Resumo: O objetivo foi medir a falta de acesso e a utilização dos serviços de saúde bucal por idosos de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Estudo transversal de base populacional foi realizado no ano de 2014, na zona urbana do município, incluindo indivíduos com 60 anos e mais. Variáveis sociodemográficas e de necessidade autorreferidas foram associadas aos desfechos. Utilizou-se regressão de Poisson para as análises bruta e ajustada. Foram entrevistados 1.451 idosos mediante um questionário estruturado. Falta de acesso no último ano alcançou uma prevalência de 1,8% (IC95%: 0,7-3,0). Idosos que nunca consultaram somaram 3,1% (IC95%: 2,2-4,0) e a utilização de serviços de saúde bucal no último ano registrou prevalência de 38,3% (IC95%: 36,0-41,0). A utilização no último ano apresentou associação positiva com as seguintes variáveis: faixa etária mais jovem (RP = 1,16), ter companheiro (RP = 1,28), alta escolaridade (RP = 1,31), problema na boca ou nos dentes (RP = 1,93), necessidade de prótese dentária (RP = 1,36) e ser edêntulo (RP = 3,11). A falta de acesso no último ano foi baixa. A utilização de serviços de saúde bucal foi mais alta do que a observada em outros estudos. Os achados parecem refletir a expansão desses serviços, particularmente na rede pública, sendo úteis para as ações de planejamento das políticas de saúde.

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Objective: an integrative review of the treatment of oral candidiasis, root caries and xerostomia among the elderly population, focusing on Primary Health Care, was carried out. Method: scientific articles were collected from the MEDLINE/PUBMED database using the keywords "Geriatric dentistry" and "Oral health", crossed with corresponding descriptors, together with specific terms for the pathologies studied, and with "the clinical trial" filter activated. The abstracts of the articles were read by three researchers. Result: oral candidiasis: six randomized clinical trials and one quasi-experimental design study, on the treatment of prosthetic stomatitis by medication and/or the disinfection of dentures by different techniques, were identified; root caries: three randomized clinical trials were included, which tested the use of mouthwash with chlorhexidine solution and oral hygiene instruction associated or otherwise with other drugs; and xerostomia: two articles were analyzed using various medications, and the functional massage of the salivary glands and associated muscles. Conclusion: The results demonstrate a variety of treatment options for the studied clinical situations, although these should be adapted to the characteristics of the services and the population, as standard treatment in Primary Health Care has not been established. Strategies based on soft technologies, such as health education, seem to provide good results. The present study provides additional knowledge for health professionals in search of more resolutive and qualified dental care for the elderly in primary health care.

Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the level of satisfaction of dentists working in primary healthcare (PHC) with a Distance learning (DL) course in pediatric dentistry offered by the TeleHealthRS center, and to the investigate possible associations between the variables indicative of their satisfaction and their performance on the questionnaires applied before and after the course. Methods: The course was offered in 2015 by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) together with the TeleHealthRS center in Brazil. Data were collected on the participants’ personal and professional profile, their pre- and post-course knowledge about pediatric dentistry, and their satisfaction with the course. Student's t-test and the ANOVA test were used to assess the possible associations between the variables indicative of their satisfaction and their performance on the questionnaires applied before and after the course. Results: Overall, the participants were satisfied with the course, however, no statistically significant association was found between the variables indicative of their satisfaction and the grades they earned on the pre- and postcourse questionnaires. Conclusion: The available pediatric dentistry course received positive evaluations from the participants, constituting a possible strategy for the qualification of primary care dentists. Future studies are warranted to further investigate the expectations of DL course participants, aiming to enhance the quality of future editions of this learning modality for pediatric dentistry contents.

Understanding the cause, severity, and elapsed time for the restoration of the functions of maxillofacial injuries can contribute to the establishment of clinical priorities aiming at effective treatment and further prevention of facial trauma. The objective of this study was to understand the factors associated with the restoration of mastication, ocular, and nasal functions in the face of trauma victims, estimating their recovery time after surgical treatment. We analyzed 114 medical records of patients treated at the Hospital Montenegro, who attended follow-up consultations for up to 180 days. For analysis of the recovery time, we performed survival analysis, followed by COX analysis. We observed that half of the patients recovered their functions within 20 days. The average time for recovery from trauma in the zygomatic-orbital-malar-nasal complex was 11 days, and in the maxillary-mandibular complex, 21 days (HR: 1.5 [0.99 2.3], p = 0.055). Although functional reestablishment has reached high rates after the surgical approach, it is necessary to analyze the failing cases, as well as the economic impacts and the prevention strategies associated with facial trauma, to improve the service to the population.

A adoção da Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF) como modelo de atenção primária à saúde (APS) no Brasil proporcionou mudanças na organização de serviços e nos processos de trabalho dos profissionais da saúde pública, dentro do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). No que se refere à saúde bucal, a inserção de equipes odontológicas na ESF a partir dos anos 2000 também possibilitou, além do aumento do número de cirurgiões-dentistas na APS, alterações no modelo de atenção à saúde bucal. Com o declínio da cárie em populações mais jovens, a doença periodontal e o edentulismo tem assumido papel de destaque como os principais agravos a afetarem a população idosa. Neste contexto, esse trabalho tem por objetivo realizar uma revisão integrativa da literatura sobre o tratamento da doença periodontal e do edentulismo em idosos com foco na APS nas bases de dados do MEDLINE/PUBMED publicados nos últimos 10 anos. Este trabalho contribui para a qualificação baseada em evidências dos profissionais da odontologia na atenção primária. Ao abordar tratamentos para doença periodontal e edentulismo em idosos, abrange assuntos que serão de grande importância para os serviços nos próximos anos, considerando-se o envelhecimento populacional e que o acesso dessa população aos serviços se tornará mais frequente e regular com o aumento do número de cirurgiões-dentistas nas Estratégias de Saúde da Família capacitados para orientar suas práticas baseadas em evidências.