Background: Adoption of consistent behavioral habits in childhood takes place at home, with the parents especially the mother, being the primary model for behavior. Tooth brushing habits which is learnt during early years of life, is deeply ingrained in the child's mind and it is expected that this leads to an adaptation of good oral hygiene in their later life.Objectives: To assess the tooth brushing habits of preschool children and to determine the role and amount of supervision given to them by parents.Study design: A pretested self-designed questionnaire was used to collect information from parents of 130 preschool children in Anganwadi and Kindergarten in Mangalore. Statistical analysis was done and Chi-square test was used.Results: Tooth brushing habits in these children was started at a mean age of 22.4 months (SD 8.4).62% of the preschool children used toothbrush and toothpaste for cleaning teeth and brushing habits were mainly (84%) introduced by mothers. Seventy-one percent of the children were cooperative when they were introduced to tooth brushing.Conclusion: Preschool children of Mangalore were introduced to tooth brushing at a mean age of 22.4 months. Mothers played a vital role in introducing and teaching the child how to brush. In children less than 10 months of age tooth brushing was not started at all.How to cite this article: Pullishery F, Panchmal GS, Shenoy R. Parental Attitudes and Tooth Brushing Habits in Preschool Children in Mangalore, Karnataka: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2013;6(3):156-160.

Toxoplasmosis is a globally distributed parasitic protozoan disease, caused by Toxoplasma gondii. The infection can result in more severe symptoms with potentially life-threatening in case of immunocompromised individuals. Sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine are the two drugs used as a part of standard therapy for toxoplasmosis. Researchers have demonstrated the therapeutic effects of medicinal plants for toxoplasmosis, which can be used as an alternative to standard drug therapy with reduced side effects. Traditional herbal plants are used by people to cure a large number of parasitic disorders. This review provides new insights into various medicinal plants that are used traditionally for the treatment of toxoplasmosis and other parasitic infections, which can be useful as an alternative treatment option for Toxoplasma gondii infections.

Background:Diabetes is one of the world's biggest health problems and the disease affects almost all organ systems. The relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and bone mineral density (BMD) has been controversial. Early identification of reduction in bone mass in a diabetic patient may be helpful in preventing the bone loss and future fracture risks.Objective:The aim is to study the effect of T2DM on BMD among patients in South Karnataka.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 patients between 40 and 70 years of age which included 75 diabetic and 75 nondiabetic subjects. BMD was measured using qualitative ultrasound and the data were compared among age-matched subjects of both the groups. Statistical analysis was performed using unpaired Student's t-test and test of equality of proportions.Results:No significant difference was observed in bone density of both the groups. On further analyzing the data, incidence of osteoporosis was higher among diabetic subjects, whereas incidence of osteopenia was higher among nondiabetic subjects.Conclusion:Although significant difference in bone mineral density was not observed in both the groups, the incidence of osteoporosis was higher among type 2 diabetics. Hence, all type 2 diabetics should be evaluated for the risk of osteoporosis and should be offered appropriate preventive measures.

Background: Individual characteristics such as awareness, perspective, and routines significantly influence one's oral health. This survey explored the Saudi school children's knowledge, attitude and behaviors related to oral hygiene in the Al Qassim province. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study using a pretested online questionnaire was conducted among school children in the Al Qassim region. The first section of the questionnaire recorded students' age and dental history, and experiences were recorded.The second part covered dental hygiene and dental visits. In the third part, students' oral hygiene knowledge was tested. Results: Oral hygiene knowledge was found to be good in 39% of the students, whereas it was found to be significantly higher in those students who brushed frequently or twice a day (p<0.001). About 56.8% of the students reported having some dental problems, and 20.7% mentioned they had never been to the dentist in their lives.Students over the age of 12 years had a significantly higher frequency of dental visits last year (p=0.010). Conclusion: Schools in Saudi Arabia need to begin implementing a comprehensive oral health education program that targets not only the students but also their parents.

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