Research
1. Cardiovascular disease risk screening in Dental setting - In collaboration with University of
Medicine and dentistry of New Jersey.
2. Complete Blood profile, Oro facial pain complaints, Nutritional profile in precancerous lesions,precancerous conditions and Oral cancer
3. Oro facial Neuropathy, Neurosensory changes in diabetics
4. Neurosensory changes in Mandibular fractures
5. Efficacy of mouthwash in mucosites
6. Attenuation of primary beam by lead foil in IOPA film
7. Review of diagnosis and management of 200 cases of non odontogenic orofacial pain
Explanation
1. Cardiovascular disease imposes significant toll on morbidity and mortality and on healthcare expenditure. It is the leading cause of mortality in different countries across the world. An important outcome of this project is quantifying the prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in a population without history of cardiovascular disease who present for routine dental care at institution based dental clinic. Data from this study will provide valuable information to assess potential impact of integrating oral health care providers in early detection of cardiovascular disease risk factors as a means of reducing disease among patients.
2. Worldwide, cancer is one of the most prevalent disease affecting mankind and it is documented to be one of ten most important causes of morbidity and morbidity. pre malignant lesion is defined by WHO, as morphologically altered tissue in which cancer is more likely to occur e.g. oral leukoplakia , oral erythoplakia . A premalignant condition is generalized state of body associated with increased risk for cancer e.g. Oral submucous fibrosis.
Co relation between severity of orofacial pain complaints habit, dietary & CBC profile may provide new insights to the existing theories on etiology and pathogenesis of precancerous lesions, conditions & oral cancer. It may also guide & suggest specific therapies / assist is assessment of patient outcome.
3. An estimated 200 million people have diabetes mellitus & number is expected to double / triple within next 10 years. Most dental practices have significant number of diabetic patients in their population. The documentation of neurosensory changes in diabetes, identification of risk factors associated with orofacial neuropathies, objective and measurable factors predictive of persistent neurosensory defects may help in optimization of therepeutic approaches to restore neurosensory function. Recognition of the causes can help identify the specific etiology responsible for the pain, guide the need for additional evaluation, suggest specific therapies / assist in assessment of patients outcome.
4. It is estimated that 30% of facialfractures are isolated Mandibular fractures. Estimates of permanent inferior alveolar nerve neurosensory defects after mandibular fractures range from 0.9% to 66.7%. The documentation of natural history of Mandibular fractures, identification of risk factors associated with nerve recovery, objective, measurable factors predictive of persistant neurosensory defects may help in optimization of therepeutic approaches to restore neurosensory function.
5. Head & Neck squamous cell carcinoma is the one of the most prevalent neoplasm in the world with approximately 9,00,000 cases diagnosed worldwide.Treatment of oral cancer includes surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or combination of above. Oral mucositis is a painful and debilitating condition that is dose and rate limiting toxicity of cancer therapy. Oral mucositis affects upto 80% of patients receiving radiation for head and neck cancer. The sequelae of mucositis includes severe pain, increased risk for local and systemic infection, compromised oral & pharyngeal function, oral bleeding that affect quality of life & leads to hospitalizations & increased cost of care. Prevention and reduction in severity of mucositis may improve patient compliance with therapy, improve life expectancy and reduce health care costs to society.
6. A wide variety of conditions and circumstances, some that are controllable & others that are not, result in radiation exposure from a multitude of sources. Dental X-ray are responsible for 2.5% of annual exposure resulting from X-ray diagnosis & 0.3% of total are annual exposure. A significant amount of radiation escapes rear of an image receptor in conventional dental radiography produces despite placement of lead – containing backing at the rear of the film pack. The lead content of IOPA film ranges from 69-85%. A previous study concluded 4 lead layers reduces primary beam to less than 1/3 reduction of dose to tissues behind film causes reduction to critical organ such as thyroid & salivary gland.
7. Pain is an unpleasant sensory & emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. 60-70% of orofacial pain complaints occur due to odontogenic causes, 30-40% cases occur due to non odontogenic causes. The current study aims at reviewing demographic data, diagnosis & treatment efficacy in 200 cases of non odontogenic pain.
