Background Clinical dental evaluations are considered complex and costly measurements that epidemiological surveillance studies of multiple simultaneous chronic diseases currently require, for example National Health Surveys (ENS). Accordingly, simpler and more affordable methods need to be validated. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the self-report on the total number of teeth in the general Chilean adult population. Methods A substudy was conducted on ENS 2016–2017 participants. A stratified random sample of 101 of them was subjected to a telephone questionnaire. This information was then compared with the results obtained from the oral examination performed by a trained nurse during a home visit. Spearman correlations, intraclass correlation coefficients and the Bland-Altman method were used to analyse the data. Results In men, the average number of teeth recorded during the oral examination coincided with the number of teeth in the self-report (22 teeth). In women, the total teeth average was 18 and 19 teeth according to the examination and self-report, respectively. For the total number of participants, a strong and significant Spearman correlation was obtained (ρ = 0.93); in men and women, the Spearman correlation observed was also strong and significant (ρ = 0.90 and ρ = 0.96 respectively). The value of the intraclass correlation coefficient indicated a significant concordance (CCI = 0.96) in both men and women (CCI = 0.93 and 0.98 respectively). A tendency to greater correlation was observed as the number of teeth decreased. Conclusions The number of teeth self-reported by the subjects in this study correlated with the number of teeth recorded in the clinical examination. Self-report is a valid method to determine the number of teeth in national health surveys.

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Introduction. Several population studies have addressed oral health inequalities. Edentulism, functional dentition, and number of remaining teeth have been associated with different socioeconomic level measurements. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between educational level and tooth loss in the Chilean population aged 15 years and above, based on the 2016-2017 National Health Survey (ENS 2016-2017). Material and Methods. The sample for this cross-sectional study comprised 5473 subjects. The main independent variable was educational level (LEL: low, MEL: medium, and HEL: high). To measure tooth loss, we considered the variables number of remaining teeth, edentulism, and functional dentition. We used logistic regressions to assess the condition of dentition according to the subject’s EL. As to the number of teeth variable, linear regressions were conducted. The analyses were carried out considering the complex sampling design in SPSS 24.0. Results. When comparing LEL subjects with HEL subjects, the adjusted difference in number of remaining teeth was 3.11 for the maxilla and 1.72 for the mandible. An individual with LEL had a 7.51 [3.50–16.10] and 6.06 [2.68–13.68] times higher risk of upper edentulism and lower edentulism than a HEL individual, respectively. Regarding functional dentition, the adjusted OR in HEL subjects was 13.33 [8.02–22.15] and in MEL subjects was 2.81 [2.03–3.87], compared to LEL results. Conclusions. LEL was associated with a significant tooth loss in the Chilean population. Subjects with LEL obtained a lower mean of number of remaining teeth and higher prevalence of edentulism and nonfunctional dentition.

IntroducciónLa enfermedad por coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) es un problema mundial de salud pública debido a su morbimortalidad, especialmente en grupos de riesgo. El entorno odontológico tiene un alto riesgo de transmisión viral, por ello el objetivo de este estudio fue identificar recomendaciones para la atención odontológica durante esta pandemia.

Background: Several population studies have addressed oral health inequity-related issues. Edentulism, functional dentition and number of remaining teeth have been linked to different socioeconomic level measurements. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between educational level (EL) and tooth loss in the Chilean population aged 15 years old and above, based on the recent data collected from the 2016-2017 National Health Survey (ENS 2016-2017). Methods: The sample for this cross-sectional study comprised 5473 subjects. The main independent variable in the study was educational level (LEL: low, MEL: medium, HEL: high). In order to measure tooth loss number of remaining teeth, edentulism and functional dentition were considered. Based on a multivariate logistic regression, it was possible to obtain odds ratios (OR) and, therefore, to assessing the condition of dentition according to the subject’s EL. As to the number of teeth variable, multiple linear regressions were conducted. The analyses were carried out in the SPSS 24.0 program considering the complex sampling design of ENS 2016-2017. Results: When comparing LEL subjects with HEL subjects, the adjusted difference in the number of remaining teeth was 3.11 for maxilla and 1.72 for mandible. An individual with a LEL had a 7.51 [3.50-16.10] and 6.06 [2.68-13.68] times higher risk of upper edentulism and lower edentulism than a HEL individual respectively. Regarding functional dentition, the adjusted OR in HEL subjects was 13.33 [8.02-22.15] and in MEL subjects was 2.81 [2.03-3.87], compared to LEL results. Conclusions: LEL was associated with a significant tooth loss in the Chilean population. Regardless of age, subjects with a LEL obtained a lower mean of number of remaining teeth, higher prevalence of edentulism and lower prevalence of functional dentition.

IntroductionEvidence-informed oral health policies are crucial to improving patient and population outcomes, but policymakers and organisational leaders infrequently systematically incorporate research evidence. Although there is indirect evidence regarding challenges in other healthcare sectors, the use of evidence-informed oral health policies remains unstudied in oral health. This study aims to assess policymakers’ perceived needs, barriers and facilitators in using research evidence to inform policies in oral health.Methods and analysisThis is a qualitative study situated within a phenomenological paradigm. We will conduct semistructured interviews with policymakers (5–10) affiliated with key organisations conducting guidance, policy statements, guidelines or any knowledge transfer deliverables in oral health. Organisations will be sampled purposively and with no geographical restrictions. All interviews will be recorded, and an audio transcript will be generated. Subsequently, a researcher will review and validate the transcripts. Data will be analysed using thematic analysis supported by ATLAS.ti software.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was not sought because the study protocol met the criteria for exemption from such review according to the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and the Spanish legislation (Law 14/2007 of 3 July, on biomedical research). Informed consent will be obtained from all subjects involved in this study. The findings of this study will be shared with participating organisations for feedback, disseminated in conferences and published in a peer-reviewed journal adopting open science practices.Study registrationOpen Science Framework (DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/W4KG7).

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The aim of this review was to describe the association and related mechanisms between HPV, EBV, and the development of oral and oropharyngeal cancer. A search for scientific evidence was carried out in electronic databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, SciELO). It was found that, among the carcinogenic mechanisms of HPV, E6 and E7 proteins are responsible for the malignization process, inhibiting tumor suppressors p53 and pRb. As to EBV, it was noted that its “hit and run” phenomenon manipulates the host epigenetic mechanism, triggering the tumor process without the virus being currently present; a “cellular reprogramming” is essentially generated, causing heritable changes in gene expression without DNA mutation. In conclusion, there is an association between oropharyngeal carcinogenesis and HPV and also between the former and EBV. Further studies are required to clarify the causal mechanisms and impact of both viruses on cancer development and to obtain biomarkers of greater specificity in the case of EBV.