This study evaluated the efficacy of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and aluminum hydroxide (AH) in the prevention of oral mucositis (OM). A prospective, comparative and non-randomized study was conducted with 25 patients with head and neck cancer subjected to radiotherapy (RT) or radiochemotherapy (RCT). Twelve patients received LLLT (830 nm, 15 mW, 12 J/cm²) daily from the 1st day until the end of RT before each sessions during 5 consecutive days, and the other 13 patients received AH 310 mg/5 mL, 4 times/day, also throughout the duration of RT, including weekends. OM was measured using an oral toxicity scale (OTS) and pain was measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS). EORTC questionnaires were administered to the evaluate impact of OM on quality of life. The LLLT group showed lower mean OTS and VAS scores during the course of RT. A significant difference was observed in pain evaluation in the 13th RT session (p=0.036). In both groups, no interruption of RT was needed. The prophylactic use of both treatments proposed in this study seems to reduce the incidence of severe OM lesions. However, the LLLT was more effective in delaying the appearance of severe OM.
Inherited dental malformations constitute a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders. Here, we report on four families, three of them consanguineous, with an identical phenotype, characterized by significant short stature with brachyolmia and hypoplastic amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) with almost absent enamel. This phenotype was first described in 1996 by Verloes et al. as an autosomal recessive form of brachyolmia associated with AI. Whole-exome sequencing resulted in the identification of recessive hypomorphic mutations including deletion, nonsense and splice mutations, in the LTBP3 gene, which is involved in the TGF-beta signaling pathway. We further investigated gene expression during mouse development and tooth formation. Differentiated ameloblasts synthesizing enamel matrix proteins and odontoblasts expressed the gene. Study of an available knockout mouse model showed that the mutant mice displayed very thin to absent enamel in both incisors and molars, hereby recapitulating the AI phenotype in the human disorder.
A população LGBTQIA+ ainda hoje sofre com o preconceito e estigma, o que pode dificultar o acesso aos serviços de saúde, aumentando a presença de morbidades neste grupo. O objetivo deste estudo foi realizar uma revisão de literatura com dois enfoques: o acesso aos serviços de saúde e odontológicos por pacientes LGBTQIA+ e quais as medidas educacionais que estão sendo implementadas com alunos dos cursos de Odontologia para diminuir o estigma sobre essa população e universalizar o acesso ao tratamento odontológico. Foi realizada uma revisão de literatura de estudos publicados entre 1995 e 2020 nas bases de dados PubMed, SciELO e Google Scholar. Foram selecionados 19 artigos, relatando principalmente aspectos das experiências de acesso à saúde bucal por pacientes LGBTQIA+; a experiência dos alunos de graduação em Odontologia com essa população; a inserção de atividades focadas na desmistificação desta população em cursos de graduação e o suporte fornecido pelas instituições de ensino aos alunos que se identificam como LGBTQIA+. Apenas dois estudos foram conduzidos no Brasil. Existem evidências provenientes principalmente de estudos internacionais para afirmar que a população LGBTQIA+ possui menor acesso aos serviços de saúde e há uma falta de preparo formal dos alunos de graduação para o atendimento destas pessoas.
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