Background:Since periodontal diseases are primarily inflammatory in nature, the ability to detect inflammatory lesions in gingival tissue is essential for the diagnosis and monitoring of changes in gingival status. Gingival bleeding has been used as a reliable and objective clinical parameter not only for the evaluation of inflammatory conditions of periodontium, but also in the detection of its activity and progression. The gingival bleeding index (Loe) is based on the presence or absence of gingival bleeding, thereby provides a means of converting observed clinical data into statistical analysis. Periodontitis is widely regarded as a bacterial infection mainly mediated by subgingival plaque. N-benzoyl-DL-arginine β-naphthylamide (BANA) test is a simple chair side test used to detect, the specific enzymatic activity of microorganisms involved in periodontal disease.Objective:The objective of this study is to compare the clinical evaluation of the gingival index (GI) with the enzymatic BANA test.Materials and Methods:A total of 320 sites were selected from 20 patients with generalized chronic periodontitis, based on the presence are absence of gingival bleeding according to GI of Loe. Sub-gingival plaque samples were collected using a sterile curette and the BANA test was performed.Results:The distribution of GI and the intensity of the BANA test for the 320 sites analyzed during the initial examination of patients, with significance determined by the Chi-square test. The results were statistically significant at P ≤ 0.000.Conclusion:There was a direct relationship between positive BANA test results and GI scores, clearly demonstrating the validity of gingival bleeding as a significant diagnostic parameter.Clinical Significance:The validity of gingival bleeding as a clinical tool not only for the diagnosis of periodontal disease, but also in the detection of its activity and progression could be established by correlating the GI scores (which is based on the presence or absence of bleeding) with the primary etiologic factors (putative periodontal pathogens) assessed by BANA assay.

No abstract

Aim:To study the various types of pit and fissure morphology in young permanent first molars and their relationship with caries prevalence arch-wise and quadrant-wise. Materials and methods: Four hundred young permanent first molars in 100 patients between 8 years and 10 years were examined. Teeth were examined using dental caries diagnostic index, decayed missing filled surfaces of permanent first molar (DMFSM1) index per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (2013), and pit and fissure morphology index (Symons, 1996). Results: It was found that intermediate type of fissures was most prevalent followed by shallow type of fissures. Deep fissures had significantly more caries than intermediate, and shallow had the least incidence of caries, irrespective of the jaw type and arch side. Also, in general, the left side of arch had lesser caries than that in the right side. Conclusion: It is recommended to seal off the intermediate and deep pits and fissures in children with high risk of caries, and appropriate preventive measures should be taken. Tooth morphology can be used as an indicator to identify the children at high risk, especially in settings where resources are not adequate.