Background. Many plants or herbs exhibit potent antimicrobial activity against various microorganisms. They have no side effects and presumably act against and modulate the factors that are crucial for microbial survival or their activity.Streptococcus mutansis a pioneer bacteria implicated in dental caries. This study aims to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of garlic bulbs, pudina leaves, and mango and eucalyptus twig extracts onStreptococcus mutansby evaluating their zone of inhibition and determining their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).Methods. Microbiological assay (well diffusion method) to determine zone of inhibition against pure forms ofStreptococcus mutanswas performed. The antibacterial effects of methanolic extracts of mango twigs, eucalyptus twigs, pudina leaves, and garlic bulbs were studied. Test compounds were further evaluated for their MIC.Results. Extracts derived from mango and eucalyptus twigs showed significant antibacterial effects at test concentrations. Pudina and garlic extracts did not show any significant antibacterial effects at similar concentrations. Upon further evaluation of the 2 positive compounds for their MIC, mango twigs demonstrated more antimicrobial potential than eucalyptus twigs at a lower concentration.Conclusion. Our observations indicated that the mango twig extracts possess higher antibacterial effects againstStreptococcus mutansthan other compounds at specific test concentration.

Primary intraosseous mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the jawbones is an extremely rare malignant salivary gland tumour constituting 2- 4.3% of all the reported mucoepidermoid carcinomas. We report a case of intraosseous mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the mandible in an 80-year old female patient developing from a previously diagnosed dentigerous cyst. An excisional biopsy was performed and the histopathological features confirmed low grade-cystic intraosseous mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The origin of central mucoepidermoid carcinoma could be suggested to be from the epithelial lining of previously diagnosed dentigerous cyst. Thus, emphasizing the need for careful examination of the entire excision specimen to rule out such neoplastic transformation of epithelial lining of odontogenic cyst and provide appropriate and effective treatment.

The study of gross specimens is an integral part in learning oral pathology. Unfortunately their storage and handling using traditional formalin is discouragingly difficult. This review describes an alternative approach called “plastination” to study and teach gross specimens using silicone polymers. The process is simple, inexpensive, and can be carried out in any histology laboratory to produce dry, odorless, durable, life-like, maintenance-free, and nonhazardous specimens. Unfortunately the process of plastination for oral specimens has received little attention since its invention. Therefore, an innovative attempt on oral specimens using locally available resin was tried by us. The specimens remained well preserved in dry state without any color change. We recommend this process for any oral pathology department for maintaining museum and for both undergraduate and postgraduate training.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are extensively used in tissue regenerative procedures. One source of MSCs is the periodontal ligament (PDL) of teeth. Isolation of MSCs from extracted teeth is reasonably simple, being less invasive and presenting fewer ethical concerns than does the harvesting of MSC’s from other sites. The objectives of this study were to isolate and characterize the PDL stem cells (PDLSC) from healthy adults’ extracted teeth and then to characterize them by comparing them with bone-marrow derived MSCs (BMMSC). The PDL tissue was scraped from the roots of freshly extracted teeth to enzymatically digest using collagenase. The cells were sub-cultured. Flow-cytometric analysis for the MSC surface-markers CD105, CD73, CD166, CD90, CD34, CD45 and HLA-DR was performed. To confirm the phenotype, total RNA was extracted to synthesize cDNA and which was then subjected to RT-PCR. The gene-expression for Oct4A, Sox2, NANOG and GAPDH was determined by gel-electrophoresis. To assess their multilineage potential, cells were cultured with osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic medium and then stained by Alizarin-red, Alcian-blue and Oil-Red-O respectively. MSCs from the bone-marrow were processed similarly to serve as controls. The cells isolated from extracted teeth expanded successfully. On flow-cytometric analysis, the cells were positive for CD73, CD90, CD105, CD166 and negative for CD34, CD45 and HLA-DR. The PDLSCs expressed Oct4A, Sox2, and NANOG mRNA with GAPDH expression. Cells cultured in the osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic media stained positive for Alizarin-red, Alcian-blue and Oil- Red-O respectively. The surface marker expression and the trilineage differentiation characteristics were comparable to those of the BMMSCs. The periodontal ligament tissue of extracted teeth is a potential source of therapeutically useful MSCs. Harvesting them is not invasive and are a promising source of MSC as the PDLSCs showed characteristics similar to those of the highly regarded MSC’s derived from bone-marrow.

Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research aims to publish findings of doctors at grass root level and post graduate students, so that all unique medical experiences are recorded in literature.

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