Introduction: Dentistry is predominantly a field of surgery, involving exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials and therefore requires a high standard of infection control and safety practice in controlling cross-contamination and occupational exposures to blood-and saliva-borne diseases. Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 60 dental colleges throughout India to establish routine methods of treating impressions of the oral cavity for disinfection. An email describing the purpose of the study along with a short questionnaire was sent to one of the teaching faculty of concerned departments of the colleges. Questions were asked regarding availability of materials required to disinfect the impressions, the preferred method to treat the impression, and whether postgraduate courses were offered by the department. Results: The routine method of treating the impression reported by75.9% of the respondents was washing under running water, while 24.1% of the respondents reported that impressions were treated by chemical disinfectants. Conclusion: Strict infection control measures are necessary to ensure the health and safety of dental workers and patients. The present study showed that there is a lack of commitment to high standards of infection control practices in dental colleges in India.

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The prevalence of dental caries in developing countries like India is increasing to an alarming level in contrast to developed countries where it has decreased because of variety of preventive measures at the community and individual level. There is no State or Centre funded programs for prevention of dental diseases in India.The present review enlists the targeted prevention of dental caries in permanent teeth of 6 to 16 years old children presenting for dental care.

The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of and relationship between dental caries and dental fluorosis at varying levels of fluoride in drinking water. The study was conducted among 3007 school children in the age group of 12 to 16 years in 2 districts of Haryana having varying fluoride levels in drinking water. Type III examination for dental caries according to the WHO index and dental fluorosis estimation according to Dean's index was done. The prevalence of dental caries decreased from 48.02% to 28.07% as fluoride levels increased from 0.5 to 1.13 ppm, but as the fluoride level increased further to 1.51 ppm, there was no further reduction in caries prevalence, but there was a substantial increase in fluorosis prevalence. The optimum level of fluoride in drinking water was found to be 1.13 ppm, at which there was maximum caries reduction with minimum amount of esthetically objectionable fluorosis.