Aims and Objectives:People in rural areas neglect oral health as they lack awareness on dental diseases and also due to inadequate availability of dental services. The prevalence of illiteracy is also a reason which can be attributed to a poor oral health. This epidemiological study is undertaken to assess the prevalence of periodontal diseases in the rural population of Mustabad – in Krishna, Andhra Pradesh.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study based on randomized sampling method was carried out using the WHO assessment form (1997) on a population of 470. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 15.0.Results:The subjects were 220 males and 250 females. Maximum numbers of subjects were in the age group of 35-44 years (21.91%). Prevalence of periodontal disease was found to be 73.62%. The periodontal status deteriorated with aging. Prevalence of periodontitis was higher in females (56.35%) compared to males (43.65%). Males had a higher prevalence of deep pockets (3.18%), whereas females had a higher prevalence of shallow pockets (3.20%). Females had twice the bleeding tendency (18.80%) compared to males (8.64%).Conclusion:The increasing prevalence of periodontal diseases is an impending problem which needs immediate intervention, if not it would have a serious negative impact on the future oral health. The need of the hour is more epidemiological studies with a bigger sample are required.

Purpose:The purpose of the study is to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of Carisolv and Papacarie. There are only a few studies comparing the primary teeth. The objective of this study is to assess the effects of Carisolv and Papacarie on cariogenic flora and to compare them.Materials and Methods:Fifteen children aged 4–8 years who had at least two primary molars with broad occlusal cavitated lesions showing brown and softened dentin samples were selected. The selected 30 teeth were randomly divided into two groups of 15 teeth each for Carisolv and Papacarie. Dentin samples of both groups were taken prior to and following caries removal. The total viable count and lactobacilli count were determined and expressed as colony forming units per milliliter. The two methods of caries removal were then compared and the data were statistically analyzed.Results:The data of both agents (groups) were analyzed by Wilcoxon signed-rank test before and after application and showed statistical significance. Inter-comparison of data of both groups was analyzed by Mann–Whitney U test for total viable count and total Lactobacillus count which showed no statistical significance.Conclusion:Carisolv and Papacarie have similar antibacterial efficacy against cariogenic flora as chemomechanical caries removal agents.

Aim:This in-vitro study measured the force deflection behavior of selected initial alignment archwires by conducting three-point bending tests under controlled tests. The study tested three wire designs, namely, co-axial multistranded stainless steel wires, nickel–titanium, and copper–nickel–titanium archwires.Materials and Methods:The archwires were ligated to a specially designed metal jig, simulating the arch. A testing machine (Instron) recorded activation and deactivation forces of different deflections at 37°C. Forces on activation and deactivation were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results:Significant differences (P < 0.05) in activation and deactivation forces were observed among the tested wires. The co-axial multistranded wire had the lowest mean activation and deactivation forces, whereas conventional nickel–titanium wires had more mean activation and deactivation forces at different deflections.Conclusion:The activation and deactivation forces were higher for nickel–titanium followed by copper–nickel titanium and co-axial wires. The amount of percentage force loss was more for co-axial wire, indicating that these wires are not ideal for initial leveling and aligning.