Aim: To predetermine the mass of obturating material required to obturate primary maxillary and mandibular first and second molars. To evaluate the obturation quality of primary mandibular second molar obturated using the predetermined obturation quantity. Materials and methods: The formula mass = root canal volume × density was used to calculate the quantity of obturating material for each tooth. The average root canal volume was calculated using pre-existing cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans (n = 30) of children aged between 4 and 9 years. Pulpectomy was performed in mandibular second molar and obturated with pre-determined quantity of obturating material. The quality of obturation was assessed in terms of over-obturation, under-obturation and optimal obturation. Results: Optimal obturation was obtained in 43.3%, under-obturation was observed in 30% and over-obturation was observed in 26.7% Conclusion: Obturating the primary root canals by predetermining the mass of obturating material will reduce the wastage of material (metapex) and cross-contamination of the material.

Context: The normative need is based on clinical assessment. There is a difference of opinion between the dentist and his patient regarding needs. The perception of health is subjective, so the perception of need reflects the individual's experience with the health system and the treatment received. Oral health care needs to be assessed by a dentist. Perception of health is influenced by values and norms. According to studies, perceived and normative oral healthcare needs differ. Aims: The aim of the present study is to assess the gap between clinical oral healthcare needs and perceived oral healthcare needs. Settings and design: The study is a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted among the older population in South Kerala. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey identified 399 older people aged 60 and older for the study. We conducted an interviewer-administered questionnaire (the questions regarding perceived oral healthcare needs), followed by an oral examination using WHO methods for assessing normative oral healthcare needs. Statistical analysis used: To assess the relationship between clinically based oral healthcare needs and perceived oral healthcare needs, the sensitivity and specificity were determined. McNemar's test was done to find the association between associated variables. Results: Disparities between perceived oral healthcare needs and normative oral healthcare needs were found in dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis. There was a significant association between perceived oral healthcare needs and normative oral healthcare needs for dental caries (p < 0.000) and gingivitis (p < 0.000). Conclusion: The present study shows that there are significant differences in oral caries and gingivitis as well as periodontal disease. This study recommends improving dental literacy among the older population. Key messages: This cross-sectional study reports a discrepancy between perceived need and normative oral healthcare needs (clinically assessed) in major dental diseases like dental caries, periodontal diseases, and gingivitis among the older population.

Background: Social media has become an integral part of modern life and has great potential in marketing, including dentistry. Social media also helps to attract a diverse group of people to our day-to-day activities, which might also influence oral health. Aim: To assess the impact of social media on dental treatment choices among the medical and nonmedical graduate students of Nellore city. Materials and methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the impact of social media on dental treatment choices among the medical and non-medical graduate students of Nellore city. The present cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted using the Google Survey tool. The questionnaire covers demographic data, reasons for using social media, and the ways in which social media has an impact on their dental treatment choices. SPSS 21 was the chosen software for analyzing both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The majority of the participants (66%) reported Instagram to be the most used app. Significantly, a greater number of participants (74.4%) use social media as a source of oral health information. The majority (75.1%) have improved their oral health due to social media. Conclusion: A higher proportion of the participants claimed that social media plays an important role regarding dental treatment choices.

Objective: To assess parent's involvement and awareness of oral hygiene practices for children aged 5–12 years. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was done among, N = 162 parents of children aged between 5 and 12 years using convenience sampling reporting to Asan Memorial Dental College and Hospital. Results: Majority of the parents reported that they started brushing their child's teeth at 1 year of age N = 69 (42.6%) followed by N = 63 (38.9%). Parents reported brushing their child's teeth after the 1st tooth erupts into the oral cavity N = 81 (50%). Only N = 30 (18%) parents reported brushing their child's teeth 2 times per day as per recommendation, while N = 81 (50%) of the parents reported changing the child's toothbrush once every 3 months. N = 71 (43.8%) parents reported that once or twice the child had complained of toothache in the past few months. N = 107 (66%) parents reported visiting the dentist if the child complaints of decay or tooth pain. N = 88 (54.3%) parents reported visiting a dentist once in a year. Conclusion: Role of the parents in the oral hygiene practices of children is relatively good but the attitude of the parents toward oral hygiene needs to be improved more in order to further improve and maintain the oral hygiene and oral health of children.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a state of emergency in public health. Dentists are the first line of exposure to this contagious disease. Despite the suggested infection control protocols in dental offices, many dental practitioners lack the minimum requirements for infection control. Therefore, this study was performed to assess the knowledge of Iranian dentists about the COVID-19 in clinical work environment. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire was designed based on the ADA guidelines. The structure of the questionnaire had 6 sections. The questionnaire consisted of 7 questions regarding demographic data and 26 regarding knowledge. The questionnaire was visited by 358 Iranian dentists, 138 of whom were involved in this study. The collected data were analyzed with multiple linear regression. Results: A total of 138 dentists aged 25 and 67 years old (21% male, 79% female) participated in this study. They had average knowledge (54%) about protection against this disease. It was found that 57.2% of them had less than 10 years of experience, 34% between 10 and 20 years of experience, and 8.7% had more than 20 years of experience. Also, note that 7.2% of them worked for public clinics, 21.7% were university faculty members, and 43.5% had personal office. The data showed that 51.4% of them were general dentists, 37.7% were specialists, and 10.9% were residents in different fields of dentistry. There was a significant relation between the professional experience (year) and their knowledge (p = 0.034). However, there was no significant correlation between other demographic variables and the dentists’ knowledge (p-value > 0.5). Conclusion: Knowledge of Iranian dentists about COVID-19 is generally average. They need to be more informed about masks and types of surface disinfectants and their instructions. Generally, the enhancement of prevention programs against COVID-19 is necessary for Iranian dentists.

Background: Oil pulling is one of the ancient customs in India. It is said to provide several health advantages in addition to maintaining periodontal and gum health. People are progressively returning to more traditional techniques of preserving oral health and cleanliness due to the rising incidence of adverse effects from contemporary drugs and oral hygiene products. Aim: This survey was conducted to evaluate and compare the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the ayurvedic and dental students toward oil pulling and its role in maintaining oral hygiene. Methodology: A questionnaire consisting of 16 questions about the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding oil pulling and its effects on oral health were circulated among 240 ayurvedic and dental students. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were employed to check the association between the survey questions. Results: It was found that out of 120 ayurvedic students, about 86.7% knew what oil pulling is whereas 61.7% of dental students were aware of the same. As a whole, knowledge of ayurvedic students was higher as compared with dental students. Conclusion: This research emphasizes the necessity of educational initiatives that highlight the value of oil pulling. Dental students should be made more aware of the benefits of oil pulling for oral health and how it can be a safer, more cost-effective substitute for pharmaceutical medicine.

Teeth have different morphologies, and they vary in number. The most common supernumerary tooth is the mesiodens, usually seen between the upper two central incisors, which may be impacted or erupted. The present case describes the case report of a 12-year-old male child with two mesiodens, where one was erupted clinically and the other was impacted palatally, which was detected on radiographic examination for some other problem. The treatment aimed at correct localization, surgical management of the erupted and impacted mesiodens, and interceptive correction of malaligned incisors.