Objective Xerostomia may result in several oral conditions, which ultimately affect oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL). This study aims to evaluate the relationship of stress, xerostomia, salivary flow rate, and OHRQOL among young adults. Method We invited 72 participants to complete three validated questionnaires including the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), a shortened version of the Xerostomia Inventory (SXI), and the shortened Oral Health Impact Profile (S–OHIP). Unstimulated saliva was collected, and flow rate was determined. Based on the SXI scores and hyposalivation, the participants were categorised into four groups: subjective xerostomia, subjective and objective xerostomia, objective xerostomia, and true non-xerostomia. Based on the median PSS score, participants were categorised into high stress and low stress groups. Data were analysed using the Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis H test, and Spearman's correlation coefficient. A p value of 0.05 was set for all tests. Results A significant difference was observed in the unstimulated salivary flow rate (χ 2 (3) = 26.677, p < 0.001) and PSS scores (X 2 (3) = 8.552, p = 0.036) between xerostomia groups, while OHIP scores were not statistically different (X 2 (3) = 5.488, p = 0.139). A significant correlation was observed between SXI and S–OHIP scores ( r = 0.348, p = 0.003) and unstimulated salivary flow rate and PSS ( r = −0.259, p = 0.028). Conclusion This study shows that perceived stress can influence salivary flow rate. Among the xerostomia groups, stress scores and salivary flow rates varied significantly. Additionally, subjective xerostomia has an impact on OHRQOL.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic periodontitis (CP) is an inflammatory disease of microbial origin that harms the health of the oral tissues. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of Nigella sativa oil mouthwash given for two weeks after non-surgical therapy in patients with CP. METHODOLOGY: This study was a parallel-arm randomized controlled trial that was conducted after ethical approval and registered with clinicaltrials.gov. The trial followed the guidelines of CONSORT and triple blinding was ensured. A total of fifty voluntary participants, after giving consent and being evaluated for clinical parameters of CP that included Periodontal Pocket Depth (PPD), CAL (Clinical Attachment Loss), PI (Plaque Index) and BoP (Bleeding on Probing) were divided into a control group and a treatment group. Both groups underwent scaling and root planning and were given normal saline solution or Nigella sativa oil respectively to be used as mouthwash daily for two weeks. The clinical parameters were recorded after two weeks and data was analyzed using SPSS (version 25.0). RESULTS: It was noted that a statistically significant change was found in the pre-treatment and post-treatment values of all CP parameters in both the groups after the use of normal saline and Nigella sativa oil mouthwash. No statistically significant results were obtained when clinical parameters were evaluated between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The clinical periodontal parameters of PI, CAL, PPD and BoP improved in both study groups two weeks following non-surgical periodontal therapy irrespective of the Nigella Sativa oil-based mouthwash or normal saline-based mouthwash used. It is suggested that either both types of mouthwashes had a beneficial effect or sub-gingival ultrasonic instrumentation itself was enough for improvement of periodontal health irrespective of the mouthwash used. KEYWORDS: Nigella sativa, Chronic periodontitis, Normal Saline, Oral Health, Dental, Non-surgical Periodontal Therapy

Introduction: There are twelve cranial nerves and seventh one is the Facial cranial nerve, which supplies the muscles of facial expression. It gives of five terminal branches, which form a plexus with in the parotid gland. These branches exhibit variations in their branching pattern. Detection of the main trunk of facial nerve and its branches is important in all surgeries of this area, to avoid any injury that may lead to the loss of function of this nerve. This study has elaborated the branching and communications among the terminal branches of facial nerve in parotid gland. Objectives: To study the anatomical variations in the terminal branching and communicating pattern of the seventh cranial nerve and to observe the division pattern of the facial nerve trunk in parotid area. Study Design: It was carried out at Department of Forensics and Department of Anatomy in King Edward Medical University Lahore. Period: The study commenced in March 2014 after approval of the synopsis by the Advance Studies and Research Board of KEMU and was successfully completed in December 2015. Methodology: Dissection of one hundred hemi-faces in the Departments of Forensic and Anatomy at King Edward Medical University Lahore. Adult cadavers of both sexes were included and with mutilated face were excluded. A Descriptive Cross-sectional type of study. Collected data was analyzed in SPSS 13. Simple frequency/percentages tables and charts were used to presents the outputs. Chi-Square, Student t-test and ANOVA were used. Results: Branching and Communicating Pattern according to occurrence were: Type I, 9%, Type II, 39%, Type III, 20%, Type IV, 25%, Type V, 6%, Type VI, 1%. 95% cases showed bifurcation. Conclusion: Most common branching pattern was Type II (39%), and least common was Type VI (1%). Surgery of Zygomatic region must be done carefully due to complexity of branching in this area.

Background and Aim: The curve of Spee (COS) is a physiological entity in human dentition. A functional masticatory system necessitates an appropriate occlusal curvature. The primary objective of this investigation was to assess the skeletal and dental parameters in individuals with variation in the depth of curve of Spee. Materials and Methods: A total of 276 patients with pre-treatment lateral cephalograms and dental cast models were investigated in the Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Unit of a Tertiary Care Hospital of Mardan, Pakistan from January 2021 to December 2022. Patients with no prior history of orthopedic treatment for functional jaw, prosthodontic treatment, no prior history of cleft lip and palate and cranio-facial disorders were enrolled. Ethical approval was obtained and all the patients were categorized into three groups based on the depth of curve of Spee (COS):  Group-I (flat curvature < 2 mm), Group-II (normal curvature 2-3 mm), and Group-III (deep curvature > 3 mm). Lateral cephalometric analysiswas done to measure the four angular and four linear parameters. Molar relation, overbite, COS depth, and overjet were measured based on the occlusal classification. SPSS version 27 was used for data analysis.

Xerostomia can be defined as a feeling of dryness of mouth, which may or may not be accompanied with reduced salivary secretions. Xerostomia may result in localized and systemic disturbances within the body. The overall global prevalence of xerostomia is 22% with wide variation among different countries due to difference in target population. This review presents the recent literature on the diagnostic methodologies that are present in recent times through subjective and objective corridors. The most commonly used subjective methods for the xerostomia diagnosis include: Fox questionnaire, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Xerostomia Inventory (XI), and Shortened Xerostomia Inventory (SXI). Objective xerostomia diagnostic tools include salivary flow rate assessment. Aside from this, there are numerous radiographical modalities that can be used especially in diagnosing salivary gland disorders or radiation exposure due to oncological treatments which can also provide the added information to diagnose or monitor xerostomia. These radiographic tools include computer tomography (CT), scintigraphy, sialography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasonography. Different combination of tools gives a better xerostomia assessment, selection of which also depends on the age and health condition of the patient. KEYWORDS: flow rate; hyposalivation; diagnosis; oral dryness; salivary gland dysfunction

Abstract Biomarkers are anatomical characteristics or naturally occurring measurable molecules indicating physiological or pathological state of an individual. These biomarkers have the potential to detect or predict diseases at an early stage which is particularly beneficial in timely management of the common complications of radiation therapy done in head and neck cancer treatment regime. Xerostomia is one of the most common oral complaints of radiation therapy. Saliva has an abundance of protein biomarkers; however, those related to post-radiation therapy xerostomia needs to be explored further. Textural and imaging-based biomarkers are helpful in predicting xerostomia in such patients. This narrative review provides an account of the salivary protein and imaging-based biomarkers of radiation therapy-induced xerostomia in head and neck cancer patients. Keywords: chemotherapy, mouth dryness, head and neck cancer, radiotherapy, salivary glands

Background: Oral health is one of the key indicators of the quality of life, overall health and well‑being of the general population. Globally, the high prevalence of the periodontal disease, excessive tooth loss, dental caries experiences, oral cancers and xerostomia are the major issues reported among adult populations. Timely access to oral healthcare facilities preserves the function, morbidity and mortality. The best possible health outcomes are only possible if the personal health care services are accessible timely. So, the primary objective of this study was to explore the barriers to the access of oral health care facilities among adults. In addition, the study also determined the association between adult’s demographic factors and their visits to dental clinics.  Subjects and methods: This exploratory study was conducted for two months between November 2019 and January 2020. The study recruited 400 adults including 200 males and 200 females visiting outpatient department (OPD) of public hospital i.e. Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. Participants were included in this study if they were 18 years of age or older and had provided written informed consent before data collection. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire whereas barriers to access the oral healthcare facilities was confirmed by asking an open-ended question. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to calculate descriptive statistics (i.e., mean, standard deviation, percentages). The study also determined the association between sociodemographic factors of adults and their tendency to visit dental clinics just for routine checkups using the chi-square test. Results: The average age of the participants was 36.81±9.29 years ranged from 18 – 63 years. Of the 400 participants, 259 (64.75%) reported costly treatment as a barrier affecting access to oral healthcare facilities followed by difficulty in access to dental clinics (27.75%) and fear of the pain of dental procedures (20.25%). Only 52 (13%) adults were regularly visiting dental clinics for routine check-ups whereas 21 (5.25%) respondents never had been to the dentist throughout their life. Nearly, half of the respondents i.e. 189 (47.25%) stated that dental care expenditures were borne by them and none of them was health insured. Statistically, a significant association was found between demographics (i.e. education, rural background and income) and the tendency to visit the dental clinics (p<0.05). Conclusion: Expensive treatment, difficulty in accessing dental facilities and fear from dental procedures are the major barriers to the utilization of dental services. Access to dental clinics for routine check-ups is significantly influenced by sociodemographic factors.

e235 otics, Piperacillin/Tazobactam was most commonly used (23 cases, 33.8%) and Cefepime was next. (20 cases, 29.4%). Successful response to initial antibiotics was 5 cases (72.4%) in MDI, 30 cases (85.7%) in CDI, and 24 cases (92.3%) in UF. Mortality rate was 4.4% and all death was related to infection.Conclusion: There were no evident differences of clinical features between the 1st period and the 2nd period. But we found two specific clinical features. The rate of successful response to initial antibiotics was the highest in UF (92.3%). It means that we need to change or add the empirical antibiotics if we could guess the site of infection rather than use the recommended antibiotics in 2002 IDSA guidelines. And extremely high portion of gram-positive bacteria (85.7%) were isolated compared with other clinics in Korea. We think it might be an unique clinical feature in Jeju island. In the future, empirical antibiotics that cover the grampositive bacteria for NF may need to be routinely used in Jeju island.