Shilpa Gunjal

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is associated with many risk factors but not all individuals who are exposed to the risk factors develop OSCC. This aspect warrants the need to understand the genetic susceptibility in presence of risk factors. Methods: The study protocol has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023422519). The present study included the English-language literature published from January 2000 to April 2024. The articles were searched using keywords via Ovid platform through various databases. The odds ratio was considered as standard measure of outcome. Meta-analysis was carried out using random effects model with RevMan 5.4, establishing a 95% confidence interval and a significance threshold of p ≤ 0.05. Results: Taiwan, China, India, and USA share the major bulk of studies. The subgroup analysis shows polymorphism in P53 gene in presence of smoking ( Z = 2.15, p = 0.02), alcohol ( Z = 2.38, p = 0.02) and mixed habit (tobacco + alcohol) ( Z = 3.28, p ≤ 0.001) and CASP 8 ( Z = 5.38, p ≤ 0.0001) in presence of alcohol consumption habit has highly significant risk for development of OSCC; however the studies shows moderate heterogeneity ( I ² = 40–50%). Certain genes such as HIF ( Z = 2.82, p = 0.05), MTNR1 ( Z = 12.12, p ≤ 0.0001) and DEC ( Z = 10.46, p ≤ 0.0001) shows statistically significant correlation in presence of smoking and chewing habit with very low heterogeneity ( I ² = 0%). The CYP1 gene shows a highly significant ( p ≤ 0.0001) correlation ( Z = 3.11) in presence of mixed habit with 0% heterogeneity. Conclusions: Asian countries show a large cluster of patients with a genetic risk for development of OSCC. Genetic factors such as P53, CASP 8, HIF, DEC1, MTNR1 and CYP1A1 show statistically significant risk for development of OSCC in the presence of risky environmental factors such as tobacco and alcohol.

Objectives: Salivary constituents have a wide range of functions, including oral calcium homeostasis. Salivary proteins, such as statherin inhibit the crystal growth of calcium phosphate in supersaturated solutions and interact with several oral bacteria to adsorb on hydroxyapatite. Concurrently, saliva, which is supersaturated with calcium phosphates, is the driving force for plaque mineralization and calculus formation. The present study has, thus, been carried out to correlate salivary statherin and calcium concentration with dental calculus formation. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 90 participants (58 males and 32 females) aged 20–40 years. Participants were grouped according to the calculus index viz. Group I (control calculus index), Group II (low calculus index), and Group III (high calculus index). After collecting saliva, the salivary calcium and statherin levels were estimated for each participant, and the data were entered into a master chart. Results: The mean salivary statherin levels were found to be 1.305 ± SD 1.302, 0.986 ± SD 0.591, and 1.21 ± SD 0.473 in Groups I, II and III, respectively. The calcium levels increased from Group I to Group III (2.221, 5.067, and 10.072 mg/dL, respectively). Salivary calcium levels showed a significant positive correlation with the calculus index (0.639) ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: Salivary concentrations of calcium appear to play an essential role in the dental calculus formation. Salivary statherin exhibited a statistically nonsignificant, modest negative correlation with both calcium concentrations and the development of calculus.

Background: To assess and compare the effectiveness of propolis mouthwash with chlorhexidine mouthwash in the reduction of plaque and gingivitis. Methods: A single centre, latin-square cross-over, double masked, randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 45 chronic generalized gingivitis subjects who were chosen from the dental clinic of MAHSA University, Malaysia. A total of 45 subjects were randomly assigned into one of the three different groups (n = 15 each) using a computer-generated random allocation sequence: Group A Propolis mouthwash; Group B Chlorhexidine mouthwash; and Group C Placebo mouthwash. Supragingival plaque and gingival inflammation were assessed by full mouth Plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) at baseline and after 21 days. The study was divided into three phases, each phase lasted for 21 days separated by a washout period of 15 days in between them. Groups A, B and C were treated with 0.2% Propolis, Chlorhexidine, and Placebo mouthwash, respectively, in phase I. The study subjects were instructed to use the assigned mouthwash twice daily for 1 min for 21 days. On day 22^nd, the subjects were recalled for measurement of PI and GI. After phase I, mouthwash was crossed over as dictated by the Latin square design in phase II and III. Results: At baseline, intergroup comparison revealed no statistically significant difference between Groups A, B and C (p > 0.05). On day 21, one-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant difference between the three groups for PI (p < 0.001) and GI (p < 0.001). Bonferroni post-hoc test showed statistically significant difference between Propolis and Chlorhexidine mouthwash (P < 0.001), with higher reduction in the mean plaque and gingival scores in propolis group compared to chlorhexidine and placebo groups. Conclusions: Propolis mouthwash demonstrated significant improvement in gingival health and plaque reduction. Thus, it could be used as an effective herbal mouthwash alternative to chlorhexidine mouthwash. Trial registration: The trial was retrospectively registered on 25/07/2019 at clinicaltrials.gov and its identifier is NCT04032548.

Objectives: The present study aimed to assess and compare the effect of Morus alba and chlorhexidine gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in treating stage II periodontitis.Methods: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted on 180 patients with stage II periodontitis who received full-mouth SRP. They were randomly assigned to receive chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) gel, Morus alba (MA) and placebo gel for Groups A, B and C, respectively, at the baseline, 15 days and 30 days. Plaque index (PI), Gingival index (GI), periodontal pocket depth (PPD) and quantitative analysis (culture) of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia were assessed at baseline and 45 days. Analysis of variance was used to compare the significant difference in PI, GI, PPD and microbiological parameters between the three groups after the intervention, followed by post hoc Mann-Whitney U and Tukey's HSD test for clinical and microbiological parameters, respectively.Results: Intergroup comparison of the PI, GI and microbiological parameters between the MA and CHX groups at the end of 45 days did not show a statistically significant difference (p > 0.05), whereas a statistically significant difference was observed for PPD between MA and CHX groups with the mean difference of 0.18 mm (p = 0.002).Conclusion: Morus alba gel was found to be effective in decreasing PPD. However, there was no difference between Morus alba and chlorhexidine gel as an adjunct to SRP in treating stage II periodontitis.

Wei SZ, et al. Restor Dent Endod. 2024 Jan;49:e8. https://doi.org/10.5395/rde.2024.49.e8

Background: Oral cancer is a significant public health concern worldwide. Early detection and prevention are crucial in reducing the morbidity and mortality rates associated with this disease. As future dental professionals, dental undergraduates play a vital role in promoting oral health and identifying potential oral cancer cases. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the level of oral cancer awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and practices among dental undergraduates in Malaysia. A total of 595 students from years 3, 4, and 5 in both public and private universities participated. Results: The results showed that a higher percentage of dental undergraduates from private universities were aware of oral cancer and had satisfactory knowledge compared to those from public universities (p < 0.05). Moreover, 59.4% of respondents felt less confident in diagnosing oral cancer during routine dental practice, and 96.1% agreed on the need to increase public awareness of oral health. Interestingly, students from private universities exhibited higher levels of awareness and knowledge regarding oral cancer than those from public universities. Conclusions: To enhance oral cancer detection and prevention, it is essential to reinforce the current curriculum and provide training to improve diagnostic skills for every dental undergraduate. This will ensure that they are well-equipped with the necessary knowledge and competence to detect and prevent oral cancer effectively.

Purpose To determine the effect of WhatsApp (Facebook Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA) and electronic mail reminders on oral hygiene compliance of orthodontic patients. Methods A randomized, parallel group, double blinded study was conducted on 54 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment at a university clinic. They were randomized to 3 groups, i.e., WhatsApp (W) group, electronic mail (email) (E) group and control (C) group with 18 subjects in each group. Group (W) and group (E) received oral health messages once a week through WhatsApp and email reminders, respectively, while group (C) did not receive any reminders. Plaque was measured at baseline (T0), after 4 weeks (T1), and after 8 weeks (T2). For each subject, intraoral photographs were taken after application of a plaque-disclosing agent; and the area covered by plaque was measured on teeth 12, 13, 43, 22, 23 and 33 by planimetry. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 22, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare plaque scores between and within the groups. Results A total of 54 subjects (14 males and 40 females) with mean age of 22.43 years completed the study. At the end of 8 weeks, no statistically significant difference in the mean plaque score was found between the groups at the different time intervals (p = 0.201). Conclusion WhatsApp and email reminders did not significantly influence the oral hygiene compliance of orthodontic patients.

Background. Saliva, as a complex biofluid, plays a pivotal role in maintaining oral health and tooth integrity. There has been inconsistent data available on the relationship between salivary parameters and oral health. This study aims to investigate the association between salivary statherin, acidic proline-rich proteins (aPRP), and calcium with oral hygiene status. Methods. One hundred and eighty-eight healthy subjects aged between 18 and 50 years with varying oral hygiene status who gave consent to participate were included in this cross-sectional study. The subjects were recruited from primary oral health care of MAHSA University. Oral hygiene of all the participants was measured using Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S). Stimulated saliva collected using paraffin wax was analyzed for salivary statherin, aPRP, and calcium. The relationship between salivary statherin, aPRP, and calcium levels with OHI-S was assessed using Spearman's Rank correlation coefficient; the strength of relationship was assessed by multiple linear regression analysis. Results. The study found a weak positive correlation (r = 0.179, p= 0.014) between salivary statherin and OHI-S; weak negative correlation (r= -0.187, p = 0.010) between salivary aPRP and OHI-S; and moderate negative correlation between salivary statherin and salivary aPRP levels (r = -0.50, p < 0.001) which were statistically significant. Conclusion. Poor oral hygiene is associated with increased statherin and reduced aPRP levels in saliva. Thus, these salivary components may have a role in predicting oral hygiene status.