The dramatic reductions in the OHI-S, PI, and GI scores in the group supplied with oral hygiene aids call for supplying low cost fluoridated toothpastes along with toothbrushes through the school systems in rural areas.

Sandblasting followed by acid etching provides significantly higher bond strength values compared to acid etching alone, irrespective of the bonding material employed.

Study design:It was a short term prospective pilot study on a group of 116 secondary school students.Objectives:To assess the feasibility of using the services of school teachers to promote oral hygiene in secondary school students and compare the effectiveness of dental health education (DHE) offered by school teachers on a fortnightly basis with what is offered by dental professionals at three- monthly intervals.Materials and Methods:Six secondary schools were randomly selected. The base-line Oral Hygiene Index simplified (OHI-S) and Plaque index (PI) scores for all the students were recorded. The teachers were trained on dental health facts. The six schools were divided into three groups of two schools with different intervention techniques: Group 1- Schools given no health education, Group 2 – Schools given health education by their school teachers on a fortnightly basis together with simple screening for deposits of gross calculus , Group 3 – Schools which were given health education by dental professionals at intervals of three months without any screening. Grade nine students were selected for pre and post intervention evaluation. The second examination was done six months following the intervention to find out the OHI-S and Plaque index scores. The examination was done by three trained and calibrated dentists. Data analysis was done with SPSS 16 with relevant statistical tests.Results:The mean OHI-S and PI scores were significantly less in group 2 and there was a statistically significant difference between the baseline OHI – S, PI score and the scores after six months in all the three groups.Conclusion:The concept of utilizing the teachers for frequent DHE and screening for any gross deposits of food debris and calculus is feasible. Also frequent DHE by teachers was more effective than the infrequent DHE by the professionals.

Background:Oral diseases are among the major public health problems and the commonest of chronic diseases that affect mankind. The application of natural products for the control of oral diseases is considered as an interesting alternative to synthetic antimicrobials due to their lower negative impact, and for the effort to overcome primary or secondary resistance to the drug during therapy.Objective:To review the current evidence on the antimicrobial efficacy of 10 plant extracts on dental caries and plaque microorganisms.Materials and Methods:A comprehensive literature search was made by one of the authors for 2 months in PubMed, PubMed Central, MEDLINE, LILACS/BBO, Cochrane database of systematic reviews, SCIENCE DIRECT, and Google scholar databases. The results from the relevant published literatures are discussed.Summary and Conclusion:The extracts of Azadirachta Indica, Ocimum sanctum, Murraya koenigii L., Acacia nilotica, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Mangifera indica, Psidium guajava, Rosa indica, and Aloe barbadensis Miller have all been found to inhibit certain dental caries and periodontal pathogens. The current evidence is on individual plant extracts against bacteria involved in either caries or periodontitis. “Herbal shotgun” or “synergistic multitarget effects” are the terms used for the strategy of combining different extracts. The research assessing the antimicrobial efficacy of a combination of these plant extracts against dental caries and periodontal pathogens is the need of the hour, and such research will aid in the development of a novel, innovative method that can simultaneously inhibit two of the most common dental diseases of mankind, besides slowing the development of drug resistance.

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