The main objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of emergencies in dental practices and the preparedness and the training experience in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of Brazilian dentists in dealing with emergencies. The volunteer participants in the study were 498 Brazilian dentists who were present at the 27th International Congress of Dentistry in São Paulo. The most prevalent emergency was presyncope (reported by 54.20 percent of respondents), followed by orthostatic hypotension (44.37 percent), moderate allergic reactions (16.86 percent), hypertensive crisis (15.06 percent), asthma (15.06 percent), syncope (12.65 percent), angina (6.82 percent), convulsion (6.22 percent), hypoglycemia (5.62 percent), hyperventilation crisis (5.22 percent), choking (2.20 percent), and cerebrovascular accident (0.8 percent). Anaphylaxis, myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrest were the rarest emergencies, reported by only 0.4, 0.2, and 0.2 percent of dentists, respectively. Only 41 percent of the dentists judged themselves capable to diagnose the cause of an emergency during a dental visit. The majority responded that they would be capable of performing initial treatment of presyncope, syncope, orthostatic hypotension, convulsion, and choking. However, most of them felt unable to treat anaphylaxis, myocardial infarction, or cardiac arrest. Further, the majority felt unable to perform CPR or undertake an intravenous injection. It was concluded that the most prevalent medical emergencies in dental practice of Brazilian dentists are presyncope and orthostatic hypotension. The occurrence of life-threatening medical emergencies like anaphylaxis, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, and cerebrovascular accident is rare. Brazilian dentists are not fully prepared to manage medical emergencies and have insufficient experience training in CPR

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The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and frequency of apical periodontitis and root fillings in 450 institutionalized Brazilian elderly. The teeth with apical periodontitis were assessed using the Periapical Index (PAI) score. A total of 942 teeth were evaluated in 98 subjects (57 females and 41 males) with mean age of 74 years. The observed frequency of total edentulous subjects was high (76%) in this population. A total of 126 teeth showed root fillings, of these only 46 (36.5%) were scored as having adequate quality. Apical periodontitis was found in 114 teeth (12.1%) in 42 (42.9%) subjects. 80 (70.2%) inadequate root-filled teeth showed apical periodontitis. There was a significant correlation between the presence of periapical pathology and inadequate root-filled teeth. Inadequate root-filled teeth were associated with an increased prevalence of apical periodontitis in these subjects. This fact may result in increased endodontic retreatment needs for this population. Periapical Status and Prevalence o f E n d o d o n t i c T r e a t m e n t i n I n s t i t u t i o n a l i z e d E l d e r l y

The purpose of this study was to assess the oral health of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing hemodialysis in Brazil. A dentist examined 160 subjects aged 40 to 85 years of age. Data was collected on dental caries, use of and need for dentures, oral mucosa, periodontal disease and temporomandibular joint status. All subjects were interviewed about their socioeconomic status, dental and medical history, and oral hygiene habits. Most subjects had hypertension (49.4%); used the public service for their medical care (69.4%); had a middle school educational level (83.1%); and did not complain of xerostomia (60.0%). The majority used private oral healthcare services and used a toothbrush only for oral hygiene. The mean DMFT was 26.0 (standard deviation 7.7). Most individuals did not wear dentures, but needed some type of prosthesis. Lesions of the oral mucosa (3.1%), signs (2.5%) and symptoms (3.8%) of temporomandibular dysfunction could be observed in only a few patients. The oral health of the subjects examined was poor. These persons needed their oral condition monitored by a dentist and their oral disease treated as well as receiving instruction on oral hygiene.