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Background: Dental Unit Water Line (DUWL) deliver water to different handpieces in a dental unit. The water in DUWL circulates in a closed system, where it is taken from a container. The quality of dental water is of considerable importance since patients and dental staff are regularly exposed to water and aerosols generated from dental equipment. Output water from DUWLs may be a potential source of infection for both dental health care personnel and patients. Aim: To assess the microbial contamination in the DUWL among dental clinics in Chennai. Materials and Methods: An in vitro study was conducted on 60 water samples from 20 dental clinics in Chennai in December 2019. Water samples were collected from three different sources of the Dental unit according to ADA guidelines. The collected samples were assessed for the presence of Aspergillus, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Legionella by agar plate method. The data were analysed using SPSS software version 20. Results: Legionella was the most prevalent microorganism with 70% prevalence in a three-way syringe and 50% in scaler and airotor, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter with 10% prevalence in scaler and airotor and Aspergillus with a prevalence of 10% in the three-way syringe. Conclusion: Most of the dental units were contaminated with Aspergillus, Legionella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter which pose a serious threat to the patients as well as the dentists.

Background Tobacco and alcohol are among the top causes of preventable deaths in the world, in most cases both these substances are used together. This study aims to compare the differences in nicotine dependence and the readiness to quit among past and present alcohol abusers. Methods Snowball sampling methodology was used to recruit past alcohol abusers from an Alcohol Anonymous group in Chennai, of the 25 people who were contacted over phone only 10 were ready to participate in the study and they were all grouped as past alcohol abusers, as they absented themselves from consuming alcohol for more 60 days, And to recruit present alcohol abusers two Alcoholic bars was selected and the patrons were questioned before they could consume alcohol, of the 24 people contacted 20 were ready to participate, for the subjects who participated in both the groups the levels of nicotine dependence were recorded using Fagestrom test for nicotine dependence and their readiness to quit tobacco was recorded using readiness to quit tobacco ladder which is available online, both these were recorded by the interviewer. Results Group 1 are past alcohol abusers, of which 3 had low dependence,3 had moderate dependence and 4 had high dependence and only one of them was ready to quit tobacco within 30 days, in group 2 which consists present alcohol abusers, 8 had low dependence, 10 had moderate dependence and 2 had high dependence, of which 2 people have actually absented themselves from using tobacco for 10 days but worry about slipping back, 4 of them have strong determination not to quit tobacco abuse at all. Conclusions From the pilot study it was found that 4 past alcohol abusers were highy nicotine dependent, and many of the present alcohol abusers were in pre-contemplation stage compared to past alcohol abusers.