<p>Population aging is a worldwide phenomenon and, even though there is a downward trend in edentulism, the need for complete dentures is not likely to decrease in the near future. Furthermore, patients’ satisfaction with their dentures is fundamental to improving oral health-related quality of life among edentulous individuals. Considering this, a search was performed for literature since 2001 on the factors that may influence patient satisfaction with complete dentures. Many factors were reported that related to technique, patient, and dentist, as well as their likelihood of influencing patient satisfaction. The factors presenting reasonable evidence of influencing patient satisfaction are the kind of therapy chosen (implant-retained overdentures rated more favorably than conventional dentures); patient personality and psychological factors; patient oral conditions; patient perception of the dentist and dental care; and patient-dentist communication issues. Several other factors that may influence patient satisfaction were not addressed in the recent literature or presented contradicting results, highlighting the need for more research in this topic.</p>

Ovariectomy associated with alcohol consumption at 20% significantly changed the stoichiometry composition of hydroxyapatite in the alveolar bone crest, leading to a reduction in Ca/P ratios.

<p><strong>Objective:</strong> The treatment most used worldwide for edentulism is conventional complete dentures, and the most important factor for the success of denture treatment seems to be patient satisfaction. The present study aims to use a qualitative approach to investigate factors that were previously associated with patient satisfaction with dentures by quantitative techniques (correlational studies). <strong>Material and methods:</strong> Twenty patients (12 women and 8 men, age 59-87) participated in open and semi-structured interviews, both pre- and post-treatment. All the interviews were recorded, listened to, and transcribed verbatim, after which the content was analyzed thematically. <strong>Results:</strong> For most respondents, tooth loss represented, first of all, difficulty chewing and eating. Some patients have not accepted the loss of their teeth and felt sadness and shame. Other patients have adapted to their dentures, through acceptance. Regarding expectations, patients expressed very high expectations, especially for the stability and adjustment of dentures, and also for a better appearance. The majority of respondents showed great satisfaction with treatment outcomes; their expectations were met, and the dentures did provide functional benefits. Patients also believed that a trusting relationship between the dentist and the patient plays a fundamental role in treatment outcomes, and they reported that currently dentists are more open to dialogue with their patients. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Confidence between the dentist and the patient plays a fundamental role in their evaluation of the treatment outcomes.</p>

<p>Fifteen years ago, as a response to its rapidly aging population, Brazil was the first country to recognize gerodontology as a dental specialty. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the outcomes of this change by examining the increase in number of advanced gerodontology-trained dentists and identifying the volume of gerodontology-related research that has been published. The Brazilian Dental Board web site was searched in order to verify the number of specialists in gerodontology and their geographic distribution. In order to provide a quantitative assessment of the number of gerodontology-related graduate programs generated since the specialty was recognized, three sites were searched: a) the government database for post-graduate theses, which compiles all theses and dissertations completed as part of the requirements of accredited post-graduate courses in Brazil; b) the Brazilian Dental Library (Biblioteca Brasileira de Odontologia, BBO), which compiles papers published in Portuguese; and c) the PubMed database. Recognizing gerodontology as a dental specialty in Brazil required advanced training programs to be developed in geriatrics and gerodontology. The current number of specialists in gerodontology (276) is still lower than the needs of the Brazilian dental workforce.. Recognition of the specialty seems to have resulted in a significant increase in gerodontology-related research; however, this growth coincides with an overall increase in research in Brazil and is less extensive than for other specialties, which were recognized at the same time. More still needs to be done to add  gerodontology to dental school curricula, even though a significant number of schools do teach the discipline.</p>

Purpose: This study aimed to validate an ageism scale for dental students in Switzerland. Methods: The original scale was first translated to German and then evaluated by 14 experts for relevance; four items were eliminated. Validation of the resulting questionnaire was performed at three Swiss dental schools. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed; Cronbach's alpha (α) was used to assess the internal consistency reliability, and Pearson's coefficient to identify any correlations with demographic parameters (P < 0.05). Results: PCA revealed 11 items among 4 factors (Overall: 11 items, α = 0.63, variance = 56.6%; Factor #1 (F1): items = 3, α = 0.64; Factor #2 (F2): items = 3, α = 0.42; Factor #3 (F3): items = 3, α = 0.35; Factor #4 (F4): items = 2, α = 0.37). F1 and F4 were correlated with clinical experience (F1: P = 0.042; F4: P = 0.006) and participation in a gerodontology course (F1: P = 0.021; F4: P = 0.004). F1 was correlated with experience of dealing with the elderly (P = 0.031), while residence locality was correlated with F3 (P = 0.047) and F4 (P = 0.043). F2 was correlated with the presence of elderly in the family (P = 0.047). Conclusion:The translated dental ageism questionnaire for Switzerland resulted in an 11-item scale with acceptable reliability.

The negative effects of chronic and excessive consumption of alcohol on bone metabolism are reported in the literature. Alcoholism causes a reduction in bone quality and delays fracture repair, among other deleterious effects. However, its effect on osseointegration in dental implants is not fully established. The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of prolonged and excessive consumption of alcohol on osseointegration in rats. Thirty-five female rats, 3 months of age, were divided into five groups according to alcohol consumption period: control (no alcohol), and 3, 4, 5, and 6 months of alcohol consumption. All animals received solid food ad libitum. At 8 months of age, all animals received a dental implant in the right femur, and euthanasia was performed 1 month after the implant placement (final n = 27). Quantification of the percentage of bone-implant direct contact was performed by histomorphometry. Serum levels of calcium and phosphate were also measured. The groups that consumed alcohol for longer periods presented decreased percentages of bone-implant direct contact. The difference was higher in implants apical region. Alcohol consumption did not affect serum calcium levels but raised the level of serum phosphate. Alcohol consumption increased caloric intake but also increased weight loss. It was concluded that chronic and excessive consumption of alcohol can impair osseointegration in rats.

Alcohol intake and estrogen deficiency can both affect bone physiology and have shown to have an adverse effect on dental implant therapy. However, the combination of both factors on osseointegration is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate osseointegration in rats fed with alcohol and presenting induced estrogen deficiency. Ninety-six female rats were divided according to diet and hormonal condition into 6 groups as follows: group Sh-W: sham (simulated ovariectomy) control, food and water ad libitum; group Sh-Et: sham, food and 20% ethanol solution ad libitum; group Sh-Su: sham, food and sucrose solution controlled to ensure an isocaloric diet in relation to Sh-Et; group Ov-W: ovariectomy, food and water ad libitum; group Ov-Et: ovariectomy, food and 20% ethanol solution ad libitum; and group Ov-Su: ovariectomy, food and sucrose solution controlled to ensure an isocaloric diet as Ov-Et. The groups were subdivided according to time of euthanasia: 30 and 45 days after placement of implants. Implant surgery was performed 1 month after ovariectomy or sham. After euthanasia, the femurs were removed and evaluated by histomorphometry. Groups Ov-Et and Ov-Su showed the lowest percentage of bone-to-implant contact. The combination of alcohol intake and estrogen deficiency, and the combination of estrogen deficiency and reduced ingestion of food can negatively affect osseointegration in rats.

Elderly patients generally use several types of medication, some of which may cause oral side effects. Aim: To investigate the oral side effects caused by medication in an elderly sample. Methods: Three hundred patients were interviewed about their use of medication and were divided in two groups: institutionalized (n=150) and community-dwelling (n=150) elderly. Results: The most used drugs were antihypertensives (53%) for community-dwelling elders and antiulceratives (76%) for the institutionalized ones. The more prevalent side effects were taste alterations that occurred in 19%, dry mouth in 17% and teeth staining in 2%. Conclusions: A high prevalence of oral side effects from medications used by the elderly was found in this study. The health professionals should be aware of the possible side effects caused by prescribed medications.