Evaluation Of Three Radiographic Methods For Detecting Occlusal Caries Lesions

Aim: To compare, in vitro, the performance of three radiographic methods for the detection of occlusal caries in permanent teeth. Methods: A total of 96 extracted molars with no apparent occlusal cavitation were selected, they were photographed and radiographed under standardized conditions using conventional E-plus films and two digital systems, CDR and Sidexis. Two examiners analyzed all films and images, recording the presence and lesion depth. One quarter of the teeth were re-examined for intra- and interexaminer agreements. The teeth were subsequently bisected and examined under a stereomicroscope. The intra and interexaminer agreements and the diagnostic performance (sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and the area under receiver operating characteristic, ROC curve) of each method were evaluated. Results: Out of 96 occlusal surfaces, 41 were sound, 31 had lesions in enamel, and 24 had dentin lesions. Weighted Kappa values for intraexaminer agreement varied widely, depending on both the observer and method. The interexaminer agreement was higher for the digital images than for the conventional films. The area under the ROC curve for enamel and dentin caries (at D1 diagnostic threshold) was 0.55 for films, 0.60 for Schick and 0.54 for Sirona, which were not significantly different from each other. Conclusions: Digital images presented better results of interexaminer agreement; however, no additional effect in the diagnostic performance could be observed in comparison to conventional films.8267-7

Factors associated with the use of herbal medicines for oral problems by patients attending the clinics of the School of Dentistry, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil

AIM: To evaluate differences in sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, educational level and income) between users and nonusers of phytotherapy for dental purposes; the degree of population's knowledge of herbal medicines for dental needs; and whether patients inform the health professional about their use of phytotherapy. METHODS: A questionnaire was applied to 100 patients in waiting rooms of the School of Dentistry of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, in 2008, to inquire about sociodemographic variables and other factors associated with the use of phytotherapy. Statistical analyses were carried out using the chi square statistical test to calculate association between the variables, with 0.05 as level of significance. RESULTS: It was observed that 64.8% of participants were women with a mean age of 43.9±15.1 years. Phytotheraphy use for treatment of oral problems was reported by 37% of patients interviewed in this study. Significant differences were found between users and non-users of herbal medicines for oral problems, associated with the patient's age (p<0.05) and previous experience with use of phytotherapy to treat general health problems (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results emphasize the need for more scientific evidence of the efficacy of herbal medicinal products already incorporated in the popular knowledge to treat oral problems in order to make it an accessible and alternative method for prevention and therapy in dentistry.

Conhecimento e utilização de métodos de detecção de lesões cariosas por cirurgiões-dentistas

Os objetivos do presente estudo foram: 1) avaliar o conhecimento de um grupo de cirurgi&otilde;es-dentistas relativo a novos m&eacute;todos e a m&eacute;todos auxiliares de detec&ccedil;&atilde;o de les&otilde;es cariosas; 2) avaliar como o grupo utiliza, em sua pr&aacute;tica di&aacute;ria, os m&eacute;todos tradicionais de detec&ccedil;&atilde;o. Foi elaborado um question&aacute;rio contendo sete quest&otilde;es e entregue a uma amostra aleat&oacute;ria de 100 cirurgi&otilde;es-dentistas, cl&iacute;nicos gerais, que trabalham em consult&oacute;rios particulares localizados na cidade de Cascavel, regi&atilde;o Oeste do Paran&aacute;. Dentre os novos m&eacute;todos de detec&ccedil;&atilde;o, foram avaliados o FOTI, a Radiografia Digitalizada, o DIAGNOdent (Laser Fluorescente), a Separa&ccedil;&atilde;o interdental mediata e imediata, as lupas para amplia&ccedil;&atilde;o, a c&acirc;mera intra-oral, o espelho dental com luz, o DIFOTI, o Quantitative Light-Induced Fluorescence (QLF), o Electrical Caries Monitor (ECM) e os corantes para identifica&ccedil;&atilde;o do tecido cariado. A porcentagem de retorno dos question&aacute;rios respondidos foi de 35%, ap&oacute;s um per&iacute;odo de 3 semanas. Verificou-se que grande parte dos respondentes (42,9% a 100%) n&atilde;o conhece a maioria das novas tecnologias e m&eacute;todos auxiliares para o diagn&oacute;stico da doen&ccedil;a e que muitos utilizam m&eacute;todos tradicionais, como o exame cl&iacute;nico visual, a sonda exploradora e o exame radiogr&aacute;fico de forma insatisfat&oacute;ria

Scientific production on LGBTQIA+ health: a critical analysis of the literature

Esta pesquisa traz em seu escopo a análise do potencial estigmatizador do conteúdo de estudos direcionados à população LGBTQIA+ indexados na plataforma PubMed. Por meio de uma ampla e sistemática pesquisa bibliográfica foram identificados e incluídos, respectivamente, 821 e 334 (40,68%) artigos, dos quais foram extraídos 1838 descritores. Da análise dos dados coletados foram identificados as maiores prevalências dos descritores “men having sex with man” (192 repetições) e “HIV” (98 repetições). Sendo assim, o percurso analítico das informações levantadas refletiu que a população LGBTQIA+ é essencialmente designada como “homens que fazem sexo com outros homens e soropositivos”. Este estudo traz, portanto, a presença de características estigmatizantes nos estudos direcionados à população LGBTQIA+. Contudo, cabe destacar que o resultado encontrado é subsídio para o fortalecimento de uma perspectiva crítica de um fazer científico mais humanizado e direcionado às especificidades e necessidades da população LGBTQIA+.&nbsp;This paper analyzes the stigmatizing potential of studies conducted on the LGBTQIA+ population and indexed on the PubMED database. A broad and systematic bibliographic search identified 821 publications, of which it included 334 (40.68%), extracting 1838 descriptors. Data analysis showed the highest prevalence and potency for the descriptors “men who have sex with man” (192 repetitions) and “HIV” (98 repetitions). Thus, the analysis reveal that the LGBTQIA+ population is essentially described as “men who have sex with other men and are HIV positive.” This research unveils the presence of stigmatizing characteristics in the studies with the LGBTQIA+ population. However, such findings can help strengthen the critical perspective of a more humanized scientific practice actually concerned with the specificities and needs of the LGBTQIA+ population

Scientific production on LGBTQIA+ health: a critical analysis of the literature

Esta pesquisa traz em seu escopo a análise do potencial estigmatizador do conteúdo de estudos direcionados à população LGBTQIA+ indexados na plataforma PubMed. Por meio de uma ampla e sistemática pesquisa bibliográfica foram identificados e incluídos, respectivamente, 821 e 334 (40,68%) artigos, dos quais foram extraídos 1838 descritores. Da análise dos dados coletados foram identificados as maiores prevalências dos descritores “men having sex with man” (192 repetições) e “HIV” (98 repetições). Sendo assim, o percurso analítico das informações levantadas refletiu que a população LGBTQIA+ é essencialmente designada como “homens que fazem sexo com outros homens e soropositivos”. Este estudo traz, portanto, a presença de características estigmatizantes nos estudos direcionados à população LGBTQIA+. Contudo, cabe destacar que o resultado encontrado é subsídio para o fortalecimento de uma perspectiva crítica de um fazer científico mais humanizado e direcionado às especificidades e necessidades da população LGBTQIA+.&nbsp;This paper analyzes the stigmatizing potential of studies conducted on the LGBTQIA+ population and indexed on the PubMED database. A broad and systematic bibliographic search identified 821 publications, of which it included 334 (40.68%), extracting 1838 descriptors. Data analysis showed the highest prevalence and potency for the descriptors “men who have sex with man” (192 repetitions) and “HIV” (98 repetitions). Thus, the analysis reveal that the LGBTQIA+ population is essentially described as “men who have sex with other men and are HIV positive.” This research unveils the presence of stigmatizing characteristics in the studies with the LGBTQIA+ population. However, such findings can help strengthen the critical perspective of a more humanized scientific practice actually concerned with the specificities and needs of the LGBTQIA+ population

Association between Oral Health Literacy and Socioeconomic Variables in Users of Centers for Dental Specialties

Objective: To test possible associations between Oral Health Literacy (OHL) level and socioeconomic covariates among users of Centers for Dental Specialties (CEOs). Material and Methods: The Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) instrument was applied to 130 adult users of CEOs located in 13 municipalities in the state of São Paulo – Brazil, as well as socioeconomic issues. The researcher applied instruments in a specific room after randomly selecting individuals in the waiting room and invitation acceptance. Each item was ranked on a 5-point scale, ranging from 0 to 4, in which high scores indicate minimal difficulties in performing functions (high OHL) and low scores indicate very limited abilities to perform functions (low OHL). Statistical analysis using the Levene test was used to verify the possibility of using the one-way ANOVA test, and in case results show positive values (p&gt;0.05), the Kruskal Wallis test was used. Results: The average age of participants was 45 years, with more than half being female (68.7%) with 9-11 years of schooling (48.4%). When considering the total value of HeLD-14 questions, OHL was associated with covariates schooling, marital status and family income. Conclusion: OHL levels were associated with socioeconomic variables, contributing to evidence in this field of specialized care

In vitro evaluation of the DIAGNOdent device for occlusal diagnosis

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness and reliability of laser fluorescence measurements in relation to occlusal caries diagnosis. DIAGNOdent 2095 (Kavo, Biberach, Germany), which has been developed especially for caries diagnosis, was utilized. Five (5) teeth were examined in the pilot test; after that, ten (10) teeth were examined in order to calibrate both examiners. Data were obtained from 66 teeth (36 molars and 30 premolars), totalizing 144 sites identified through photographs of the occlusal surfaces. Reproducibility was evaluated in 10 teeth. The interexaminer Spearman correlation (r) was 0.89 and the intra-examiner, 0.93 and 0.97 (examiner A and B, respectively). Validation was carried out by histological examination (stereomicroscope). For the two examiners the sensitivity of the device was relatively high, varying from 0.81 to 1.00, while specificity varied according to which validation criterion was used (0.77 - 0.86: enamel lesion / 0.52 - 0.59: dentin lesion). It was concluded that DIAGNodent presented good capacity of identifying any alteration of the dental surface, nevertheless it presents the disadvantage of accomplishing many false-positive diagnosis when the validation criterion is dentin lesion.Este trabalho teve como objetivo determinar a efetividade de um aparelho de laser fluorescente no diagnóstico de cárie oclusal. O aparelho utilizado foi o DIAGNOdent 2095 (Kavo, Biberach, Alemanha) desenvolvido especialmente para o diagnóstico de cárie. Inicialmente, foi realizada uma fase piloto com a utilização de 5 dentes; em seguida, houve uma calibração dos dois examinadores participantes do estudo, na qual foram utilizados 10 dentes, enquanto na fase experimental, utilizaram-se 66 dentes (36 molares e 30 pré-molares), totalizando 144 sites identificados através de fotografias das superfícies oclusais. Houve a reprodutibilidade dos exames em 10 dentes, sendo que verificou-se um coeficiente de correlação de Spearman (r) de 0,89 entre os examinadores e valores de 0,93 e 0,97 para a correlação (r) intra-examinadores (examinador A e B, respectivamente). A validação do experimento se deu através do exame histológico. Para os dois examinadores, a sensibilidade do aparelho foi relativamente alta, variando de 0,81 a 1,00, enquanto a especificidade diminuiu substancialmente, quando se utilizou o critério de validação histológica com lesão de cárie em dentina (de 0,77 a 0,86 - cárie em esmalte, para 0,52 a 0,59 - cárie em dentina). Conclui-se que o aparelho DIAGNOdent apresentou boa capacidade em identificar qualquer alteração da superfície dentária, porém apresenta o inconveniente de realizar muitos diagnósticos falso-positivos quando se utiliza validação em dentina.37237

Avaliação in vitro do aparelho DIAGNOdent para diagnóstico oclusal

Este trabalho teve como objetivo determinar a efetividade de um aparelho de laser fluorescente no diagnóstico de cárie oclusal. O aparelho utilizado foi o DIAGNOdent 2095 (Kavo, Biberach, Alemanha) desenvolvido especialmente para o diagnóstico de cárie. Inicialmente, foi realizada uma fase piloto com a utilização de 5 dentes; em seguida, houve uma calibração dos dois examinadores participantes do estudo, na qual foram utilizados 10 dentes, enquanto na fase experimental, utilizaram-se 66 dentes (36 molares e 30 pré-molares), totalizando 144 "sites" identificados através de fotografias das superfícies oclusais. Houve a reprodutibilidade dos exames em 10 dentes, sendo que verificou-se um coeficiente de correlação de Spearman (r) de 0,89 entre os examinadores e valores de 0,93 e 0,97 para a correlação (r) intra-examinadores (examinador A e B, respectivamente). A validação do experimento se deu através do exame histológico. Para os dois examinadores, a sensibilidade do aparelho foi relativamente alta, variando de 0,81 a 1,00, enquanto a especificidade diminuiu substancialmente, quando se utilizou o critério de validação histológica com lesão de cárie em dentina (de 0,77 a 0,86 - cárie em esmalte, para 0,52 a 0,59 - cárie em dentina). Conclui-se que o aparelho DIAGNOdent apresentou boa capacidade em identificar qualquer alteração da superfície dentária, porém apresenta o inconveniente de realizar muitos diagnósticos falso-positivos quando se utiliza validação em dentina.The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness and reliability of laser fluorescence measurements in relation to occlusal caries diagnosis. DIAGNOdent 2095 (Kavo, Biberach, Germany), which has been developed especially for caries diagnosis, was utilized. Five (5) teeth were examined in the pilot test; after that, ten (10) teeth were examined in order to calibrate both examiners. Data were obtained from 66 teeth (36 molars and 30 premolars), totalizing 144 sites identified through photographs of the occlusal surfaces. Reproducibility was evaluated in 10 teeth. The interexaminer Spearman correlation (r) was 0.89 and the intra-examiner, 0.93 and 0.97 (examiner A and B, respectively). Validation was carried out by histological examination (stereomicroscope). For the two examiners the sensitivity of the device was relatively high, varying from 0.81 to 1.00, while specificity varied according to which validation criterion was used (0.77 - 0.86: enamel lesion / 0.52 - 0.59: dentin lesion). It was concluded that DIAGNodent presented good capacity of identifying any alteration of the dental surface, nevertheless it presents the disadvantage of accomplishing many false-positive diagnosis when the validation criterion is dentin lesion