Childhood dental caries experience in northern Spain: a cross-sectional study

Purpose This study aimed to describe the caries experience in primary and permanent dentition of schoolchildren from a sample taken in public schools in Bilbao, to identify the most vulnerable child population, and compare them with the findings obtained by the Children's Dental Care Programme in the region of the Basque Country (Spain). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a representative sample (n = 1682) of children from 5-year-old early childhood education classes and the first- and second-year elementary classes in public schools in Bilbao. The dependent variable was the caries experience determined through oral examinations carried out by a single dentist. On the other hand, independent variables were measured through questionnaires completed by families, with help from teachers as appropriate. In the statistical analysis, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests, as well as two logistic regressions, were performed, and the significance level was set at alpha = 0.05 for decision making. Results The mean (SD) values of dft, DMFT, DMFS and DMFT of first permanent molars scores were 1.25 +/- 2.20, 0.16 +/- 0.61, 0.20 +/- 0.90 and 0.15 +/- 0.57, respectively. Compared to the findings in the most recent PADI report, the schoolchildren in our sample had slightly greater experience of dental caries in primary dentition and much greater experience in permanent dentition. Conclusion The dft index of the primary dentition for the current sample is 1.25, while the DMFT index for the permanent dentition is 0.16. Among pupils in early childhood and elementary education in public schools in Bilbao, children from families with low socioeconomic status and educational attainment are most vulnerable to developing caries.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. JF-B received a grant from Bilbao City Council to carry out this study (2015-061533)

Ingurumen-zarata eta osasuna

Lan honek zaratak pertsonen osasunean duen eraginaren inguruko ebidentzia zientifikoa biltzea du helburu. Bertan aztergai izan dira zaratak sistema kardiobaskularrean eta, zehazki, hipertentsioan eta bihotzeko gaixotasunetan duen eragina, gaixotasun metabolikoekin duen erlazioa, loaren kalitate subjektibo zein objektiboa eta baita minbizia garatzeko arriskua. Gainera, zarataren ondorio psikologiko eta kognitiboak ere ikertu dira. Haurtzaroari arreta berezia eskaini zaio, talde zaurgarria denez gero. Zarataren mekanismoari dagokionez, badirudi zaratak sortzen duen kalteak HPA ardatzaren eta sistema sinpatikoaren aktibazioa dakarrela, eta horrekin batera estresaren hormonen eta estres oxidatiboaren areagotzea eta hantura. Egungo ebidentzietan oinarrituta, beharrezkotzat jotzen da osasun publikoaren alde epe luzeko estrategiak eta araudiak garatzea.; This work aims to gather scientific evidence about the impact of noise on public health. The effect of noise on the cardiovascular system and specifically on hypertension and heart disease, its relation to metabolic diseases, the subjective or objective quality of sleep, and the risk of developing cancer, have been examined. The psychological and cognitive effects of noise have also been investigated. Special attention has been paid to childhood as a vulnerable group. As for the noise mechanism, the noise damage appears to be due to the HPA axis and ac-tivation of the sympathetic system due to stress hormones, oxidative stress and inflammation. Based on current evidence, the development of long-term strategies and directive policies for public health is considered necessary

Does exposure to greenness improve children's neuropsychological development and mental health? A Navigation Guide systematic review of observational evidence for associations

[EN] Background: Contact with nature may have a key role in child brain development. Recent observational studies have reported improvements in children's neuropsychological development and mental health associated with greenness exposure. In a rapidly urbanizing word, researchers, policymakers, healthcare workers and urban planners need to work together to elaborate evidence-based policies and interventions to increase the availability of quality green space with the potential to enhance childhood development. Objective: To review the observational evidence assessing the effect of exposure to greenness on children's neuropsychological development and mental health. Methods: The protocol for the review was preregistered at PROSPERO (CRD42020213838). The Navigation Guide systematic review methodology was followed. Search strategies were formulated and adapted to each database. Searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCO's GreenFILE on October 5, 2021. Additional articles were further identified by hand-searching reference lists of included papers. Results: A systematic search of 4 databases identified 621 studies, of which 34 were included in the review. The studies included investigated diverse domains within neuropsychological development and mental health, such as attention, working memory, intelligence, cognitive development, academic performance, well-being, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, and behavior. Most of the studies were rated as having high or probably high risk of bias in the assessment. Discussion: Although nearly all studies showed a positive association between greenness exposure and the outcomes studied, the heterogeneity in the methods used to assess exposure and the diversity of domains within each main outcome has made it difficult to draw clear conclusions. Future studies should adopt a longitudinal design to confirm the causality of the associations and include measures to determine which characteristics of greenness have the greatest influence on each domain. Researchers should also try to explore pathways linking exposure to greenness with the neuropsychological development and mental health, by implementing mechanistic studies.This study was funded by a grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS-PI18/01237 include FEDER funds)

Hortzetako txantxarra: etiopatogeniaren garapena eta osasun publikoaren erronka

Knowledge about the etiopathogenesis of dental caries has advanced a great deal in recent decades. Nevertheless, the disease remains a great challenge for public health. It is necessary to continue the research and implement new preventive strategies, especially in the most vulnerable communities, taking into account the sociodemographic factors that influence the onset of the disease. Currently, the individual preventive strategy is not effective to deal with caries inequalities. Dental caries experience has decreased in recent decades with the implementation of the PADI program and the fluoridation of waters in the region of the Basque Country, being among the best in Europe. However, lower social classes still have much higher caries experience than the rest. That is why it is very important that, if the Basque Government finally stops the fluoridation of water, methodologically rigorous studies are carried out to evaluate the impact of this measure, especially on vulnerable groups.; Hortzetako txantxarraren etiopatogeniari buruzko ezagutzak asko aurreratu dira azken hamarkadetan, baina gaixotasunak osasun publikoarentzat erronka handia izaten jarraitzen du. Beharrezkoa da ikerketarekin jarraitzea eta prebentzio-estrategia berriak ezartzea, batez ere komunitate ahulenetan, gaixotasuna sorrarazten duten faktore soziodemografikoak kontuan hartuta. Gaur egun jarraitzen den estrategia prebentibo indibiduala ez da eragikorra txantxarrak sortzen dituen desberdintasunei aurre egiteko. Azken hamarkadetan aho-hortzetako txantxarren indizeak jaitsi egin dira Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoan, PADI programari eta uren fluorizazioari esker; gaur egun Europako onenen artean daude. Hala ere, klase sozial baxuenek besteek baino indize askoz handiagoak dituzte. Hori dela eta, oso garrantzitsua da Eusko Jaurlaritzak, azkenean uraren fluorizazioa bertan behera uzten badu, azterketa metodologiko zorrotzak egitea erabaki horren eragina neurtzeko, bereziki talde ahuletan

Is Brief Exposure to Green Space in School the Best Option to Improve Attention in Children?

The positive effects of Green Spaces on health are thought to be achieved through the mechanisms of mitigation, instoration and restoration. One of the benefits of Green Spaces may be the restoration of attention and so the objective of this research is testing empirically whether exposure to a green environment improves attention in school children. For so doing, we first used a split-unit statistical design in each of four schools, then combined the primary results via meta-analysis. The Attention Network Test (ANT) was used to measure attention before and after exposure and a total of 167 seven-year-old students participated in the experiments. Overall, our experimental results do not support the hypothesis that students’ exposure to activities in green vs. grey spaces affected their performance in ANT. This was so despite the fact that neither age nor gender biases have been detected and despite that our experiments have been proved to be sufficiently statistically powerful. It would be advisable to consider air pollution and noise. We also recommend that participants attend the experiment with mental exhaustion to maximize the ability to detect significant changes.This research was funded by KUTXA FUNDAZIOA, grant number KUTXA18/001

Air quality assessment in urban areas of Gipuzkoa (Spain)

Objectives: To evaluate the air quality to which a population of 90,000 inhabitants in the province of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain) is exposed. The population resides in a periurban environment, where industrial activity (11 iron and steel foundries) is scattered among residential areas. Methods: Throughout 2006 and 2007, levels of particulate matter less than 2.5 mm in diameter (PM 2.5 ) were quantified and levels of trace elements in PM 2.5 fraction [cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn)] were analyzed. The samples were gathered in seven sampling sites using three high-volume Digitel DAH 80 samplers. Annual and seasonal variability were evaluated for the various contaminants in each valley and PM 10 and PM 2.5 samples were also gathered at the same site for a month, with the goal of analyzing the composition of trace elements in each particle size. Finally, the results were compared with those obtained from the same study area by the Basque Government Air Quality Network equipment. Results: The observed PM 2.5 concentrations (12.2-28.9 mg/m 3 ) were similar to those described in urban environments in large European cities, while mean trace element concentrations were significantly higher. The Mn levels observed in all three valleys indicated the influence of the steel and metal industries on air quality. Conclusion: The finding that levels of particulate matter and trace elements in the study area were similar to or higher than those found in metropolitan areas has implications for the evaluation of health risks in populations far from large population centers. & 2009 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Españ a, S.L. All rights reserved. Evaluació n de la calidad del aire en medios urbanos de Gipuzkoa Palabras clave: Exposició n ambiental PM 2.5 PM 10 Metales Calidad del aire R E S U M E N Objetivo: El objetivo del estudio es evaluar la calidad del aire a la que está expuesta una població n de 90.000 habitantes de Gipuzkoa que residen en un entorno periurbano, donde las actividades industriales (11 industrias siderometalú rgicas) se entremezclan con zonas residenciales en la propia trama urbana. Métodos: Se cuantificaron las concentraciones de partículas de 2,5 mm de diá metro (PM 2.5 ) y se analizaron los elementos traza asociados a PM 2.5 : cadmio (Cd), arsé nico (As), manganeso (Mn), cobre (Cu), cromo (Cr), níquel (Ni), hierro (Fe), plomo (Pb), mercurio (Hg) y zinc (Zn) a lo largo de 2006 y 2007. Las muestras se recogieron a partir de 3 captadores de alto volumen DIGITEL Modelo DAH 80 en 7 puntos de muestreo. Se analizó la variabilidad anual así como la variabilidad estacional de los diferentes contaminantes en cada valle. Asimismo, se recogieron muestras de PM 10 y PM 2.5 con equipos similares durante un mes y en el mismo sitio para analizar la composició n de los elementos traza en las diferentes fracciones PM 10 y PM 2.5 . Por ú ltimo, los resultados fueron comparados con los de los equipos de la Red de Calidad del Aire del Gobierno Vasco ubicados en la misma á rea de estudio. Resultados: Las concentraciones de PM 2.5 observadas (12.2-28.9 mg/m 3 ) fueron similares a las descritas en entornos urbanos de grandes ciudades europeas. Las concentraciones medias de elementos traza, en cambio, superaron con gran diferencia a las de las ciudades europeas. Las concentraciones de Mn encontradas en los tres valles indican la influencia de la industria siderometalú rgica en la calidad del aire. Conclusión: Los resultados de partículas y elementos traza encontrados en el á rea de estudio presentan valores similares o superiores a las á reas metropolitanas, lo cual tiene implicaciones en la valoració n del riesgo en la salud de entornos apartados de los grandes nú cleos de població n. & 2009 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier Españ a, S.L. Todos los derechos reservados

Urinary Arsenic Species and Methylation Efficiency During Pregnancy: Concentrations and Associated Factors in Spanish Pregnant Women

Background: Arsenic (As) is considered to be toxic for humans, the main routes of exposure being through drinking water and the diet. Once ingested, inorganic arsenic can be methylated sequentially to monomethyl and dimethyl arsenicals. Several factors can affect both As exposure and methylation efficiency. Objectives: To describe the urinary concentrations of the different As species and evaluate the methylation effi-ciency during pregnancy, as well as their associated factors in a birth cohort of pregnant Spanish women. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional study were 1017 pregnant women from two areas of Spain who had taken part in the INMA (Environment and Childhood) project (2003 & ndash;2008). Total As (organic and inorganic compounds) and its main metabolites (monomethylarsonic acid, [MMA], dimethylarsinic acid, [DMA], inorganic As [iAs]) and arsenobetaine [AB]) were measured in urine samples collected during the first trimester. Socio-demographic and dietary information was collected through questionnaires. Multivariate linear regression models were used to explore the association between As species concentrations and covariates. Arsenic methylation efficiency was determined through the percentages of the metabolites and using As methylation phenotypes, obtained from principal component analysis. Results: Median urine concentrations were 33.0, 21.6, 6.5, 0.35 and 0.33 lig/g creatinine for total As, AB, DMA, MMA and iAs, respectively. Daily consumption of rice and seafood during the first trimester of pregnancy were positively associated with the concentration of As species (i.e., beta [CI95%] = 0.36 [0.09, 0.64] for rice and iAs, and 1.06 [0.68, 1.44] for seafood and AB). TAs, AB and iAs concentrations, and DMA and MMA concentrations were associated with legume and vegetable consumption, respectively. The medians of the percentage of As metabolites were 89.7 for %DMA, 5.1 for %MMA and 4.7 for %iAs. Non-smoker women and those with higher body mass index presented a higher methylation efficiency (denoted by a higher %DMA and lower %MMA). Discussion: Certain dietary, lifestyle, and environmental factors were observed to have an influence on both As species concentrations and methylation efficiency in our population. Further birth cohort studies in low exposure areas are necessary to improve knowledge about arsenic exposure, especially to inorganic forms, and its potential health impact during childhood.This study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain [FIS-FEDER: 07/0314; FIS 11/01007, 13/1944, 16/1288, 19/1338; Miguel Servet-FEDER: CP15/0025, CPII20/00006; FIS-FSE: 17/00260; Miguel Servet-FSE: MS15/0025, MS20/0006; PI06/0867 and FIS-PI18/01142 incl. FEDER funds] , Generalitat Valenciana, Spain BEST/2020/059, Department of Health of the Basque Government, Spain (2005111093) , Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/002) , and annual agreements with the municipalities in the study area (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia, Azpeitia and Beasain)

Early-Life Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution and Respiratory Health, Ear Infections, and Eczema in Infants from the INMA Study

Background: Prenatal and early-life periods may be critical windows for harmful effects of air pollution on infant health.Objectives: We studied the association of air pollution exposure during pregnancy and the first year of life with respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and eczema during the first 12–18 months of age in a Spanish birth cohort of 2,199 infants.Methods: We obtained parentally reported information on doctor-diagnosed lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) and parental reports of wheezing, eczema, and ear infections. We estimated individual exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and benzene with temporally adjusted land use regression models. We used log-binomial regression models and a combined random-effects meta-analysis to estimate the effects of air pollution exposure on health outcomes across the four study locations.Results: A 10-µg/m3 increase in average NO2 during pregnancy was associated with LRTI [relative risk (RR) = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.12] and ear infections (RR = 1.18; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.41). The RRs for an interquartile range (IQR) increase in NO2 were 1.08 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.21) for LRTI and 1.31 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.76) for ear infections. Compared with NO2, the association for an IQR increase in average benzene exposure was similar for LRTI (RR = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.19) and slightly lower for ear infections (RR = 1.17; 95% CI: 0.93, 1.46). Associations were slightly stronger among infants whose mothers spent more time at home during pregnancy. Air pollution exposure during the first year was highly correlated with prenatal exposure, so we were unable to discern the relative importance of each exposure period.Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that early-life exposure to ambient air pollution may increase the risk of upper and lower respiratory tract infections in infants

Prenatal Exposure to Residential Air Pollution and Infant Mental Development: Modulation by Antioxidants and Detoxification Factors

Background: Air pollution effects on children’s neurodevelopment have recently been suggested to occur most likely through the oxidative stress pathway

Nitrogen dioxide exposure, attentional function, and working memory in children from 4 to 8 years:Periods of susceptibility from pregnancy to childhood

Background: Air pollution exposure during pregnancy and childhood has been linked to executive function impairment in children, however, very few studies have assessed these two exposure periods jointly to identify susceptible periods of exposure. We sought to identify potential periods of susceptibility of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure from conception to childhood on attentional function and working memory in school-aged children.Methods: Within the Spanish INMA Project, we estimated residential daily NO2 exposures during pregnancy and up to 6 years of childhood using land use regression models (n = 1,703). We assessed attentional function at 4–6 years and 6–8 years, using the Conners Kiddie Continuous Performance Test and the Attention Network Test, respectively, and working memory at 6–8 years, using the N-back task. We used distributed lag non-linear models to assess the periods of susceptibility of each outcome, adjusting for potential confounders and correcting for multiple testing. We also stratified all models by sex. Results: Higher exposure to NO2 between 1.3 and 1.6 years of age was associated with higher hit reaction time standard error (HRT-SE) (0.14 ms (95 % CI 0.05; 0.22) per 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2) and between 1.5 and 2.2 years of age with more omission errors (1.02 (95 % CI 1.01; 1.03) of the attentional function test at 4–6 years. Higher exposure to NO2 between 0.3 and 2.2 years was associated with higher HRT-SE (10.61 ms (95 % CI 3.46; 17.75) at 6–8 years only in boys. We found no associations between exposure to NO2 and working memory at 6–8 years. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that NO2 exposure during the first two years of life is associated with poorer attentional function in children from 4 to 8 years of age, especially in boys. These findings highlight the importance of exploring long-term effects of traffic-related air pollution exposure in older age groups.</p