Journal of Dental Sciences

1-6

Authors: Sujal C Shah

The concept of probiotics i.e. health beneficial microorganisms dates back as early as in the 20thcentury. It has become an area of interest to researchers in recent times. There has been a paradigm shift of treatment from specific bacterial elimination to altering bacterial ecology by probiotics. With the increase in the incidence of resistance to antibiotics, probiotics may be a promising area of research in periodontal therapy. There exists enough evidence to support the role of probiotics in dental caries but less evidence exists for their role in periodontal disease. Probiotics provide an effective and economic means to combat periodontal disease. Thus, a mere change in diet by including probiotic foods may halt, retard, or even significantly delay the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases, promoting a healthy lifestyle to fight periodontal infections. Many questions have been raised pertaining to the benefits of probiotic administration, as their role in periodontics is still in infancy. A complete understanding of the broad ecologic changes they induce in the mouth is essential to assess their longterm consequences for oral health and disease. This paper reviews the evidences for the use of probiotics and prebiotics for maintenance of oral health and for the prevention of periodontal disease

1-3

Authors: Mythri H

Visually impaired patients present a unique population that challenges the dentists’ skill and knowledge.Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the oral health status of visually impaired children.A cross-sectional survey was conducted among visual impaired students of Siddaganga institution, Tumkur. The students underwent oral examination and interviewed regarding their oral health behaviour. The prevalence of dental caries in the visual impaired students was high (68.9%). About 78% of the children reported with anterior tooth (11/21) fracture. It is crucial to improve oral health status of the visual impaired students. Oral health promotion program should be provided to promotegood oral health and prevent oral diseases including the supportive environment conductive to good oral health behaviour continuously