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Background: ChatGPT holds promise in oral health education, provided valid concerns are proactively examined and addressed. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate ChatGPT responses to patients’ most common queries about their oral health. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to gather a dataset of oral health-related queries from patients attending a dental institution. The dataset was preprocessed and formatted to remove any irrelevant or duplicate queries. Then, we supplied the dataset to ChatGPT to generate responses. We asked two dental public health experts to independently review the ChatGPT responses for clarity, accuracy, relevance, comprehensiveness, consistency, acceptance, and bias using a 5-point Likert scale. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate interrater reliability. Scores were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 563 oral health-related queries were gathered from 120 patients. After removing the irrelevant or duplicate queries, 105 were included in the final dataset. The ICC value of 0.878 (95% confidence interval range from 0.841 to 0.910) showed good reliability between the reviewers. The majority of ChatGPT responses had a clear understanding (95.24%), were scientifically accurate and relevant to the query (87.62%), were comprehensive (83.81%), were consistent (84.76%), and were acceptable without any edits (86.67%). The reviewers strongly agreed that only 40.96% of the responses had no bias. The overall score was high with a mean value of 4.72 ± 0.30. The qualitative analysis of comments on ChatGPT responses revealed that the responses were rather long and more comprehensive. Conclusions: ChatGPT generated clear, scientifically accurate and relevant, comprehensive, and consistent responses to diverse oral health-related queries despite some significant limitations.

Background: Community health depends on the leadership duties of a diverse population, such as village volunteers. Hence, a study was conducted to assess oral health status, treatment needs, and patterns of utilization of dental services among village volunteers in Andhra Pradesh state. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 village volunteers in Andhra Pradesh state, India. A multi-stage cluster sampling procedure was employed in sample selection. A questionnaire was used to review the pattern of utilization of dental services. World Health Organization Oral Health assessment form 1997 was used to evaluate oral health status and treatment needs. Data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0. Descriptive statistics were done. Results: Out of 400, 18% had never visited the dental clinic in their lifetime. The majority (33.5%) considered that dental problems were not a serious concern. Dental caries was seen in 69.5%, and 78.5% were presented with periodontal conditions. About 19.8% and 24.3% had crowding and spacing in incisal segments, respectively. The prevalence of oral mucosal disorders and dental fluorosis was 4.25% and 8.75%, respectively. Overall, 94% of the study participants needed dental treatment for various reasons. Conclusion: This study provides sufficient evidence to conclude that this population's oral health was poor, with increasing unmet dental treatment needs. Selected interventions and strategies should focus on these factors to decrease the burden of oral diseases among village volunteers.

Aim: This study aims to examine the characteristics of endodontic clinical trials registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov database. Methods: The ClinicalTrials.gov website was searched for endodontic clinical trials that were registered between 2000 and 2022. The search term used was “endodontics.” As a result of the search strategy, 613 trials were identified. Out of which, 500 clinical trials met our inclusion criteria. For each clinical trial, information was extracted including the year of registration, location of the trial, type of trial, study design (allocation, intervention model, and masking) estimated enrollment, participants' age, health condition/problems studied, intervention/treatment, the status of the trial, study results, phase of the trial, and source of funding. Fisher's exact test was applied to identify the characteristics of clinical trials associated with funding. Results: The number of registered clinical trials gradually increased from 2000 to 2022. Out of 500 clinical trials, 456 were interventional, and 44 were observational. Only 18 clinical trials had secured funding. The majority of interventional trials (90.8%) are randomized, and the most common interventional model was parallel assignment (88.4%). It was observed that irreversible pulpitis was the most common condition studied (32.2%). Nonsurgical endodontic therapy was the most common intervention used in the trials (42.2%). Conclusion: The study provided an overview of endodontic clinical trials that were registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov. The findings showed that registered endodontic clinical trials have increased rapidly since 2000. The vast majority of trials took place in Africa. The majority of endodontic clinical trials followed rigorous methods in terms of allocation, intervention model, and masking. However, only a small portion of trials had secured funding. The findings also indicate the need for trial results to be made publicly available to enhance evidence-based practice in endodontics.

Introduction: The novel coronavirus disease has brought to the forefront the importance of oral hygiene aids and its role in the prevention of COVID-19 transmission. Objectives: The objective is to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of oral hygiene aids and its role in COVID-19 transmission. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 385 patients visiting Vishnu dental college. The questionnaire included demographic data, history of COVID, and vaccination status. The second part included questions regarding knowledge, attitude, and practice of oral hygiene aids and its role in COVID-19 transmission. Results: Mean age of the population was 40.11 years, and had almost equal proportions of males and females. About 22.6% of the population had suffered from COVID-19 and 92.7% of men got fully vaccinated. Knowledge of COVID-19 transmission through oral hygiene aids was found in 57.4% of the population. No difference in knowledge of occupational health advisor (OHA) and its role in COVID transmission was found between gender, COVID, and vaccination status (P > 0.05). About 22.9% of graduates had higher knowledge than others (P = 0.00). Conclusions: The use of appropriate oral hygiene aids and practices could prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

To assess and compare the precision and predictability of zygomatic implants in atrophic maxilla using conventional and dynamic navigation methods. This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in patients requiring zygomatic implant placements in the atrophic maxilla. Forty zygomatic implants were placed in systemically healthy individuals. Zygomatic implant placement was done using the freehand technique in the control group, and the test group involved implant placement using a dynamic navigation system, and the entry, apex, and angular deviations were evaluated. The mean deviations at the site of entry (2D) in the navigation system (2.531.42) as compared with the freehand (4.151.29) were statistically significant. The variation in the freehand group was greater than the navigation method at the apex (3D) (P <.05). The navigation method had a higher accuracy in angular deviation than the freehand method (4.02 ± 1.80 and 12.67 ± 2.11). Also, the accuracy was checked on the right and left sides in both the conventional and dynamic groups. The dynamic navigation technology had better predictability in terms of accuracy and precision, and it is the need of the hour for clinicians to master this technology and thereby aid in better prognostic level of implant placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Authors of scholarly writing are underrepresented in discussions about improving the academic publishing system. The objective of this study was to assess the possibility of harmonizing manuscript preparation and the submission guidelines of journals by assessing the opinions of dental faculty members who worked in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 1,286 participants from 16 dental schools in Andhra Pradesh was conducted from March 15, 2021 to April 15, 2021. The questionnaire addressed the participants’ demographic details and perspectives on the guidelines for manuscript preparation and the need to harmonize those guidelines with the publication process. The online questionnaire was generated using Google Forms and consisted of six dichotomous, one multiple-choice, and seven Likert scale items. Descriptive statistics were obtained. Results Of the 894 (69.5%) dental faculty members who responded, 448 (50.1%) were not aware of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ guidelines for manuscript preparation and submission. During the manuscript revision process, 792 (95.5%) had experienced difficulty with the variation in author guidelines for each journal, especially the guidelines for formatting tables, reference style, and citation of references in-text. The idea of a standardized template for manuscript preparation and submission was supported by 800 respondents (86.7%). Conclusion Dental faculty members in India experienced difficulty in manuscript preparation for medical journals due to the differing editorial policies among journals. Therefore, a standardized template providing uniformity in style and format is needed.

Background: Although regular patient education regarding the periodontal health/disease is advocated as a means of improving oral health, impregnable associations of periodontal knowledge and attitude with periodontal status have not been demonstrated. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted, 2400 participants were surveyed using a specially designed pretested pro forma to evaluate the knowledge and attitude concerning periodontal health and disease. The oral exanimation included recording of oral hygiene index, gingival index (GI), community periodontal index (CPI), and loss of attachment. Ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional review board. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21.0. Results: The mean age of the study population was 41.6 ± 9.5 years. The greater portion of individuals had high knowledge score (55.9%) and negative attitude (68.4%) toward periodontal health/disease. The mean oral hygiene index scores and GI scores were higher among individuals with high knowledge score and with negative attitude, and the differences were statistically significant among the groups. There was no difference in the mean plaque scores among individuals with different knowledge scores, but a higher score for individuals with negative attitude (1.24 ± 0.87) was evident. The proportion of individuals with healthy periodontium (score 0 for CPI and loss of attachment) had low knowledge score (54.3%); however, a positive attitude was elicited in 51.9% of the population. Conclusion: High knowledge score and negative attitude were related to periodontal status in West Godavari. Therefore, it can be emphasized that the presence of a positive attitude plays a key role in achieving better periodontal status.

Background: Dentistry, dealing with teeth and supporting tissues in the oral cavity is not only an ever-evolving science but also an art combined with good eye-hand coordination. It not only encompasses clinical and theoretical skills which play a crucial role in the success of therapy but also a lot of intrinsic work is accomplished in dentistry. In a journey to fulfill the above accomplishments and for facilitating early diagnosis of pathologies which usually go unnoticed, a clearer and magnified field of vision are also essential. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the awareness, attitude, and prevalence of the usage of magnification devices among the dental practitioners in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based study was conducted to assess the awareness, attitude, and prevalence of magnification devices among the 370 dental practitioners in Andhra Pradesh. All the participants were provided with a prestructured questionnaire comprising of 24 questions and answering was completely self-based. Results: Among the participants, majority were aware about magnification in dentistry (91.1%), and also of the different types of magnification devices available (90.5%). On the other hand, when the reason for not using magnification devices was taken into consideration, 32.7% attributed that they have not experienced the devices and 32.4% felt that devices were too expensive. Moreover, when regarding the usage of devices was taken into account, only 23.8% of the total participants were exposed to the usage of magnification aids. Conclusion: Among the selected group of participants, even though majority were aware of magnification in dentistry its application in practice was very less.

Background: The school dental screening program has been in existence from the beginning of 20 th century. Its value in encouraging attendance among school children is not fully established. Aim: The aim was to determine the effectiveness of school dental screening on stimulating dental attendance rates among school children in Vikarabad town. Objectives: (a) To compare the dental attendance rates between 6-9 and 10-13 years old age groups, among male and female school children in Vikarabad town. (b) To identify the type of dental treatment received by the school children. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted among school children aged 6-13 years old from 16 schools that were randomly selected and divided into two groups. Eight schools had a dental screening program (study group = 300 children) and had blanket referral cards and 8 schools that did not have the intervention (control group = 300). The dental attendance rates were determined after 3 months of follow-up period by evaluating the blanket referral cards for the study group and by an oral questionnaire for the control group. Results: The dental attendance rate was 27% for the study group and 18% for the control group which is statistically significant. The attendance rate was higher among 10-13 years of children both in test group and control groups. Among the children who visited the dentist, 53% in the control group and 69% from the test group got simple amalgam and glass ionomer cement restorations. Conclusion: The dental attendance rates were improved following school dental screening.

Uddanam is a lush green region with rich coconut and cashew plantations in Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh state, India. An unknown number of people living in this area have a [...]

Aim: To assess the periodontal knowledge among 18-50-year-old adult population living in the West Godavari state of Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional face-to-face interview survey from July 2014 to June 2015 among individuals between ages 18 and 50 years living in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh using a stratified multistage sampling method. For data collection, a specially designed pretested proforma was used. The proforma consisted of demographic details such as name, age, sex, income, education, occupation, personal habits, and systemic diseases, if any. The proforma also included a structured, 14-item questionnaire to assess the knowledge levels of participants regarding periodontal health and diseases. t-test and analysis of variance were used to analyze the collected data. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all comparisons. Results: The lowest percentage of correct answers was related to gum care during pregnancy (11.6%) and the effect of systemic diseases on periodontium (30%). A majority of the participants had higher level of knowledge scores related to the use of toothpaste (95.2%) and food accumulation leads to gum diseases (80.8%). There was no significant difference in mean knowledge score among different gender and occupation groups (P > 0.05). Participants with high economic status had the highest periodontal disease knowledge (P = 0.015). Conclusion: Knowledge concerning periodontal health and disease is still poor in West Godavari; therefore, more dental health education is needed to improve oral health. In this study, positive attitudes toward prevention were related to better knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hemostasis is a fundamental management issue post-operatively in minor oral surgical procedures. To ensure safety and therapeutic efficacy in patients, under oral anti coagulant therapy, is complicated by necessity for frequent determination of prothrombin time or international normalised ratio. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine whether early hemostasis achieved by using Hemcon Dental Dressing (HDD) will affect post-operative care and surgical healing outcome in minor oral surgical procedures. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 patients, aged 18 years to 90 years, except those allergic to seafood, who consented to participate, were enrolled into this study. Patients were required to have two or more surgical sites so that they would have both surgical and control sites. All patients taking Oral Anticoagulation Therapy (OAT) were included for treatment in the study without altering the anticoagulant regimens. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained for the same. The collected data was subjected to statistical analysis using unpaired t-test. Results: All HDD surgically treated sites achieved hemostasis in 1.49 minutes and control wounds in 4.06 minutes (p < 0.001). Post-operative pain at HDD treated sites (1.87,1.27 on 1st and 3rd day respectively) was significantly lower than the control sites (4.0,1.87 on 1st and 3rd day respectively) p-value (0.001, 0.001 respectively). HDD treated oral surgery wounds achieved statistically significant improved healing both at 1st and 3rd postoperative days (p <0.0001). Conclusion: The HDD has been proven to be a clinically effective hemostatic dressing material that significantly shortens bleeding time following minor oral surgical procedures under local anaesthesia, including those patients taking OAT. Patients receiving the HDD had improved surgical wound healing as compared to controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]