Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the supporting structures of teeth and may lead to bleeding gums, tooth mobility, and eventually tooth loss. With the limited effectiveness of current forms of mechanical therapy in the management of periodontal diseases, there has been a shift in focus on to alternative therapies. One such area where maximum research has been going on is phytotherapy. Several studies now focus on the efficacies of herbal extracts on various important periodontal pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia. Furthermore, recent studies have explored the benefits of using plant-based products on various periodontal clinical parameters such as gingival inflammation, gingival bleeding, etc. The aim of this review to focus on potential, of pros and cons of the several plants/extracts that have been used in vitro or in vivo for management of periodontal diseases and also to highlight the direction of future research to improve their efficacy.

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The ugly duckling stage is a physiological stage characterized by a small median diastema and distally inclined incisors. A mesiodens is a supernumerary tooth found in the premaxilla between the two central incisors. It can be single or multiple, impacted, erupted, or inverted. We present a case of a 9-year-old nonsyndromic, asymptomatic male patient with bilateral double mesiodentes in the ugly duckling stage of the mixed dentition.

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Root canal anatomy is highly complex and unpredictable. These case series focus mainly on the diagnosis and management of variable root canal anatomy like Radix entomolaris and paramolaris in mandibular molars.

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Oral soft tissue augmentation procedures are performed routinely in an attempt to maintain gingival health. The standard procedures for increasing keratinized tissue and vestibular area are free gingival graft, vestibuloplasty, subepithelial connective tissue graft, rotated pedicle flaps. However, the supply is limited to treat the larger areas. This case report presents a technique utilizing platelet-rich fibrin to increase the depth of the vestibule and also the width of attached gingiva in the lower anterior teeth region.

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Background: In the field of dentistry, various myths and misconceptions prevail among patients that hamper them from availing proper treatment from a dental professional. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of myths regarding oral health and hygiene among out-patients visiting a dental school in North India and suggest possible remedial measures. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted utilizing a convenience sample of 552 participants. A self-designed pretested questionnaire containing 15 questions on myths regarding oral health and hygiene was distributed among the study participants. Demographic details of the subjects were also recorded. Results were statistically analyzed using Chi-square test. Results: More than half (58.7%) of the participants thought that there is a worm inside a decayed tooth, and this was significantly associated with age, gender, and educational status of participants. Three-fourth (75%) of the participants were of the opinion that decay is caused by eating sweets, and more than 70% of males believed this and this was significantly associated with age and educational status of study participants (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Myths and misconceptions regarding oral health prevailed among majority of the participants in this study. There is an urgent need to educate the public regarding various oral health issues.

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Aims and Objectives: In this study, we studied cytomorphological features and determined the sensitivity and specificity of cytology specimens obtained with simple instruments like toothbrush (modified brush biopsy), wooden spatula and analyzed without computer-assisted analysis. Settings and Design: Fifty patients attending outpatient clinics who exhibited oral lesions suspicious of premalignancy or malignancy were enrolled. All patients underwent scrapping by wooden ice cream stick and an oral brush biopsy using a baby toothbrush. The specimens were analyzed manually in a double-blinded fashion. Histopathological confirmation by a scalpel biopsy was obtained whenever possible. Chi square test and Fischer exact 't' test was used for statistical analysis. Results: In our study, brush cytology was better (P < 0.05) than scrape cytology in the criteria of cellularity, abnormal cell group adequacy and detection of higher grade of dysplasia. Also, we found that increased N: C ratio, nuclear pleomorphism, nucleoli and presence of micronuclei were the parameters statistically significant in oral carcinoma as compared to high grade dysplasia. Sensitivity of detecting malignancy by cytodiagnosis was 76.47% and false negative rate of 23.53% was present in our study. Conclusions: Modified brush biopsy is relatively easy, non invasive, OPD procedure, particularly an effective tool for screening small innocuous lesions for dysplasia/ malignancy as each of their evaluation by cumbersome and painful scalpel biopsy procedure is often impractical. Early diagnosis of dysplasia/ malignancy helps patient to aim for curative treatment. Though cytomorphological difference between high grade dysplasia and carcinoma is not very distinct, certain features like high grade nuclear pleomorphism, presence of high frequency of micronuclei, tumor diathesis and bizarre shaped cells like tadpole, spindle shape etc. are the features which are more significantly associated with malignancy.

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Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the amount of postoperative pain after using three different nickel–titanium file systems. Materials and Methods: Ninety patients with necrotic molar pulps were selected and divided into three groups. Group I (n = 30) was instrumented with ProTaper Next (PTN) file system, Group II (n = 30) was instrumented using WaveOne reciprocating system, and Group III (n = 30) was instrumented using Twisted File system. All canals were instrumented and obturated in the same visit. Postoperative pain response of patients was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) score. Results: For VAS pain scores, a statistically significant difference was found between the PTN and WaveOne technique (P = 0.000). Statistically significant difference was also found between the Twisted File and WaveOne technique (P = 0.002). Conclusion: It can be concluded that the difference in the postoperative pain is related to the instrumentation technique. Reciprocating system, WaveOne resulted in maximum pain followed by Twisted File and PTN file system.

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Cleft palate is a common congenital maxillofacial disorder leading to feeding problems in a newborn baby. Due to the malformed palate, infants are unable to apply adequate negative pressure to squeeze the nipple for the release of milk. This disability leads to malnutrition, middle ear infection, and even death if not treated early. To obtain better nutritional intake prior to surgical correction, a feeding appliance is recommended. In the present report, we present a case of a 1-month-old baby with cleft palate, treated with a novel feeding appliance made up of soft silicone-based denture liner.

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"Life has a way of shining on people who stand in the sunshine of kind actions"–Bryant Mcgill. Sun does not shine for few but for the wide world's joy and health. It is true in the sense of Vitamin D, an essential element, an elixir of sunshine. The aim of this report is to review key aspects relating to Vitamin D functions, its importance in preventing systemic diseases, and deficiency manifestations and its management.

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Narrow dentoalveolar ridges remain to be a major challenge for the successful placement of endosseous implants. Traditionally, these areas have been treated with autogenous grafts, but the significant resorption of these grafts, in combination with patient morbidity at the secondary donor site, has led clinicians to seek alternatives for augmenting the edentulous posterior mandible. The ridge-split procedure provides a quicker method wherein an atrophic ridge can be predictably expanded and grafted with synthetic bone substitutes, eliminating the need for the second surgical site. This case report describes one such case in which narrow mandibular ridge splitting was carried out by means of ultrasonic bone surgery unit with immediate placement of implant followed by prosthetic rehabilitation.

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Context: Though adhesive systems in restorative dentistry possess many advantages, secondary caries is still a problem to be contended with. Addition of antibacterial agents could possibly be a potential remedy for this recurring problem. Aims: To evaluate and compare in vitro the antimicrobial property, microleakage, and shear bond strength of G-Bond (one component self-etching light cured adhesive) with different concentrations of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). Settings and Design: In vitro intergroup experimental randomized control trial. Subjects and Methods: The in vitro study with the study groups Group I: G-Bond, Group II: G-Bond with 1% CPC, and Group III: G-Bond with 3% CPC was tested against the clinical isolates of Streptococcus mutans through the direct contact test determining the turbidometric bacterial growth using spectrophotometer. The microleakage was tested using dye penetration method and the shear bond strength of the three groups was tested using universal testing machine. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed using paired t-test, one-way ANOVA, followed by post-hoc Tukey's test. For all the tests, a P ≤ 0.05 was considered for statistical significance. Results: G-bond with 3% CPC showed the highest rate of antibacterial activity against S. mutans than other two groups (highly significant P < 0.001). However, microleakage and shear bond strength between the groups did not show any statistically significant change. Conclusions: G-Bond with 3% CPC additive was effective against S. mutans.

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The aim of this case report is to present the treatment method used for a 6-year-old boy patient with a history of mandibular fracture due to fall from rooftop 2 days back. Treatment principles of this patient differ from that of an adult due to concerns regarding mandibular growth processes and dentition development. The goal of this fracture treatment is to restore the underlying bony architecture to its preinjury position in a stable fashion as noninvasively as possible and with minimal residual esthetic and functional impairment.

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