Purpose: Integrating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) into clinical practice is an increasingly promising strategy for improving patients’ symptoms, communication, and clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived effectiveness of a mobile health intervention designed to collect PROs and activity data as a measure of health status. Patients and Methods: Pilot intervention with 10 patients with gynecologic cancers receiving palliative chemotherapy. The HOPE (Helping Our Patients Excel) study used wearable accelerometers to assess physical activity and the Beiwe research platform to collect PROs, risk stratify patient responses, provide tailored symptom management, and notify patients and clinicians of high-risk symptoms. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed through enrollment and adherence rates; perceived effectiveness was evaluated by patients and oncologists at study completion. Results: The approach-to-consent rate was 100% and participants were 90% and 70% adherent, respectively, to the wearable accelerometers and smartphone surveys. Participants’ mean daily step count was 4,040 (SD=2,270) and increased from week 1 (mean=3,520, SD=1578) to week 3 (mean=4,136, SD=1,578). Active monitoring of participants’ heart rates, daily steps, and PROs throughout the study identified anomalies in participants’ behavior patterns that suggested poor health for 20% (2 patients). Patients and clinicians indicated that the intervention improved physical activity, communication, and symptom management. Conclusion and Relevance: A mobile health intervention that collects PROs and activity data as a measure of health status is feasible, acceptable, and was perceived to be effective in improving symptom management patients with advanced gynecologic cancers. A larger, multisite randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy of the HOPE intervention on patients’ symptoms, health-related quality of life, clinical outcomes, and health care utilization is warranted.

Math anxiety (MA) is associated with negative thoughts and emotions when encountering mathematics, often resulting in under-performance on math tasks. One hypothesized mechanism by which MA affects performance is through anxiety-related increases in working memory (WM) load, diverting resources away from mathematical computations. Here we examine whether this effect is specific to WM, or whether the impact of MA extends to an overall depletion of executive function (EF) resources. In this fMRI experiment, we manipulated two separate factors known to impact EF demands—task-switching (TS) and increased WM load—in order to evaluate how MA relates to behavioral performance and neural activity related to mathematical calculations. Relative to a difficult non-math task (analogies), we observed MA-related deficits in math performance and reduced neural activity in a network of regions in the brain associated with arithmetic processing. In response to TS demands, higher levels of math anxiety were associated with a pattern of avoidance and disengagement. When switching from the control task, high math anxiety (HMA) was associated with disengagement from math trials, speeding through these trials and exhibiting reduced neural activity in regions associated with arithmetic processing. The effects of math anxiety and WM were most pronounced at the lowest levels of WM load. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the effects of MA are broader than previously demonstrated, and provide further insight into how EF deficits in MA might impact recruitment of neural resources that are important for successful math computations.

OSMF (Oral Submucous Fibrosis) is a widely recognized precancerous condition which is also looked upon as a potentially malignant disorder of and is characterized by a reduction in mouth opening, having  palpable circumoral fibrous bands either on one side or bilaterally along with the sensation of “burning mouth”. The condition is defined as “an insidious, chronic disease affecting any part of the oral cavity and sometimes the pharynx. Although occasionally preceded by and/or associated with vesicle formation, it is always associated with juxta-epithelial inflammatory reaction followed by fibroelastic change of the lamina propria, with epithelial atrophy leading to stiffness of the oral mucosa causing trismus and inability to eat”. The increased consumption of commercially prepared arecanut preparations (Gutkha, Pan masala) specially in the younger generation has led to such high incidence of this diseasein certain areas of India. Based on above reported findings the present study was planned for Study of Cases of Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) from Bihar Region. All the patients were informed consents. The aim and the objective of the present study were conveyed to them. Approval of the institutional ethical committee was taken prior to conduct of this study. Total 30 cases of the patients suffering from oral submucous fibrosis were enrolled in the present study. In conclusion, the result of present study provides information on the prevalence of oral mucosal lesion in our population. It is important that preventive efforts be carried out by the concerned authorities and public health professionals in establishing tobacco cessation clinics and tobacco education in such masses (especially the young generation) along with a long standing and a close knit motivation program that enables our future generations to come to avoid the menace of tobacco and its subsequent health effects. Keywords: Oral Submucous Fibrosis, OSMF, Oral Cancer, Bihar region, etc.

Diabetes is one of the common diseases of modern times and one of the most common systemic disorder that is connected to periodontal disease. Periodontal diseases are bacterially induced chronic inflammatory diseases affecting the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth. The lesion begins as gingivitis, an inflammation of the gingival tissues only, and may progress to periodontitis, where destruction of connective tissue attachment and alveolar bone can eventually lead to tooth loss. Hence based on above reported findings the present study was planned for study of prevalence of tooth Loss in Patients Suffering from Diabetes from Bihar Region. The present study was planned in Department of Dentistry, Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital, Gaya, Bihar. Total 100 cases were enrolled in the present study. In the enrolled patients 50 cases were Diabetic and 50 were non-diabetic cases. The data generated from the present study concludes that periodontal disease increases in diabetes group than in control group. Thus, a diabetic patient should always see that he/she maintains his/her oral hygiene by following proper tooth brushing habits. Diabetics should take care to see that they get their teeth restored as early as possible, if decayed. They should follow the instructions given by the physician or the dietician for the intake of non-cariogenic diet. The prevention of periodontal breakdown in diabetic patients is mostly based on the education of the individual. Thus, patients should be informed about the importance of oral health for diabetics, and they should be taught that the main symptom of periodontal disease is gingival bleeding. Keywords: Tooth Loss, Diabetes, periodontal disease, bihar, etc

Smokeless tobacco (ST) chewing warranties special attention in India because of its popularity and widespread social acceptance. The major factors that persist to encourage people to use smokeless form of tobacco are its low price, ease of purchase, and the widely held misconception of purported medicinal value in curing toothache, headache, and in decreasing hunger. Furthermore, in contrast to smoking, there is no taboo against using ST. The lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and the standards of living of industrial workers are different from the rest of the population. Poverty, language barriers, and poor education contribute different lifestyle that encourages addictive tobacco habits. As there is a ban on smoking tobacco in most of the industrial premises, workers tend to consume more of ST products. Therefore, they form a special group who could be at a higher risk of periodontal breakdown. Hence the present study was planned for study of Prevalence of Oral Submucous Fibrosis and Periodontal Health Status in patients chewing Gutka from Bihar Region. The present study was planned in Department of Dentistry, Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital, Gaya, Bihar. Total 30 patients were enrolled in the present study. The patients were divided in three groups. The Group A included patients with a healthy periodontium. The Group B included patients with chronic periodontitis without OSMF, and Group C included patients with chronic periodontitis and OSMF. The data generated from the present study concludes that that chewing gutka leads to periodontal destruction in patients with OSMF. The cases illustrate the significant morbidity and mortality associated with OSF and emphasize the importance of close follow-up of such cases. Because of the significant cancer risk among these patients, periodic biopsies of suspicious regions of the oral mucosa are essential for the early detection and management of high-risk oral premalignant lesions and prevention of cancer. Keywords: oral submucous fibrosis, periodontal destruction, gutka, Bihar region, etc.

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Aim and objective The growth of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) gets affected by multiple factors like aging, occlusion state, and by the movement of the jaw while masticating and swallowing. Radiographic imaging is often utilized as a vital diagnostic adjunct in the evaluation of certain examinations of the TMJ. Materials and methods In this in vivo study, 30 male participants with mean age 55 years, having edentulous maxillary and mandibular arches from the Outpatient Department of Prosthodontics, were randomly selected. Group I (n = 30) patients who were edentulous for the last 4–5 years but without wearing dentures. Whereas group II (n = 30) patients who were edentulous for the last 4–5 years but were wearing dentures for this period. Maxillary and mandibular dentures were fabricated and delivered to subjects. Subjects were subjected to the TMJ analysis with the help of CBCT. Radiological images of dentomaxillofacial structures were analyzed by a specialist with a dual monitor inside a darkened silent room. On the monitor, three times measurements were recorded followed by calculation of mean value. The recordings were taken on both sides and thus, 210 sites were analyzed altogether, followed by the statistical analysis using SPSS software version 15.0. Results The mean ages of group I and II were 59.00 ± 6.74 and 58.27 ± 6.75 years, respectively. The intra- and intergroup comparisons were done using a one-sample t-test. Differences in mean intercondylar width in groups I and II were not found to be statistically significant. The difference in mean length of glenoid fossa was not statistically significant at any of the above observation periods. A continuous decline in mean length of glenoid fossa was observed with time in both groups. The range of change in articular eminence length was found to be statistically significant for both the groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study shows that the articular eminence flattening is correlated with age; on the other hand, the rate of deformation was found significantly more in total edentulous subjects as compared to subjects having normally maintained occlusion. The anatomical changes inside the TMJ have been much greater expressed within the completely edentulous subjects in whom the angle of sagittal condyle path declines and so does the articular eminence height. Clinical significance It is essential to provide the edentulous patient with early prosthetic and occlusal rehabilitation after extractions to prevent the anatomical changes in TMJ. How to cite this article Singh PK, Raman N, Singh VK, et al. Cone-beam Computed Tomographic Evaluation of the Anatomical Changes of Temporomandibular Joint Use of Pre-post Dentures: A Time-control Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2020;21(12):1354–1360.

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