Atendimento odontológico precoce – estudo longitudinal

The conducted study, based on the current preventive philosophy of Dentistry, had the aim of educating the families of small children to make them aware of the importance of preventive measures for the oral health of children aged 0 to 4 years. In a rural community in the outskirts of the city of Araraquara (SP – Brazil), 56 children were weekly cared for by dentists, who instructed the parents on the proper dietary and hygiene habits for oral health promotion. Apart from this, mouth hygiene, clinical examinations, fluoride varnish application and restorative treatment were performed in loco. After 3 years, 12 children from the original group moved into the city and additional 16 children from families who moved in from other places were included in this program. Data from the program were statistically analyzed and comparison among the groups was performed by the Wilcoxon and t tests. The results show a statistically significant difference (p=0.034) between the oral health pattern of the children in the beginning and after 3 years of this program. A decrease in the average of carious teeth and white stains was also noticed (p=0.045; p=0.017). On account of the cultural, social and economic status of the community, it may be concluded that this program produced an effective health promotion and it is highly advisable to perform such programs periodically and on a long term basis, to obtain real development of healthy habits by the population as a whole.Baseado na filosofia preventiva da odontologia atual, este trabalho teve por objetivo educar e conscientizar o núcleo familiar da importância da atenção precoce à saúde bucal de crianças de 0 a 4 anos de idade. Foram realizadas visitas domiciliares semanais ao Assentamento Bela Vista, zona rural da cidade de Araraquara (SP), onde os cirurgiões-dentistas assistiram 56 crianças e passaram aos pais instruções de higiene e dieta para promoção de saúde bucal. Foram realizados também higienização da cavidade bucal, exame clínico, aplicação tópica de verniz fluoretado e, quando necessário, tratamento restaurador no posto de saúde. Em três anos de atendimento, 12 crianças se mudaram para a cidade e 16, vindas de outras localidades, foram integradas ao programa. Os dados foram analisados por estatística descritiva e os grupos comparados pelo teste de Wilcoxon e pelo teste t. Os resultados demonstraram significativa alteração do padrão de saúde bucal (p=0,034) das crianças no início e ao final de três anos de programa. Verificou-se também que houve decréscimo na média de dentes cariados e com manchas brancas (p=0,045; p=0,017). De acordo com as características culturais, sociais e econômicas do local, conclui-se que o programa ofereceu efetiva promoção de saúde, sendo necessária sua aplicação periódica e a longo prazo, para que ocorra a incorporação de hábitos saudáveis em toda a população

Evaluation of the Anatomy of the Lower First Premolar

This chapter provides information about the lower first premolars. This tooth is considered to be one of the most complex teeth and the dentistry graduation students usually have difficulties in identifying it. The aim of this chapter is to present a detailed morphological study of extracted lower first premolars. One hundred lower first premolars, belonging to the collection of the Laboratory of Anatomy of the Department of Morphology of the São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Dentistry, Araraquara, SP, Brazil, were evaluated. Nine measurements were performed through direct observation without any instruments. Other 20 measurements were made by photographs and they were analyzed by the Image Tool 3.0 program. According to the results, it was concluded that most of the teeth presented the following features such as one lingual cusp; the distal occlusal pits were wider than the mesial occlusal pits; an enamel bridge linking the buccal and lingual cusps; the grooves in the lingual surface that emerged from the mesial and distal occlusal pits were absent, and where the grooves were present, they emerged from the mesial occlusal pit; one rectilinear root with no root grooves and where the root groove was present, it was observed in the mesial surface

Identification of Lower Central Incisors

Unlike the other teeth, the permanent lower central incisors have great symmetry between the proximal surfaces, being difficult to distinguish them. It was intended to facilitate the study of the anatomy of the lower central incisor for dentistry students, that this study searched for a better way to differentiate the third quadrant element (31) from the fourth quadrant element (41). The purpose of this chapter was to evaluate 100 permanent lower central incisors of the didactic collection of the Discipline of Anatomy of the Department of Morphology of the School of Dentistry of Araraquara - UNESP and to verify the presence of correlation between the some anatomical features. Besides, it was evaluated if there was difference between 31 and 41. It was verified that the systematic methodology used for the evaluation of the incisors in this study facilitated the identification of the teeth. There was no statistically significant difference between the measurements of 31 and 41. Distinguishing the right from the left central incisor is difficult, even for experienced practitioners. We could observe that the measurements do not facilitate the identification of teeth of different quadrants. Therefore, the anatomical features are relevant for the study of the dental anatomy in the identification of the lower central incisors

Retromolar canal associated with age, side, sex, bifid mandibular canal, and accessory mental foramen in panoramic radiographs of Brazilians

Background. The retromolar canal (RMC) is an anatomical variation that can cause complications in dental procedures. Method. The RMC was evaluated according to age, sex, and presence of accessory mandibular canal and accessory mental foramen, on both sides in 500 panoramic radiographs, belonging to individuals at the age of 7 to 20 years. The associations of interest were studied through Fisher's Exact Test and Pearson's Chi-Square Test, and the correlation was studied through Pearson's Correlation Coefficient (r). The significance level used was 5%. Results. The RMC was observed in 44 radiographs (8.8%), and out of those 24 were females. There was no statistically significant association between the RMC and age (p > 0.05; Fisher's Exact Test), sex (p = 0.787; Pearson's Chi-Square Test), amount of mandibular canals and mental foramina, on both sides (p > 0.05; Pearson's Chi-Square Test). There was a significant association between RMC and side, the higher frequency of the canal being on the right side (p < 0.05; Fisher's Exact Test). Conclusions. Despite the low occurrence of the RMC, its identification and the verification of its dimensions and path are relevant, mainly in cases when anesthetic and surgical procedures can present failures or difficulties

Musculoskeletal disorders in upper limbs in dental students: exposure level to risk factors

Aim: This study assessed the risk factors of undergraduate students to develop musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the upper limbs, regarding gender, type of dental clinical procedure, mouth region treated, and the four-handed dentistry practice. Methods: Dental students enrolled in the 8th semester in the Araraquara School of Dentistry, UNESP, Brazil, were photographed while practicing 283 dental procedures. The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method was used to evaluate the working postures of each student. The photographs were evaluated and a final risk score was attributed to each analyzed procedure. The prevalence of risk factors of developing MSD was estimated by point and by 95% confidence interval. The association between the risk factor of developing disorders and variables of interest were assessed by the chi-square test with a significance level of 5%. Results: The risk factors of developing MSD were high, regarding most dental procedures performed by the undergraduate students (score 5: 7.07%, CI95%: 4.08-10.06%; score 6: 62.54%, CI95%: 56.90-68.18%). There was no significant association between the RULA final score and gender (p=0.559), and type of dental procedure (p=0.205), and mouth regions by arch (p=0.110) or hemi-arch (p=0.560), and the use of four-handed dentistry (p=0.366). Conclusions: It can be concluded that gender, type of dental clinical procedure, mouth region treated, and practice of four-handed dentistry did not influence the risk of developing MSD in the upper limbs among the dental students evaluated; however, they are at a high risk of developing such disorders

Musculoskeletal disorders in upper limbs in dental students: exposure level to risk factors

is study assessed the risk factors of undergraduate students to develop musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the upper limbs, regarding gender, type of dental clinical procedure, mouth region treated, and the four-handed dentistry practice. Methods: Dental students enrolled in the 8th semester in the Araraquara School of Dentistry, UNESP, Brazil, were photographed while practicing 283 dental procedures. The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method was used to evaluate the working postures of each student. The photographs were evaluated and a final risk score was attributed to each analyzed procedure. The prevalence of risk factors of developing MSD was estimated by point and by 95% confidence interval. The association between the risk factor of developing disorders and variables of interest were assessed by the chi-square test with a significance level of 5%. Results: The risk factors of developing MSD were high, regarding most dental procedures performed by the undergraduate students (score 5: 7.07%, CI 95%: 4.08-10.06%; score 6: 62.54%, CI 95%: 56.90-68.18%). There was no significant association between the RULA final score and gender (p=0.559), and type of dental procedure (p=0.205), and mouth regions by arch (p=0.110) or hemi-arch (p=0.560), and the use of four-handed dentistry (p=0.366). Conclusions: It can be concluded that gender, type of dental clinical procedure, mouth region treated, and practice of four-handed dentistry did not influence the risk of developing MSD in the upper limbs among the dental students evaluated; however, they are at a high risk of developing such disorders