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Aim: To assess Social and demographic factors affecting the oral health status and behaviour of pregnant women in Kerala. Methodology: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in a group of expecting mothers at 2 private hospitals in Trichur district, Kerala, India. A questionnaire was used to assess the social and demographic factors affecting the oral health status and behaviour of pregnant women. Results: Study subjects having a professional education status did not having any periodontal pocket (CPI score 3 and 4). 85.7 % of the Study subjects having professional education status brushed twice daily whereas only 7.7 % of the study subjects having intermediate education or diploma brushed twice daily . There was a statistically significant difference between BPL status and frequency of brushing, as well as financial independence and number of teeth missing. CPI & LOA score was associated with sociodemographic factors. Conclusion: Social factors like SES etc act as a strong hindrance which lead to less use of dental health care services. Dental health education has to be given to overcome this. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.22 (Special Issue) 2023 p.25-32

The acceptance sampling technique is one of the oldest methods of quality control and relates to inspection and decision-making regarding lots of goods. In this way, many optimal techniques were developed to amplify and manage the quality of the products. Consistent with the supposition that the quality characteristic variable is scattered according to certain probability laws. Based on this assumption, we optimized CASP-CUSUM schemes for continuous variables which used a Truncated Gompertz Log-Logistic distribution used in Statistical Quality Control and Reliability analysis. In particular, the distribution is intended to estimate the optimal truncated point and the probability of acceptance of lots. The operating characteristics and average run length values are shown. The results are illustrated with figures

Background. CAST (Caries Assessment Spectrum and Treatment) index is a relatively new caries assessment tool that hierarchically describes the entire caries spectrum. Its comparability with WHO (World Health Organization) criteria in different populations and age groups needs to be investigated. Objective. The objective of this study was to assess caries among 5 and 15-year-old schoolchildren using the CAST index and WHO criteria and to compare both indices on the basis of caries experience and examination time. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 553 schoolchildren aged 5 and 15 years in the North zone of Bengaluru city, India. Examiners underwent training and calibration for performing the CAST index. The first examination was performed using the CAST index followed by a second examination using the WHO criteria 2013, after some days. Time taken for examination was also recorded. Results. The study sample consisted of 279 five-year-old and 274 fifteen-year-old schoolchildren. The difference in caries experience among 5 and 15-year-old children assessed using the CAST index (52%, 45.6%) and WHO criteria (42.3%, 24.5%) were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). The average examination time was longer for the CAST index (93.77±24.77 seconds and 105.04±9.49 seconds) when compared to WHO criteria (61.05±15.91 seconds and 58.72±9.42 seconds) for primary and permanent dentition (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Though the CAST index took a longer examination time, the information obtained was more precise and facilitated researchers in treatment planning encompassing prevention of initial lesions, restoration, and rehabilitation.

Single-phase nanoparticles sample of Y2FeCrO6 double perovskite with an average particle size of 67 nm was prepared and its structural and magnetic behavior is reported. Magnetization vs temperature (M–T) study revealed that the Neel temperature, TN is 327 K, which is greater than the previous finding [Maiti et al., J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 46, 415303 (2013)]. Super-exchange interactions in Cr3+–O–Cr3+ and Fe3+–O–Fe3+ networks are responsible for AFM transition. Magnetization reversal (MR) with a high compensation temperature Tcomp = 192 K and sign reversal in both spontaneous and conventional exchange bias fields are observed. In addition, a spin reorientation is observed at TSR ∼ 30 K. At 5 K, a zero-field cooled spontaneous exchange bias (SEB) field of 265 Oe is observed. At the same temperature, after field cooling the sample at 0.5 T, the maximum value of the exchange bias field (CEB) is found to be 2.1 kOe. The SEB shows a sign reversal across TSR, and the CEB reverses its sign across Tcomp. The observed thermal hysteresis of magnetization indicates a first-order phase transition. The loop width of magnetic hysteresis as a function of magnetization exhibits a double peak confirming the multiple magnetic phase behavior. Bipolar switching of magnetization has been demonstrated at 50 K. The competition between single-ion anisotropy and Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interaction is responsible for the above behaviors.

Background: Oral cancer is one of the most common types of cancers in India. Radiotherapy is one of the treatment options frequently resulting in complications. These complications affect the patient's quality of life, nutritional intake, and consequently undermine the treatment outcomes. Patients’ verbal accounts of experiences regarding their overall oral health during radiotherapy have not been described sufficiently. Aim: The aim of the current study was to identify and analyze the issues experienced by patients while undergoing radiotherapy for oral cancer treatment. Materials and Methods: A phenomenology study design was chosen, with in-depth interviews as the selected strategy for data collection. A literature search was conducted based on which an interview guide in English was prepared and modified according to inputs from subject matter experts. The interview guide comprised nine questions, including opening, key, and closing questions, and was also translated into Telugu and Kannada – the two languages predominantly spoken by the patients visiting the hospital. Interviews were conducted with each patient separately, with each interview lasting for 60 min each. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and categorized, following which themes were derived from the analysis. Results: The key theme that emerged from the study was the “Multifaceted experience of patients undergoing radiotherapy.” Conclusion: Understanding the specific issues faced by oral cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy drew our attention to the dire need for interprofessional collaboration, which could enable health professionals to share their expertise and perspectives toward achieving the common goal of restoring patients’ health and improving health outcomes.

Introduction: Oral health literacy is vital to the decision making process for screening, prevention and treatment of oral diseases. Although there are several tools available for assessing oral health literacy, there is none to assess oral cancer health literacy. Aim: To develop and validate an Oral Cancer Health Literacy Tool (OCHLT). Materials & Methods: The study was conducted in two phases- tool development and validation among the population. The Delphi method was adopted for content development of the tool. Fifteen experts were selected based on their expertise in the field, years of experience, number of specialties etc. The categories included in the tool were ‘word recognition’, ‘functional health literacy’ and ‘information methods’. A convenient sample of 140 reporting to the OPD at the Faculty of Dental Sciences, MS. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore, India were selected. The data thus obtained was assessed for the for reliability, criterion validity and construct validity. Results: There were positive correlation between OCHLT scores and proxy measures number of years of education, satisfaction with oral health status and absence of tobacco related habits (p=0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficient of OCHLT was 0.849 and the Cronbach’s a was 0.79. This resulted in a tool consisting of 32 items. Conclusion: The final tool accounts for the multi- dimensionality of oral cancer health literacy showing acceptable psychometric properties.

Single phase nanocrystalline samples of double perovskite (Ho1-xSmx)2CoMnO6 (x = 0 – 0.5) (HSCMO) were prepared by gel combustion method and their crystal structure and magnetic properties are studied. These samples crystallize into monoclinic structure with P21/n space group and their lattice parameters increase with Sm concentration. Temperature variation of magnetization measurements show that all the prepared samples exhibit ferromagnetic (FM) transition with transition temperature (TC) increasing from 83 K for x = 0.0 to 115 K for x = 0.5. A secondary rise in magnetization is observed for T

Introduction: Most dentists will, at some point in their career, be faced with an in-office emergency. Dental staff must undergo training in the management of emergencies to a level based on their clinical responsibilities. Aim: To explore the perceptions, concerns, and experiences of interns after their accident and emergency posting. Materials and Methods: Focus group discussions were conducted among interns in English language in a dental college in Bangalore. Participants individually answered the facilitator's questions and measures were taken not to miss out any question with the help of probes. Both focus groups were audiotaped and lasted approximately 90 min. Audio recordings and focus group notes from the sessions were transcribed, analyzed using qualitative data analysis miner software. Results: Two focus groups were conducted by the authors among interns. After verbatim, the transcript was coded into one hundred and thirty different codes which were broadly classified under eight different categories and these categories were grouped into four different themes. Interns had good and bad experiences during their posting. They said that this experience was once in a lifetime and exposure like this will help them in future to manage emergency cases in the dental clinic. Conclusions: Dental interns were aware about their shallow knowledge of medical emergencies, and they felt there is room for improvement regarding self-estimation of competence in emergency management. Hence, they suggested that emergency postings should be introduced early in their curriculum.

Background: Stevioside is a natural herbal sweetener extracted from Stevia rebaudiana. An in vitro study has proved the antibacterial efficacy of 0.2% Stevia aqueous solution against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus, and the present study was conducted to clinically evaluate the efficacy of Stevia leaf extract and Stevia product on plaque pH, when compared with sucrose solution. Materials and Methods: A clinical trial was conducted among a sample of 22 undergraduate students who volunteered. After obtaining consent, students were instructed not to brush at night and not to use any mouth rinse during the course of the study. Baseline plaque pH was measured in situ using digital pH meter. Students were asked to rinse for 1 min with 0.2% aqueous solution of Stevia leaf extract and plaque pH was measured in situ at 4 time points (5, 10, 15, and 30 min) after each rinse. After a washout period of 2 days, 10% sucrose and 1% Stevia product solutions were similarly tested. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and repeated measures ANOVA. Tukey’s HSD test was used to obtain multiple comparisons. The level of significance was set to be at P < 0.05. Results: At 5, 10, 15, and 30 min, a significant difference in mean plaque pH values was observed between three test solutions (P < 0.000). Post hoc Tukey’s HSD test showed that the difference in mean pH values between aqueous Stevia extract and sucrose and Stevia product and sucrose was highly significant (P < 0.000). Conclusion: Stevia leaf extract and commercially available Stevia product did not significantly affect plaque pH values, implying that two solutions are non‑fermentable and do not support bacterial survival. Key Words: Dental caries, dental plaque, pH, Stevia rebaudiana, sucrose

This paper conducts an application of the DEA Methodology in the assessment of the performance of JNTUH Colleges the indicators included the Faculty, Students, Infrastructure and Placements of the technical Institutions. The results reveal those institutions that more efficiently carry out these activities. The proposed method has been used for selection of quality attributes in technical education setting the performance of an institute is likely to be influenced by quality of teacher, quality of students, infrastructure administration, extent of training and placement and many others. It is felt that quality and performance evaluation is necessary not only for appraisal but it is also required to improve overall service quality. Finally we discuss about the existence of differences in the strengths and weaknesses between the technical institutions.

This paper deals with the 3-co mponent identical system under the influence of hu man errors and Co mmon Cause Shock (CCS) failures. The M L estimates of system availability and frequency of failures were developed in the case of series and parallel systems. Also we developed empirical evidence to establish the valid ity of the proposed estimates by simu lation study.

present paper discusses the problem of estimating the reliability measures of a three-component identical system when the system is affected by Common Cause Shock (CCS) failures as well as human errors. The maximum likelihood estimators of the reliability measures like reliability function and mean time between failures of the present model are obtained. The performances of the proposed estimates have been developed in terms of mean square error, using simulated data.

Background: Theoretical models analysing patient behaviour are necessary to understand the complex relationships underlying human behaviour. The widely accepted definition of health is according to World Health Organization (WHO) “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, not merely an absence of disease or infirmity.” To assess effectiveness of theory and approaches of oral health education in changing the oral health behaviour and improving the oral hygiene status among adults.Methods: PubMed database was searched for published studies in English language. The search dates were limited to 1990 onwards, applied to the inclusion criteria. Primary outcome was the change in oral hygiene behaviour, measured by self-reported and observed measures. Secondary outcomes were changes in plaque score, dental knowledge. Relevant titles and abstracts of studies were screened. Quality assessment was done for the studies included using checklist of items for randomized controlled trail. (CONSORT) These studies were categorised based on the type of theory used, type of intervention and outcome.Results: Out of 48 studies obtained based on the title and abstract, 15 studies were excluded based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. 13 studies fulfilled the inclusion. These studies were categorised based on the type of theory used. Studies based on 1) Operant and Classical conditioning theory 2) Social cognitive theory. 3) Self-efficacy model. 3) Transtheoritical model. 4) Motivational interviewing. 5) Self-regulatory model. 6) Health action process approach. 7) Implementation intention theory.Conclusions: Theory and approach based oral health education is effective in significantly improving the oral hygiene behaviour.

To carry out a cross-cultural translation and adaptation of the Child-O1DP instrument and to assess its reliability and validity among 11-12 year olds in Karnataka, South India.The original Child-OIDP was obtained from the author, cross-culturally adapted to the Kannada language then the translation's content, face criterion and construct validity and internal and external reliability were evaluated. Children recorded their oral health problems and rated their oral health in a cross sectional study of 505, 11-12 year olds selected from a list of Karnataka schools by using simple random sampling (89.7% participation rate).The child OIDP revealed good validity and reliability. In relation to construct validity; an exploratory factor analysis provided two factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, which represented the physical and psychosocial health components. Cronbach's alpha was 0.60 and test-retest reliability, 0.85 (intra-class correlation coefficient).The Kannada Child-OIDP is a valid and reliable interviewer-administered instrument to measure the impact of the oral conditions on quality of life in children in Karnataka, South India.

A farmer survey was conducted in four major vegetable growing districts; Badulla, Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya to identify the sensitivity of vegetable growers on the impacts of synthetic pesticides used in vegetable culti-vation and the problems faced by them in maintaining pest- and disease- free crops for maximum economic bene-fits. The key factors involved in farmers’ decision making in selecting pesticides were the product quality, farmer experience, availability and reputation than the price, product novelty and influence of the dealer and the peers. More farmers indicated that some Organophosphates, Carbamates, Pyrethroids and fungicides are more effective in controlling insect pests and diseases. A majority of farmers reported that the new-hybrids which are sensitive to insect pests and diseases as a drawback in minimizing agrochemical usage. The survey revealed that the prod-uct quality, farmers’ experience, availability of the product, company reputation, income, and price are influ-enced for decision making. Hence suggested cohesive research and development programs to develop non-pesticide dependant crop management practices; efficient pesticide application techniques that help minimize to pesticide requirement; establishment of surveillance system and implementing policies to regular monitoring of pesticide residues in vegetables. We emphasize that excessive use of pesticides is an economical and behavioural “lock in’ aspect that require multi-dimensional approach to find a solution to this issue.

To compare the periodontal status among young smokers and nonsmokers and to assess the influence of frequency and duration of smoking on the periodontal status.A cross sectional study.The study was conducted among 1,081 male employees (aged between 20-35 years) working in Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a factory located in Bangalore, India.Two medical centers (FMC-North and FMC-South) situated within the factory premises.A specially designed form was used for collecting the information on socio-demographic factors, oral hygiene practices, smoking habits including the frequency and duration of smoking in addition to recording community periodontal index (CPI index) together with its loss of attachment (LA) component. Independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), post hoc test (Bonferroni), chi square test and logistic regression analysis were carried out.CPI scores and LA codes.Mean number of sextants per person with both periodontal pockets and loss of attachment measuring 4 mm or more was significantly higher (p0.001) in smokers when compared to nonsmokers. Increase in the extent and severity of periodontitis was evident with an increase in the frequency and duration of cigarette smoking. Smokers were eight times more at risk of periodontal pockets (C.I: 5.79-10.68) and five times more at risk for loss of attachment (C.I: 3.79 -6.52) when compared to nonsmokers (p0.001).Smoking is a risk factor strongly associated with periodontal disease among this young population of male employees working in BEL factory located in Bangalore. The extent and severity of the periodontitis was related to the amount of cigarettes smoked and the duration of the habit.