Janete Maria Rebelo Vieira

Dental caries and gingivitis among 15 to 19 year-old students in Manaus, AM, Brazil

In the light of the scarcity of epidemiological studies on the oral health of the general population within the context of the Amazon region, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis, as well as to evaluate the need for restorative treatment, among school students aged 15 to 19 years in the city of Manaus, AM, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 889 students from within city limits who were enrolled in 26 public and private schools. Dental examinations were performed to obtain the DMFT index (decayed, missing and filled teeth) as well as to determine the treatments needed. The gingival index (Lõe & Silness) was used to classify gingivitis. The intra-examiner diagnostic concordance was 94% and the Kappa statistic was 0.91. The DMFT index found was 4.65 (+/- 0.12), without significant difference between the sexes or skin color groups. The prevalence of dental caries was 87.4%. Restoration of a dental surface was the greatest need (59.3%). Slight gingival inflammation was present in 78.5% and gingival bleeding following probing occurred in 53.3%. Although the DMFT index was lower than that observed for the northern region of Brazil, restorative dental services are lacking for this population. Additional studies are suggested to better understand the differences found.

Análise da atenção básica em cinco municípios da amazônia ocidental, com ênfase no Programa Saúde da Família

Abstract The objective of this paper was to analyze the pri-mary healthcare management process, including the Programa Saude da Familia (PSF - Family Health Program), in five municipalities located in the wes-tern part of the Amazon region. Decentralization, understood as a means of improving the local mana-gement, was also investigated. This was a qualitative study that explored the political-institutional level of the municipalities’ healthcare systems through the dimensions of government project, government capacity and governability. Data collection was accomplished by means of combined techniques: analysis of official documentation from the munici-pal healthcare systems; conduction of semi-structu-red interviews with municipal healthcare managers, managers of the primary healthcare services, of PSF and of the administration of healthcare units (both PSF and non-PSF) to subsidize a study on the healthcare provision and management model; and consultation of the national and municipal informa-tion systems. The results showed low management capacity, difficulty in defining healthcare priorities, nonexistent or incipient intersectoral actions, limi-ted financial autonomy and a precarious political support base; limited technical training of managers and their team; insufficient and low-qualified tech-nical staff of the services network, which prevent them from performing a skilled management of primary healthcare. Keywords: Primary Care; Family Health Program; Health Management; Decentralization; Evalua-tion.

Oral health conditions among pregnant women attended to at a health care center in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

PURPOSE: To evaluate the oral health conditions of pregnant women enrolled in the Prenatal and Birth Humanization Program of the Theomario Pinto Costa primary healthcare unit in the south-central zone of Manaus, Amazonas METHODS: The population comprised 50 pregnant women, independent of pregnancy trimester. To assess the prevalence of dental caries, we used the DMFT Index, and for gingivitis, we used the Plaque Index and Gingival Bleeding Index. A questionnaire was used to investigate socioeconomic conditions, access to dental services and self-perception regarding oral health. RESULTS: One hundred percent of the population presented with caries; the mean DMFT score was 10.0, and the M component (missing teeth) was predominant (4.28). Among the pregnant women examined, 62% presented with moderate gingival inflammation, and 64% presented with at least some plaque. With regard to educational level, 10% of the population had completed an elementary education, 20% had not completed an elementary education, 34% had completed a high school education, and 6% had not completed a university-level education. CONCLUSION: Considering the results, it can be seen that the oral health status of the population was unfavorable, although a majority considered their oral health to be normal or good.

Multimorbidity patterns of oral clinical conditions, social position, and oral health-related quality of life in a population-based survey of 12-yr-old children.

The aim of this study was to describe the patterns of multimorbidities of oral clinical conditions in children. The association between social position and number of oral clinical conditions, and the relationship of social position and number of oral clinical conditions with oral health-related quality of life [OHRQoL, measured using the Brazilian Child-Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (Child-OIDP)] were also investigated. The study analysed data on 7,208 children, 12 yr of age, from the Brazilian Oral Health Survey (SBBrasil Project). Cluster analysis based on the observed/expected (O/E) ratios identified six significant clusters of oral clinical conditions: (i) dental caries and missing teeth; (ii) dental caries and dental trauma; (iii) dental trauma and gingivitis; (iv) dental caries, missing teeth, and dental trauma; (v) dental caries, dental trauma, and gingivitis; and (vi) all oral clinical conditions. Ordinal regression showed that poor social position was associated with a large number of oral clinical conditions. Poisson regression demonstrated that low social position and greater number of oral clinical conditions increased the likelihood of poor OHRQoL (Child-OIDP extent). The four oral clinical conditions clustered into six distinct clusters among Brazilian children. Multimorbidity of oral clinical conditions predicted poor OHRQoL. Social position was of high relevance to multimorbidity of oral clinical conditions and childrens OHRQoL.

Effect of Chewing Gum Containing CPP-ACP on Salivary Flow and Buffer Capacity: An in vivo Study

Objective: To evaluate salivary flow and buffer capacity by means of mechanical and chemical-mechanical stimuli, through the use of chewing gums. Material and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study with 12 volunteers, divided into three groups, in three phases: Group A: paraffin gum; Group B: Chewing gum without sucrose, flavored (Trident ® ); Group C: Flavored chewing gum, without sucrose and amorphous calcium casein-phosphate phosphopeptide (Trident Total ® ). The stimulated total saliva was collected after 5 minutes of mastication of one of the products and the volume was expressed in mL / min. The same sample was submitted to pH measurement with the use of a digital potentiometer, where the results were classified in normal buffer capacity (final pH between 5.0 and 7.0) or low (final pH <4.0). The results were evaluated regarding the normality of the sample distribution (Shapiro-Wilk test), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukeys test. Results: Chewing gums increased the salivary flow of the volunteers, when compared to the control group (paraffin) (1.53 mL / min), differing statistically from the group, although there was no difference between Trident ® (2.09 mL / Min) and Trident Total ® (2.06mL / min). Regarding the buffer capacity, the values obtained were 6.94 (paraffin), 6.99 (Trident ® ) and 6.93 (Trident Total ® ), with no difference between groups (p = 0.713). Conclusion: It was concluded that chewing gums, with and without CPP-ACP, increased the salivary flow in relation to the control group. In relation to buffer capacity the values obtained for chewing gums with and without CPP-ACP, are shown to be within the normal range.