Background. Antimicrobial agents serve as an effective adjunct in plaque control, and chlorhexidine has been the gold standard. However, the philosophy that natural agents are better for children's oral health is on the rise. Probiotic technology represents a breakthrough approach to maintain oral health by utilizing natural beneficial bacteria commonly found in healthy mouths. Aim and Objective. To compare efficacy of probiotic and chlorhexidine oral rinses in orthodontic patients. Materials and Methods. 30 healthy patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment were randomly selected for the study by block randomization and allocation concealment and were divided into three groups: group a, 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash; group b, probiotic mouthwash; and group c, a control group. Results. Probiotic and chlorhexidine groups had significantly decreased plaque indices as compared to the control group. However, greater improvement was seen in the gingival indices than plaque indices with better results in the probiotic group than the chlorhexidine group. No statistical significance was observed in the streptococcus count of probiotic and chlorhexidine groups at the end of the intervention period. Conclusion. The comparison of probiotics to chlorhexidine has proven that probiotics are as effective as chlorhexidine as an adjunctive chemical plaque control agent.

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Dental plaque is considered to be a major etiological factor in the development of periodontal disease. Accordingly, the elimination of supra- and sub-gingival plaque and calculus is the cornerstone of periodontal therapy. Dental calculus is mineralized plaque; because it is porous, it can absorb various toxic products that can damage the periodontal tissues. Hence, calculus should be accurately detected and thoroughly removed for adequate periodontal therapy. Many techniques have been used to identify and remove calculus deposits present on the root surface. The purpose of this review was to compile the various methods and their advantages for the detection and removal of calculus.

A BSTRACT Background: Complete and uneventful recession coverage should be the aim of gingival recession treatment. Systematic reviews have said that coronally advanced flap with connective tissue graft (CTG) is the gold standard for gingival recession treatment. Minimally invasive procedures with optical magnification allow minimal tissue manipulation and precise adaptation of wound edges helping in faster and uneventful healing, thus bringing about a satisfactory clinical and patient outcome. Thus, the following study compares the clinical- and patient-related outcomes of modified microsurgical tunnel technique (MMTT) and modified coronally advanced flap (MCAF) using CTG in the coverage of multiple adjacent Miller’s class I and II gingival recessions. Materials and Methods: Gingival recession patients were selected and were assigned randomly to either MMTT+CTG or MCAF+CTG. Clinical parameters were evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months. Patient’s satisfaction level was assessed by measuring root coverage esthetic score, hypersensitivity, and morbidity. The statistical analysis was performed using commercially available software SPSS version 14. Descriptive statistics were expressed as mean±standard deviation for each parameter. Intragroup comparison was done by using the paired T -test. Intergroup comparison was done using the independent Student’s T -test. The significance level was set at P = 0.05. Results: MMTT+CTG showed a statistically significant greater clinical- and patient-related outcome. Conclusion: MMTT+CTG, being a closed procedure, preserves the blood supply, helps in faster healing, and does not compromise the esthetics. All these lead to decreased morbidity and increased patient satisfaction which makes MMTT a superior technique than the conventional procedure in gingival recession treatment.

Corticosteroids are chemically similar to endogenous cortisol and are used fundamentally as replacement therapy in patients with adrenal insufficiency, and used as anti-inflammatory agents. They are widely used in systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and connective tissue disorders. In dentistry primarily these are used to decrease post-operative pain and edema in inflammatory diseases such as oral lichen planus, pemphigus, and recurrent aphthous stomatitis. This action is predominantly due to eicosanoid formation that inhibits phospholipase A2 activity. Corticosteroids can be supplemented either topically systemically or as inhalational therapy. Research suggests that local application of corticosteroids shows favorable effect on the periodontal ligament and possesses antiresorptive effect, but long-term systemic therapy is a risk for periodontal diseases which may provoke attachment loss and disruption of transseptal fibers. Oral manifestations are common with the use of inhaled steroids and are dependent on dose, frequency, duration, and inhaler use. It is commonly associated with ulceration of tongue, buccal mucosa, and occasionally on the gingiva due to xerostomia and immune suppression. It also causes a decrease in bone mineral density. This review explains about various effects of different types of corticosteroids on periodontium used in dentistry.