Dental caries in Uruguayan adults and elders: findings from the first Uruguayan National Oral Health Survey

This study aimed to assess dental caries status and associated factors in Uruguayan adults and elders using data from the first Uruguayan National Oral Health Survey. Data were representative of the country as a whole. Socio-demographic information was collected with a closed questionnaire. Dental caries was assessed by clinical examination using the DMFT index. The final sample consisted of 769 participants. Mean DMFT was 15.20 and 24.12 for the 35-44 and 65-74-year age groups, respectively. Mean number of decayed teeth was 1.70 in adults and 0.66 in elders. Multivariate analyses showed higher prevalence of dental caries associated with age 65-74 years, low socioeconomic status, use of public dental services, presence of gingivitis; for decayed teeth, age 35-44 years, low socioeconomic status, use of public dental services, infrequent tooth brushing, need for oral health care, and presence of root caries showed higher severity. Uruguayan adults and elders from disadvantaged backgrounds concentrated a heavier burden of dental caries

Longevity of mass-reared, irradiated and packed male Anopheles arabiensis and Aedes aegypti under simulated environmental field conditions

Abstract Background To ensure the success of a mosquito control programme that integrates the sterile insect technique (SIT), it is highly desirable to release sterile males with a maximal lifespan to increase release effectiveness. Understanding sterile male survival under field conditions is thus critical for determining the number of males to be released. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of mass rearing, irradiation, chilling, packing and release time on irradiated male mosquito longevity. Methods Anopheles arabiensis and Aedes aegypti immature stages were mass-reared using a rack and tray system. Batches of 50 males irradiated at the pupal stage were immobilised, packed into canisters and chilled for 6 hours at 6 °C. Mosquitoes were then transferred either in the early morning or early evening into climate chambers set to simulate the weather conditions, typical of the beginning of the rainy season in Khartoum, Sudan and Juazeiro, Brazil for An. arabiensis and Ae. aegypti, respectively. The longevity of experimental males was assessed and compared to mass-reared control males subjected either to simulated field or laboratory conditions. Results The combined irradiation, chilling and packing treatments significantly reduced the longevity of both An. arabiensis and Ae. aegypti under simulated field conditions (P < 0.001). However, packing alone did not significantly reduce longevity of Ae. aegypti (P = 0.38) but did in An. arabiensis (P < 0.001). Overall, the longevity of mass reared, irradiated and packed males was significantly reduced, with the median survival time (days) lower following an early morning introduction (4.62 ± 0.20) compared to an evening (7.34 ± 0.35) in An. arabiensis (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in longevity between morning (9.07 ± 0.54) and evening (7.76 ± 0.50) in Ae. aegypti (P = 0.14). Conclusions Our study showed that sterile mass-reared males have a reduced lifespan in comparison to laboratory-maintained controls under simulated field conditions, and that An. arabiensis appeared to be more sensitive to the handling process and release time than Ae. aegypti. Longevity and release time are important parameters to be considered for a successful area-wide integrated vector control programme with a SIT component

Metabolomics of aging assessed in individual parasitoid wasps

Metabolomics studies of low-biomass organisms, such as small insects, have previously relied on the pooling of biological samples to overcome detection limits, particularly using NMR. We show that the differentiation of metabolite profiles of individual 1 mg parasitoid wasps of different ages is possible when using a modified sample preparation and a combination of untargeted NMR and LC-MS based metabolomics. Changes were observed between newly emerged and older wasps in glycerolipids, amino acids and circulatory sugars. This advance in chemical profiling has important implications for the study of the behaviour and ecology of parasitoids and many other species of small organisms because predictions and observations are typically made at the level of the individual. Thus, the metabolomic state of low-biomass individuals can now be related to their behaviour and ecological performance. We discuss specifically the utility of age-related metabolomic profiling but our new approach can be applied to a wide range of biological research

Windborne long-distance migration of malaria mosquitoes in the Sahel

Over the past two decades efforts to control malaria have halved the number of cases globally, yet burdens remain high in much of Africa and the elimination of malaria has not been achieved even in areas where extreme reductions have been sustained, such as South Africa1,2. Studies seeking to understand the paradoxical persistence of malaria in areas in which surface water is absent for 3–8 months of the year have suggested that some species of Anopheles mosquito use long-distance migration3. Here we confirm this hypothesis through aerial sampling of mosquitoes at 40–290 m above ground level and provide—to our knowledge—the first evidence of windborne migration of African malaria vectors, and consequently of the pathogens that they transmit. Ten species, including the primary malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii, were identified among 235 anopheline mosquitoes that were captured during 617 nocturnal aerial collections in the Sahel of Mali. Notably, females accounted for more than 80% of all of the mosquitoes that we collected. Of these, 90% had taken a blood meal before their migration, which implies that pathogens are probably transported over long distances by migrating females. The likelihood of capturing Anopheles species increased with altitude (the height of the sampling panel above ground level) and during the wet seasons, but variation between years and localities was minimal. Simulated trajectories of mosquito flights indicated that there would be mean nightly displacements of up to 300 km for 9-h flight durations. Annually, the estimated numbers of mosquitoes at altitude that cross a 100-km line perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction included 81,000 Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto, 6 million A. coluzzii and 44 million Anopheles squamosus. These results provide compelling evidence that millions of malaria vectors that have previously fed on blood frequently migrate over hundreds of kilometres, and thus almost certainly spread malaria over these distances. The successful elimination of malaria may therefore depend on whether the sources of migrant vectors can be identified and controlled

Prevalence of dental caries in 5-year-old Greek children and the use of dental services: Evaluation of socioeconomic, behavioural factors and living conditions

Objectives To assess dental caries and use of dental services experience in 5-year-old children attending public kindergartens in Attica, Greece and to examine the influence of certain socioeconomic factors and living conditions as well as dental behaviours and attitudes. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a random and stratified sample of 605 Greek children was examined using decayed, missing, filled tooth surfaces and simplified debris indices. The use of dental services was measured by children&apos;s dental visits (any dental visit up to the age of 5 years). Care Index was also calculated. Risk indicators were assessed by a questionnaire. Zero-inflated Poisson and Logistic Regression Analysis were generated to test statistical significant associations. Results The prevalence of dental caries was 16.5%. Care Index was 32% and dental visits were reported for the 84% of the children. Medium Socio-Economic Level (SEL) was associated with no detectable caries. High SEL was related to decreased decayed, missing, filled teeth values, while female gender and rented houses had the opposite effect. The age of the mother (35-39 years) and the higher SEL were related to higher levels of dental services use. Conclusions It is suggested that there are differences in the experience of dental caries and use of dental services among preschool children in Attica, which are related to demographic, socioeconomic factors and living conditions. Dental public polices should focus on groups with specific characteristics in order to improve oral health levels of disease-susceptible populations. © 2013 FDI World Dental Federation

Dental erosion prevalence and associated risk indicators among preschool children in Athens, Greece

Objectives: The aims of the study were to investigate dental erosion prevalence, distribution and severity in Greek preschool children attending public kindergartens in the prefecture of Attica, Greece and to determine the effect of dental caries, oral hygiene level, socio-economic factors, dental behavior, erosion related medication and chronic illness. Material and methods: A random and stratified sample of 605 Greek preschool children was clinically examined for dental erosion using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination Index (ΒΕWE). Dental caries (dmfs) and Simplified Debris Index were also recorded. The data concerning possible risk indicators were derived by a questionnaire. Zero-inflated Poisson regression was generated to test the predictive effects of the independent variables on dental erosion. Results: The prevalence of dental erosion was 78. 8 %, and the mean and SE of BEWE index was 3. 64 ± 0. 15. High monthly family income was positively related to ΒΕWE cumulative scores [RR = 1. 204 (1. 016-1. 427)], while high maternal education level [RR = 0. 872 (0. 771-0. 986)] and poor oral hygiene level [DI-s, RR = 0. 584 (0. 450-0. 756)] showed a negative association. Conclusions: Dental erosion is a common oral disease in Greek preschool children in Attica, related to oral hygiene and socio-economic factors. Clinical relevance: Programs aimed at erosion prevention should begin at an early age for all children. © 2012 Springer-Verlag

Larval competition between An. coluzzii and An. gambiae in insectary and semi-field conditions in Burkina Faso

Competition in mosquito larvae is common and different ecological context could change competitive advantage between species. Here, larval competition between the widely sympatric African malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae were investigated in controlled insectary conditions using individuals from laboratory colonies and under ambient conditions using wild mosquitoes in a semi-field enclosure in western Burkina Faso. Larvae of both species were reared in trays at the same larval density and under the same feeding regimen in either single-species or mixed-species populations at varying species ratios reflecting 0%, 25%, 50% and 75% of competitor species. In the insectaries, where environmental variations are controlled, larvae of the An. coluzzii colony developed faster and with lower mortality than larvae of the An. gambiae colony (8.8 +/- 0.1 days and 21 +/- 3% mortality vs. 9.5 +/- 0.1 days and 32 3% mortality, respectively). Although there was no significant effect of competition on these phenotypic traits in any species, there was a significant trend for higher fitness of the An. coluzzii colony when competing with An. gambiae under laboratory conditions (i.e. lower development time and increased wing length at emergence, Cuzik's tests, P < 0.05). In semi-field experiments, competition affected the life history traits of both species in a different way. Larvae of An. gambiae tended to reduce development time when in competition with An. coluzzii (Cuzick's test, P = 0.002) with no impact either on mortality or size at emergence. On the other hand, An. coluzzii showed a significant trend for reduced larval mortality with increasing competition pressure (Cuzick's test, P = 0.037) and production of smaller females when grown together with An. gambiae (Cuzick's test, P = 0.002). Our results hence revealed that competitive interactions between larvae of the two species are context dependent. They further call for caution when exploring ecological processes using inbred laboratory colonies in this system of utmost medical importance

The microbiota on different oral surfaces in healthy children

Introduction: Knowledge of the early oral colonization patterns could provide a better understanding of oral biofilm development and disease initiation that in turn could be the basis for early preventive programmes. Methods: Microbial samples were collected from five different oral habitats from a total of 93 children (age 3-12 years), attending the Dental School of the University of Athens, who were split into three age groups. A total of 38 microbial species were sought out by the checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization technique. Results: All of the test species, except Parvimonas micra and Porphyromonas gingivalis, differed significantly among sample locations providing quite distinct microbial profiles for the different oral surfaces. Supragingival and subgingival plaque had similar profiles and exhibited higher proportions of Actinomyces species and Green complex while soft tissue samples were dominated by streptococci of the Yellow complex. The profiles of the tongue dorsum and saliva were also similar. Many of the species were in similar proportions in all three age groups for a given location. Periodontal pathogens showed increases in proportions with increasing age. Specifically, the Red complex species (Tannerella forsythia, P. gingivalis, Treponema denticola) showed a significant increase in proportion with age (P &lt; 0.05) in all sample locations. Conclusions: The results showed a pattern of colonization in children similar to that previously found in adults. Differences in the profile between age groups suggest a gradual maturation of the oral microbiota, with it being made up of an increasing number of Orange and Red complex species. © 2009 John Wiley and Sons A/S

The microbiota on different oral surfaces in healthy children

Knowledge of the early oral colonization patterns could provide a better understanding of oral biofilm development and disease initiation that in turn could be the basis for early preventive programmes.status: publishe