Lycopene was very effective in the management of OLP, and oxidative stress may have a role in disease pathogenesis.

No abstract

BackgroundThe current rise in the world's geriatric population has placed additional demands on dental professionals, as the management of geriatric patients requires distinct competencies.AimTo review and perform a content analysis of the gerodontology undergraduate curriculum worldwide.Data sourcesA search was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, ERIC and EMBASE databases for the period—July 2008 till May 2019, using MeSH terms. A search for websites of Indian universities was also done, and undergraduate curricula were screened.Study eligibility criteriaThe study included articles related to the undergraduate curriculum, which contained training in geriatric dentistry. Articles in foreign languages and those related to dental hygienists were excluded.ResultsA total of 218 articles were obtained, of which 19 met the inclusion criteria. A total of 301 colleges taught gerodontology. Amongst them, 50 colleges had a gerodontology department. Clinical training and outreach experience were provided in 175 and 73 colleges, respectively. There are no reports on the status of gerodontology in Asian countries (excluding Japan). In India, gerodontology is not taught as a separate subject. However, few gerodontology‐related topics are covered in clinical subjects.ConclusionsThere seems to be a wide variation in the content of gerodontology curriculum taught worldwide. Other than the European and American regions, gerodontology is yet to develop in other parts of the world. In India, a robust training programme is required to address the lack of dental care providers for the geriatric population using guidelines established by ECG and ADEA.

No abstract

Globalisation has affected all aspects of life and dentistry is no exception. In the context of today's dentist being a global citizen, undergraduate training in dentistry is set to ensure converging standards so that international recognition of dental qualifications can move forward. The decision of the Dental Council of India to expand the undergraduate dental program to five years provides an opportunity to be part of the endeavor of the Global Dental Congress to achieve converging standards which was initially for the European Union, and now spreading out globally. Economic emergence in Indian subcontinent has resulted in growing oral health care needs both in quality and quantity. To address this issue, the graduating dentist needs to be trained following a competency based curricular model. Access to Internet facilitated the goal of achieving converging standards of dental schools to be feasible because of the instant communication and capacity to share information about training strategies via technology across the globe. Upgrading the undergraduate training to global standards by dental schools in India could be a wise and strategic move both for attracting students to study in India, as well as retaining the graduates after their training. The following is a case study of an Indian dental school set to restructure the undergraduate curriculum to global standards using the 8 steps of Kotter's transformational change. Change in curriculum and the subsequent accreditation of the school in global platform not only attracts prospective students but also results in producing competent dentists. Dental education provided by the institution can result in quality assurance, benchmarking the assessment system to achieve international recognition. This paper highlights the need and importance of facilitation of international convergence with long term aspirations for mutual recognition of international degrees.

No abstract

Background: Studies estimating the Tobacco- specific nitrosamines, (TSNA’s) which are the strongest carcinogens in the saliva oftobacco users and tobacco quitters, are limited.Objectives: To assess and compare the levels of N- nitrosamines (NNN, NNK) in the saliva of tobacco chewers and non -chewers including those who have quit the habit of tobacco use.Methods: The study included 120 patients who were divided into three groups of 40 each: Group I- Smokeless tobacco chewersGroup II- Tobacco chewers who have completely stopped the habit at least 2 weeks prior to sample collection andGroup III- non-chewers. The salivary levels of two tobacco specific nitrosamines; NNN & NNK levels were estimated in the three study groups. Statistical analysis was done by Kruskal– Wallis, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, Mann-Whitney U test. (p-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant)Results: In Group I, the mean level of NNN was 651.84 ± 359.78 and mean level of NNK was 168.32 ± 131.83. In Group II, the mean level of NNN was 119.52 ± 95.05 and mean level of NNK was 42.78 ± 43.19. In Group III, the mean level of NNN was 3.44 ±6.55 and mean level of NNK was 1.98 ± 3.68. There was a statistical difference in the 3 groups with respect to mean levels of NNN and NNK.Conclusion: The study indicated that salivary tobacco-specific nitrosamines are elevated in tobacco chewers. Saliva can be used to detect TSNA’s and screen for TSNA’s during each patient’s de-addiction process.

No abstract