Background:The documentation of magnitude of malocclusion in terms of prevalence and severity has not been done till date in Himachal Pradesh, India.Aims:To assess the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs (OTNs) among 9-and 12-year-old school children by using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) in the state.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1188 children from randomly selected schools. The survey was done according to the Oral Health Assessment Form (modified). DAI was used to assess the severity of malocclusion, along with collection of demographic data.Results:The overall prevalence of malocclusion was 12.5% and required orthodontic treatment, whereas 87.5% did not require treatment. A severe malocclusion for which treatment was highly desirable was recorded in 3.1%; 8% had a definite malocclusion for which treatment was elective. Only about 1.3% had a handicapping malocclusion that needed mandatory treatment. Almost equal proportions of males and females were affected with malocclusion with the means 20 ± 4.6 and 19.9 ± 4.9, respectively (P < 0.641). The prevalence and severity of malocclusion was more in 12-year age group than in 9-year age group (P = 0.002**). There was an increase in the proportion of malocclusion among older children: In 12-year age group, 15.7% with mean 20.5 ± 5.1 and in 9-year-old children, 8.9% with the mean 19.3 ± 4.1 were in the need of orthodontic treatment.Conclusion:Severity and treatment needs, both are important factors in public health planning.

The present study is to compare the multiple regression analysis (MRA) model and artificial neural network (ANN) model designed to predict the mechanical strength of fiber-reinforced concrete on 28 days. The model uses the data from early literatures; the data consist of tensile strength of fiber, percentage of fiber, water/cement ratio, cross-sectional area of test specimen, Young’s modulus of fiber, and mechanical strength of control specimen, and these were used as the input parameters; the respective strength attained was used as the target parameter. The models are created and are used to predict compressive, split tensile, and flexural strength of fiber admixed concrete. These models are evaluated through the statistical test such as coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean squared error (RMSE). The results show that these parameters produce a valid model through both MRA and ANN, and this model gives more precise prediction for the fiber admixed concrete.

Papillon-Lefevre syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder. The clinical manifestations include palmer planter hyperkeratosis with precocious progressive periodontal disease that results in premature exfoliation of primary and permanent dentitions. Patients are often edentulous at an early age. This is a case report of prosthodontic rehabilitation of a 15-year-old girl with Papillon-Lefevre syndrome.

The present study evaluated and compared the retentive strength of three luting cements. A total of forty five freshly extracted human primary molars were used in this study. The teeth were prepared to receive stainless steel crowns. They were then randomly divided into three groups, of fifteen teeth each, so as to receive the three different luting cements: conventional glass ionomer, resin modified glass ionomer and adhesive resin. The teeth were then stored in artificial saliva for twenty four hours. The retentive strength of the crowns was determined by using a specially designed Instron Universal Testing Machine (Model 1011). The data was statistically analyzed using ANOVA to evaluate retentive strength for each cement and Tukey test for pair wise comparison. It was concluded that retentive strength of adhesive resin cement and resin modified glass ionomer cement was significantly higher than that of the conventional glass ionomer cement.

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