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Background: There is an increase in the number of flight travellers and with it comes the risks of developing in-flight dental conditions that evokes pain at higher altitudes. The knowledge about such conditions are necessary among the dentists to prevent such phenomena. Aim: To assess the knowledge and familiarity about aviation dentistry among dentists. Methodology: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted among 170 postgraduates and dental professionals in a private dental institution. A pilot study was conducted among 30 individuals, and the questionnaire was validated. Data was analysed by SPSS package 20. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used. Results: 61.8% of the individuals were not familiar with the term aviation dentistry. A statistically significant association was found between familiarity with aviation dentistry and the qualification of the dentists and also between familiarity with aviation dentistry and years of experience of the dentists with a p value < 0.05. Conclusion: The study result shows the lack of knowledge about aviation dentistry among postgraduates and dental professionals.

Dental caries is a major public health concern among other oral diseases in most developing and industrialized countries, particularly in those nations where preventative programs have not yet been developed. Adults and the elderly population in Tamil Nadu also face significant challenges related to dental caries beyond children and adolescents. This systematic review examined the comprehensive epidemiology of dental caries in all age groups in Tamil Nadu. The articles were collected using various electronic databases. From the 4509 initially collected articles, 22 articles were chosen for the current umbrella analysis. The collective dental caries prevalence for Tamil Nadu state, India, from 22 studies with 33,584 study participants was 42.8%, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 42.3–43.4%. Among the four regions of Tamil Nadu, Eastern Tamil Nadu showed the highest dental caries prevalence of 82.2%. Thus, the strategies by the government of Tamil Nadu should focus on raising awareness about improving oral hygiene practices, seeking access to timely oral healthcare treatments, and strengthening the oral healthcare infrastructure.

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze the Indian public healthcare delivery system and compare it with other countries based on their gross domestic product (GDP) classification. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted to assess the Indian healthcare delivery system and the GDP among global nations based on their GDP potential as criteria. The data from 24 high-, middle-, and low-income countries were gathered from the World Bank from year 2018 to 2021. The parameters included GDP, GDP per capita, total number of population, and healthcare delivery system. The data were collected from various electronic sources of the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the US Census Bureau's international data, National Health Profile 2021. The collected data were compiled and tabulated. The descriptive analysis was done using Microsoft Excel version 2016 and SPSS version 20. Results: India ranks in the high-income group based on the GDP, whereas when ranked based on GDP per capita, it drops down to the lower-middle-income group. This lag may be because of a larger population and lack of priority in public health delivery. In terms of overall expenditure, India spends US$63 million in total health expenditure, of which only US$20 million is spent by the government sector. On the other hand, the United States holds the highest rank with US$10,921 million of total health expenditure, of which US$5,552 million spent by the government sector and US$5,368 million by the private sector. Conclusion: The Indian healthcare delivery system is suffering from a shortage of public health workforce and infrastructure. In the last decade, India has seen remarkable economic development, particularly in terms of the GDP growth rate. Unfortunately, this progress does not accompany with the Indian healthcare delivery system. Still there is a shortage in public health workforce and infrastructure. India should prioritize the expenditure in healthcare delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apical periodontitis is an inflammation and destruction of the periradicular tissues due to various insults to the pulp in the form of infection, trauma, and faulty dental procedures. Conditions regarding this are treated employing root canal therapy. Recent innovations show that copper calcium hydroxide nanoparticles and their electrophoresis can be used to treat apical periodontitis effectively. To evaluate the effectiveness of copper calcium hydroxide nanoparticles in the treatment of apical periodontitis, a literature search was done using PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Science Direct, and Lilacs using the MeSH (Medical Subject Heading) terms Copper calcium hydroxide, apical periodontitis, nanoparticles, and electrophoresis. Of a total of 167 articles screened, 44 were full-text articles assessed for eligibility and four articles were taken for the qualitative analysis. This review was recorded according to the PRISMA GUIDELINES. Four randomized controlled trials were included in the review process. The copper calcium hydroxide particles were compared with other root canal medicament materials. It was found that copper calcium hydroxide and its electrophoresis were used in the treatment of apical periodontitis and were found to be one of the effective methods. Copper calcium hydroxide nanoparticles were effective against the destruction of the periradicular tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a life-threatening disease that occurs due to the mutation of the TNSALP (Tissue nonspecific isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase) encoding gene. There is no approved treatment for Hypophosphatasia. Therefore, the only effective treatment for HPP is enzyme replacement therapy using the drug asfotase alfa which increases the patient's life span. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of asfotase alfa (enzyme replacement therapy) in treating HPP. A Literature search was done using PubMed, Google scholar, science direct, and Wiley LILACS utilizing MeSH keywords such as -- Hypophosphatasia and asfotase alfa. A total of 411 articles were screened, of which four articles were taken for this qualitative analysis. Reporting of this systematic review is done by using PRISMA guidelines. Asfotase alfa/enzyme replacement therapy is examined on patients with different age groups and on congenital HPP patients to assess the effectiveness of HPP treatment. Enzyme replacement therapy using asfotase alfa is an effective and assured treatment for infants, children, and adults suffering from HPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the association between Individual deprivation measure with dental anxiety and socioeconomic status among patients visiting dentists in Chennai city, Tamil Nadu.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 patients aged 18-70 years who visited a private dental institution. Data on socio-demographics and detailed history about dental visits were obtained. Dental anxiety was measured using Corah Dental Anxiety Scale along with Individual deprivation measure questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS package 20. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA were used for statistical analysis.Results: A total of 50 patients were enrolled in the study, 38% belonged to 31-40 years of age, 56% were male, 16% postponed dental visit due to dental anxiety, 54% belonged to upper middle class and 64% of the subjects had moderate anxiety. In all, 71.9% of the subjects with moderate anxiety were not deprived and 88.9% of upper middle class subjects were not deprived. Significant association was found between socioeconomic status and dental anxiety with Individual deprivation measure with a P < 0.05. Increasing socioeconomic status was associated with more deprivation and dental anxiety was higher among less deprived patients.Conclusion: Individual deprivation measure was associated with dental anxiety. Less deprived and higher socioeconomic class population had a significant higher dental anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Scientometric analysis of the articles helps to provide more useful information about the field of research. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the articles based on the application of deep learning and machine learning in the field of Dentistry among top five Gross domestic product (GDP) countries. Materials and Method: The articles related to Deep learning (DL) and Machine learning (ML) in the field of Dentistry among top five GDP countries were retrieved from electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus and PubMed using keywords and MeSH terms. The parameters such as author name, number of authorships, number of citations, year, place of the study, journal, type of article, field of dentistry, outcome and implementation of deep learning and machine learning in dentistry were evaluated. The collected data were analyzed and tabulated using descriptive analysis. Results: Totally thirty seven number of articles regarding deep learning and machine learning in the field of dentistry among top five GDP Countries were obtained. The maximum number of studies was published in United States of America and minimum studies in Japan. The articles were published between the years 2001 and 2020 in different fields of Dentistry. Conclusion: The Scientometric analysis of articles related to the use of deep learning and machine learning in the field of Dentistry helps the researchers and dentists to have an idea about the trends and improvement for better analysis and treatment in the future for greater benefit of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine General anthropometric data and dental caries and their association of paternal Individual Deprivation Measure among 12‑ to 15‑year‑old school going children in Tiruvallur District. Methods and Material: The Anthropometric data such as Body mass index, Skin fold thickness and mid arm circumference was assessed. The study was also conducted to assess children’s paternal deprivation using individual deprivation index (IDM). Paternal deprivation was calculated using Individual deprivation index which comprises of 15 dimensions. Pilot study was done to calculate sample size which is found to be 800. Results: Dimension of paternal individual deprivation measure in parent Education, Housing, toileting, family planning, problem in visiting doctor between Government and Private School children was significant with P value of 0.0005. Interpretation of Paternal individual deprivation measure was found to be significant among Government and private school children. There was no association of individual deprivation measure with dental caries, but there was an association of Individual paternal deprivation measure with one of the anthropometric measure was mid arm circumference. In paternal deprivation index 21.8% of the children’s parent were not deprived, 45.8% were somewhat deprived, 22.6% were deprived, 7.3% were very deprived, 2.6 were extremely deprived among school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is an increase in the number of flight travellers and with it comes the risks of developing in-flight dental conditions that evokes pain at higher altitudes. The knowledge about such conditions are necessary among the dentists to prevent such phenomena. Aim: To assess the knowledge and familiarity about aviation dentistry among dentists. Methodology: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted among 170 postgraduates and dental professionals in a private dental institution. A pilot study was conducted among 30 individuals, and the questionnaire was validated. Data was analysed by SPSS package 20. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used. Results: 61.8% of the individuals were not familiar with the term aviation dentistry. A statistically significant association was found between familiarity with aviation dentistry and the qualification of the dentists and also between familiarity with aviation dentistry and years of experience of the dentists with a p value < 0.05. Conclusion: The study result shows the lack of knowledge about aviation dentistry among postgraduates and dental professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zinc sulfate is an inorganic compound used as a nutritional supplement, and it is known to aid in enhancing anti-inflammatory properties. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a commonest oral mucosal conditions characterized by painful recurring ulcers. Many current studies focus on establishing Zinc sulfate's potency against Recurrent aphthous stomatitis and its other uses in dentistry as it has anti-inflammatory activity with minimal adverse effects. Aim: To determine the effectiveness of zinc sulfate in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Materials and methods: A systematic review of clinical trials using zinc sulfate as an effective agent against Recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Various databases were searched and obtained a total of 112 articles, among which three studies were included. A systematic review was performed using PubMed, Scholar, Wiley, Cochrane and Science direct. From the total 112 articles that appeared from various sources, 109 articles were screened, and three studies were related to the research topic. This article was reported according to the systematic review guidelines. Result: Three studies were included in the systematic review, of which all are clinical trials showed that Zinc sulfate had a crucial role in reducing inflammation and improving oral hygiene status. The P-value of the three articles selected are 0.001, 0.0001 and > 0.05. Conclusion: With a comparative analysis between the existing related articles about the effectiveness of zinc sulfate in treating the recurrent aphthous stomatitis, the sequel of the effectiveness of zinc sulfate in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis have to be given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent times, smartphones have become a major part of our lives due to its various benefits such as easy accessibility of information, social connectivity, convenience, smaller size etc. Smartphone overuse can cause stress in a student which can invariably lead to clenching or grinding of teeth and temporomandibular disorder., Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between smartphone use, stress due to over-usage, bruxism and temporomandibular disorders among dental students in a private dental institution in Chennai, India., Material and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted among Dental undergraduates and postgraduates studying in a private dental institution in Chennai about smartphone usage. The sample included 121 undergraduate and postgraduate dental students. A self-administered pre-tested questionnaire containing 18 questions was filled out by the participants and was followed by a clinical examination for Bruxism and Temporomandibular disorder. Descriptive statistics was used and the association was assessed using Pearson's Chi-Square test. Statistics were done using SPSS version 23.0 and the p-value was set at 0.05., Results: Out of the total 121 participants, 80 (66.1%) were males and 41 (33.9%) were females. 99 (81.8%) were undergraduates and 22 (18.2%) were postgraduates. 90 (74.4%) felt stressed when unable to use their smartphone whereas 31 (25.6%) did not feel so. Bruxism was determined in 95 (78.5%) of the study participants, including 87 out of 90 (96.7%) in those feeling stressed and 8 out of 31 (25.8%) in those not feeling stressed when unable to use a smartphone (p=0.0005)., Conclusions: In the present study, a significant association was found between stress over not being able to use a smartphone and bruxism. Using smartphones for learning purposes is definitely beneficial when used appropriately.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the fluoride levels in groundwater and their effect on oral health status among the general population of Erode district, Tamil Nadu, India., Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population of index age groups 5, 12, 15, 35-44, and 65-74 years. A total of 540 subjects participated in the study. High fluoride blocks of Erode district were selected based on the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India, 2010, and the low fluoride were taken from the Groundwater Year Book (GWYB) of Tamil Nadu and UT of Puducherry, 2018. The Oral Health Assessment Form 2013 (adult and children) of the World Health Organization (WHO) was used to assess dental caries and enamel fluorosis. Clinical examination was performed using a mouth mirror and explorer under natural illumination by a single examiner. Data obtained were processed and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. A Chi-squared test was employed to analyze the difference between the high and low fluoride blocks. A P value of 0.05 was set to be statistically significant., Results: The current study had a contrary finding with the CGWB on water quality analysis of fluoride levels in drinking water for high fluoride block, Ammapet (1.12 ppm) and Anthiyur (1.08 ppm). The prevalence of enamel fluorosis in high fluoride block Ammapet was 44.4% and Anthiyur was 54.8%. The prevalence of dental caries in high fluoride block Ammapet was 45.9% and in Anthiyur was 43%. The prevalence of enamel fluorosis in low fluoride block Bhavanisagar was 27.4% and in Gobichettipalayam was 28.2%. The prevalence of dental caries in low fluoride block Bhavanisagar was 61.5%, and in Gobichettipalayam was 54.8%., Conclusion: This study's contradictory finding emphasizes the importance of drinking water; sanitation staff should monitor and report water fluoridation data on a monthly basis in accordance with the Water Fluoridation Reporting System, and CGWB should plan and organize a team for the upgradation of water quality in India. The National Program for Prevention and Control of Dental Diseases should look on to the endemic areas for the prevention of dental fluorosis, which should be assessed, implemented, and monitored by the public health dentist who should be recruited as oral health program officers in both central and state governments., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences.)

Class II mandibular furcation defect is a periodontal condition characterized by a cul-de-sac lesion, a definite parallel constituent with only a portion of alveolar bone remaining intact. There may be involvement of vertical bone loss. Local drug deliveries such as Boric acid, alendronate gel, and other drugs exhibited anti-inflammatory, antibacterial & osteoblastic differentiation activity. The present systematic review compares the drugs based on their outcomes and pharmacological action. To analzse & compare various forms of local drug delivery systems on a class II furcation. A search was conducted using PubMed, Google scholar, science direct, and Pub Med central using MeSH terms - local drug delivery in periodontics, boric acid in the management of class II mandibular furcation, simvastatin in the treatment of furcation. A total of 560 articles were screened; 58 out of 560 were full-text articles accessed for eligibility, and five articles were included in the systematic review. PRISMA guidelines were used for reporting this review. In addition, five randomized controlled trials were enclosed and used in this systematic review. The various local drugs used in treating class II mandibular furcation defects are effective in the prevention of bleeding on probing, bone resorption, gingival bleeding index and increase in the bone fill, and microbial deposit removal. The managing of class II mandibular furcation defect with the drugs mentioned in this review can be effective by reducing several clinical parameters such as bleeding on probing, gingival indices, osteoblastic differentiation, bone fill, etc., Considering the results of the studies, it can be concluded that it can be used as a therapeutic therapy against class II furcation defects with positive outcomes., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences.)

Aim: This study aims to assess the effect of iron on oral health status among the general population residing in high and low levels of iron blocks in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu, India., Materials and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the impact of iron on oral health among people in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu, India. The sample size was estimated to be 600, which were equally divided into two groups based on the high and low levels of iron (300 samples) content of water in the Namakkal district based on the multistage random sampling method. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect the demographic data and oral hygiene practices of the people. Dental stains were recorded using a modified Lobene stain index. P value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant., Results: The area and intensity of the dental stains were not significant with age, gender, and blocks. There was no statistically significant difference between the high iron and low iron blocks for the area (A), intensity (I), and I × A of stains., Conclusion: The study concludes that the water samples with both high and low levels of iron had a strong impact on the oral health of the people., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences.)

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of oral health status among the general population in Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu, India., Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the general public in the Kallakurichi district. A total number of 176 samples were selected and equally divided among urban (88 samples) and rural areas (88 samples). The samples were obtained from various parts of urban and rural areas in the Kallakurichi district based on the multistage random sampling method. The data regarding oral health status was recorded using the World Health Organization (WHO) Proformas 2013 and 1997. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed using the Chi-square test., Results: The prevalence of dental caries (74.1%) was found to be the highest in the Kallakurichi district, followed by malocclusion (71.7%) and periodontal diseases (66.7%). A significant result was found in dental caries, dental fluorosis, dental trauma, and dental erosion between the index age groups., Conclusion: The government of Tamil Nadu should take proper preventive measures and also provide oral health knowledge and awareness among the public to overcome these dental problems., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences.)

Apical periodontitis is an inflammation and destruction of the periradicular tissues due to various insults to the pulp in the form of infection, trauma, and faulty dental procedures. Conditions regarding this are treated employing root canal therapy. Recent innovations show that copper calcium hydroxide nanoparticles and their electrophoresis can be used to treat apical periodontitis effectively. To evaluate the effectiveness of copper calcium hydroxide nanoparticles in the treatment of apical periodontitis, a literature search was done using PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Science Direct, and Lilacs using the MeSH (Medical Subject Heading) terms Copper calcium hydroxide, apical periodontitis, nanoparticles, and electrophoresis. Of a total of 167 articles screened, 44 were full-text articles assessed for eligibility and four articles were taken for the qualitative analysis. This review was recorded according to the PRISMA GUIDELINES. Four randomized controlled trials were included in the review process. The copper calcium hydroxide particles were compared with other root canal medicament materials. It was found that copper calcium hydroxide and its electrophoresis were used in the treatment of apical periodontitis and were found to be one of the effective methods. Copper calcium hydroxide nanoparticles were effective against the destruction of the periradicular tissues., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences.)

Background: Poverty is directly linked to public health care delivery in many ways and dimensions. Every aspect of the human sphere is preplanned, but a health crisis is the only emergency which pushes humanity into severe economic stress. Therefore, every nation aims to safeguard its citizens from a health crisis. In this aspect, India needs to improve its public health infrastructure in order to protect its citizens and save them from poverty., Objectives: (1) To assess the current pitfalls in public critical health care delivery, (2) to analyze whether the health care delivery matches the requirements of its population in every state, (3) to produce solutions and guidelines to overcome the stress in this priority area., Materials and Methods: Data regarding the critical care workforce, which includes critical care doctors and nurses, were taken from official websites and other sources. Critical care infrastructure data were retrieved from the Internet sources. Data were validated by consulting state government sources and cross-checked for bias elimination. The data were analyzed using the "Statistical Package for Social Sciences" software version 20, and were presented using descriptive statistics., Results: There is a 1:10 percentage of deficit in the case of critical care workforce and infrastructure when compared with its need analysis. Critical care medicine specialists are in 1:75 when compared to other specialties., Conclusion: Overall, the public sector critical care needs a total boost through out of box solutions. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India spent the third most on defense in the world in 2021. India spent 76.6 billion dollars on its military in 2021, up 33% from 2012 and 0.9% from 2020. However, since India is considered a fast-growing economy, there is still a huge disparity in critical care. Without resetting critical health care, India cannot grow in welfare indices even if it is among the top gross domestic product (GDP) countries., How to Cite This Article: Prabu D, Gousalya V, Rajmohan M, Dinesh MD, Bharathwaj VV, Sindhu R, et al. Need Analysis of Indian Critical Health Care Delivery in Government Sectors and its Impact on the General Public: A Time to Revamp Public Health Care Infrastructure. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(4):237-245., Competing Interests: Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: None, (Copyright © 2023; The Author(s).)

Aim: To assess the perceived oral health beliefs, traditional practices, and oral health status of nomads., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 115 nomads residing in various places of Tamilnadu. Information regarding socio-demographics such as age, gender, occupation, and place of residence were obtained. Study participants were interviewed with a pre-tested questionnaire consisting questions related to oral health beliefs and oral health practices. Clinical examination was carried out to record the oral health status using a proforma., Results: A significant Chi-square association was found with oral health-related beliefs ( P < 0.01). However, 30.9% had perceived strong beliefs, 64.3% of the subjects used toothbrush, and 20% had at least one oral mucosal lesion., Conclusion: A significant proportion of nomads had perceived oral health beliefs, which had a significant association with their traditional practices and their oral health was much deteriorated., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)