Bite force measurements are excellent criteria for assessment of masticatory efficiency. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of mandibular fractures on the bite forces of patients treated for such fractures. Patients who were surgically treated for isolated mandibular fractures in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from January 2006 to December 2007 were included in the study. Patients were asked to bite on a bite force transducer on the first, fourth, sixth, and ninth postoperative weeks. The bite force values were compared with those of age, sex, and weight-matched controls. A total of 60 patients were included in the study. It was found that maximum bite forces in patients were significantly less than in controls for several weeks after surgery. After the ninth postoperative week, the maximum bite force measured < 65% the normal in patients with isolated angle fractures and > 80% the normal in patients with isolated parasymphysis fractures. The same values reduced to < 60% in patients with fractures of angle and parasymphysis and < 70% in patients with fractures of parasymphysis and condylar complex. An inverse relationship was found between the bite force values and the number of fractures of the mandible. We also found lower bite forces and longer period for normalization in patients who had fractures in those regions of the mandible which are more significantly associated with the masticatory apparatus for example angle or condyle of the mandible.

A national survey of cleft teams was undertaken to evaluate the current standard of care for patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) in India as a part of Cleft Care India study.This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study.Cleft teams across India attending the 19th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Cleft Lip and Palate were invited to complete the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 18 questions that included demographics, institutional details, patient protocols, surgical technique, rehabilitation facilities, and accessibility. The data are descriptively reported.A total of 112 centers completed the survey. Nongovernment organizations funded 87% of the cleft centers and 8% did not receive any funding. Only 39% of the centers had centralized cleft services providing multidisciplinary care. Speech therapy was provided either onsite or through referral at 90% of the centers, whereas audiology was provided only at 4% of centers. Feeding advice was routinely provided in 52% of centers. Millard technique was the most preferred technique for unilateral cleft lip repair (66%). The 2-flap technique (37%) and pharyngeal flap (48%) were the most common surgeries for cleft palate and pharyngoplasty, respectively. Although 54% of centers reported their patients to be interested in comprehensive care, 43% reported that their patients only wanted surgical correction.There is wide diversity in access to cleft care and clinical practices across centers in India. Further work is needed to evaluate the quality of care by assessing outcomes of centers treating patients with CLP.

Cleft lip and palate are the most common congenital craniofacial anomaly in humans. The presence of oral synechia along with cleft palate is a rare syndrome. We encountered one case that had a cleft palate accompanied by congenital oral synechia due to a membranous adhesion between the floor of the mouth and the free margin of the cleft palate.

Background: The postoperative period is crucial for the initiation of healing and prevention of complications after any surgical procedure. Due to factors such as poor compliance, comprehension, and retention of instructions, and other unaccounted factors, the objectives of postoperative care are not always achieved. Therefore, an Android-based mobile health app (ExoDont) was developed to ensure a smooth postoperative period for patients after a dental extraction. The ExoDont app delivers reminders for postoperative instructions and drug intake at defined intervals, thus fostering self-reliance among patients in taking their prescribed dose of medication. Objective: The aim of this study is to design, develop, and validate ExoDont, an innovative app for improved adherence to postoperative instructions after tooth extraction. Methods: A postoperative treatment protocol was developed by a team of oral and maxillofacial surgeons and general dentists, following which the clinical and technological requirements of the app were determined along with the software engineers, graphic designers, and applications architect in the team. ExoDont was developed to provide timely reminders for medication and postoperative care. The app was field tested and validated using the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. Results: The ExoDont software design was divided into a 3-level architecture comprising a user interface application, logical layer, and database layer. The software architecture consists of an Android-based ExoDont app for patients and a web version of the admin panel. The testing and validation of the ExoDont app revealed that Perceived Impact received the highest mean score of all rated components (mean 4.6, SD 0.5), while Engagement received the lowest mean score (mean 3.5, SD 0.8). Conclusions: The testing and validation of the app support its usability and functionality, as well as its impact on users. The ExoDont app has been designed, keeping the welfare of patients in view, in a user-friendly manner that will help patients adhere to the prescribed drug regimen and ensure easy and efficient dissemination of postoperative instructions. It could play an instrumental role in fostering compliance among patients and significantly decrease the complication rate following dental extractions.

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools have transformed the field of healthcare. A recently launched large language model, ChatGPT has gained significant traction due to its communicative interface and relevance of the responses generated. This tool could be utilized in dentistry for dental education, and possibly as a clinical decision support system. Hence, it is imperative to evaluate the accuracy of the model in relation to the responses generated for dental-related queries. Methods: This multi-centric study involved 27 subject experts from nine dental specialties of various institutions and 2 heads of institutions. A total of 243 questions were formulated and the answers generated by ChatGPT (version: 3.5) were rated in terms of accuracy (6-point Likert), completeness (4-point Likert), and relevance (5-point Likert). Results: The mean accuracy of the ChatGPT-generated answers was 4.61 (SD 1.575), with a median of 5.33. For completeness, mean score was 2.01 (SD 0.793), and the median was 2.33. Regarding relevance, a mean of 3.13 (SD 1.590) and median of 3.67 were obtained. The highest ratings were observed for answers related to Oral Medicine and Radiology, as well as for open-ended questions, and questions labelled as easy in terms of difficulty. Conclusion: The promising results observed in the study promote the application of ChatGPT for retrieving dental information. However, it is crucial to exercise caution and seek advice from a qualified healthcare for dental health-related queries. Further large-scale testing of the model is necessary before incorporating it into dental clinical practice.