The present results indicate that the presence of extensive levels of gingivitis might be negatively associated with how children perceive their oral health and their daily life.

BackgroundDisparities in utilization of oral healthcare services have been attributed to socioeconomic and individual behavioral factors. Parents’ socioeconomic status, demographics, schooling, and perceptions of oral health may influence their children’s use of dental services. This cross-sectional study assessed the relationships between socioeconomic and psychosocial factors and the utilization of dental health services by children aged 1–5 years.MethodsData were collected through clinical exams and a structured questionnaire administered during the National Day of Children’s Vaccination. A Poisson regression model was used to estimate prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals.ResultsData were collected from a total of 478 children. Only 112 (23.68%) were found to have visited a dentist; 67.77% of those had seen the dentist for preventive care. Most (63.11%) used public rather than private services. The use of dental services varied according to parental socioeconomic status; children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those whose parents rated their oral health as “poor” used dental services less frequently. The reason for visiting the dentist also varied with socioeconomic status, in that children of parents with poor socioeconomic status and who reported their child’s oral health as “fair/poor” were less likely to have visited the dentist for preventive care.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that psychosocial and socioeconomic factors are important predictors of the utilization of dental care services.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the associations of gingival bleeding with individual and community social variables among schoolchildren. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated a representative, multistage, random sample of 1,134 12-year-old schoolchildren from Santa Maria, a city in southern Brazil. The participants were examined clinically, and full-mouth gingival bleeding was recorded according to the Community Periodontal Index criteria (scored as healthy or bleeding). The children's parents or guardians answered questions regarding their socioeconomic status and social capital, and an assessment of the associations was performed using multilevel Poisson regression models. Results: The prevalence of gingival bleeding was 96.21 percent. The multilevel adjusted assessment revealed that socioeconomic, clinical, and social capital variables at the individual level were associated with higher levels of gingival bleeding. Children whose fathers had a low educational level, children who had dental plaque and dental crowding, and children who never/almost never attended religious meetings exhibited significantly higher levels of gingival bleeding than their counterparts. This social gradient remained significant even after adjusting for contextual-level covariates. Conclusion:The results indicate that the socioeconomic status and features of social capital are associated with the levels of gingival bleeding among schoolchildren.

BackgroundTraditional methods to measure oral health based on clinical standards are limited because they do not consider psychosocial and functional aspects of oral health. It has been recommended that these measures need to be supplemented by data obtained from patients regarding their individual perceptions on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Happiness is a multidimensional construct comprising both emotional and cognitive domains, and has been defined as “the degree to which an individual judges the overall quality of his or her life as a whole favorably”. It has been associated with several health outcomes, including oral health. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of oral health conditions, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), and socioeconomic factors on the subjective happiness of Brazilian adolescents.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012 on a representative sample of 12-year-old schoolchildren in Santa Maria-RS, Brazil. The data were collected through dental examinations and structured interviews. The participants underwent an evaluation aimed at detecting dental caries, traumatic dental injuries, malocclusion, and gingival bleeding. They also completed the Brazilian versions of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire-short form (CPQ11–14 – ISF: 16) and the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), which was our outcome variable. Socioeconomic conditions were evaluated through a questionnaire that was completed by the participants’ parents. Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the association between the explanatory variables and the outcome. Moreover, a correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the SHS scores and the overall and domain scores of the CPQ11–14 –ISF: 16.ResultsA total of 1,134 children were evaluated. Unadjusted analyses showed that happiness was associated with socioeconomic indicators, the use of dental services, clinical status, and scores on the OHRQoL measure. After adjustment, household overcrowding (RR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.93-0.98), dental caries (RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97-0.99), malocclusion (RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96-0.99), and the severity associated with the CPQ11-14 (RR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.93-0.97) still showed a significant association with lower levels of the mean SHS score.ConclusionsHappiness is influenced by oral conditions, socioeconomic status, and OHRQoL.

Malocclusion had a negative impact on COHRQoL and happiness, mainly on the emotional and social domains.

Objectives To investigate the influence of oral health conditions, socioeconomic status and dental care utilization on subjective happiness and identify the factors associated with changes in happiness among adolescents. Methods Data were collected in 2012 and 2014. Oral health conditions were evaluated by performing clinical examinations; socioeconomic status and dental care utilization were assessed by using a questionnaire. The participants answered the Child Perceptions Questionnaire 11‐14 for the evaluation of the impact of these variables on oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL). Happiness was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Subjective Happiness Scale. For longitudinal data analysis, a mixed‐effect model of linear regression was used to assess the factors related to happiness and multinomial logistic regression to appraise prospective changes in happiness. Results A total of 1134 12‐year‐old adolescents were examined at baseline (response rate: 93%), and 770 were reevaluated after 2 years (retention rate: 68%). The adolescents who lived in households with lower equivalized income and greater overcrowding, had not visited the dentist in the later 6 months, had a higher number of cavitated carious lesions, and reported a higher impact on OHRQoL in 2012 presented lower happiness levels. Additionally, the adolescents with a higher number of decayed, missing or filled teeth and who reported a higher impact on OHRQoL were more likely to belong to the most unfavourable happiness trajectory categories. Conclusions The presence of dental caries, socioeconomic conditions, dental care utilization and OHRQoL influence happiness in adolescents. Having more teeth affected by dental caries and worse self‐perception in early adolescence can lead to a decrease in happiness.

Objetivo: avaliar a associação do nível socioeconômico da família e o grau de conhecimento dos pais sobre saúde bucal e a experiência de cárie e qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde bucal de escolares de 12 anos no município de Estação, RS. Métodos: a partir de um levantamento epidemiológico, 50 crianças (taxa de resposta: 81%) foram avaliadas por meio de exame clínico bucal, utilizando como critério de diagnóstico o índice de dentes permanentes cariados, perdidos e obturados (CPO-D), e entrevista estruturada, utilizando a versão brasileira reduzida do Child Perceptions Questionnaire 11-14 (CPQ 11-14), para medir o impacto das condições de saúde bucal na qualidade de vida. Os responsáveis responderam um questionário sobre condição socioeconômica da família, procura por atendimento odontológico e conhecimentos sobre saúde bucal. Foram considerados três desfechos distintos: experiência de cárie, presença de cárie não tratada e a severidade do CPQ 11-14. Resultados: a prevalência de cárie foi de 46%; desses, 24% possuíam pelo menos um dente com cavidade de cárie não tratada. A experiência de cárie e presença de lesões não tratadas foram associadas a fatores psicológicos, como a autopercepção em saúde bucal, e fatores socioeconômicos (possuir plano de saúde e tipo de serviço odontológico utilizado). Além disso, a autopercepção também se mostrou associada a fatores socioeconômicos e ao conhecimento dos pais sobre saúde bucal. Conclusão: fatores psicossociais, nível econômico da família e conhecimentos dos pais sobre saúde bucal estão associados à ocorrência de cárie e ao maior impacto na qualidade de vida em escolares.

A endodontia é a especialidade dentro da odontologia que se ocupa da prevenção, do diagnóstico e do tratamento de doenças ou lesões da polpa dental. Portanto, é imprescindível o conhecimento anatômico de cada elemento. É importante estar preparado para lidar com possíveis alterações anatômicas, já que 7,5% de pré-molares podem possuir três canais, número que vem crescendo ao longo dos anos. O objetivo deste estudo é relatar o caso de um tratamento endodôntico de um primeiro pré-molar superior com três canais radiculares, descrever a variação anatômica encontrada no primeiro pré-molar superior e discutir como se deve realizar o diagnóstico e o tratamento proposto para casos de primeiros pré-molares com três canais. O relato de caso clínico foi devidamente autorizado pelo paciente, e aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa. Conclui-se que, para não haver a persistência de infecção no sistema de canais radiculares, são necessários a correta identificação e o tratamento. Assim, aumentam-se os índices de sucesso nos tratamentos endodônticos.