Traditional oral health educational actions were effective in reducing plaque, but not gingivitis. There is no long-term evidence in respect of the effectiveness of these interventions in preventing plaque accumulation, gingivitis and dental caries in the school environment.

Background Asthma is a chronic disease that involves several healthcare services that need attention in relation to its treatment and prevention. Aim The objective of this study was to evaluate caries, erosion, and enamel defects in children with and without asthma. Design Cross‐sectional study, with a sample of 228 children ages 6‐12 years, stratified as asthmatic (n = 112) and non‐asthmatic (n = 116), at two Primary Health Units of the Community Health Service, Brazil. The evaluation consisted of an oral examination and a structured interview with parents/guardians, in addition to data from medical records. Data were analysed by Poisson regression with a robust error variance, all of them at a level of significance of P < 0.05. Results Of 112 asthmatic children, 63 (51.2%) had dental caries and 25 (53.2%) enamel defects. In the adjusted analysis, dental caries and use of salbutamol were associated (PR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.01‐1.72). In addition, children who performed oral hygiene more than three times a day showed a greater prevalence (PR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.02‐4.85) of dental erosion compared with children who performed it only once a day. Conclusions There is no evidence for an association between asthma, caries, erosion, and enamel defect in children aged from 6 to 12 years. There was, however, an association between dental caries and use of salbutamol.

Resumo A Política Nacional de Saúde Bucal aponta como pressuposto qualificar a Atenção Básica e adequar o processo de trabalho ao novo modelo de atenção à saúde. Objetiva-se investigar a associação entre a formação profissional dos Cirurgiões-Dentistas em Saúde da Família e o processo de trabalho. Estudo transversal, multicêntrico, com 18.114 Equipes de Saúde Bucal que aderiram ao segundo ciclo do Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e da Qualidade da Atenção Básica. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas, através de instrumento estruturado. Profissionais com formação em Saúde da Família compartilham mais sua agenda com os outros profissionais da Atenção Básica (RP: 1,04; IC de 95%: 1,03 – 1,06), organizam mais a agenda para ofertar atividades educativas de Saúde Bucal (RP: 1,03; IC de 95%: 1,02 – 1,04), garantem conclusão de tratamento dos usuários mais frequentemente (OR: 1,68; IC de 95%: 1,19 – 2,38), realizam mais visitas domiciliares (RP: 1,08; IC de 95%: 1,07 – 1,09) e utilizam mais protocolos para definição de ações prioritárias (RP: 1,06; IC de 95%:1,04 – 1,07). Investir em formação em Saúde da Família pode ser importante, portanto, para a efetivação de mudanças no modelo de atenção à Saúde Bucal, o qual ainda é pouco preocupado no cuidado integral.

Objective: To assess the relationship between asthma, malocclusion and mouth breathing. Material and Methods: This investigation was a cross-sectional study of 228 children between 6 and 12 years of age, of whom 112 were asthmatic and 116 were not, performed in two Primary Health Units of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The assessment consisted of a mouth exam performed by two calibrated dentists, an interview with parents/caregivers and medical chart data. Mouth breathing was determined through oral-facial changes related to Mouth Breathing Syndrome. Occlusion was assessed according to Angle's Classification for permanent or mixed teeth and regarding primary teeth were based on the canine relationships. The data were assessed by the Chi-square test and Poisson regression, with robust variation, at a p<0.05 significant level. Results: Asthma [PR = 2.12 (95% CI: 1.46-3.08), p<0.001] and the use of pacifiers [PR = 1.98 (95% CI: 1.27-3.07), p<0.001] were associated with mouth breathing, in the final multivariate model. Age [PR = 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00-1.03), p=0.039] and thumb sucking [PR = 1.08 (95% CI: 1.03-1.13), p=0.001] were associated with malocclusion in the final multivariate model, while there was no relationship between asthma and malocclusion (PR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.94-1.07). Conclusion: This study provides evidence of the relationship between asthma and mouth breathing in children, demonstrating that knowledge regarding the oral health of populations with chronic diseases is fundamental for developing health programmes suitable to their needs and risks.