The impact of dental caries and its treatment by conventional or biological approaches on the oral health-related quality of life of children and carers

Background The effect of untreated dental caries and the approaches taken to its treatment have not been extensively elucidated in children. Aim To investigate the impact of untreated dental caries on children aged 4–9 years and whether its treatment with either a conventional or a biological approach influenced the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of the children and their carers. Design Children (n = 110) and their carers attending two specialist centres for treatment of carious primary teeth completed the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale and the Self-reported Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old Children at baseline prior to dental treatment and at 3–6 months following completion of dental care. Dental treatment was provided using either a conventional or a biological approach. Results Dental caries showed a negative impact on the child and family's OHRQoL (P = 0.001). Children reported difficulty eating (55.5%), sleeping (40%), and avoiding smiling because of how the teeth looked (27.3%). More than half of the parents reported their child had toothache. Parents perceived difficulty eating (40.9%), being irritable (38.2%), and difficulty drinking (30.9%) as being impacts of caries on their child's OHRQoL. In addition, approximately half the parents reported feeling a sense of guilt because of their child's dental disease. Following dental treatment, participants reported significant improvement in their overall health status (P = 0.001). Children's age, gender, or the treatment approach were not statistically significantly associated with changes in OHRQoL of the child or carer. Children and parents who initially reported greater impacts of untreated dental caries demonstrated greater improvements in their overall oral health status (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Dental caries was associated with negative impacts on children and parents' quality of life. Treatment of caries improved the quality of life of children and families significantly, irrespective of whether the treatment was provided by a conventional or a biological approach

Allelic frequencies and statistical data obtained from 12 codis STR loci in an admixed population of the Brazilian Amazon

The allelic frequencies of 12 short tandem repeat loci were obtained from a sample of 307 unrelated individuals living in Macapá, a city in the northern Amazon region, Brazil. These loci are the most commonly used in forensics and paternity testing. Based on the allele frequency obtained for the population of Macapá, we estimated an interethnic admixture for the three parental groups (European, Native American and African) of, respectively, 46%, 35% and 19%. Comparing these allele frequencies with those of other Brazilian populations and of the Iberian Peninsula population, no significant distances were observed. The interpopulation genetic distances (FST coefficients) to the present database ranged from FST = 0.0016 between Macapá and Belém to FST = 0.0036 between Macapá and the Iberian Peninsula