Ana Carolina Scarpelli

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B-ECOHIS)

BackgroundOral disorders can have a negative impact on the functional, social and psychological wellbeing of young children and their families and cause pain/discomfort for the child. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) has emerged as an important health outcome in clinical trials and healthcare research. The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) is a proxy measure of childrens OHRQoL designed to assess the negative impact of oral disorders on the quality of life of preschool children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the ECOHIS (B-ECOHIS).MethodsThis investigation was carried out in preliminary and field studies. The preliminary study comprised a cross-sectional study carried out in the city of Petropolis, Brazil. A sample of 150 children from two to five years of age was recruited at a public hospital. In the field study, an epidemiological survey was carried out in public and private preschools of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The B-ECOHIS was answered by 1643 parents/caregivers of five-year-old male and female preschool children. In both phases, oral examinations were performed by a single previously calibrated dentist. Reliability was determined through test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Validity was determined through convergent and discriminant validities. The correlation between the scores obtained on the child and family impact sections was assessed.ResultsIn the preliminary (P) and field (F) study, test-retest reliability correlation values were 0.98 and 0.99 for the child impact section and 0.97 and 0.99 for the family impact section, respectively. The B-ECOHIS demonstrated internal consistency: child impact section (P: α = 0.74; F: α = 0.80) and family impact section (P: α = 0.59; F: α = 0.76). The correlation between the scores obtained on the child and family impact sections was statistically significant (P: rs = 0.54; F: rs = 0.62; p ≤ 0.001). In both phases of the study, B-ECOHIS scores were significantly associated with the decayed, missing and filled teeth index, decayed teeth and discolored upper anterior teeth (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe B-ECOHIS proved reliable and valid for assessing the negative impact of oral disorders on the quality of life of preschool children.

Correlation between socioeconomic indicators and traumatic dental injuries: a qualitative critical literature review

BACKGROUND/AIM Traumatic dental injuries are widespread and have become a serious dental public health problem in childhood. Despite its importance, very few studies have correlated the prevalence of permanent tooth injury and socioeconomic indicators. The aim of the present study was to evaluate just such a correlation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Electronic searches were performed in the following bibliographical databases: Brazilian Bibliography of Dentistry, Scientific Electronic Library Online, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, The Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Knowledge, International Database for Medical Literature and PubMed Central. Reference lists from articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria in this review were searched for additional relevant articles. The Brazilian Coordination of Higher Education Personnel Improvement Theses Databank was also included. Selection and analysis of the articles were performed independently by two authors of the present literature review. RESULTS A total of 21 of 98 articles were eligible for inclusion in the review. However, only nine articles performed all the methodology criteria analyzed. Seven of the surveys were carried out in Brazil and two in Thailand. The age of children was 9-14 years. Statistically significant associations between permanent tooth injuries and high economic status were found in four studies. CONCLUSION There were few studies correlating traumatic injuries in permanent teeth and socioeconomic indicators and the majority found no such association. It is suggested that the association between traumatic dental injuries and socioeconomic factors may be related to the indicators used, considering differences in their individual components. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of the methodologies hinders the comparison of the studies.

Influence of traumatic dental injury on quality of life of Brazilian preschool children and their families

AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of traumatic dental injury (TDI) on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of Brazilian preschool children and their families. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out with 1632 children of both sexes aged 60-71 months in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Data on OHRQoL were collected using the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B-ECOHIS), which was self-administered by parents/caregivers to record their perceptions regarding the oral health of their children. A questionnaire addressing demographic and socio-economic data was also sent to parents/caregivers. Oral examinations of the children were performed by a single, previously calibrated dentist (intraexaminer and interexaminer agreement: kappa ≥ 0.83) for the assessment of the prevalence and type of TDI using the diagnostic criteria proposed by Andreasen et al. [2007]. Bivariate and multiple Poisson regression analyses were performed, with the level of significance set at 5%. RESULTS The prevalence of negative impact from oral conditions on quality of life was 36.8% and 31.4% for children and families, respectively. TDI was not significantly associated with OHRQoL. Tooth avulsion remained in final multiple models of child OHRQoL [PR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.02-1.85] and family OHRQoL [PR = 1.55, 95%CI = 1.12-2.14]. Tooth discolouration remained in the final multiple models of family OHRQoL [PR = 1.23, 95%CI = 1.05-1.44]. CONCLUSIONS The presence of TDI in Brazilian preschool children has no impact on quality of life of the children or their families. However, tooth avulsion is associated with a negative impact on OHRQoL in both groups, and tooth discolouration is associated with a negative impact on family OHRQoL.

Sleep Bruxism, Awake Bruxism and Sleep Quality among Brazilian Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of the study was to evaluate the association of sleep bruxism, awake bruxism and sleep quality among dental students of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was performed including 183 Brazilian dental students aged from 17 to 46 years old. The complete course curriculum consists of 9 semesters. Students enrolled in the first semester, the middle semester and the final semester of the course participated in the survey. The PSQI-BR (the Brazilian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire Index) was used for data collection. The PSQI-BR was distributed during lecture classes. Sleep bruxism and awake bruxism diagnosis was based on self-reported data. Descriptive analysis, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney and Poisson regression with robust estimator were the statistical tests used. Sleep bruxism prevalence was 21.5% and awake bruxism prevalence was 36.5%. Sleep duration components were associated with sleep bruxism (PR=1.540; 95% CI: 1.00-2.37) and awake bruxism (PR=1.344; 95% CI: 1,008-1,790). There was an association between awake bruxism and habitual sleep efficiency component (PR=1.323; 95% CI: 1.03-1.70). Sleep disturbance component and awake bruxism were associated (PR=1.533; 95% CI: 1.03-2.27). Poor sleep quality was an important factor among dental students, who reported sleep bruxism as well as among those who presented awake bruxism.

Impact of Malocclusion on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life among Brazilian Preschool Children: a Population-Based Study

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of malocclusion on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) of children and their families. A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. A representative sample of 1069 male and female preschoolers aged 60 to 71 months was randomly selected from public and private preschools and daycare centers. Data were collected using the B-ECOHIS. In addition, a questionnaire addressing socioeconomic and demographic data was self-administered by the parents/guardians. The criteria used to diagnose malocclusion were based on Foster and Hamilton (1969), Graboswki et al. (2007) and Oliveira et al. (2008). Descriptive, univariate and multiple Poison logistic regression analyses were carried out. The prevalence of malocclusion was observed in 46.2% of the children and deep overbite was the most prevalent type of malocclusion (19.7%), followed by posterior crossbite (13.1%), accentuated overjet (10.5%), anterior open bite (7.9%) and anterior crossbite (6.7%). The impact of malocclusion on OHRQoL was 32.7% among the children and 27.1% among the families. In Poisson multiple regression model adjusted for socioeconomic status, no significant association was found between malocclusion and OHRQoL of the children (PR=1.09, 95% CI: 0.96-1.24) and their families (PR=1.11, 95% CI: 0.94-1.31). It is concluded that children with malocclusion in this sample did not have a negative impact on their OHRQoL and of their families.

Academic trajectories of dental researchers receiving CNPq's productivity grants

The present study analyzed the profile of dental researchers receiving grants related to their productivity in research from the Brazilian National Research and Development Council (CNPq). Data collection was carried out in March 2008, using the Brazilian database for curriculum vitae (Lattes Format). There were 144 researchers registered in the database and linked to 25 institutions. These researchers published a total of 12,997 full-text articles, 6,927 of which were published in the last 5 years. Category 1 grant holders (n=77) were responsible for 53.5% of this production; Category 2 grant holders (n=65) were responsible for 45.1%; Senior grant holders (n=2) were responsible for 1.4%. Regarding institutional affiliation, 90.3% of the research grants holders develop activities at public institutions and 9.7% develop activities in private institutions. Furthermore, 84.0% of the researchers are linked to institutions located in the southeast region of Brazil and 75.0% of the researchers perform their activities in the state of São Paulo. This study performed a mapping of the distribution of CNPq researchers, revealing a concentration in the southeast region of the country, especially in the state of São Paulo. The findings of the present study also demonstrate the important contribution of grant holders to the scientific production in dentistry in Brazil.

Möbius Syndrome: A Case With Oral Involvement

Möbius syndrome is a rare congenital condition that is characterized clinically by paralysis of a group of cranial nerves. It presents diverse manifestations that can have negative repercussions on the quality of life of affected individuals. This article presents a clinical case of a child with the syndrome and addressed the clinical manifestations and difficulties experienced during dental treatment. Knowledge of the etiopathological aspects and clinical manifestations of the condition is essential to perfecting treatments that aim to improve the quality of life of such individuals and their families.

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome: A Case Report of a Brazilian Boy

Cornelia de Lange syndrome is a rare multisystem disorder characterized by a distinctive facial appearance, delayed growth and psychomotor skills, behavioral problems, malformation of the upper limbs, and impairment on the quality of life of affected subjects. This article reports a case of a child with the syndrome, emphasizing the orofacial manifestations. Knowledge on the etiopathological aspects and characteristic features of this condition is essential so that professionals can provide health care and help improve the quality of life of affected individuals and their families.

Aesthetic management of tooth discolouration: conservative treatment for a patient with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Purpose: Dental aesthetics has considerable impact in our beauty-conscious society. The darkening of the anterior teeth causes concern for adolescents due to the compromised physical appearance. This article presents a clinical case of tooth staining in an individual who had undergone radiotherapy/chemotherapy for an undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Case description: A 14-year-old boy presented to the dental clinic complaining of pain and staining of the maxillary and mandibular incisors, canines and premolars after having undergone radiotherapy/chemotherapy and stated his desire to remove the dark stains from the surface of the teeth due to his compromised oral aesthetics. Tooth whitening was performed with hydrogen peroxide, followed by micro-abrasion. At a two-year follow-up visit, clinical success was observed and the child was very satisfied. Conclusion: The adoption of such methods provided efficient alternatives for the re-establishment of a healthy smile, thereby returning pleasing facial aesthetics to the patient. The minimization of distress is nearly always the focus of clinical efforts at promoting psychological health in cancer survivors.