Julita Maria Freitas Coelho

Chronic periodontitis and C-reactive protein levels.

BACKGROUND This study aims to analyze the relationship between chronic periodontitis and C-reactive protein (CRP) by considering associated variables in individuals with or without cardiovascular disease. METHODS A sample of 359 individuals of both sexes (aged ≥40 years) was assessed. Among these individuals, 144 subjects were admitted to the hospital because of a first occurrence of acute myocardial infarction; 80 subjects were in the hospital for reasons other than acute myocardial infarction; and 135 subjects were living in the community. A questionnaire was applied to obtain demographic and lifestyle characteristics. Complete clinical periodontal examinations and anthropometric assessments were performed. CRP levels, plasma glucose levels, lipid profiles, and blood tests were performed to investigate any conditions that might have suggested infection and/or inflammation. CRP evaluations were performed using nephelometry. Individuals were considered to have periodontal disease if they simultaneously presented at least four teeth with one or more sites with probing depth ≥4 mm, clinical attachment loss ≥3 mm, and bleeding on probing. Procedures for descriptive analyses and logistic regression were used. RESULTS In the chronic periodontitis group, mean CRP levels were higher than those in the group without chronic periodontitis (2.6 ± 2.6 mg/L versus 1.78 ± 2.7 mg/L, respectively). The final model showed that individuals with chronic periodontitis were more likely to have high CRP levels (adjusted odds ratio: 2.26; 95% confidence interval: 1.30 to 3.93) considering the effects of age, schooling level, sex, smoking, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and diabetes. CONCLUSION In this study, chronic periodontitis is associated with elevated plasma CRP levels, even after controlling for several potential confounders.

Does Periodontal Infection Have an Effect on Severe Asthma in Adults

BACKGROUND The effect of periodontal infection on systemic diseases and conditions has been the subject of numerous studies worldwide. It is considered that periodontitis may influence the hyperinflammatory response in patients with severe asthma as a result of immuno-inflammatory changes. This study aims to evaluate the influence of periodontitis on severe asthma in adults. METHODS A case-control study was carried out, comprising 220 adult individuals: 113 diagnosed with asthma (case group) and 107 without asthma diagnosis (control group). The diagnosis of periodontitis was established after a full clinical examination using probing depth, clinical attachment level, and bleeding on probing. The diagnosis of severe asthma was based on the criteria recommended by the Global Initiative of Asthma (2012). Descriptive analyses of the variables were performed, followed by bivariate analyses, using the χ(2) test. Association measurements (odds ratio [OR]), with and without adjustment for potential confounders, were obtained. A significance level of 5% was used. RESULTS The ORunadjusted for the main association was 4.38 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.47 to 7.75). In the logistic regression model, after adjusting for age, education level, osteoporosis, smoking habit, and body mass index, the ORadjusted was 4.82 (95% CI = 2.66 to 8.76), which was statistically significant. Individuals with periodontal infection showed, approximately, five times more likelihood to have bronchial inflammation than those without such periodontal tissue infection. CONCLUSION The findings demonstrate the influence of periodontitis on severe asthma, given that the frequency of periodontitis is higher in individuals with severe asthma than in those without a diagnosis of bronchial inflammation.

Effect of osteoporosis on periodontal therapy among post-menopausal women

OBJECTIVE This intervention study aimed to investigate the effect of osteoporosis on periodontal condition among 48 post-menopausal women undergoing periodontal therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS The experimental group, which underwent non-surgical periodontal therapy, was composed of 16 women with periodontitis to be treated, and the control group was formed by 32 women without periodontitis. Oral condition was assessed on three occasions: at the start of the treatment (first examination), 1 month (first re-examination) and 4 months after the end of the therapy (second re-examination). In the second re-examination, recurrence of periodontal disease was evaluated by comparing the clinical measurements obtained pre- and post-treatment. The diagnosis of osteoporosis was made by investigating densitometry reports obtained previously. Descriptive analysis, analysis of variance and the Bonferroni post hoc test were applied to the data gathered, with statistical significance level of 5%. RESULTS The frequency of periodontitis was 50% in the treated group and 25% in the group without periodontitis. In both groups, this recurrence was greater in subjects with osteoporosis (37.5 and 18.75%, respectively) than in the individuals without osteoporosis (12.5 and 6.25%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The preliminary results indicate that osteoporosis possibly has an influence on periodontal condition among individuals undergoing non-surgical periodontal treatment.

Severity of Periodontitis and Metabolic Syndrome: Is There an Association?

BACKGROUND Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major factor for the occurrence of cardiovascular events. Causal factors for MetS are not well defined or yet unidentified. Preliminary investigations suggest that infections and inflammation may be involved in the etiology of this syndrome. This study aims to estimate the association between the severity of periodontitis (exposure) and MetS (outcome). METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted with 419 participants recruited from the Diabetes and Hypertensive Treatment Center, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. After administration of a questionnaire, general and oral clinical examination and laboratory tests were performed. Diagnosis of periodontitis and MetS was performed according to various criteria. The analysis of the effect of periodontitis on MetS used logistic regression analysis with adjustment for confounders. RESULTS The prevalence of periodontitis was found to be between 34.61% and 55.37%, depending on the classification definitions used, and the prevalence of MetS ranged from 60.86% to 67.06%. In the group with periodontitis, 14.08% had severe and 41.29% had moderate levels of periodontitis. There was an association between severe periodontitis and MetS after adjustment for sex, age, household density, alcoholic beverage consumption, smoking habit, and cardiovascular disease (odds ratio ORadjusted_6 = 2.11, 95% confidence interval = 1.01 to 4.40, P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that periodontitis is associated with MetS, and that MetS prevalence is related to severe periodontitis.

Effect of maternal periodontitis and low birth weight--a case control study.

Abstract Introduction. Since the 1990s, evidence has been raised that there is an association between maternal periodontal disease and undesirable gestational events, for example low birth weight; this issue is controversial. Objective. To evaluate whether there is an association between maternal periodontitis and low birth weight (LBW). Methods. A case-control study was carried out on 951 mothers that had been cared for by the Brazilian Unified Health System in Petrolina-PE and Juazeiro-BA, Brazil. The case group (n = 269) consisted of mothers of newborns with birth weight <2500 g and a control group (n = 682) of mothers of newborns with birth weight ≥2500 g. An interview was realized, using a questionnaire as well as a full mouth examination to diagnose the periodontal condition. Women who had at least four teeth with probing depth ≥4 mm and clinical attachment loss ≥3 mm, with bleeding on probing at the same site, were diagnosed with periodontitis. The birth weight was obtained through the hospital book record. The main association was evaluated using the multivariate regression model, considering confounders. Results. The frequency of periodontitis was 16.4% (case group) and 17.4% (control group). Periodontitis did not show an association with LBW (ORcrude = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.63–1.35), even after adjustment for the following confounders: maternal age, pre-gestational body mass index, number of pre-natal consultations, number of pregnancies, maternal schooling level, smoking habit during pregnancy and hypertension (ORadjusted = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.61–1.68). Conclusion. The findings of this study showed no association between maternal periodontal disease and low birth weight, even after appropriate adjustments for confounding factors.

Fatores intervenientes na proteção radiológica ocupacional no controle de qualidade em gama câmara

Introducao : a protecao radiologica e campo do conhecimento que permeia os ambientes radiologicos. Sua aplicacao envolve beneficios aos servicos, profissionais e usuarios. Objetivo : identificar fatores intervenientes, bem como, dispositivos de protecao radiologica disponiveis em um servico de medicina nuclear (MN), envolvidos nos testes de Controle de Qualidade em Câmaras Gama (CQCG). Metodologia : realizou-se um estudo observacional, do tipo exploratorio e descritivo, em um servico de MN conveniado com o Instituto Federal da Bahia (IFBA), com enfase na protecao radiologica em testes de CQCG. A coleta de dados foi realizada em janeiro de 2016. Foram acompanhados testes diarios de inspecao visual da integridade fisica, radiacao de fundo da sala de exames, uniformidade intrinseca e centralizacao da largura da janela energetica para cada radionuclideo. Para os testes semanais, acompanharam-se os de resolucao espacial e linearidade. Os dados foram analisados a luz da legislacao/normativas vigentes para servicos de MN no Brasil. Resultados : referente a protecao radiologica em testes de CQCG, o servico dispunha de tres aventais plumbiferos e tres protetores de tireoide com equivalencia de 0,5mm de chumbo, alem de pincas utilizadas para manipulacao de fontes radioativas. Foi observada a presenca de oculos de protecao, entretanto, os mesmos nao eram plumbiferos. Os profissionais eram monitorados por dosimetros termoluminescentes de uso individual. Conclusao : de maneira geral, eram observados os fatores de protecao radiologica: tempo, distância e blindagem. O CQCG requer planejamento previo com protocolo devidamente seguido que podera minimizar a exposicao ocupacional.

Qualidade nutricional e fatores associados em diabéticos em um serviço de saúde na Bahia, Brasil

Justificativa e Objetivo: A Diabetes Mellitus (DM), disturbio metabolico caracterizado por um estado de hiperglicemia cronica, e considerada como uma das principais doencas cronicas da atualidade em paises em desenvolvimento. O objetivo desse estudo foi verificar a influenciado perfil nutricional nos niveis glicemicos, estabelecer a relacao entre o indice de massa corporal (IMC) com os niveis glicemicos, e investigar a associacao entre o consumo de gorduras saturadas e os niveis da glicose, em exames de hemoglucoteste (HGT) de individuos com DM tipo II. Metodos: Foi realizado um estudo do tipo transversal utilizando dados secundarios com 87 individuos adultos, cadastrados no programa HIPERDIA, com idade superior a 40 anos e portadores de DM tipo II que realizavam acompanhamento no CADH na cidade de Feira de Santana, Bahia. Foi aplicado um questionario com dados sociodemograficos e habitos de vida e prontuarios foram avaliados para obtencao de dados complementares como niveis glicemicos e pressoricos dos participantes. Resultados: A maior parte dos participantes era do sexo feminino com media de idade de ± 62 anos, residentes em zona urbana e com baixa renda. Quanto aos indices de HGT, pode-se perceber que as melhores taxas foram apresentadas pelos individuos que nao faziam uso do tabaco, tinham indice de massa corporal (IMC) <25 e referiam dietas menos caloricas. Conclusao: Esses resultados poderao contribuir para melhor enfrentamento do diabetes pelos pacientes e profissionais que os assistem e nortear novas estrategias de prevencao e tratamento desse agravo, especialmente considerando a dietoterapia.