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Background: The comprehensive healthcare approach including prophylactic guidance and motivation by the primary healthcare professionals towards oral and maxillofacial diseases such as post-treatment endodontic disease (PTED) plays a significant role in diagnosing and managing the condition. Especially in the developing countries like India where the hygiene practices are severely compromised, the primary healthcare professional plays an upfront role. Objectives: The present study was conducted to assess the clinical and radiographic characteristics of PTED by primary healthcare professional. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in a dental hospital in Kutch, Gujarat, India. In the present study, out of a total of 755, 96 patients were diagnosed with PTED, met the inclusion criteria, and were enrolled for the study. After performing intraoral and extraoral examination, intraoral periapical radiographs were taken of the concerned teeth. Under dark room conditions, radiographs were examined using dentsply light box and magnifying glass by healthcare professionals. Results: Out of 755 patients, 96 (12.71%) patients were enrolled in the study with 98 concerned teeth. The most common teeth diagnosed with PTED were maxillary molars with 25.51% (21) individuals. Well-defined radiolucent lesions were seen in 62.24% (61) individuals. Voids in both coronal and apical region were seen in majority (38.77%) of patients. The length of root-end fillings with respect to the radiographic apex was satisfactory in 44.89% (44) individuals. The present study showed strong correlation between sinus formation and presence of periapical lesion with P value of 0.0219*. Conclusion: The proper guidance and preventive care by primary healthcare professionals leads to the relatively less prevalence of post-treatment endodontic disease in Indian population. The present study further suggests the higher substandard quality of root-end fillings of endodontically treated teeth.

Ground failure is a major contributor to fatalities in underground mines in the US. Underground coal mines in the Northern Appalachian have weak roof rock composed of shale, which is prone to failure under high horizontal stress. Understanding the relationship among strength, specimen size and rock petrographic parameters is essential for developing an effective ground control plan. Size effect studies have found that rock strength varies with specimen size. This paper attempts to understand this strength variation using three specimen sizes (254-mm, 508-mm, and 762-mm). The specimen strength was measured and the major petrographic parameters affecting the strength, namely grain size, grain shape, quartz content, clay content, etc. were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The petrographic parameters were then correlated with the strength of the three differently sized specimens. The results showed that 508-mm specimen had the lowest strength. Quartz content of the 508-mm specimen was lower than that of 254-mm and 762-mm specimens. Clay content and average grain size of the 508-mm specimen were higher than those of 254-mm and 762-mm specimens. These results clearly show that grain size, quartz content and clay content contribute to strength variation observed in differently sized shale specimens.

Detection of extrathyroidal extension (ETE) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) influences treatment plan and surgical aggressiveness. Ultrasound (US) is the long-standing preoperative imaging method of choice. Recent literature from Asia suggests US accuracy to be influenced by patient characteristics, such as body mass index (BMI). Here, we examine the effect of BMI on the accuracy of US at a North American tertiary referral center. A total of 204 PTC-confirmed patients were retrospectively read by a radiologist blinded to surgical pathology findings. The radiologist recorded multiple sonographic features, including ETE, loss of echogenic capsule, nodule vascularity, capsular abutment, and bulging of contour. When considering all patients, the ultrasonographic feature with the best overall performance was loss of echogenic capsule (diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) = 4.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.86–10.78). Sub-group analysis by patient BMI found that area under the curve (AUC) for sonographic features was greater in non-obese BMI patients (0.71 ± 0.06) when compared with obese patients (0.43 ± 0.05; p = 0.001). Overall, US diagnostic performance was significantly better in non-obese (DOR = 3.70, 95%CI = 1.53–8.94) patients when compared to those who were obese (DOR = 1.12, 95%CI = 0.62–2.03; p = 0.03). Loss of the echogenic capsule did not differ between the two cohorts with respect to DOR (p = 0.51), specificity (p = 0.52), or sensitivity (p = 0.09). Our work suggests that the diagnostic value of ETE detection by US is impaired in obese patients. Considering that loss of the echogenic capsule did not differ with respect to diagnostic performance, specificity, nor sensitivity between non-obese and obese patients, it could be considered the most important predictor of US-determined ETE.

Introduction: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) being the most prevalent orofacial condition, is one of the major reason for patients to seek conservative intervention at dental hospital. The multifactorial etiology of TMDs along with the wide spectrum of associated signs and symptoms, mainly orofacial pain, restricted mouth opening, and deviation, has made the condition difficult to diagnose. The aim of the present study is to determine the signs and symptoms associated with temporomandibular disorders according to Research Diagnostic criteria for Temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD). Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted at dental hospital, Rajasthan among 1450 individuals. The 209 individuals, above 18 years of age who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Along with signs and symptoms of TMDs (VAS score for orofacial pain, clicking sound, crepitus, reduced mouth opening (less than 40 mm), joint deviation and tenderness, etc.) the structured questionnaire according to RDC/ TMD were also assessed. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21 software. Results: In the present study population, the prevalence of TMDs was 14.41% only. Most of the patients were in 2nd decade (33.01%) with female predilection (69.85%). The VAS score for patients complaining of orofacial pain (58.85%) was 6.32±1.12 with reduced mouth opening in 42.58%. According to RDC/TMD, the most common finding observed was TM joint deviation (63.15 %), followed by clicking sound (56.93%), crepitus (46.41%), MPDS (12.91%), internal derangements (10.52%) and osteoarthritis (6.22%). Conclusion: The prevalence of TMDs was more prevalent in younger generation, especially with female predilection. The most common signs and symptoms seen in the present study were orofacial pain, followed by reduced mouth opening, TMJ deviation and clicking sound.