The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the factors associated with the impact of oral health on the quality of life in a sample of 504 Brazilian independent elderly. Data collection included oral examinations and structured interviews. The simplified form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to measure OHRQoL. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, use of dental services, and subjective measures of health was collected. Poisson regression within a hierarchical model was used to data analyses. The following variables were associated with a negative impact on OHRQoL: female gender (PR = 1.40; CI 95%: 1.11–1.77); lower class (PR = 1.58; CI 95%: 1.13–2.20); up to 3 occluding pairs of posterior teeth (PR = 1.88; CI 95%: 1.13–3.14); at least one untreated caries (PR = 1.28; CI 95%: 1.06–1.54); curative reasons for the last dental appointment (PR = 1.52; CI 95%: 1.15–2.00); poor self-perception of oral health (PR = 2.49; CI 95%: 1.92–3.24); and poor perception of dental care provided (PR = 1.34; CI 95%: 1.12–1.59). The younger elderly also noticed this negative impact. These findings showed that the clinical, sociodemographic, and subjective factors evaluated exerted a negative impact on OHRQoL in elderly people. Health authorities must address all these factors when planning interventions on oral health for this population.

This study evaluated the correlation between the presence of black extrinsic tooth stains and caries in Brazilian schoolchildren. The target population consisted of 263 children aged 6-12 years. Clinical examinations were performed by four dentists calibrated for the World Health Organization criteria for caries diagnosis. The c(2) test was used to compare the prevalence of caries between groups of children with and without black tooth stains. Spearman's correlation test was used to analyze the relationship between the presence of black stains and caries severity. Black stains were observed in 14.8% of the children. The number of children with caries-free permanent dentition was not statistically different between groups. The mean DMF-T was 1.46 +/- 1.39 for children with black stains and 2.42 +/- 2.09 for children without black stains. A negative correlation was observed between the presence (r = -0.16; p<0.05) and severity (r = -0.15; p<0.01) of black stains and DMF-T.

Objective: This study used the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) method to evaluate the percentage of antioxidant activity (%AA) of green tea (GT) and sodium ascorbate (SA) gel in three concentrations (10%, 20% and 30%), and the influence of these concentrations on the microshear bond strength (μ-SBT) values of bleached enamel, using 10% carbamide peroxide (CP). Materials and methods: Eighty intact third molars were selected to perform the μ-SBT test, and were randomly divided into eight experimental groups: G1: positive control – no treatment; G2: negative control – bleached with CP; G3: PC +10% GT; G4: PC +20% GT; G5: PC +30% GT; G6: PC +10% SA; G7: PC +20% SA and G8: PC +30% SA. After applying the treatments, adhesive procedures were performed using Single Bond 2 and Filtek Z350XT. After 24 h, the samples were tested in a universal testing machine until fracture. The %AA was assessed in triplicate by DDPH method using a UV–VIS spectrophotometer. Results: In the μ-SBT, ANOVA revealed no significant difference between the antioxidants evaluated (p = .625), but did reveal significant effects of the concentrations studied (p = .007). A negative correlation was observed between μ-SBT and solution concentrations. The values of %AA were from 90.58 to 96.75. Conclusions: The reverse results occurred in μ-SBT values, only when the antioxidants were used in a 10% concentration and, %AA did not influence μ-SBT.

Aim. The aim of the present paper was to evaluate the genotypic diversity of S. mutans in caries-free and caries-active preschool children in Brazil. Design. Twenty-eight preschool children were examined regarding caries experience by the dmft index. DNA from 280 isolates of S. mutans was extracted. S. mutans evaluated using to the PCR method, with primers for the glucosyltransferase gene. The genetic diversity of S. mutans isolates was analyzed by arbitrary primed-PCR (AP-PCR) reactions. The differences between the diversity genotypic and dmft/caries experience were evaluated by χ2 test and Spearman's correlation. Results. The Spearman correlation test showed a strong association between genotypic diversity and caries experience (r = 0.72; P < .001). There were more S. mutans genotypes in the group of preschool children with dental caries, compared with the caries-free group. Among the children with more than 1 genotype, 13 had dental caries (2 to 5 genotypes) and 4 were caries-free (only 2 genotypes). Conclusion. Our results support the previous findings of genetic diversity of S. mutans in preschool children being associated with dental caries. The investigation of such populations may be important for directing the development of programs for caries prevention worldwide.

The findings of this study suggest that mothers may play an important role on the establishment of their children dietary preferences and patterns of dental health. Also, that the socio-economic status may influence children's preference for sugar.