A controlled study comparing salivary osmolality, caries experience and caries risk in patients with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a permanent neurological disorder accompanied by secondary musculoskeletal masticatory disorder, with repercussion on chewing and deglutition functions. In these conditions, the liquids ingestion is compromised resulting in salivary osmolality alteration. The objective of this study was to compare salivary osmolality, caries experience and caries risk between normoreactive individuals and patients with CP. The participants were 4-20 years old: 52 patients with CP treated at a reference rehabilitation centre (study group, SG), and 52 normoreactive individuals (control group, CG). Saliva was collected for five minutes using cotton rolls. Following centrifugation, salivary osmolality was determined by freezing point depression osmometry. Evaluations included caries experience (DMFT index), and caries risk based on a caries-risk assessment tool (CAT). Descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi square and Student t tests) were used to compare the groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed and the area under the ROC curve (Az) was calculated. The level of significance was set at 5%. The groups were homogeneous for sex (p=0.843) and age (p=0.128). In the SG, spastic type CP was the most prevalent (80.8%), and patients showed significantly higher salivary osmolality values compared with the CG (p74 for the SG and >54 for the CG in the presence of dental caries. A significant correlation was verified between salivary osmolality and the DMFT index for the SG (p?0.05). Although patients with CP showed higher salivary osmolality values, higher caries experience and caries risk were not observed compared with normoreactive individuals

Effects of treatments for drooling on caries risk in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

Neuromuscular impairment makes individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) more prone to drooling. Among the treatment options, there are procedures that interfere with saliva production. It is imperative to evaluate the effect of the different modalities since the reduction in salivary flow rate/production may exacerbate the risk of dental caries. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different treatments for drooling on caries risk and salivary parameters in children and adolescents with CP. A total of 142 children and adolescents with CP, aged 6 to 18 years, were assigned to groups based on the different treatments they had received for drooling: G1?anticholinergic drugs (n = 18), G2?botulinum toxin injection (n = 16), G3?salivary glands surgery (n = 16), G4?no treatment (n = 42), and G5?non-drooling subjects (n = 50). All participants were evaluated on the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, and for the prevalence of dental caries (decayed, missing, and filled teeth index and white spot lesions). Unstimulated whole saliva was collected, and salivary flow rate and osmolality were measured. Chi-square, ANOVA and Poisson regression were calculated. Prevalence ratios and their respective 95 % confidence intervals were obtained. The significance level was fixed at 5%. No differences were found in the decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (p = 0.128) and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (p = 0.674) among the different groups. G3 presented significantly higher percentages of WSL (p<0.001), lower values of salivary flow rate (p<0.001), and higher values of osmolality (p<0.001). The white spot lesion prevalence ratio was higher only for G3 (Prevalence ratio = 14.36; IC 95% = 4.64-44.40; p<0.001). Children and adolescents with CP who had received surgical treatment for drooling exhibited higher number of white spot lesions because of the reduced salivary flow rate and higher salivary osmolality

Fostering English-taught higher education programs in a Spanish university: the "TechEnglish" innovative project

In recent years, coinciding with adjustments to the Bologna process, many European universities have attempted to improve their international profile by increasing course offerings in English. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), Spain has notably increased its English-taught higher education programs, ranking fifth in the list of European countries by number of English-taught Master's programs in 2013. This article presents the goals and preliminary results of an on-going innovative education project (TechEnglish) that aims to promote course offerings in English at the Technical University of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM). The UPM is the oldest and largest of all Technical Universities in Spain. It offers graduate and postgraduate programs that cover all the engineering disciplines as well as architecture. Currently, the UPM has no specific bilingual/multilingual program to promote teaching in English, although there is an Educational Model Whitepaper (with a focus on undergraduate degrees) that promotes the development of activities like an International Semester or a unique shared curriculum. The TechEnglish project is an attempt to foster courses taught in English at 7 UPM Technical Schools, including students and 80 faculty members. Four tasks were identified: (1) to design a university wide framework to increase course offerings, (2) to identify administrative difficulties, (3) to increase visibility of courses offered, and (4) to disseminate the results of the project. First, to design a program we analyzed existing programs at other Spanish universities, and other projects and efforts already under way at the UPM. A total of 13 plans were analyzed and classified according to their relation with students (learning), professors (teaching), administration, course offerings, other actors/institutions within the university (e.g., language departments), funds and projects, dissemination activities, mobility plans and quality control. Second, to begin to identify administrative and organizational difficulties in the implementation of teaching in English, we first estimated the current and potential course offerings at the undergraduate level at the UPM using a survey (student, teacher and administrative demand, level of English and willingness to work in English). Third, to make the course offerings more attractive for both Spanish and international students we examined the way the most prestigious universities in Spain and in Europe try to improve the visibility of their academic offerings in English. Finally, to disseminate the results of the project we created a web page and a workspace on the Moodle education platform and prepared conferences and workshops within the UPM. Preliminary results show that increasing course offerings in English is an important step to promote the internationalization of the University. The main difficulties identified at the UPM were related to how to acknowledge/certify the departments, teachers or students involved in English courses, how students should register for the courses, how departments should split and schedule the courses (Spanish and English), and the lack of qualified personnel. A concerted effort could be made to increase the visibility of English-taught programs offered on-line

Uso y verificación con indicadores biológicos en esterilizadores de cirujanos dentistas de San Luis Potosí, México

Objetivo. Conocer el uso y verificar los ciclos de esterilización con indicadores biológicos en los equipos utilizados por cirujanos dentistas de la Facultad de Estomatología de la Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (UASLP) y del Colegio Dental Potosino. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal hecho en 1999-2000. El 65% (n=130) de los odontólogos participaron con un esterilizador, la verificación se realizó por indicadores que contenían esporas de Bacillus subtilis y de Bacillus stearothermophilus. Resultados. Participaron 30 autoclaves y 100 esterilizadores de calor seco, 23 de ellos (17.7%) presentaron crecimiento bacteriano; el 16.1% (n=21) de los participantes utilizan los indicadores biológicos como verificador. Los dos métodos de esterilización presentaron crecimiento bacteriano con frecuencias similares (p=>0.66). Conclusiones. Pocos cirujanos dentistas verifican su esterilizador con indicadores biológicos en los equipos que presentaron crecimiento bacteriano, sus fallas se encontraron en el proceso de esterilización. El texto completo en inglés de este artículo está disponible en: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html</A

Uso y verificación con indicadores biológicos en esterilizadores de cirujanos dentistas de San Luis Potosí, México Verification and utilization of sterilizing equipment by dentists in San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Objetivo. Conocer el uso y verificar los ciclos de esterilización con indicadores biológicos en los equipos utilizados por cirujanos dentistas de la Facultad de Estomatología de la Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (UASLP) y del Colegio Dental Potosino. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal hecho en 1999-2000. El 65% (n=130) de los odontólogos participaron con un esterilizador, la verificación se realizó por indicadores que contenían esporas de Bacillus subtilis y de Bacillus stearothermophilus. Resultados. Participaron 30 autoclaves y 100 esterilizadores de calor seco, 23 de ellos (17.7%) presentaron crecimiento bacteriano; el 16.1% (n=21) de los participantes utilizan los indicadores biológicos como verificador. Los dos métodos de esterilización presentaron crecimiento bacteriano con frecuencias similares (p=>0.66). Conclusiones. Pocos cirujanos dentistas verifican su esterilizador con indicadores biológicos en los equipos que presentaron crecimiento bacteriano, sus fallas se encontraron en el proceso de esterilización. El texto completo en inglés de este artículo está disponible en: <A HREF="http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html">http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html</A><br>Objective. To assess the utilization of sterilizing equipment used by dentists, and verification of sterilization using biological indicators. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1999-2000, among 130 (65%) dentists having sterilizing equipment, at Facultad de Estomatología, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí and Colegio Dental Potosino. Biological indicators for sterilization containing Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus stearothermophilus were used. Results. Thirty autoclaves and 100 dry-heat sterilizers were evaluated: 23 (17.7%) of them showed bacterial growth. Twenty-one (16.1%) dentists already were using biological indicators to verify their sterilizing equipment. Both sterilization methods were found to allow bacterial growth with similar frequencies (p=>0.66). Conclusions. Few dentists verify the quality of sterilization process through biological indicators; bacterial growth and failure of sterilization were evidenced. The English version of this paper is available at: <A HREF="http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html">http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html</A

In Vitro Determination of Genotoxicity Induced by Brackets Alloys in Cultures of Human Gingival Fibroblasts

Orthodontic brackets release ions that can be reabsorbed in the oral mucosa, potentially causing complications, including cytotoxic effects and mutagenic alterations. The aim was to evaluate the genotoxicity induced by orthodontic appliance alloys in cultures of human gingival fibroblasts by comet assay. Eluates were obtained from the following brackets alloys: EconoLine (SS: stainless steel), MiniMirage (Ni-Ti: nickel-titanium), Nu-Edge (Co-Cr: cobalt-chromium), In-Vu (PC-polycrystals (PC) aluminum oxide), and Monocrystal IZE (monocrystalline (MC) aluminum oxide). Each bracket was sterilized and exposed to a corrosive process for 35 days. The obtained eluates were tested for genotoxicity of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFA) by the alkaline comet assay. All study groups showed genotoxic effects; there was a significant difference (p<0.0001) among groups. The eluates obtained from Ni-Ti showed a 16-times greater genotoxic effect. There were differences in genotoxicity after comparing the Ni-Ti with SS (p<0.01) and Co-Cr brackets (p<0.001). The ceramic was more genotoxic than metallic brackets (SS and Co-Cr), but less than the Ni-Ti. This in vitro model will be useful for further study of early DNA damage caused by brackets and other biomaterials used in the oral cavity before their introduction into the clinical setting