The current scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced dentists to prepare themselves by updating their knowledge and receive training to face the present and after effects of COVID-19. The present survey was thus conducted to assess the knowledge, risk perception, attitude, and preparedness of the dentists in India about COVID-19. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out among registered dentists in India. A self-administered, anonymous, questionnaire comprising of 25 closeended questions was circulated to gather the relevant information. A total of 765 dentists submitted a response, out of which 646 complete responses were included in the statistical analysis. Pearson's Chi-square test was used for inter-group statistical comparison. Results: The majority (80.8%) of the dentists had a fair knowledge about the characteristics of COVID-19. Nearly 60.7% and 49.7% of the dentists had taken infection control training and special training for COVID-19, respectively. Nearly 50% of the dentists had the perception that COVID-19 is very dangerous. Only 41.8% of the dentists were willing to provide emergency services to patients. Most of the dentists had an opinion that there is a need to enhance personal protective measures. During the survey, it was found that varied technological advances are offered to dentists to ensure good clinical practice. They also concurred that there was a need to standardize the tools and measures available to carry out dental practices. Conclusion: In the present study, Indian dentists have presented satisfactory knowledge with adequate preparedness as the majority of them had a fair level of knowledge with significantly higher knowledge among female respondents and those with post-graduation studies. Dentists should make judicious utilization of all the precautionary measures to safely practice dentistry. As we are going through an evolutionary phase where new advances are expected to evolve, dentists will definitely emerge successfully out from the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in Wuhan city in December 2019, and became a grave global concern due to its highly infectious nature. The Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus-2, with its predecessors (i.e., MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV) belong to the family of Coronaviridae. Reportedly, COVID-19 has infected 344,710,576 people around the globe and killed nearly 5,598,511 persons in the short span of two years. On November 24, 2021, B.1.1.529 strain, later named Omicron, was classified as a Variant of Concern (VOC). SARS-CoV-2 has continuously undergone a series of unprecedented mutations and evolved to exhibit varying characteristics. These mutations have largely occurred in the spike (S) protein (site for antibody binding), which attribute high infectivity and transmissibility characteristics to the Omicron strain. Although many studies have attempted to understand this new challenge in the COVID-19 strains race, there is still a lot to be demystified. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to summarize the structural or virologic characteristics, burden, and epidemiology of the Omicron variant and its potential to evade the immune response.
Background and Objectives: The elicitation of a host’s immune–inflammatory responses to overcome oral bacterial biofilm challenges is mediated by numerous cytokines. We explored the role of three such cytokines, viz. interleukin (IL)-17, 18 and 21, by measuring their levels in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of Indian individuals with healthy gingiva, chronic gingivitis, or chronic periodontitis. Materials and Method: Ninety systemically healthy individuals were enrolled in the study on the basis of predefined criteria and were categorized into three groups of 30 participants each. Groups A, B and C were composed of a control group with healthy gingiva, subjects with chronic gingivitis and subjects with chronic periodontitis, respectively. The periodontal disease status was assessed on the basis of a subject’s gingival index, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment loss and radiographic evidence of bone loss. After the complete history-taking and identification of gingival sulcus/pocket depth areas for GCF collection, a sample was collected from each subject in all groups for an estimation of the cytokine levels using ELISA. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v 21.0. Intergroup comparisons were conducted using a post hoc Tukey’s test. A value of p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The mean IL-17, 18 and 21 concentrations in pg/mL was the greatest for Group C (99.67 ± 18.85, 144.61 ± 20.83 and 69.67 ± 12.46, respectively), followed by Group B (19.27 ± 2.78, 22.27 ± 2.43 and 22.74 ± 1.43, respectively) and finally by Group A (healthy control; 11.56 ± 0.99, 17.94 ± 1.24 and 12.83 ± 1.21 respectively). A statistically significant difference in the mean concentrations of two interleukins (IL-17 and IL-18) was observed between Groups A and C and also between Groups B and C. A statistically significant difference in the mean concentrations of IL-21 was observed between Groups B and C. Conclusions: Within the limitations of the present study, the findings revealed that the GCF levels of IL-17, IL-18 and IL-21 rose and correlated well with the severity of the disease. Thus, these cytokines present in GCF have the potential to be considered as biomarkers for periodontal tissue destruction. IL-21 in particular appears to be a promising biomarker for differentiating between gingivitis and periodontitis.
This study was intended to evaluate the fluoride concentration in drinking water and its effect on dental fluorosis in Southwest Saudi Arabia. Water samples were gathered rom wells, filtration plants and commercial brands (bottled water) in distinct urban and rural areas of Asir region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Overall, 63 water samples were collected from 12 locations and 9 brands of bottled water. ExStik® FL700Fluoridemeter was used in the analysis of water samples for fluoride levels. The total number of screened patients for dental fluorosis, aged between 9 and 50 years, was 1150; among them, 609 were males and 541 were females. Dean’s index criteria were used to examine the patients for dental fluorosis. The results revealed that fluoride levels varied between 0.03 and 3.8 ppm. People who drank well water displayed increased fluoride levels (>0.81 ppm). The prevalence of dental fluorosis was established to be 20.43% among the total number of examined patients. The findings of this study show very mild to moderate dental fluorosis prevail among the patients who consume well water in the Asir region.
Background and objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the synergistic antimicrobial activity of extracts obtained from Salvadora persica (Miswak), Commiphora molmol (myrrh) and Azadirachta indica (neem) in combination with commercially available antimicrobial agents: penicillin, tetracycline, ofloxacin and fluconazole on endodontic pathogens such as Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus mitis, Actinomyces naeslundii and Candida albicans. Materials and Methods: Microbiological samples from the root canals of the teeth undergoing retreatment were taken using sterile paper points kept at full length in the canal for 30 seconds. The disc diffusion method was used to check the susceptibility of microbes to the plant extracts and antimicrobials by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zones. Against the microbes, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC)/minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of the plant extracts were assessed. The fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) was used to estimate the synergistic effect of plant extracts combined with antimicrobials against the resistant endodontic microbes. Results: The findings clearly indicate the effectiveness of all the three plant extracts, Commiphora molmol, Azadirachta indica, Salvadora persica, against all the experimental pathogenic microorganisms except for the ineffectiveness of Azadirachta indica, Salvadora persica against Candida albicans. Maximum antimicrobial activity was displayed by Azadirachta indica against Enterococcus faecalis (MIC = 0.09 ± 1.2 mg/mL, MBC = 0.78 ± 1.25 mg/mL) and the minimum antimicrobial activity was displayed by Commiphora molmol against Actinomyces naeslundii (MIC = 12.5 ± 3.25 mg/mL, MBC = 100 ± 3.75 mg/mL). The best synergy was displayed by Commiphora molmol with fluconazole against Candida albicans (FICI = 0.45). Conclusions: The current study delineates the variable antimicrobial activity of plant extracts against the experimental endodontic pathogenic microorganisms. Plant extracts in conjunction with various antimicrobials can be valuable aids in combating relatively resistant endodontic microorganisms that have been the cause of worry in recent years, leading to failure even in treatment procedures following all required protocols.
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