Aim: The present study aimed to assess the use of various local drug delivery systems in the management of chronic periodontitis. Materials and methods: A total of 60 patients aged around 30-55 years were included. The subjects who were enrolled under took a phase I therapy that included scaling and root planing (SRP). Patients who satisfied the conditions for selection to enter the trial were assigned randomly to three groups, with each group consisting of 20 participants as follows: group I: controlled-release drugs-chlorhexidine gel, group II: metronidazole gel, group III: tetracycline fibers. The plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and periodontal pocket depth (PPD) were recorded after 1st week as the baseline data and were recorded again after 15 days and 30 days post-baseline. Results: The mean GI scores were 1.32 ± 0.10, 0.88 ± 0.16, and 0.76 ± 0.12, at baseline, 15 days, and 30 days, respectively, in group I. In group II, the mean GI score reduced to 1.09 ± 0.83 at 30 days from 1.48 ± 0.27 at baseline. Likewise, in group III the mean GI score reduced to 0.90 ± 0.62 at 30 days from 1.38 ± 0.06 at baseline. All the groups demonstrated a statistically significant difference at various intervals. The mean PI score decreased to 0.90 ± 0.78 at 15 days from 1.46 ± 0.22 at baseline in group III. A statistically significant difference at different intervals was seen in group III only. In all groups, the intergroup comparison of PPD was found to be statistically significant. Conclusion:This study demonstrated that although thorough SRP is an effective treatment method for elimination of chronic periodontal pockets, improved results can be obtained by adjunctive use of locally administered chlorhexidine gel, metronidazole gel, and tetracycline fibers. Clinical significance: The use of the adjunctive local drug delivery system along with mechanical cleansing in the treatment of periodontal pockets in chronic periodontitis is therapeutically beneficial.

Aim: Aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of different treatment modalities for oral submucous fibrosis.Materials and methods: Sixty patients were included in the study, which was diagnosed as stage II oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) based on habitual history and clinical findings. Three groups were made after randomization, i.e., group 1: capsule lycopene group, group 2: capsule lycopene and injection dexamethasone, group 3: injection dexamethasone and hyaluronidase group. Symptom severity was done by visual analog scale (VAS) scoring system viz burning sensation/pain in the patients; patient satisfaction was assessed. Vernier calipers were used to measure patients' maximum mouth opening at day 1, 1st month, 2nd month, 3rd month.

BACKGROUND Ground water is the major source of freshwater, hence protection of groundwater is critical for the welfare of humankind. The people living in rural areas are more exposed, since there is no centrally supplied water in these areas. The major source of fluoride in ground water is the fluoride-bearing rocks. Dental fluorosis which manifests as discolouration of teeth and skeletal fluorosis which are endemic are most early biomarkers of fluoride toxicity. Dharmapuri district in Tamilnadu is one such region where high concentration of fluoride is present in ground water. The present study was done to determine the occurrence of dental fluorosis in children belonging to Avarankattur village, Dharmapuri district and correlate to the fluoride content of the drinking water and other related factors.