Introduction: Medical emergencies can occur at any time in the dental office. Every health care provider should be aware of recognizing and handling medical emergencies in their respective workplace. All should be trained and frequently updated regarding aiding patient in emergency situations. The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge and preparedness of a dental practitioner to manage medical emergencies at their dental office. Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire comprising of 10 questions was designed relating to medical emergencies that may occur in dental office, its prevention, and management and was distributed to the practicing dentists in and around Chennai. Results: A total of 150 dentists participated in this study. Of these, 48 were BDS graduates and 102 were MDS graduates. Almost 134 have their working place in urban areas, 12 of them have working place in rural areas and 4 of them have their working place in both urban and rural areas. This study shows almost 97% of surveyed dentists enquire medical history, including medication and allergy. Only 60% of dentists record vital signs of their patients. The study shows that only 72.6% were trained for management of medical emergencies in dental office and 94.6% of them responded that training to dentist for the management of medical emergencies is important. It is found that only 68% of participants have been reported to be confident in handling medical emergency situation, and about 27% have been faced with medical emergency for the past 12 months. Conclusion: Dentists being members of the healthcare profession, should be prepared to deal with medical emergencies which may arise at their workplace. A better knowledge of medical emergencies is essential for further development and professional care for people with various medical complications. This will ensure the provision of better and safer dental healthcare services for the population.

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Introduction: Radiographs are an essential part of most clinical dental examinations and diagnoses. Radiographs often add critical information to the clinical examination revealing developmental and eruption problem in addition to caries, pulp, and periapical pathology. Radiographic guidelines exist to avoid unnecessary exposure, as well as to identify individuals for whom radiographic examination will be beneficial. It is unknown whether radiation fears are exaggerated or whether parents recognize and accept the associated risks. The aim of this study is to determine the parental knowledge and attitude toward dental radiography in children. Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire is prepared and distributed to 42 parents with children who are to be radiographed in the Chennai population and covering parental level of radiation and sociodemographics was applied which is used to assess attitude toward dental radiographs. Results: Sixty-five percent parents have a positive attitude toward dental radiographs on their children. However, the majority of parents lack knowledge (20%) regarding dental radiography, especially regarding the risks involved. Conclusion: Most parents had a positive attitude toward dental radiographs, although they had limited knowledge about radiography. This study emphasizes the importance of providing accurate and appropriate information, and hence, patients and parents have a better knowledge and understanding of dental radiographs.

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Introduction: In pediatric dentistry, Buckley first introduced the formocresol as a medicament and to treat the nonvital permanent teeth in 1904. In 1930, sweet introduced the formocresol pulpotomy medicament for primary teeth.^[1] The use of formocresol is more controversial than Rotherham medicaments. Other pulpotomy medicaments such as ferric sulfate, glutaraldehyde, calcium hydroxide, MTA, bioactive glass, and morphogenetic protein are used in the treatment of primary pulpotomy.^[2] 19% formaldehyde and 35% tricresol, 15% glycerin, and 31% water base are the composition of formocresal. This study aims to inquire about the use of formocresol for primary as well as permanent tooth pulpotomy and to know the awareness about the diluted formulations of formocresol and its adverse effect among Chennai pediatric dentists. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire will be given to 50 pedodontists from Chennai city. The question will be based on whether the practitioners used full-strength or diluted formocresol, the brand and formulation they use and if they use diluted formocresol, how the diluted form is obtain and the knowledge about the adverse effects. Result: About 52% of dental practitioners are using commercially available formocresal. About 21% of them are using chair side preparation formocresal. About 4% of them are using formocresal which is prepared by local pharmacist. 23% of them did not know the dilution formocresal availability. Conclusion: Formocresol is the most popular medicament in the field of pediatric dentistry. This survey concluded that formocresol is a widely used medicament, and it is used as commercially available diluted form by most of the practitioner. This research article focuses on encouraging more researchers to further investigate actual effective dose and concentration for the clinical application for pulpotomy in primary teeth is an important area of further research.

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