Oral cancer is one of the usual causes of mortality all over the world, with a five-year survival rate of only 50%. Oral cancers are treated primarily by surgery with / without adjuvant radiotherapy and / or chemotherapy. However, there is significant post-treatment morbidity and mortality secondary to recurrences. Dietary supplements like fruits and vegetables are rich in phytochemicals and provide a variety of antioxidants like vitamin A, C, E. Spirulina, Selenium, Green tea (EGCG), Neem, Tomatoes (lycopene), Turmeric (curcumin), and some medicinal mushrooms are also used as chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents. This overview emphasizes on natural therapies to fight against oral cancer. Thus, there are several natural compounds that can enhance the prevention of oral cancer.

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The changing perspectives in dentistry aim at retaining functionally active teeth with an adequate amount of healthy supporting tissues. One such treatment opportunity available is for the management of teeth with furcation involvement, which in earlier times was attributed with a guarded prognosis. Treatment of teeth with these lesions is an uphill task for the clinician and maintenance after treatment also poses a problem to the patient due to anatomical variations, which favor the growth of micro-organisms. Teeth with furcation involvement can be maintained in a state of function for a longer period of time if appropriately treated, and if the patient is motivated adequately. Bicuspidization is a procedure, which in a properly selected case can facilitate retention of the tooth in a functional state.

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Ghost cells are pale anucleate cells with homogeneous pale eosinophilic cytoplasm with very pale to clear central areas in place of a basophilic nucleus; which are seen in small clusters or large masses. Few odontogenic and nonodontogenic tumors exhibit the presence of these transparent or shadow cells as a typical feature. Many attempts have been made in the past by several investigators regarding the true characteristics of ghost cells in these lesions, in spite of which they seem to be mysterious. Here, we have made an attempt to clear the illusions and controversies surrounding ghost cells.

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Background: Class ll sandwich restorations are routinely performed where conventional Glass ionomer cement (GIC) or Resin-modified GIC (RMGIC) is used as a base or dentin substitute and a light curing composite resin restorative material is used as an enamel substitute. Various authors have evaluated the microleakage of composite resin restorations where glass ionomer cement has been used as a base in class II sandwich restorations, but a literature survey reveals limited studies on the microleakage analysis of similar restorations with biodentine as a dentin substitute, as an alternative to glass ionomer cement. The aim of this study is:

1. To evaluate the marginal sealing efficacy of a new calcium-silicate-based material (Biodentine) as a dentin substitute, at the cervical margins, in posterior class II sandwich restorations.
2. To compare and evaluate the microleakage at the biodentine/composite interface with the microleakage at the resin-modified GIC/composite interface, in posterior class II open sandwich restorations.
3. To compare the efficacy between a water-based etch and rinse adhesive (Scotch bond multipurpose) and an acetone-based etch and rinse adhesive (Prime and bond NT), when bonding biodentine to the composite.
4. To evaluate the enamel, dentin, and interfacial microleakage at the composite and biodentine/RMGIC interfaces.

Materials and Methods: Fifty class II cavities were prepared on the mesial and distal surfaces of 25 extracted human maxillary third molars, which were randomly divided into five groups of ten cavities each: (G1) Biodentine group, (G2) Fuji II LC GIC group, (G3) Biodentine as a base + prime and bond NT + Tetric N-Ceram composite, (G4) Biodentine + scotchbond multi-purpose + Tetric N-Ceram composite, (G5) Fuji II LC as a base + prime and bond NT+ Tetric-N Ceram composite. The samples were then subjected to thermocycling, 2500× (5°C to 55°C), followed by the dye penetration test. Scores are given from 0 to 3 based on the depth of penetration of the dye at the cervical, dentin, and interfacial surfaces. The data was analyzed with the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis and Mann Whitney U test. Results: No statistically significant differences were found between the five groups in the enamel, dentin, and interfacial regions. Conclusion: Within the limits of this in vitro study, biodentine is a new calcium-silicate-based material, which can be used as a dentin substitute in class II open-sandwich restorations, where its scores better than resin-modified GIC.

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Apexification using calcium hydroxide has many disadvantages, such as, it needs more time for the treatment, chance for fracture of the tooth, and incomplete calcification of the bridge. There are many alternative treatments introduced, which have gained popularity, such as, forming an apical plug using mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), for excellent results. In cases of wide open apices, it is difficult to limit the restoration to the working length, as such situations lead to the apical extrusion of the material into the periapical region, which prevents further healing. Such conditions can be best treated with the use of a resorbable collagen membrane, which limits the restoration till the working length and prevents the extrusion of the material beyond the apex. The present case reports highlight the non-surgical management of immature teeth by using a membrane as a barrier, with an MTA apical plug, followed by crown rehabilitation.

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Van der Woude syndrome is a rare developmental disorder characterized by a combination of congenital lower lip pits, cleft palate alone or with cleft lip in some cases, and hypodontia. It occurs in approximately 2% of the population with facial clefts. Its prevalence varies from one in 100,000 to 200,000 births. This case report details a unique case of Vander Woude syndrome in a seven-year-old girl and her mother, with median lip pits, cleft lip and cleft palate, missing lateral incisors, and retained deciduous teeth, along with transposition of teeth.

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Background: Disease transmission and barrier techniques are the key concerns during ultrasonic instrumentation as this procedure has the hazard of aerosol production which has a multitude of deleterious effects on the body. The aerosol produced can affect both the patient and the clinician. The aim of this study was to assess the importance of pre-procedural rinsing before scaling by ultrasonic instrumentation and to compare the efficacy of commercially available herbal mouth rinse and a Chlorhexidine gluconate mouth rinse with a control group. The study was conducted from 1 ^st February to 15 ^th April 2012 in a tertiary referral care hospital. The study was approved by the institutional ethical committee. This was a randomized single blinded interventional study, where in 36 patients equally divided into three groups participated. Material and Methods: Thirty six patients were recruited in this study aged between 18-35 years. All patients had plaque index scores between1.5-3.0, and were categorized into three groups. Patients with systemic diseases and on antibiotic therapy were excluded. Group A or control group underwent scaling with water as pre-procedural rinse, Group B used 20 ml of 0.2% Chlorhexidine and group C were administered 18 ml of a herbal pre-procedural rinse. Aerosol splatter produced during the procedure were collected on blood agar plates and sent for microbiologic analysis for the assessment of bacterial Colony Forming Units (CFUs). The mean CFUs and standard deviation (SD) for each group were measured. Post hoc test was used to compare the differences between three groups, Control (A) Chlorhexidine (B) and Herbal (C). Results: The mean Colony Forming Units (CFUs) for control group was 114.50, Chlorhexidine group was 56.75 and herbal rinse group was 47.38. Conclusion: Pre-procedural rinsing was found to be effective in reducing aerosol contamination during ultrasonic scaling though no statistically significant difference was found between the two test groups Chlorhexidine and Herbal mouth rinse.

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Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a multifactorial protein involved in immunity and inflammation, which is rapidly produced and released by several cell types in response to inflammatory signals. It may be suggested that PTX3 is related to periodontal tissue inflammation. Its salivary concentrations may have a diagnostic potential. Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is an ancient family of multifactorial proteins involved in immunity and inflammation. They are rapidly produced and released by various types of cells when there are indications of inflammation. PTX3 is related to inflammation in the periodontal tissue and it can be suggested that salivary concentrations may be used for diagnosing the same.

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