Background:The objectives of this study were to investigate the incidence of cervical enamel projection (CEP) in molars of Indian dry human skulls and to evaluate its relationship with furcation involvement (FI).Materials and Methods:The material consisted of 944 upper and lower first, second and third permanent molars from 89 Indian dry human skulls. CEPs were investigated from the buccal aspect of the tooth and classified according to a system describeddescribed by Masters and Hoskins. FI was measured horizontally from the buccal aspect into the furcation with a graduated probe to the nearest millimeter. Any measurement ≥2 mm was considered to have positive FI.Results:The results showed that CEPs was found more frequently in the mandibular than in the maxillary molars (2:1). The highest incidence of CEP was found in the mandibular second molar (14.7%) followed by the maxillary second molar (14.6%). The mandibular third molar showed the lowest incidence (5.5%). The association between CEP and FI (87.5%) was statistically significant. This favors the view of the possible role played by such anomalies in the progression of periodontal diseases. CEP in male skulls (77.4%) was significantly more prevalent than in female skulls (20.4%). No significant difference was found between the right and left side of maxillary and mandibular teeth with CEP and FI.Conclusion:The findings suggested the role of CEPs as a local contributing factor in localized chronic periodontitis and FI in molars. Detailed examination as well as early diagnosis of periodontal disease at the region of furcation is clinically very important.

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Introduction: Halitosis can be tested using two main methods, organoleptic and assessment of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), using an electronic meter like Halimeter. Therefore, the present study was conducted to measure the oral malodor of volunteers by means of the organoleptic method and VSCs monitoring and to evaluate the diagnostic value of the Halimeter in the diagnosis of halitosis. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted to compare the two diagnostic aids for halitosis. The study population included 110 volunteers, all males, between the ages of 18 and 45 years selected from academic staff, students, and patients of college. Evaluation and comparison of two main methods for halitosis were done, namely, organoleptic and Halimeter. Specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and disease prevalence were calculated for the sulfide monitor test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the diagnostic values of Halimeter to differentiate individuals with and without halitosis. Results: The correlation coefficient between VSC grading and organoleptic score (Kendall's tau-b) was −0.1090, which was not significant (P = 0.2170). Sensitivity and specificity of sulfide monitor grades for detecting individuals with and without halitosis were 20.75% and 66.67%, respectively. The PPV for the Halimeter was 36.67%, and the NPV was 47.50%. A total of 48.18% of all subjects were accurately identified and differentiated. The area under the ROC curve was 0.5790 (95% confidence interval: 0.4600-0.6980). Conclusion:In the present study, the Halimeter was not found to have a good correlation with the organoleptic method. However, due to the diverse influencing factors, proof of halitosis should always be obtained with two different methods.

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