Publication Trends Studies Involving Disabled Persons with Dental Care Needs: A 20-Year Bibliometric Analysis

Objective: To evaluate scientific production on disabled persons with dental care needs over a 20-year period. Material and Methods: The search was conducted in the PubMed database using the MeSH terms “Disabled Persons” AND “Dentistry”. Three researchers selected articles based on readings of the title, abstract and full text. The articles were categorized according to periodical, country, study design, subject and classification of comorbidities and associated disorders. Three hundred ninety-seven articles published in 140 periodicals were included. Results: The periodicals Special Care in Dentistry (54), Dental Clinics of North America (14) and British Dental Journal (14) accounted for 21% of the publications. The studies were conducted in 50 countries, with the United States accounting for 33%. More than half (52%) of the studies had a cross-sectional design. The main subject addressed was oral diagnosis and most of the comorbidities were generalized disabilities. Conclusion: Although a large number of the periodicals have contributed to knowledge building on disabled persons with dental care needs, the number of articles is small compared to other fields of dentistry. Moreover, important gaps in knowledge persist and projects with better methodological designs are needed to offer a more substantial contribution to clinical practice

Relationship between anemia and oral cancer : a case-control study

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence, type and severity of anemia at the time of diagnosis of oral cancer, and its potential association with the degree of tumor cell differentiation. This case-control study used 366 medical records of patients treated at two referral centers for oral cancer diagnosis, specifically: cases (n=70) with a histopathological diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of the oral cavity, and controls (n=296) with benign oral lesions. Sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical variables of both groups, as well as complete blood count values, were analyzed by descriptive statistics and crude/adjusted logistic regression. Anemia was detected in 15.7% of the cases and 11.8% of the controls. The presence of anemia had an OR=1.64 (odds ratio) (95%CI 0.54–5.00) for OSCC, with no significantly statistical association. Normocytic anemia was the most prevalent form of anemia when oral cancer was diagnosed (91.4% of the controls and 72.7% of the cases), and moderate to severely low hemoglobin levels were associated with OSCC diagnosis (OR 6.49; 95%CI 1.18–35.24), albeit data on hematological examinations were missing

ANÁLISE BIBLIOMÉTRICA DOS TRABALHOS DE CONCLUSÃO DE CURSO DE GRADUAÇÃO EM ODONTOLOGIA DA ULBRA/CANOAS

At the University, the environment for the production, dissemination and socialization of knowledge is consolidated by conducting research. This cross-sectional study aimed to perform a quantitative and descriptive bibliometric analysis of the scientific production of the final papers (TCCs) of the Dentistry Course at ULBRA/Canoas in the period from 2015 to 2019. The data, collected by specific form, consisted of: year of the presentation of paper, professor advisor, dental specialty and study design. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study identified 391 TCCs guided by 58 professors of the Dentistry Course in that period. The areas of Operative Dentistry, Oral Surgery and Public Health were the specialties with the largest number of papers defended. Regarding the methodology used, approximately ⅔ of the papers involved a Literature Review. The self-assessment of Undergraduate Courses with focus on critical posture in relation to what is producing has allowed the reorientation of lines of research and the dynamics of generating knowledge and innovations.

Evaluation of Aquaporins 1 and 5 Expression in Rat Parotid Glands After Volumetric Modulated Arc Radiotherapy and Use of Low-Level Laser Therapy at Different Times

Introduction: This experimental study investigated the mRNA expression of aquaporins (AQPs) 1 and 5 in the parotid glands of rats irradiated with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and subjected to low-level laser therapy (LLLT) at different time points.Methods: The sample consisted of 30 Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) divided into the following groups: control, LLLT alone (LG), radiotherapy alone (RG), and experimental groups that received LLLT at 24 hours (early experimental group [EEG], n=12) and 120 hours (late experimental group [LEG], n=12) after radiotherapy. VMAT was delivered at a single dose (12 Gy) and LLLT was performed with an aluminium-gallium-arsenide diode laser (660 nm, 100 mW), spot area of 0.0028 cm2, energy of 2 J/cm2 applied to 3 spots in the region corresponding to the right parotid gland, for 10 consecutive days. The right parotid gland was resected and prepared for RNA extraction. The gene expression of AQPs was evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using specific TaqMan probes, with the HPRT gene as an internal control.Results: The lowest AQP1 gene expression was 0.83 (0.27) with the use of LLLT 24 hours after radiotherapy (EEG), and the highest was 1.56 (0.80) with the use of LLLT alone (LG). Likewise, the lowest AQP5 gene expression was found in the EEG (mean = 0.88; SD = 0.49) and the highest in the LG (mean = 1.29; SD = 0.33).Conclusion: The use of LLLT after radiotherapy may contribute to the maintenance and an increase of these proteins, even when used at a later time point after radiotherapy

Effect of Radiotherapy and Low-Level Laser Therapy on Circulating Blood Cells of Rats: LLLT and Radiotherapy on Circulating Blood Cells

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the blood cell count when applied to parotid glands of rats irradiated by volumetric modular arc therapy (VMAT).Methods: Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were used in this study. Samples were randomly assigned to three groups: control group (CG, n = 8), immediate laser group (24 hours) (ILG, n=12), and late laser group (120 hours) (LLG, n=12). The two laser groups were previously subjected to VMAT radiotherapy in a single dose of 12 Gy. LLLT with an AsGaAl laser (660 nm, 100 mW) was applied at three points in the region of the parotid glands, right side, with the energy of 2 J per point (20s, 70 J/cm2) and a spot size of 0.0028 cm2 for 10 consecutive days. In euthanasia, blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture. The samples from each group were processed by an automatic method and analyzed for erythrogram, leukogram, and platelet count values. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and each LLLT time point was analyzed in relation to the control group,with a significance level less than 0.05.Results: Groups using LLLT had higher red blood cell counts, being higher in the LLG (p = 0.000). The hematimetric indices MCV (P=0.002) and MCH (P=0.009) were lower than the control group, especially when compared to the group using LLLT 120h after radiotherapy (LLG). White blood cell counts were lower in the groups with radiotherapy and immediate use of LLLT (ILG) (P=0.011), mainly at the expense of lymphocytes (P=0.002).Conclusion: The results suggest a potential systemic effect of LLLT, especially on circulating red blood cell counts, regardless of their time of immediate or late use of radiotherapy. ِDOI: 10.34172/jlms.2021.4