Luciane Rezende Costa

A randomized, controlled, crossover trial of oral midazolam and hydroxyzine for pediatric dental sedation

The effectiveness of oral midazolam in pediatric dentistry is controversial. This randomized, controlled, crossover, double blind clinical trial was conducted in order to study the effect of midazolam, used either alone or in association with hydroxyzine, during child dental treatment. Thirty seven dental sedation sessions were carried out on 11 ASA I uncooperative children less than five years-old. In each appointment children were randomly assigned to groups: P - placebo, M - midazolam (1.0 mg/kg), or MH - midazolam (0.75 mg/kg) plus hydroxyzine (2.0 mg/kg). Vital signs (blood pressure, breathing rate, pulse and oxygen saturation) and behavior parameters (consciousness, crying, movement, overall behavior) were evaluated every 15 minutes. Friedman and Wilcoxon statistical tests were used to compare groups and different moments in the same group. Normal values of vital signs were usually registered. Heart rate increased in groups P and M as the session went on. Group M presented less crying and movement at the first 15 minutes of treatment. Group MH caused more drowsiness at the beginning of the session. Overall behavior was better in group M than in groups P or MH. Group M produced effective sedation in 77% of the cases, and group MH did so in 30.8%. It was concluded that midazolam was effective and safe, and its association with hydroxyzine did not lead to additional advantages in pediatric dental sedation.

In vitro antimicrobial activity of endodontic pastes with propolis extracts and calcium hydroxide: a preliminary study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of two experimental pastes containing propolis extract associated with calcium hydroxide against polymicrobial cultures collected from 16 necrotic and fistulae root canals in primary molars of 4-8-year-old children of both sexes. The agar-well diffusion technique was used to determine the antimicrobial activity of the following pastes: 11.0% ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) + calcium hydroxide; and 11.0% extract of propolis without ethanol (EP) + calcium hydroxide. EEP, EP and the association of calcium hydroxide and propylene glycol (CHP) was used as the positive control groups, and propylene glycol was used as a negative control group. Friedman and Wilcoxon tests were used to compare the data from the microbial growth inhibition zones (p<0.05). Paste 1 and Paste 2 showed larger growth inhibition zones against microorganisms from root canal samples than CHP (p=0.021 and 0.003, respectively). Paste 2 tended to have larger growth inhibition zones than Paste 1 (p=0.053). The association between propolis and calcium hydroxide was effective in controlling dental infections in vitro.

A randomized double-blinded trial of chloral hydrate with or without hydroxyzine versus placebo for pediatric dental sedation

Chloral hydrate and hydroxyzine are a drug combination frequently used by practitioners to sedate pediatric dental patients, but their effectiveness has not been compared to a negative control group in humans. The aim of this crossover, double-blinded study was to evaluate the effect of these drugs compared to a placebo, administered to young children for dental treatment. Thirty-five dental sedation sessions were carried out on 12 uncooperative ASA I children aged less than 5 years old. In each session patients were randomly assigned to groups P (placebo), CH (chloral hydrate 75 mg/kg) and CHH (chloral hydrate 50 mg/kg plus hydroxyzine 2.0 mg/kg). Vital signs and behavioral variables were evaluated every 15 min. Comparisons were statistically analyzed using Friedman and Wilcoxon tests. P, CH and CHH had no differences concerning vital signs, except for breathing rate. All vital signs were in the normal range. CH and CHH promoted more sleep in the first 30 min of treatment. Overall behavior was better in CH and CHH than in P. CH, CHH and P were effective in 62.5%, 61.5% and 11.1% of the cases, respectively. Chloral hydrate was safe and relatively effective, causing more satisfactory behavioral and physiological outcomes than a placebo.

Combined oral midazolam–ketamine better than midazolam alone for sedation of young children: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND.  There is a lack of clinical trials on paediatric dental sedation. AIM.  We investigated whether young childrens behaviour improves during dental treatment with oral ketamine/midazolam compared with midazolam alone or no sedation. DESIGN.  Healthy children under 36 months of age, presenting early childhood caries were randomly assigned to receive protective stabilization plus: combined oral midazolam (0.5 mg/kg) and ketamine (3 mg/kg) (MK), or oral midazolam (1.0 mg/kg) (MS), or no sedative (PS). One observer scored childrens behaviour using the Ohio State University Behavior Rating Scale (OSUBRS) at determined points in a dental exam (no sedative) and treatment session. Data were analysed using nonparametric bivariate tests. RESULTS.  Forty-one children were included. In the dental exam session, the sum of OSUBRS scores was similar for the three groups (P = 0.81). In the treatment session, the MK produced more cooperative behaviour than MS and PS (P = 0.01), longer sessions (P = 0.04), and a pattern of homogeneous OSUBRS scores from the reception area (before sedative administration) to the end of the session (P = 0.06). No immediate and post-discharge side effects were observed in groups MK and MS. CONCLUSIONS.  The combination of oral midazolam and ketamine is efficacious for guiding the behaviour of children under 3 years old.

Post-discharge adverse events following pediatric sedation with high doses of oral medication.

OBJECTIVE To compare the occurrence of post-discharge adverse events in children having received a high dose of either chloral hydrate (CH) or midazolam (MZ) during outpatient dental treatment. STUDY DESIGN A repeated-measures study design was carried out with 42 children treated at a sedation center. The sample comprised 103 dental sedation sessions among 22 male and 20 female patients, 1-8 years old, receiving either MZ (1.0-1.5 mg/kg) or CH (70.0-100.0 mg/kg). During treatment, a single observer recorded intraoperative adverse events. Twenty-four hours later, the observer called the childs main caregiver seeking information on further adverse events. Data analysis involved descriptive and bivariate statistics and the general estimating equation for repeated measures. RESULTS The most common intraoperative and post-discharge adverse events were hallucination (3.9%) and excessive sleep (41.9%), respectively. The chance of the occurrence of an adverse event following oral pediatric sedation was lesser among the children who received MZ than those who received CH (OR: 0.09; 95% CI: 0.01-0.88). CONCLUSIONS High doses of CH were associated with post-discharge adverse events in children having undergone pediatric dental sedation, whereas high doses of MZ were not associated with these events in pediatric patients.

Oral midazolam reduces cortisol levels during local anaesthesia in children: a randomised controlled trial

Little is known about whether midazolam sedation can reduce salivary cortisol levels and consequently influence childrens behaviour during dental treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of midazolam sedation on salivary cortisol and its correlation with childrens behaviour during restorative dental treatment. Eighteen healthy children, aged two to five years, were randomly assigned to two dental treatment appointments, both with physical restraint: oral midazolam 1 mg/kg (MS) and placebo (PS). An observer assessed the childrens behaviour (videos) using the Ohio State University Behavioral Rating Scale (OSUBRS). The childrens saliva was collected just after waking up, on arrival at the dental school, 25 minutes after local anaesthesia, and 25 minutes after the end of the procedure. Salivary cortisol levels were determined using the enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. The data were analysed by bivariate tests and multivariate analysis of variance (5% level). Salivary cortisol levels were lower in the MS group than in the PS group at the time of anaesthesia (p = 0.004), but did not vary during the appointment within sedation (p = 0.319) or placebo (p = 0.080) groups. Childrens behaviour was negative most of the time and did not differ between MS and PS; however, the behaviour (OSUBRS) did not correlate with salivary cortisol levels. Oral midazolam is able to control salivary cortisol levels during dental treatment of pre-schoolers, which might not lead to better clinical behaviour.

Early Childhood Caries and Body Mass Index in Young Children from Low Income Families

The relationship between early childhood caries (ECC) and obesity is controversial. This cross-sectional survey investigated this association in children from low-income families in Goiania, Goias, Brazil and considered the role of several social determinants. A questionnaire examining the characteristics of the children and their families was administered to the primary caregiver during home visits. In addition, children (approximately 6 years of age) had their height, weight, and tooth condition assessed. The primary ECC outcome was categorized as one of the following: caries experience (decayed, missing, filled tooth: “dmft” index > 0), active ECC (decayed teeth > 0), or active severe ECC (decayed teeth ≥ 6). Descriptive, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted. The participants in the current study consisted of 269 caregiver-child dyads, 88.5% of whom were included in the Family Health Program. Caregivers were mostly mothers (67.7%), were 35.3 ± 10.0 years old on average and had 9.8 ± 3.1 years of formal education. The mean family income was 2.3 ± 1.5 times greater than the Brazilian minimum wage. On average, the children in the current study were 68.7 ± 3.8 months old. Of these, 51.7% were boys, 23.4% were overweight or obese, 45.0% had active ECC, and 17.1% had severe ECC. The average body mass index (BMI) of the children was 15.9 ± 2.2, and their dmft index was 2.5 ± 3.2. BMI was not associated with any of the three categories of dental caries (p > 0.05). In contrast, higher family incomes were significantly associated with the lack of caries experience in children (OR 1.22, 95%CI 1.01–1.50), but the mother’s level of education was not significantly associated with ECC.

PRISMLESS ENAMEL IN HUMAN NON-ERUPTED DECIDUOUS MOLAR TEETH: A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDY

The frequency, structure and thickness of the prismless enamel layer in the buccal and lingual surfaces of non-erupted deciduous molar teeth were described. The teeth were extracted, kept in a 70% ethanol solution, dried, coated with gold and examined in a scanning electron microscope JEOL, JSM-6.100. The aprismatic layer was observed in the occlusal, middle and cervical thirds of all buccal and lingual surfaces. The hydroxyapatite crystals were arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to the enamel surface. No statistically significant differences were observed between the occlusal, middle and cervical thirds, which had 7.257 m m of average thickness.

Practices and opinions on nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation from dentists licensed to perform relative analgesia in Brazil.

BackgroundRelative analgesia (RA), defined as the use of inhalation sedation with nitrous oxide and oxygen, is one of the most common pharmacological behavior management techniques used to provide sedation and analgesia for dental patients. This study aimed to assess RA licensed Brazilian dentists’ practices and opinions about nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation in the dental setting.MethodsA cross sectional national survey was conducted with 281 dentists who were certified to perform RA, using an electronically mailed self-administered questionnaire containing closed questions about their practices and opinions regarding RA. Practice and opinion were individually analyzed by descriptive statistics. Non-parametric tests assessed the relationships between RA practice and independent variables. To test the interplay between practices and opinions, a k-means clusters analysis was used to divide the group for statistical comparisons.ResultsThe response rate was 45.2%. Women made up 64.6% of the respondents, the mean age was 39.1 years (SD = 9.8), and the mean time since graduation in dentistry was 16 years (SD = 9.7). Seventy-seven percent of respondents reported the use of RA in clinical practice, most of them ‘sometimes’ (53.5%), and focusing more on adult patients. Patients with certain physical or mental deficiencies were indications associated with RA practice. ‘Equipment acquisition’ (p < 0.001) and ‘living in Southeast and South regions’ (p < 0.02) were also associated with RA practice. The scores for dentists’ opinions ranged from 15 to 41 points (mean 29.2, SD = 5.6), based on nine items scored from 1 to 5. Two clusters representing more favorable (n = 65) and less favorable (n = 55) opinions were established. Dentists who were women (p = 0.04), practiced RA in dental settings (p < 0.01) or practiced it frequently (p < 0.001), had more favorable opinions about RA.ConclusionMost of the RA licensed Brazilian dentists interviewed currently use RA. Current practice of RA and frequency of use determined the degree of favorable opinion about this inhalation sedation among this group of respondents.

Screening preschool children with toothache: validation of the Brazilian version of the Dental Discomfort Questionnaire

BackgroundThe Dental Discomfort Questionnaire (DDQ) is an observational instrument intended to measure dental discomfort and/or pain in children under 5 years of age. This study aimed to validate a previously cross-culturally adapted version of DDQ in a Brazilian children sample.MethodsParticipants included 263 children (58.6% boys, mean age 43.5 months) that underwent a dental examination to assess dental caries, and their parent that filled out the cross-culturally adapted DDQ on their behalf. Exploratory factor analysis (principal component analysis form) and psychometric tests were done to assess instrument’s dimensionality and reliability.ResultsExploratory factor analysis revealed a multidimensional instrument with 3 domains: ‘eating and sleeping problems’ (Cronbach’s alpha 0.81), ‘earache problems’ (alpha 0.75), and ‘problems with brushing teeth’ (alpha 0.78). The assessment had excellent stability (weighted-kappa varying from 0.68 to 0.97). Based on the factor analysis, the model with all 7 items included only in the first domain (named DDQ-B) was further explored. The items and total median score of the DDQ-B were related to parent-reported toothache and the number of decayed teeth, demonstrating good construct and discriminant validities.ConclusionsDDQ-B was proven a reliable pain assessment tool to screen this group of Brazilian children for caries-related toothache, with good psychometric properties.Portuguese abstractProposiçãoO Dental Discomfort Questionnaire (DDQ) é um instrumento observacional usado para avaliar dor de dente/desconforto em crianças menores de 5 anos de idade. Este estudo objetivou validar uma versão brasileira do DDQ, previamente adaptada transculturalmente.Métodos263 crianças participaram do estudo (58.6% meninos, com idade média de 43,5 meses), as quais foram examinadas clinicamente para avaliar a ocorrência de cárie, e seus pais preencheram individualmente a versão brasileira do DDQ. Para avaliar a dimensionalidade e confiabilidade do instrumento, foram realizados análise fatorial exploratória (tipo: análise de componentes principais) e testes psicométricos.ResultadosA análise exploratória fatorial revelou um instrumento multidimensional com 3 domínios: ‘problemas durante a mastigação e sono’ (alfa de Cronbach 0,81), ‘problemas relacionados à dor de ouvido’ (alfa 0,75), e ‘problemas durante a escovação’ (alfa 0,78). O instrumento mostrou excelente estabilidade (kappa ponderado variando de 0,68 a 0,97). Baseado nos resultados da análise fatorial exploratória, o modelo com os 7 itens incluídos no primeiro domínio, denominado DDQ-B, foi adicionalmente explorado. A frequência dos itens e o escore total do DDQ-B associaram-se a dor de dente relatada pelos pais das crianças e ao número de dentes cariados, confirmando as validades de construto e discriminante.ConclusãoO DDQ-B mostrou-se confiável e com boas propriedades psicométricas para avaliar este grupo crianças brasileiras apresentando dor de dente por cárie.