Background: Despite the large number of trials conducted using herbal oral care products for the reduction of dental plaque or gingivitis, results are conflicting and inconclusive. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of herbal oral care products compared to conventional products in reducing dental plaque and gingivitis adults. Methods: We searched the following databases for Randomised controlled trials (RCTs): MEDLINE Ovid, EMBASE Ovid etc. which yielded 493 trails. Of which 24 RCTs comparing herbal toothpaste or mouth rinse with over the counter toothpaste or mouth rinse in adults aged 18 to 65 years were included. Two authors extracted information and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using Risk of Bias. Meta-analyses using the random-effects model were conducted for four outcomes for tooth paste and mouth rinse respectively. Mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) were used to estimate the effect, with 95% confidence intervals. Results: A total of 1597 adults participated in 24 RCT studies. These were classified as herbal toothpaste (HTP) (15 trials, 899 participants) and herbal mouth rinse (HMR) (9 trials, 698 participants) compared with non-herbal toothpaste (NHTP) or nonherbal mouth rinse (NHMR). We found that HTP was superior over NHTP (SMD 1.95, 95% CI (0.97-2.93)) in plaque reduction. The long-term use of NHMR was superior in reduction of dental plaque over HMR (SMD-2.61, 95% (CI 4.42-0.80)). From subgroup analysis it showed that HTP was not superior over fluoride toothpaste (SMD 0.99, 95% CI (0.14-2.13)) in reducing dental plaque. However, HTP was favoured over non-fluoride toothpaste (SMD 4.64, 95% CI (2.23-7.05)). Conclusion: For short-term reduction in dental plaque, current evidence suggests that HTP is as effective as compared to NHTP; however, evidence is from low quality studies.

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Objective Shade matching is a critical procedure in prosthetic dentistry. The correct identification of the shade by the doctor as well as the perception of the shade by the dental technician becomes critical due to the high patient expectations. The current study aims to evaluate the effect of gender and clinical experience on shade perception by dental professionals. Materials and Methods A total of 100 dental professionals with normal color vision who were categorized as dental students, dental doctors, and dental specialists were included in the study. Masked A2 and B2 shades tabs were made to match with a complete set of shade guide. The obtained data were entered, coded, and analyzed using SPSS version 17 for Windows. Results Total number of participants who identified both shade tabs correctly was 44%. There were no statistically significant differences among the gender or the clinical experience with regard to correct identification of shade tabs. Conclusion Within its limitations of fewer number (two) of shade tabs for comparison, the study concludes that multiple opinions may be taken clinically irrespective of the gender or clinical experience as gender and experience do not have a significant role to play for shade matching in prosthetic and restorative dentistry.

Background:The medical prescription is a valid and legal document. Prescriptions can also be used as a measure of the quality of medical education, observance of the laws and regulations, and sociocultural beliefs.Aims:To assess the quality of prescription written by dental and medical students and practitioners.Settings and Design:A cross-sectional study was conducted in three dental and two medical colleges in Kerala covering 345 participants (dental - 235 and medical - 110).Materials and Methods:Simulation exercise was conducted for drafting a model prescription based on a given clinical condition. The variables were identified based on the model prescription format by the Medical Council of India and were classified into four domains. Points were assigned for each variable.Statistical Analysis Used:Analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Mann–Whitney U-test.Results and Conclusion:The total scores were found to be higher among dental fraternity (10.93 ± 2.88) to medical (10.81 ± 2.55). The medical house surgeons and postgraduates fared better in the doctor identification domain. Among the dental professionals, there was a significant difference among the undergraduates (mean score = 1.91) and postgraduates (mean score = 1.60) in the doctor identification domain. However, among the medical professionals, in the patient identification domain, house surgeons had a significantly higher score compared to postgraduates. There were no significant differences in quality of prescription writing among medical and dental professionals.