Primary teeth retention is of utmost importance till the occurrence of the physiological exfoliation. One of the most eminent ways of preserving a necrotic primary teeth is by performing the pulpectomy procedure. The biomechanical preparation of the canal has got a crucial role in the pulpectomy procedure. Manual method is considered to be the standard method of biomechanical preparation but still has certain drawbacks which lead to introduction of rotary instrumentation as this method is more viable and less time consuming. However, the application of rotary instrumentation technique in the pediatric dentistry is not extensive due to limited information regarding the usage of the technique in the field of pediatric dentistry. The present review focuses on rotary instrumentation and various rotary systems and their application in the pediatric dentistry.

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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether the vertical magnification coefficient (MC) changes with errors in head positioning in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), which is increasingly used for measurements in implantology. Materials and Methods: CBCT images were obtained in 15 different positions (5° in one or two planes) with the help of a positioner that allowed angular movement in coronal, sagittal, and horizontal planes, using a dry skull, in which three steel spheres were placed in the alveolar bone of each tooth region. An observer measured the vertical dimensions of the spheres in the images twice. Vertical MCs were calculated by dividing the measurements by the real diameter lengths of the spheres. The inter-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to compare the measurements repeated twice. Moreover, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Levene, one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis and least significant difference, Tukey, and Tammhane binary comparison tests were performed in the statistical analysis. Results: A total of 1260 measurement values were used. There was high reliability between the first and second measurement values (ICC = 0.986). The measurements in the images taken in the ideal position were quite close to the physical size. A statistically significant difference was found between the ideal position and the images taken in other positions. The most affected regions by the different positions were the anterior regions for both jaws. Conclusions: Vertical measurements in CBCT images are reliable; however, especially in the anterior regions, such measurements can vary significantly with errors in positioning of patients' heads.

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Forensic dentistry is an emerging field of science and it incorporates a wider scope for growth. It has developed itself as an important science in medical and legal matters and in the identification of the deceased person or an abuse victim. Forensic identification often requires an interdisciplinary approach. A pedodontist can help a forensic odontologist by applying their skills for recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect, age assessment, bitemark analysis, and labeling of appliances that could provide vital clues for person identification. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has prepared a guideline for record keeping that may provide pedodontist the information to accurately compile the records that will help the investigators. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of evolving trends in conventional methods and newer techniques and to discuss the role of pedodontist and how it can contribute to procedures needed for investigation in forensic odontology.

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Background: Root caries and teeth sensitivity are the two most common clinical conditions resulting from poor oral hygiene and incorrect use of dental cleaning aids and methodology. Aim: This study is to evaluate the safe nonabrasive use of charcoal as dentifrice along with its adsorptive properties on salivary bacteria, yeast, and polysaccharides in biofilm matrix. Materials and Methods: The Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness was used to evaluate abrasiveness of charcoal by investigating the scratches it produces on rubbing steel, copper, and nickel plates. The adsorptive ability of charcoal to bind bacteria was measured using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Efficiency to bind polysaccharides by charcoal was performed by the spectrophotometric analysis. Results: The Mohs hardness test showed that charcoal caused less scratches on nickel plates. As nickel plates have a lower hardness index than enamel, this indicates that charcoal might not be significantly abrasive to enamel. Some toothpaste caused scratches on the nickel plates. The benefits of adsorptive nature of charcoal in normal oral hygiene procedure exceed possible side effects by far. Activated charcoal can be used as a safe dentifrice if used in nanometer sized powder form causing minimum abrasion and it can still disturb biofilm formation by adsorbing microbes, biomolecules, acids, and therefore, offer protection to enamel and helps in the prevention of caries. Conclusion: Using finely powdered charcoal with “Gum and teeth rubbing with Index Finger, followed by Tongue cleaning” (GIFT) method is nonabrasive and so safe like other commercial toothbrushes and toothpastes. Further studies investigating the safe use of charcoal are recommended.

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Context: To improve the success of higher education, various innovative teaching–learning tools are being incorporated by the instructors while planning their classes. This study was carried out to evaluate the impact of anonymous pop-quizzes (APQs) on undergraduate dental students' performance. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, comparative study was carried out on 20 third-year and 24 final-year dental students. Two different technologies were used to find out the impact of each teaching–learning tool on learning on the same topic “Use of Fluorides in Dentistry” among third-year and final-year BDS students. The first tool was conventional lectures and the second tool used was APQ. One week later, the responses of both the final-year and third-year students were obtained on a ten-question quiz to evaluate the difference in understanding and retention of knowledge of the topic. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 software. Descriptive statistics were carried out and an unpaired t-test was applied. Results: Average test scores of final-year and third-year students were 41.00 ± 3.81and 34.00 ± 3.83, respectively, which showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.00). Final-year students' feedbacks indicated that the use of APQs improved the knowledge and understanding of the topics and clarified the doubts. Conclusions: The use of APQs led to reinforced learning among BDS final-year students.

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Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of direct and indirect composite resin restorations placed in posterior teeth after 2 years. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 teeth were restored with a direct composite resin (BRILLIANT EverGlow^TM– Coltene) and an indirect composite resin (Ceramage^TM– Shofu). All restorations were assessed using the Modified United States Public Health Service criteria at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months after placement. Statistical analysis was performed with Chi-Square test and Cochran's Q test. Results: At the 2-year evaluation, all restorations were retained, with Alpha ratings at 100%. Only two teeth (in the direct restoration group) required endodontic intervention after 18 months due to secondary caries. Surface texture, marginal discoloration, and marginal integrity were predominantly scored as Alpha after 2 years for both groups. Color match was scored as Alpha in 65.4% of direct restorations and 84.4% of indirect restorations. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study it can be concluded that the clinical performance of the indirect restorations was much improved than that of direct restorations.

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Background: The extensive blowout of COVID-19 globally increases the probability that dental health care professionals will treat this subset of the patient population. If this virus follows the same pattern of other coronavirus infections it is anticipated to indisputably persists as a less virulent infection in our population with milder symptom. Hence, dental students are urged to have thorough knowledge, and keep themselves updated with the practice guidelines regarding this disease. Aims and Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge, awareness, and their influence on the attitude concerning the emergent pandemic COVID-19 among postgraduates (PGs), interns, and undergraduate (UG) dental students. Materials and Methods: A 21 closed-ended questionnaire was framed with three sections which included knowledge, awareness, and attitude which was face and content validated and circulated in Google form among study participants via various social media forums. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 20.0. Results: A total of 316 responses were obtained in which 11 unfilled or partially filled responses were excluded and 305 responses were included for analysis. PGs had more knowledge, awareness, and attitude than interns, followed by UGs. Conclusion: This survey not only recorded the knowledge, awareness, and attitude among the future dental professionals but also acts an indicator of the need for amendments to combat the lacunae especially in the learning dentist population to intensify upcoming dental practice in the post pandemic era.

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Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is an oral potentially malignant disorder characterized by fibroelastic changes in the juxta-epithelial layer leading to trismus. Areca nut and its metabolites contribute to the etiopathogenesis. We report a case of a 53-year-old male patient with burning sensation and reduced mouth opening. Clinical findings and histopathologic findings were consistent with the diagnosis of OSF – intermediate stage. The patient was conservatively managed with lycopene 4 mg twice daily for 3 months and also advised oral physiotherapy. The patient was educated on the effects of areca nut and chances of malignant transformation.

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Denture-induced fibrous hyperplasia or epulis fissuratum refers to reactive tissue alteration occurring in response to trauma and chronic irritation due to the badly fitted prosthesis. Pathologic changes observed in the oral mucosa may vary depending on the severity of trauma to the mucosa. Trauma to minor salivary glands caused by the impingement of denture flanges can result in chronic sialadenitis. In this article, we discuss a case of denture-induced fibrous hyperplasia with prominent minor salivary gland changes in a Male patient of age 63 years.

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Introduction: Liquid-based cytology (LBC) is a new monolayer slide preparation method introduced to overcome the limitations of conventional Papanicolaou (PAP) smears which is used in cancer screening. The study was aimed to compare the efficacy of modified technique, centrifuged LBC (CLBC) with that of conventional brush cytology in normal oral mucosa. Materials and Methods: Two smears were obtained from 100 cases of normal mucosa using a cytobrush. One smear was spread on to the slide by conventional technique, and the other smear was prepared by CLBC. Regular PAP staining was done for both the smears. Both the smears were evaluated for cellularity, cell distribution, cellular overlapping, cell elongation, and cellular background and were graded using the grading criteria. Mann–Whitney U-test was used, and P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean score of the criterias was found to be more desirable in CLBC than conventional technique, but there was no statistical significance found. Conclusions: LBC offers a significant advantage over conventional smear preparation in most of the criteria to advocate its use for routine diagnostic and mass screening procedures.

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