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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2) presenting with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary manifestations. The first case was reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and it has rapidly progressed to the form of a pandemic. The presentation is mild in about 80 percent of the cases but the disease can also progress to a severe form of respiratory illness leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sometimes multi-organ failure, especially in people with other co-morbidities. Pregnant women also appear to be at a greater risk of acquiring a severe infection due to physiological changes during pregnancy. Many drugs with in vitro activity against the virus or an immunomodulatory effect have been considered for repurposing or have been tried as off-label drugs. The safety data regarding the use of newly approved or off-label or investigational drugs in pregnant women is limited and this poses a great challenge for clinicians. Therefore, it is important to know the utility and safety of the medications to avoid untoward adverse effects on pregnant women and fetuses. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the approved, off-label, unlicensed, new and some promising pharmacological options for their use in the treatment of COVID-19 and the safety profile in pregnancy in an Indian scenario.

Introduction: Oral health is important both for the well-being and successful elite sporting performance. Athletes are at a greater risk of having dental caries, dental erosion and traumatic dental injuries. So this study was taken up to focus on this issue. Objectives: i) To assess the prevalence and severity of dental erosion, dental trauma, oral mucosal lesions, dental caries and periodontal status among athletes, using WHO oral health assessment form 2013. ii) To plan appropriate oral diseases prevention and oral health promotion strategy for athletes. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among athletes in SMS STADIUM Jaipur. Clinical examination of the athletes was carried out with the help of WHO proforma 2013. Results: A total of 300 athletes were included with 217(72.3%) males and 83(27.66%) females in the age group of 10-35 years with a mean age of 22±5.04 years. Of the participants, 55.3% participants reported the use of energy drinks. 50% reported using chewing gums (sweetened) and 20.6% reported the use of mouth guard during their activities. Around 70% of the athletes were having DMFT, out of them 68.66% had decayed teeth and only 12.66% had filled teeth. 9.3% of the athletes had enamel erosion. 8.33% & 8.66% of athletes were having treated injury and enamel fracture, respectively. Conclusion: Athletes are more prone to dental caries because of less care towards oral hygiene and extensive use of sweetened chewing gums and energy drinks.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer among Indian males and the third most common cancer among Indian females. Early detection of oral cancers makes them more amenable to treatment and allows the greatest chance of cure. Lack of awareness among the health care providers is the most significant factor in delaying diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer. So the aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of oral cancer among undergraduate medical students in Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 186 undergraduate medical students between the third to fifth years in Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions, five each on knowledge, attitudes and practices. The data were analysed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16. Test used were t-test, Chi-square and ANOVA. RESULTS: The response rate of the study was 96.5%. The mean knowledge percent of the sample was good. Mean knowledge percent was higher in females than males. Higher percentage of students in 5(th) year (internship) had excellent knowledge. The knowledge and practices about risk factors was not satisfactory. One hundred and twenty four (66.6%) of the subjects disagreed/strongly disagreed that their knowledge regarding the prevention and detection of oral cancer is current adequate. One hundred and seventy six and (94.6%) agreed/strongly agreed that there is need for additional training/information regarding oral cancer. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that though the mean knowledge of the population was good but the knowledge and practices about risk factors had to be reinforced among these students so that they can help the patients in tobacco and alcohol cessation and contribute in prevention of oral cancers.

To describe Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in adults attending the Outpatient Department (OPD) of Public health Dentistry, H.P Government Dental College, Shimla, and to assess the relationship between clinical measures of oral health status and oral health related quality of life.A cross sectional study was carried out for a period of three months on 351 subjects reporting to the OPD of Public health Dentistry, H.P Government Dental College, Shimla. Subjects were examined systemically for dental caries, periodontal disease using DMFT index and CPI index. OHRQoL was measured using the 14 - item Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-14). Also the data on education, socio economic status and reasons for seeking dental care was collected.There were 158 males and 193 females participating in the study. The mean age of study population was 35.7 ± 9.33. The mean total OHP-14 score was 9.5 ± 9.4; 35.6% of the subjects reported one or more OHIP problems 'fairly often or very often'. When the prevalence of impacts fairly /very often was modeled using logistic regression, presence of decayed teeth, presence of periodontal disease (CPI score2) and number of missing teeth remained significantly associated with OHRQoL after adjusting for gender and episodic dental care.OHIP-14 scores were significantly associated with the clinical oral health status indicators, independently of gender and socio economic inequalities in oral health.

Chemotherapeutic agents have been shown to be useful adjuncts to daily oral home care in the control of plaque and gingivitis. The objective of the study was to evaluate effect of two oral rinses; Chlorohexidine and Listerine on Plaque and Gingivitis.A doubled blind study was done on 150 patients visiting OPD of oxford general hospital for 2 months to compare the efficiency of two commercially available mouth rinses i.e. chlorohexdine (0.2%)Listerine on plaquegingivitis, along with a Placebo.At the end of 28 weeks chlorohexdinelisterine significantly reduced plaque growthgingivitis compared to a Placebo however chlorohexdine was more effective than Listerine.Chlorehexidine (0.2%) and a phenolic mouth rinse significantly reduced plaque growth and gingival inflammation compared to a placebo mouthrinse, however chlorhexidine rinse was more effective against plaque regrowth than the phenolic rinse. How to cite this article: Goutham BS, Manchanda K, Sarkar AD, Prakash R, Jha K, Mohammed S. Efficacy of two commercially available Oral Rinses - Chlorohexidine and Listrine on Plaque and Gingivitis - A Comparative Study. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(4):56-61.

Oral cancer is one of the major threats to public health in developed as well as developing countries. Despite the current therapeutic modalities, which include the use of nonselective treatments (surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy), the mortality and morbidity rates still remain high due to delays in diagnosis and treatment. Thus, it is important to completely understand the molecular mechanism in the development of oral cancer to further develop more selective treatment. This review attempts to identify and understand the deregulated molecular pathways and related genes in oral carcinogenesis.

Objective: The objective was to determine the impact of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) to the self-perceived oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and to compare the OHRQoL with a control group. Materials and Methods: Eighty three patients who were diagnosed [according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) Axis I] and seeking treatment in the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology were evaluated for the impact on the OHRQoL by the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). SPSS 17 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) was used to analyze the data. Statistical tests used were the t -test, Chi-square test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The mean age of the sample was 34.8 years with the male: female ratio as 1:5.9. The mean OHIP summary score of the TMD population was 23.3 ± 19.2, compared to 3.32 ± 4.41 for the general population. The mean OHIP score was not statistically different for males (20.6 ± 13.9) and females (25.0 ± 19.2) P = 0.189. The highest mean OHIP score (4.71 ± 3.91) was calculated for osteoarthrosis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), followed by disc displacement without reduction with limited opening (4.21 ± 3.86). Conclusion: The patients with TMD had lower OHRQoL as compared to the general population. The patients of muscular disorders and osteoarthrosis were found to have a greater impact on the quality of life (QoL) as compared to the disc displacement group.

Introduction: The waste created by the healthcare services while providing services which may be either curative, promotive, or preventive may be hazardous to health and environment if there is indiscriminate disposal of hospital waste. Objective: The objective was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices of students (3 rd years, 4 th years), interns and teaching staff. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a close-ended questionnaire among the students, interns and teaching staff of three dental colleges in Himachal Pradesh. A total of 578 subjects were included in the study with their prior consent. Statistical Analysis: The data were tabulated, and interpretation was done in percentages by using SPSS version 13.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Many dentists have the knowledge about the waste management, but they lack in the attitude and practice. Conclusion: There is a need for education regarding hazards associated with improper waste disposal at all levels of dental personnel.

Background: Mothers play a key role as transmitters of oral health behavior for their children. Hence increasing their knowledge about positive attitude toward desirable oral health behaviors regarding their children will lead to the better oral health of the children. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of oral health education program among mothers with 6-18 months old children in the prevention of early childhood caries. Materials and Methods: A total of 480 mothers with 6-18 months old children were selected using cluster randomization of the primary health center. The allocated mothers were assigned into three groups: Motivation group (group A), traditional health education group (group B) and control group (group C). Clinical examination was carried out to record the dental decay of the child. Statistical Analysis: The data was analyzed using SPSS 13. Evaluation of statistical significance between groups was made using the Chi-square test, ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis. Results: Mean number of decayed teeth was 0.23 + 0.58 in group A that was significantly less as compared to 0.39 + 0.79 and 1.17 + 1.32 in group B and C, respectively. Conclusion: Motivational intervention was more effective in reducing dental decay in the children as compared to the other two groups.

Quality of life (QoL) creates positive associations for most of the people. Perception of QoL varies between individuals and is dynamic amongst them. People who have different expectations report that they have a different QoL even when they have the same clinical condition. People are now demanding a better QoL. It is conceded that a rise in the standard of living of people is not enough to achieve satisfaction and happiness. Clinical indication of a problematic tooth may be many, but the presence of a toothache or pain, described by the individual as a symptom or functional barrier, affects well-being and is not measured by any traditional epidemiological indicator. Thus, a major shortcoming in traditional oral epidemiological indicators is the inability to reflect the capacity of the individuals to perform desired roles and activities. When oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) measures are used alongside traditional clinical methods of measuring oral health status, a more comprehensive assessment of the impact of oral diseases on the several dimensions of subjective well-being becomes possible.

Background: The literature shows that an increased body mass index (BMI) may be a potential risk factor for periodontitis. Association between BMI and periodontitis has been ascribed to unhealthy dietary patterns with insufficient micronutrients and excess sugar and fat content. Aim: The present study intended to assess the relation between BMI and periodontal status among state government employees in Shimla city, Himachal Pradesh in India. Materials and Methods: The study sample comprised 1,008 subjects aged 18-58 years, drawn by a proportional sample from 10,908 employees. BMI was calculated by the Quetelet index as the ratio of the subject's body weight (in kg) to the square of the height (in meters). Periodontal status was recorded using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Binary multiple logistic regression analysis was done to assess the relation between BMI and periodontal status. The dependent variable for logistic regression analysis was categorized into control group (scores 0-2 of the CPI) and periodontitis group (scores 3 and 4 of the CPI). Results: The overall prevalence of periodontal disease was 98.9%. Score 2 (bleeding and calculus) was the highest score prevailing among the subjects. They had an increased risk of periodontitis by 56% for each 1 kg/m 2 increase in BMI, which means that a higher BMI could be a potential risk factor for periodontitis among the adults aged 18 to 58 years. Conclusion: BMI evaluation could be used in the assessment of periodontal risk.