The harmful effects of tobacco have been well known, studied and advertised, however tobacco is still consumed in different forms by all genders. Tobacco smoking during pregnancy is double trouble, considering the already high-risk state of the pregnant female. Smoking in pregnancy and current COVID-19 scenario poses additional challenge to mother and fetus. Nicotine and toxins including carbon monoxide have been proposed to cause maternal and fetal perilous impacts. More studies are needed to find various abnormalities associated with smoking in pregnancy.

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has influenced all services of life, including dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery. COVID-19 is primarily spread through contact with infected person, mucosal/respiratory droplets, fomites/contaminated surfaces/objects, and aerosol. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are particularly at a high risk of transmission of COVID-19 due to proximity with patient during treatment. All cases should be assumed COVID-19 positive till proven otherwise because now asymptomatic patients also report to be COVID-19 positive. Such patients act as a carrier, shedding virus to expose the oral and maxillofacial surgeons. All elective procedures can be postponed. Only emergency cases that require immediate treatment should be done with proper standard precautions and sound infection control practice. During surgery, we require a maxillofacial operation theater (OT), which is divergent from other OTs due to the use of high-powered aerosol-generating instruments during surgery that increase the chances of spreading infection in the OTs. The aim of this paper is to integrate infection control in the OT for the management of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients throughout emergency treatment in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Introduction There is a lack of clear guidelines for the use of antibiotics and analgesics in medically healthy patients as well as endodontic pain management strategies. Diseases of the dental pulp and periapical tissue are mainly caused by microorganisms; however, not all cases of dental infections require the administration of systemic antibiotics. The purpose of the present survey was to evaluate the prescription pattern of antibiotics among general practitioners and specialists practicing in Karnataka. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional survey was based on a structured questionnaire in Google Form with 17 questions, including the demographic characteristics and the knowledge and practice of the dentists on the antibiotic prescription. Completed questionnaires were analyzed using the SPSS software to determine relationships between factors affecting the prescription patterns and educational qualification. Results Of the 200 participants surveyed, 169 (84.9%) felt that the overuse of antibiotics can lead to resistance of bacteria. Amoxicillin 500 mg was the most prescribed antibiotic (97%) and cephalexin by only 3% of the participants. Majority of the dentists prescribed antibiotics on a weekly basis (51.8%) during their practice and the preferred duration was for 5 days (62.8%). Conclusion The results of the present study indicated a lack of knowledge and uncertain diagnosis on prescribing antibiotics leading to overprescription and further antibiotic resistance. The majority of the dentist feels there is an overuse of antibiotics, but at the same time prescribes it on a daily basis.

Introduction This study was undertaken to evaluate the pattern of stress distribution in implant body and surrounding bone with and without splinting of implant prostheses when subjected to occlusal loading, using the finite element analysis. Methods The geometric models of implant and mandibular bone were generated. Two models were created in accordance with the need of the study. The first model was given a two implant in the first mandibular molar and second premolar with splinted prosthesis. Then, second model was given two such implants in the same region but without splinting the prosthesis. Forces of 100 N and 50 N were applied axially and buccolingually, respectively. Results The maximum von Mises stress values with axial force of the implant splinted prosthesis were observed to be 4.21 MPa for cortical bone, 0.88 MPa for cancellous bone, and 10.592 MPa for implant body. The maximum von Mises stress values with buccolingual force of the implant splinted prosthesis were observed to be 9.08 MPa for cortical bone, 1.33 MPa for cancellous bone, and 30.08 MPa for implant body. The maximum von Mises stress values with axial force of the implant nonsplinted prosthesis were observed to be 4.51 MPa for cortical bone, 0.91 MPa for cancellous bone, 13.18 MPa for implant body. The maximum von Mises stress values with buccolingual force of the implant nonsplinted prosthesis were observed to be 9.52 MPa for cortical bone, 1.91 MPa for cancellous bone, 35.04 MPa for implant body. Conclusion The maximum stresses were transferred more to the implant body than to the bone in both the splinted and nonsplinted implant prostheses. The maximum von Mises stresses were observed on nonsplinted implant prostheses, so splinting implant prostheses led to lower stress in the implant body and surrounding bone.

Cholesterol deposition is a common phenomenon to be seen associated to an inflammatory response and is usually evident in paranasal sinus, middle ear, and in some cases of mastoid process. Such depositions lead to cleft formations within the tissue, histopathologically seen as cholesterol cleft. Formation of cholesterol clefts is an usual phenomenon in the jaw related to inflammatory cysts such as radicular cyst but this is rarely seen in other odontogenic cysts, in particular the dentigerous cyst, odontogenic keratocyst. So, here we present a rare case of cholesterol clefts in the wall of a dentigerous cyst.

Aim and Objective The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of three different types of pattern materials on the vertical marginal accuracy of complete cast crown. Material and Methods Three groups of 20 specimens each were made based on three pattern materials, that is, blue inlay wax, autopolymerizing acrylic resin, and light cure pattern resin. Castings were made and examined using stereo microscope for vertical marginal discrepancy. Results The result showed that the highest mean gap was noticed in the castings fabricated using inlay type B pattern wax followed by the castings fabricated using autopolymerizing resin and the least mean gap was observed in the castings fabricated using light cure modeling material. Conclusion It was concluded from this study that the use of light cure modeling material to make patterns for casting with lost wax technique is best recommended than inlay type B pattern and autopolymerizing resin.

Introduction Maintaining the function of primary teeth until their natural exfoliation is important. Pulp therapy can save the tooth and is always a calculated risk. This study aims to enquire about the current knowledge, attitude, and practice of various pulp therapy options and awareness about it among pediatric dentists of Karnataka. Method A questionnaire, consisting 21 questions formulated on various pulp therapy techniques, was formulated and forwarded to pediatric dentists through electronic media. Statistical analysis was performed using appropriate software. Results The results showed 81.2% of participants preferred calcium hydroxide for an indirect pulp-capping base, while only 37.6% preferred calcium hydroxide for direct pulp capping. For pulpectomy, 70.4% preferred iodoform for obturating material. And the most preferred material for apexification and apexogenesis was Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA), that is, 61.4 and 52.3%, respectively. Conclusion The introduction of newer materials for pulp therapy has increased the quality of treatment. Many differences of opinion still exist in the areas of pulp therapy techniques and procedure selection criteria.

The aim of this article is to present the clinical application of implant placement in the aesthetic zone using bone graft and leukocyte-platelet-rich fibrin to obtain desirable results. A 27-year-old male patient reported with a chief complaint of missing tooth in the anterior region due to trauma and wants to replace it with a fixed prosthesis. The patient had been undergoing orthodontic treatment for the last 3 years. After proper treatment planning, endo-osseous implant followed by alloplastic bone graft was placed and platelet-rich fibrin membrane was placed on the labial bony surface as the labial plate was thin. After 6 months, the prosthetic procedure was done.

The prosthodontic management of a patient with long-term edentulism is challenging. Conventional dentures have been the traditional standard of care for the longest time. However, most patients experience difficulty in adapting to their mandibular dentures due to lack of stability and retention. From the past two decades, implant-supported overdentures have been offering numerous advantages over the traditional complete dentures and removable partial dentures with predictably good clinical results. These advantages include increased oral function, decreased bone resorption, decreased prosthesis movement, better aesthetics, and maintenance of occlusal vertical dimension. This article presents a case report of fabrication of two-implant overdenture in mandibular knife edge ridge in the anterior mandible opposing conventional maxillary complete denture.

Introduction Oral cancer accounts for 3% of all malignancies diagnosed worldwide annually. Midkine (MK) plays a role in oncogenesis and tumor progression, including cell migration, mitogenesis, antiapoptosis, and angiogenesis. Aim and Objective To study and compare MK expression in various grades of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methodology This is a cross-sectional study where 60 archival specimens of OSCC, OED, and control were taken for immunohistochemical examination. Antibody MK (A-9) SC-46701 mouse monoclonal (200µg/mL, Santacruze Biotechnology) was used for immunohistochemical staining. The stained sections were observed under the objective (100 ×) of research microscope (DM 1000 LED) with computer-assisted image analyzer (Leica Application Suit V-4.1). Quantitative analysis was done to count MK reactive cells in all groups. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal–Wallis H test with posthoc Bonferroni's test for multiple group comparisons, and p-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results MK expression was observed in OSCC and OED and was absent in control. The distribution of average percentage positivity was significantly higher in OED compared with OSCC and control. Statistically significant correlation was found between the size of the tumor and increased MK expression. Conclusion MK protein is overexpressed in OED and OSCC, and can be used as biological marker for early detection.