No abstract

Tib urcio-Machado CS, Michelon C, Zanatta FB, Gomes MS, Marin JA, Bier CA. The global prevalence of apical periodontitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background/Aim Dental trauma is a public health issue with a high prevalence in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge of dentists in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, of the management of traumatic dental injuries, using the International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) Guidelines as a reference. Materials and Methods An electronic questionnaire investigating personal and professional characteristics and 12 questions about dento‐alveolar trauma, was sent to all registered dentists of the Regional Council of Dentistry of Rio Grande do Sul (n=14 753). The respondents were grouped according to the sociodemographic and professional profiles and the data were evaluated by the Student‐T test or one‐way ANOVA, with Tukey's post‐hoc, with α = 5%. Results A total of 1414 dentists responded to the survey (9.59% response rate). The overall mean self‐reported knowledge of dental trauma was 5.87 ± 1.57, of a maximum possible score of 12. Some factors associated with a higher knowledge of the IADT guidelines were: female gender, previous clinical experience, years from qualification, self‐reported knowledge, and academic postgraduate degree. Dentists who are specialized in endodontics (6.58 ± 1.63) and pediatric dentistry (6.05 ± 1.44) achieved higher levels of knowledge on dental trauma. Analysis of the characteristics (gender, location, and proportion of specialists) of the respondents confirmed that they were representative of the target population. Conclusion The overall level of knowledge of dentists from Rio Grande do Sul of the IADT guidelines is moderate. These results highlight the need for continuing education on dento‐alveolar trauma in this population.

Aim To evaluate whether the presence of apical periodontitis (AP), root canal treatment (RCT) and endodontic burden (EB) – as the sum of AP and RCT sites – were associated with long-term risk of incident cardiovascular events (CVE), including cardiovascular-related mortality, using data on participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Methodology This retrospective cohort included 278 dentate participants in the BLSA with complete medical and dental examinations. Periodontal disease (PD) and missing teeth were recorded. Total number of AP and RCT sites was determined from panoramic radiographs. EB was calculated as the sum of AP and RCT sites. Oral inflammatory burden (OIB) was calculated combining PD and EB. The main outcome was, incident CVE including angina, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular-related death. Participants were monitored for up to 44 years (mean=17.4±11.1 years) following dental examination. Relative Risks (RR) were calculated through Poisson regression models, estimating the relationship between AP, RCT, EB, PD, OIB and incident CVE. Results Mean age at baseline was 55.0±16.8 years and 51.4% were men. Sixty two participants (22.3%) developed CVE. Bivariate analysis showed that PD, EB, number of teeth and OIB were associated with incident CVE. Multivariate models, adjusted for socio-demographic and medical variables, showed that age≥60 years (RR=3.07, 95%CI=1.68-5.62), hypertension (RR=2.0, 95%CI=1.16-3.46) and EB≥3 (RR=1.77, 95%CI=1.04-3.02) were independently associated with incident CVE. The association between OIB and incident CVE was reduced to non-significance after adjustments (RR=1.97, 95%CI=0.83-4.70). Conclusions EB in mid-life was an independent predictor of CVE among community-dwelling participants in the BLSA. Prospective studies are required to evaluate cardiovascular risk reduction with the treatment of AP.

Hartmann RC, Fensterseifer M, Peters OA, de Figueiredo JAP , Gomes MS, Rossi-Fedele G.Methods for measurement of root canal curvature: a systematic and critical review.

The OIB - higher levels of EB in periodontal patients - was independently associated with poor physical fitness in males.

Periodontal disease may be considered a risk indicator for poor physical fitness in males.

Teichert-Filho R, Baldasso CN, Campos MM, Gomes MS. Protective device to reduce aerosol dispersion in dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. International