The present study gave us an insight about the effectiveness of TENS therapy in stimulating salivary flow in healthy subjects and it is very effective when used in conjunction with radiation therapy by reducing the side-effects of radiation therapy. Hence, TENS therapy can be used as an adjunctive method for the treatment of xerostomia along with other treatment modalities.

Charm needles or susuk are needle-shaped metallic objects inserted subcutaneously in different parts of the body. The practice of inserting susuk is, an indisputably cultural and superstitious traditional belief common in the south-east Asian region, especially to the people of Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei. With increased use of diagnostic radiographs in dental or medical practice, the discovery of charm needles has become more frequent. We report one such case of charm needles inserted in oro-facial region which was discovered in routine dental radiograph, with emphasis on cultural and traditional belief.

Genin oral kanser için bir tedavisi var mı? Genetik diş hekimliği Dünyada en yaygın görülen kanser türleri arasında olan oral karsinom, global olarak en sık görülen altıncı kanserdir. Oral kanser, tütün ve alkol kullanımına bağlı olarak ortaya çıkan genetik mutasyonlarla ilişkilidir. Son yıllarda oral kanser hastalarının cerrahi, radyoterapik ve kemoterapik tedavilerindeki gelişmeler hasta sağkalımında anlamlı gelişmeler yaratmamıştır. İmmunoterapi, gen terapisi ve hedeflenmiş terapideki son gelişmeler oral kanser tedavisinde umut verici sonuçlar ortaya koymaktadır. Gen terapisi çevre dokuda toksik etkiler oluşturmadan hedef hücrelere spesifik genetik materyalin sunulmasını içerir. Günümüzde gen terapisi çalışmalarının çoğu kanser ve genetik bozukluklarla ilişkili kalıtsal hastalıkları hedeflemiştir. Bu derleme oral kanser türlerinde gen terapisi ile yapılmış çalışmaların temel kavram ve çeşitlerine açıklık getirmektedir. Gen terapisi oral kanser tedavisinde öne çıkan yeni çalışma alanlarından biridir. Anahtar sözcükler: Gen terapisi, oral kanser ABS TRACT Is genie having a cure for oral cancer?-genetic dentistry Worldwide, oral carcinoma is one of the most prevalent cancers and it is the sixth most common cancer globally. Oral cancer is associated with genetic mutations which occur due to the exposure to tobacco, alcohol, betel quid. Advances over recent decades in the surgical, radiotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic treatment of oral cancer patients did not produced a significant improvement in patient survival. Recent advances like immunotherapy, gene therapy, and targeted therapy are showing promising results in the management of oral cancer. Gene therapy essentially consists of introducing specific genetic material into target cells without producing toxic effects on surrounding tissue. Today, most of the gene therapy studies are aimed at cancer and hereditary diseases which are linked to genetic defects. This article highlights the basic concept, types and various studies done on oral cancer using gene therapy. Gene therapy has becoming one of the emerging fields in the management of oral cancer.

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is one of the "diseases of civilization" because of the large differences in prevalence among races, geographic areas, and individuals at different socioeconomic levels. It is a premalignant condition strongly associated with the habit of chewing areca nuts. This study is to compare the scoring system in relation to the burning sensation of mouth and dysphagia using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Dakkak and Bennett grading system for Indian food, respectively, in OSMF patients. This study was a randomized clinical trial incorporating a total of 50 cases of OSMF divided into a control group (antioxidant therapy) and pentoxifylline test cases. Values for burning sensation of the mouth using the VAS and modified Dakkak and Bennett grading system for Indian food were recorded. Statistical analyses were done using t test, Mann -Whitney U test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Patients subjected to pentoxifylline when compared to the control group showed significant reduction in dysphagia for Indian food. Burning sensation was recorded according to the visual analogue scale. Significant reduction in burning sensation was seen in the pentoxifylline group when compared to the control group. This grading system provides quantitative and qualitative parameters in patients with OSMF.

Goldenhar syndrome is a rare congenital anomaly involving the first and second branchial arches. It has been reported with the incidence between 1:3500 and 1:5600, with a male: female ratio of 3:2. The exact etiology is unknown. Most of the cases have been sporadic. This paper presents a rare case of Goldenhar syndrome in a 6 year old boy reported to us for the ear prosthesis.Keywords: Goldenhar syndrome; Hypoplasia of malar Bone; Facial palsy; Ear tags; Ocular dermoids vertebral malformation complex [1,2]. We are reporting a case of Goldenhar syndrome in a 6 year old boy with ear deformities, ocular dermoids, facial paralysis, mental retardation and skeletal abnormalities with hypoplasic malar and maxillary bone. Case ReportA 6 year old male patient, born of non consanguineous marriage, presented to our department with the complaint of deformed left ear since birth. It was associated with decreased hearing. Medical history revealed cleft palate surgery at the age of 1 year. The child was born of a full-term normal delivery and there was no history of any maternal illness during the pregnancy. But the child was cyanotic at the time of birth. All other family members were normal. Personal history showed normal bowel and bladder habits, undisturbed sleep. On General Examination, he was conscious and cooperative but had reduced grasping power and learning skills. Vital signs were within normal limits with no peripheral signs. Altered posture was noticed as the shoulder levels were not at same level (Figure 1). On extra oral examination, facial asymmetry was detected due to hallowing of left cheek and hypoplasia of left malar region, hypoplasia of maxillary bone and prognathic mandible (Figure 2). Facial profile was straight and leptoprosopic facial form was noticed. Deformed left ear and ear tags were seen on the right side (Figure 3). Hypertelorism was present. Ocular changes showed whitish area near outer canthus of both eyes approximately measuring 1X1cms suggestive of epibulbar dermoids on both sides (Figure 4). Cranial nerve examination revealed left facial nerve paralysis as he was unable to raise his eyebrows, no wrinkles on the forehead and unable to blow the cheeks on left side. On Intraoral Examination, palatal scar noticed suggestive of previous surgery for cleft palate and hard tissue examinations showed multiple root stumps and Angle's class III malocclusion. The orthopantomograph showed mixed dentition ( Figure 5) and the lateral cephalograph revealed malar and maxillary hypoplasia ( Figure 6). We diagnosed the patient as a case of Goldenhar syndrome on the basis of multiple accessory tragi, ocular dermoids, hypoplastic malar process, facial nerve paralysis, mental retardation and skeletal abnormalities. Patient was referred for auricular surgery followed by ear prosthesis replacement.