Introduction: Periodontitis is multifactorial disease that along with dental caries remains one of the commonest cause of tooth loss worldwide. Effective management requires clear understanding of risk factors. Smoking has a dose-dependent effect on periodontium. Similarly, individuals with diabetes have severe forms of periodontal diseases. We aim to assess the prevalence of periodontal disease in dental patients in relation to smoking and diabetes. Methods: The study was conducted among 522 patients visiting the Periodontics Department, Kantipur Dental College. Individuals willing to participate had to sign an informed consent and undergo interview and clinical examination. Data collection, done on a structured proforma, was analysed using SPSS 20.0. Results: Prevalence of periodontitis was 372 (71.3%), diabetes 33 (6.3%) and smoking as 138 (26.4%). Hypertension was observed in 64 (12.3%) patients and family history of diabetes among 94 (18%). Among the 372 periodontitis patients, smoking behaviour was present in 120 (32.3%), diabetes in 32 (8.6%), family history of diabetes in 72 (19.4%) and hypertension in 62 (16.7%). Conversely, 120 (87%) smokers, 33 (97%) diabetics, 72 (76.6%) with family history of diabetes, 62 (96.9%) hypertensive, 216 (41.4%) male and 156 (29.9%) female participants had periodontitis. Smoking behaviour was more in males: 115 (39.4%) compared to 23 (10%) females. Conclusions: Periodontitis was significantly associated with smoking, diabetes, hypertension and age. It is recommended that tobacco cessation and diabetes control be promoted as an integral component of periodontal therapy and oral health be included as an essential element of general health when conducting national health surveys.

Introduction: Oral mucosa can be affected by a variety of soft tissue lesions and conditions. Benign as well as malignant lesions of oral cavity are common. Squamous cell carcinoma is one of the commonest malignancies. The present retrospective study was undertaken to study the prevalence of various oral mucosal lesions in a tertiary care dental hospital of Kathmandu. Methods: This retrospective study was carried out in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at Kantipur Dental College and Teaching hospital from January 2015 to January 2017. The study included biopsy specimen from the oral cavity. The parameters included in the study were age, gender, site of the lesion and histopathological diagnosis. The data collected was statistically analyzed. Results: A total of 111 biopsy cases were included in the present study. Out of which, there was 16 (14.4%) cases of non neoplastic and 16 (14.4%) cases of benign pathology. The oral cavity lesions were commonly seen in age range between 6-74 years where males 59 (53.2%) were mostly affected. The most common site for oral lesion was buccal mucosa 23 (20.7%) and anterior gingiva 23 (20.7%). 15 (13.5%) cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma were seen as the predominant malignancy affecting in the vestibular region 8 (7.2%). Conclusions: The present study shows benign as well as the non neoplastic lesions were more prevalent in oral mucosa with the buccal mucosa and anterior gingiva as the commonest site of occurrence. Keywords: Benign; Malignant; Non neoplastic; Oral mucosal lesion.

Introduction: Chronic periodontitis is an infectious disease resulting in inflammation within the supporting tissues of the teeth, progressive attachment loss, and bone loss. In addition to declining oral health, there is always low grade infection present in periodontitis. Studies show increased levels of systemic biomarkers in periodontal disease such as CRP, which is considered a key-marker of CVD. Research has also shown positive association between BMI and smoking with periodontitis and CRP. The objective of the study was to assess the levels of CRP in patients with and without periodontitis and their relation with BMI and smoking behaviour.Methods: Patients visiting the Dental department of Bir Hospital were invited to participate in the study. Total 31 subjects in each group: Case (periodontitis) and Control (without periodontitis) were selected using convenience sampling technique. All subjects underwent periodontal examination by a single examiner. Serum CRP samples were taken before periodontal treatment. Data analysis was done by SPSS 17 software program.Results: Increase in mean CRP levels in periodontitis (5.8595mg/L) with high statistical significance (p=0.000) in comparison to subjects without periodontitis (1.1214mg/L) was observed. BMI showed positive association with periodontitis (p=0.046) but not with CRP (0.213). Smoking behaviour showed no significant relation with either CRP (p=0.344) or periodontitis (p=0.541).Conclusions: We found highly significant association between periodontitis and CRP levels but not always with BMI and smoking. CRP, which is an established marker for CVD was significantly increased in periodontal infections. Hence, a close interaction among Physician, Periodontist and Patient to prevent adverse health situations is recommended.Keywords: body mass index; cardiovascular disease; c-reactive protein; periodontitis; smoking; systemic inflammation. [PubMed]

Introduction: The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected all aspects of human life, with education no exception. Online lectures have been practiced in different academic institutions around the world. The objective was to know the perception towards online lectures by the undergraduate students of a medical college. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate students of dentistry, medicine, and nursing at Kathmandu Medical College via self-administered online questionnaire. Data were collected from November to December 2020 after ethical clearance from institutional review committee (Ref. no. 0311202002). Students who had not attended even one hour of online learning per week were excluded. Responses were collected using Google Forms which were analysed in Microsoft Excel. Results: Out of 318 valid questionnaires, 143 (44.97%) students agreed that online lectures were effective but 138 (43.4%) disagreed that online lectures were more useful than traditional lectures. One hundred and forty five (45.60%) found online classes difficult to concentrate and 175 (55.03%) agreed that they preferred a combination of traditional teaching and online tutorials. Only two (0.63%) students strongly agreed on excellent internet during classes and 104 (32.70%) agreed it caused economic burden. Mean age of participants was 20.75±1.538 years; 202 (63.52%) were females; online learning per week was 18.75±9.157 hours; and duration of online learning was 20.28±9.997 weeks. Conclusions: Most of the students had a positive attitude towards e-learning when compared tosimilar studies. Further multicentric studies with larger sample size would better demonstratewhether online education partly or fully can be effective adjunct to traditional face to face interaction.

Introduction: Understanding the anatomical variations in the position of mental foramen are significant for different dental procedures. This study identified the position of the mental foramen among a sample of Nepalese population visiting a dental college in Kathmandu. Methods: Total 417 panoramic radiographs (orthopantomograms) were selected from a total of 567 radiographs. The mental foramen location was determined by drawing imaginary line parallel with the long axis of the lower premolars . The mental foramen location was then classified into six classes. Results: In the study population, the mental foramina were located mostly between the lower premolars 163 (39.1%), followed by in line with second premolar 148 (35.5%) of the mental foramen was located under the second premolar apex. Conclusions: The study shows that the anaesthetic solution should be injected between the lower premolars or below the lower 2nd premolar in the Nepalese population for successful and secure mental nerve blocking.