The primary goal of this study was to assess the prevalence of oral involvement and, secondarily, the likely variables in patients with confirmed COVID-19 accompanied by mucormycosis infection. The study design was a cross-sectional descriptive sort that was performed at a tertiary centre. The non-probability convenience sampling approach was used to determine the sample size. Between May 2021 and July 2021, all patients who presented to our tertiary care centre with suspected mucormycosis were considered for the investigation. The research only included individuals with proven mucormycosis after COVID-19. The features of the patients, the frequency of intraoral signs/symptoms, and the possible variables were all noted. Of the 333 COVID-19-infected patients, 47 (14%) were diagnosed with confirmed mucormycosis. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 59.7 (11.9) years. Of the 47 patients with confirmed mucormycosis, 34% showed sudden tooth mobility, 34% expressed toothache, 8.5% reported palatal eschar, 34% presented with jaw pain, 8.5% had tongue discoloration, and 17% had temporomandibular pain. About 53% of the patients were known cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus, 89% of patients had a history of hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection, 89.3% underwent oxygen support therapy, and 89.3% were administered intravenous steroids during hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection. About 14% of the suspected cases attending the mucormycosis out-patient department (OPD) had been confirmed with definite mucormycosis. Oral involvement was seen in 45% of cases of CAM (COVID-associated mucormycosis). The most frequent oral symptoms presented in CAM were sudden tooth mobility and toothache. Diabetes and steroids were the likely contributing factors associated with CAM.

AI-based chatbots significantly improved oral health awareness among rural populations compared to traditional printed materials. The intervention group痴 knowledge scores increased from 8.5 to 16.7 (p < 0.001), while the control group showed a modest rise from 8.3 to 10.5. Inter-group analysis confirmed a significant knowledge gain (p < 0.001). Participants reported high satisfaction with the chatbot's personalized and user-friendly interface. Thus, AI chatbots offer a promising solution for scalable, accessible oral health education in underserved communities.

BACKGROUND: Rubrics are assessment tools customarily designed to judge a student’s skills in diagnosis, clinical assessment, presentations. as well as academic performance. The aim of the present study was to assess the reliability of rubrics in clinical oral presentations by students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective control study that enrolled 300 undergraduate students, students in their internships, and post-graduate students in various clinical streams. Ethical committee approval was obtained before finalizing the study from appropriate regulatory and institutional bodies. A pre-validated questionnaire was designed and distributed to all the participating students. All students were assessed using the traditional examination method as well as by rubric assessment. The responses obtained were compared and statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and the Chi-square statistical tool. RESULTS: Rubric assessment was found to have high statistical significance (P < 0.0001) when compared with the traditional method of examination. CONCLUSION: In the present study, rubrics were found to serve as an effective method for judging student skills following a clinical oral presentation. However, due to contradictory scientific evidence, there is a requirement for a large sample size to be included for rubric or traditional assessment method studies.

Introduction: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a profound impact on normal dental education. The purpose of this study is to look at the influence of COVID-19 quarantine on dental graduates' readiness, as well as to look into the usefulness and limits of online education from the perspective of students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1000 dental students of 18 dental colleges in Kerala from July 2021 to September 2021 using a self-reported closed-ended questionnaire and the information was coded, entered, and analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 version. Results: A total of 88% of those who took the survey responded. Until the pandemic is over, a large majority of students (74.7%) prefer online lectures over classroom lectures. Only 46.1% of those who received online education felt confident enough to confront a patient. Conclusion: Data showed that students partially appreciated the online system. According to the statistics, students did not believe that it could completely replace face-to-face clinical practice.

Background: There is a high incidence of oral cancer and oral potential malignant disorder observed in southeast Asian countries such as India. Our study aimed to assess the correlation between screening and histopathological diagnosis and to predict the specificity and sensitivity of chair-side/field-based assessment of the oral lesion.Materials and methods: A total of 40,852 subjects aged between 20 and 60 years were screened in the 1st phase of the study, suspected lesions were stained with toluidine blue (Manufactured by Otto Chemicals private limited, India) at two time points, those who stained positively during the two points were taken up for biopsy. Provisional diagnosis was later correlated with histopathological diagnosis.Results: Subjects who underwent biopsy had a mean age of (49.01 ± 9.8 years), Leukoplakia (1.5%) was the most common lesion observed among tobacco users, interestingly it had the least correlation (39.6%) in diagnosis, Overall sensitivity (88%) and a positive predictive value (80%) was high for clinical diagnosis of OPMD in our study.Conclusion: Correlation of clinical and histopathological diagnosis observed in our study confirms higher yield of true positives while screening in remote and vulnerable populations, which would assure a better quality of life for these subjects.

Introduction: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin of importance necessary for calcium homeostasis, healthy bones, and prevention of fractures. It has also been linked to many metabolic, infectious and autoimmune diseases. Vitamin D levels are also being studied with respect to oral health issues such as dental caries, and periodontitis. Vitamin D deficiencies have been found to be relatively common among Covid-19 patients and who received supplements experienced less severe symptoms. The credible proposals for vitamin D supplementation to avoid infection and mortality due to Covid-19 validate the chance of raising public awareness on significance of its health benefits. Thus, we carried out this research to study the influence of Covid-19 on Saudi Arabian population's awareness of vitamin D with a dental public health perspective. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study of the Saudi Arabian general population was undertaken with 240 subjects, including men and women chosen at random varying a range of age groups from 18 to 74 years after consent and institutional approval. Sample size was computed using G-power software. Pretested, validated questionnaire, translated to Arabic was disseminated through e-mails and all prominent social medias. Statistical analysis was done using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 26.0. Bivariate analysis was performed using chi-square test at 5% significance level. Results: Out of 240 people participated; 57% were men, and 43% were women. Majority were between the ages of 18 and 30 years. 65% of the participants were aware that vitamin D is important for bone health, supports oral health, reducing tooth decay, and lowering the risk of heart disease. Half of the study population believe that the sunlight is the prime source of vitamin D and 80% assumed that the ideal time of sunshine exposure is in the morning. 88.3% of them projected the need to increase their knowledge about vitamin D. Conclusion: There was a lack of awareness and knowledge about vitamin D and its significance for the body and teeth, as well as its relationship to Covid-19. The pandemic had no significant impact on society's awareness about vitamin D. This study emphasises the importance of raising awareness among the public about vitamin D and ways to prevent its deficiencies. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.23 (Special Issue) 2024 p.S66-S72