Radiographic interpretation skill is the most essential skill for a dental undergraduate to obtain the degree of Bachelor of Dental Surgery and also to be a competent private dental practitioner. Despite the various teaching techniques, radiographic interpretation is quite a challenging task. One minute preceptor (OMP) model is widely used for active teaching in busy clinical setting, and the same was applied for teaching radiographic interpretation skill. Objectives: 1) To train the III BDS students to arrive at radiographic diagnosis of periapical diseases using OMP model, 2) To assess and compare the performances of the students after OMP training using structured checklist. Methodology: The study involved 64 third year BDS students posted in the department of Oral medicine and radiology. After obtaining an informed consent the students were randomly divided into intervention group and comparison group with 32 students in each group. A discussion on radiographic interpretation of periapical diseases was conducted at the department and was followed by a pretest on the same day for both groups. The pretest comprised of written radiographic interpretation of periapical diseases displayed on the computer screen, which were evaluated using a 10 item checklist. Intervention group underwent training through One minute preceptor (OMP) method for radiographic interpretation wherein they were guided by the preceptor using five microskills of OMP followed by post test for both the groups. Results: The pre and post test scores of comparison and intervention groups were analyzed using unpaired't' test. The post test scores between the two groups were significantly different with and a p value of 0.00001, revealing the positive impact of OMP training. Conclusion: By using 'One minute preceptor' model, the students radiographic interpretation skill advanced from being unorganized and inconsistent to systematic and consistent with clinical diagnosis.
Gorlin-Goltz syndrome or basal cell nevus syndrome is a comparatively rare syndrome characterized by basal cell nevi, odontogenic keratocysts, and skeletal anomalies. Diagnosis is based on the major and minor clinical and radiographic criteria. Dentist plays a major role in the diagnosis of this disease due to the oral and maxillofacial manifestations of the syndrome. In some cases, jaw cysts are diagnosed by routine radiographs advised by the dentists. Odontogenic keratocysts in such syndromic patients will be multiple and extensive and in some cases results in cortical expansion and facial disfigurement. Thorough clinical examination and investigations prompt an early confirmation of the syndrome, which is very essential to avoid morbidity associated with the syndrome. Here, we report a case of multiple odontogenic cysts in a 16-year-old patient which later was diagnosed as a case of Gorlin Goltz syndrome.
Increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is a practical strategy to optimize good health and to reduce the risk of various chronic diseases and cancer. There are approximately 5,000 individual phytochemicals which have been identified. These interfere with multiple important cellular pathways and play an important role in maintaining balance between health and disease. This article aims to provide awareness of various additive and synergistic effects of these natural occurring chemical substances (phytochemicals) found in various fruits and vegetables. Their mechanism of action in preventing various chronic diseases and cancer is also been highlighted in this article. Grouping plant foods by color provides simplification, but it is also important as a method to help consumer's make-wise food choices and promote health. We believe phytochemicals can be best acquired through whole-food consumption and not through the pills or an extracts.
Background Calcium channel blockers (CCB) are the widely prescribed drugs for the management of hypertension. Gingival enlargement (GE) due to calcium channel blockers (CCB) accounts for a prevalence rate of 14.7%-83%. Literature reveals that the most frequently encountered CCB causing GE is nifedipine being 83%, and the least common is amlodipine being 3.3%. Amlodipine prescription is increasing in the recent years, attributed to its high patient compliance and cost effectiveness. The study was conducted with an aim to determine the association between GE and the use of different Calcium channel blockers and with an objective to assess the status of gingiva in patients on CCB, as well as to assess the relationship between dosage and duration of intake of CCB on the status of GE. Material and Methods The present study included 30 hypertensive subjects on calcium channel blockers and 30 healthy controls who were not on any of the drugs causing gingival enlargement. Written consent was obtained and history recorded for all the study subjects, Oral hygiene was assessed by Green and Vermillion index, gingival condition by Loe and Sillness index and the gingival enlargement was recorded using the Ingles index. Results 20(66%) subjects out of 30 had gingival enlargement among whom 12(40%) subjects had Grade II GE and 5(16%) had Grade III GE. This when compared to controls was statistically significant with p value of < 0.001. Conclusion Slightest of the local factors trigger the gingival response to the drugs causing gingival enlargement. GE provides new niches for growth of microrganisms, resulting in tooth loss. Clinicians should and must pay attention to patients oral hygiene prior to prescription of CCB and stress on need of regular dental visits.
Background: COVID-19 vaccine is the mighty weapon opted by all the countries across the globe in an attempt to eradicate the fatal COVID-19 pandemic. The myths on the COVID-19 vaccine are spreading widely, causing a hindrance to this noble preventive measure. The prevalence of such myths among the healthcare professionals may be toxic and deadly.
Aim & Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the healthcare professionals regarding the myths on COVID-19 vaccination and to demystify them.
Materials and Methods: An 18-item questionnaire evaluating knowledge, attitude, and practice based on the existing myths on COVID-19 vaccination was circulated through Google Forms among the 412 healthcare professionals of six disciplines belonging to a private University. The responses obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS 20 software package.
Results: A total of 385 health professionals participated in this study. The majority of them had medium knowledge (165) and positive attitude (273) with the mean knowledge and attitude scores of 3.82 (SD-1.55) out of 6 and 4.3 (SD-1.58) out of 7 respectively. Even though 312 participants got vaccinated, 72 of them failed to receive it. The knowledge scores showed a high statistically significant difference among the participants of different designations (p=0.001), but not with gender, field, and staff with different years of experience (p>0.05). The attitude scores were statistically different among participants of fields and designation (p<0.05) but not among genders (p=0.31) and staff with different years of experience (p=0.87). Knowledge and attitude scores showed a positive linear correlation and a high statistically significant difference (p<0.001).
Conclusion: This study recommends more enhanced education programs on COVID-19 vaccination for the health professionals and demands an improved knowledge, attitude, and practice among them to achieve the goal of 100% vaccination so as to completely eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic.
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