Like dental caries, epidemiological assessment of periodontal disease is important for purposes of recognizing the extent of the disease in the population as well as a basis for planning and evaluating preventive and treatment programmes. while present day measurement methods for dental caries are excellent such is not true for periodontal diseases. This paper reviews the development and usefulness of different indices for the assessment of periodontal disease and treatment needs in epidemiological investigations.
Mucoepidermoid tumours of the minor salivary glands of the tongue are rarely encountered. A case of a high-grade malignant type is reported here. Merits of subdivision of the mucoepidermoid tumour on the basis of its malignant potential are outlined, and variations of histological presentation of the present tumour at its primary and nodal sites are discussed.
Mucosal sensitivity to chlorhexidine mouthwash is a rare occurrence and very few cases have been reported in the literature. The authors report 2 cases of oral sensitivity to chlorhexidine and discuss the side-effects, possible causes of sensitivity and the management of the cases.
This is a retrospective study of 80 patients with major central and lateral middle third fractures of facial skeleton treated at University Hospital from 1981 to 1985. The most common was the fractures of zygomatic complex. The peak incidence was in the 20-29 year age group and males were involved more than females (ratio 9: 1). Road traffic accidents were to be blamed for most of the fractures which was 82.25%.
The sugar content of twenty-four liquid medicines commonly prescribed for infants and young children were measured and the type of sugars present were also identified in four randomly selected samples. All the liquid medicines tested contained sugar, in the range of 29.4% to 61.2%. Sucrose appeared to be the most commonly used sugar. Whilst it is agreed that sucrose makes the medicine more acceptable to children, its continual use by the pharmaceutical industry should be discontinued due to its harmful effect on the dental health of children, particularly those taking these syrup-based medicines on prolonged basis. Sugar-free alternatives such as sorbitol or saccharin should be used instead.
A sporadic case of Crouzon Syndrome without mental retardation is described. The patient, an 11 year old boy with grossly carious teeth and in severe pain was referred for dental treatment. A review of literature on Crouzon Syndrome is presented.
Delayed replantation of an avulsed tooth with an open apex resulted in failure of revascularization, necrosis of the pulp and extensive external root resorption. Removal of the necrotic pulp and repeated intra-canal dressings of calcium hydroxide over a three year period arrested the inflammatory resorptive process. The process was replaced by replacement resorption leading to ankylosis and infra-occlusion of the affected tooth. As the tooth was asymptomatic, it was retained in the arch to act as a space maintainer. To improve aesthetics, the crown was recontoured using a light-cured resin.
A case of an incomplete tooth fracture followed by a complete fracture was presented. The difficulty of diagnosing this condition was discussed as well as the possible histological explanation of the symptoms experienced by the patient. It once again points out to practising dentists, that whilst deep pockets can give rise to severe periodontal pain, intense and excruciating pain should be investigated with the cracked tooth in mind.
Early-onset periodontitis in children, teenagers and young adults is quite rare. This form of periodontitis progresses very rapidly and cause massive destruction to the periodontium. Various names have been given to this condition since it was first recognised in the 1920s. Through time the nomenclature changed from one to the other. Currently 3 forms of early-onset periodontitis are recognised--i.e. prepubertal periodontitis (PPP), localised juvenile periodontitis (LJP) and rapidly progressive periodontitis (RPP). The clinical features of juvenile periodontitis as it was first described together with that of the present 3 clinical entities mentioned above are presented. Concepts on the aetiology of the disease have also changed through time, and include degenerative process, bacterial infection, defects in the host defense system and heredity. Current thought is that there is an interplay of most of these factors in pathogenesis of the disease. Treatment modalities changed too. At the moment, comprehensive periodontal therapy with meticulous oral hygiene measures seem to be the treatment of choice. Concurrently, systemic tetracycline administration might have some added benefits.