BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Dental students and practitioners are frequently prone to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to the unawareness of ergonomic principles when practicing dentistry. The aim of this study was to assess the dental student knowledge, attitude, and practice toward ergonomics in three different dental schools. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1166 dental students from three different dental schools of Andhra Pradesh, India, to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding ergonomics. All the participants were provided with prestructured questionnaire form comprising 13 questions to know their knowledge, attitude, and practice related to ergonomics before and after providing guidelines on ergonomic principles. RESULTS: The majority of the dental students appreciate that the most affected regions due to work-related disorders were back (475 before and 559 after instructions), neck (354 and 420), hand and wrist (205 and 117), and shoulder and elbow (132 and 70), respectively. Knowledge and practice scores of dental students (mean and standard deviation) regarding WMSDs before and after applying ergonomic principles were 3.92 ± 2.44, 1.29 ± 1.67 and 5.81 ± 0.87, 3.03 ± 0.60, respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study provides an insight into ergonomics for dental students during routine dental procedures. The knowledge, attitude, and practice related to ergonomics were satisfactorily increased among the participants. Thus, ergonomic education of the dental health-care personnel must be focused in all the educational institutions and at continuing dental health programs by delivering ergonomic principles both theoretically and practically and should be a part of the curriculum.

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INTRODUCTION The study was carried out to assess and compare the oral health status and oral health-related quality of life among tobacco factory workers and cotton ginning mill workers in Guntur city, Andhra Pradesh, India. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried among 160 tobacco factory workers and 160 cotton ginning mill workers aged 25-55 years. A simple random sampling methodology was used. The data were collected using a questionnaire and clinical examination. The questionnaire gathered information on demographic factors, factors related to the working environment, adverse habits of the study subjects and oral health-related quality of life using Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). The subjects were clinically examined to assess their oral health status using WHO Oral Health Assessment Form (2013). RESULTS The prevalences among tobacco factory workers and among cotton ginning mill workers, respectively, were: tobacco chewing habit 38.1% and 15%; periodontal pockets 47.5% and 31.25%; loss of attachment 56.8% and 28.7%; oral mucosal lesions 13.8% and 3.8%; while the corresponding mean OHIP-14 scores were 20.81±11.59 and 16.29±9.67. All results were found to be significantly higher among tobacco factory workers compared to cotton ginning mill workers (p<0.05). All the domains of OHIP-14 were found to have a very high statistically significant positive correlation with DMFT, DMFS, periodontal pocket depth and loss of attachment in both study groups (p<0.001). The availability of tobacco in the workplace was found to be a significant barrier to quit tobacco among tobacco factory workers. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of periodontal diseases, oral mucosal lesions, use of tobacco and the OHIP-14 scores were all found to be significantly higher among tobacco factory workers compared to cotton ginning mill workers. OHIP-14 scores correlated significantly with clinical oral health status indicators in both study groups.

Fluoridated dentifrices are considered as an effective method for preventing dental caries. Nano-hydroxyapatite crystals which have remineralizing potential can be combined with herbs with antimicrobial activity and used as a dentifrice without any risks like cytotoxicity and adverse effects. Nano-hydroxyapatite crystals are formulated by wet chemical precipitation method and tested using X-ray diffractometer. An herbal dentifrice is formulated from extract of Salvadora persica to which Nano-hydroxyapatite crystals are added. A 3x3mm wide window has been created in 14 extracted first premolars which are then processed through a pH cycling for 7 days. The depth of the lesion is assessed using a confocal microscope. The difference in mean depth of the lesion between test dentifrice (Herbal dentifrice with Hydroxyapatite) (240.33.± 23.47) and fluoride dentifrice (272.75±29.38) was found to be statistically significant. Herbal dentifrice with Hydroxyapatite group mean depth of the lesion was 763.13+66.18 before and 240.33+23.48 after the remineralization cycle. In the Fluoride dentifrice group the mean depth of the lesion is 763.14±66.18 before and 272.55+29.38 after the pH cycle. Herbal dentifrice incorporated with hydroxyapatite had higher remineralizing potential compared to a fluoride dentifrice.

INTRODUCTIONThis study compares the efficacy of herbal, homeopathic, and conventional dentifrices, on oral microflora using antibiotic susceptibility tests. METHODS Three strains of microorganisms, Streptococcus Mutans, Escherichia Coli, and Candida Albicans, were taken and incubated in Mutans media, Mueller Hilton agar, and Sabouraud Dextrose agar, respectively. Different dilutions (1:5, 1:10 and 1:15) of several brands of commercial toothpaste with different compositions were made. Sterile disks were incorporated with an equal amount of prepared toothpaste formulations using a micropipette. These disks were then placed equidistant to each other, and the plates were incubated for 24 hours. RESULTS The zone of inhibition against S. Mutans

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