly higher (p = .077), for conventional injection versus CCLADS; however, heart rate values during extraction were significantly higher for the conventional method (p = .009). Both FPS and SEM values were found to be significantly higher for conventional ILA technique (p < .05). ILA can be an effective alternative means of anesthesia for primary molar extractions, and CCLADS devices can make ILA more effective and less painful.