Validation of the Brazilian versions of two inventories for measuring oral health-related quality of life of edentulous subjects

'Objectives: To analyse the validity of the Brazilian versions of OHIP-EDENT and GOHAI as assessment tools of edentulous subjects' OHRQoL. Background: Inventories for measuring oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) are important in clinical studies regarding oral rehabilitation. However, there is a need for comprehensive validation after translation into different cultural settings. Materials and methods: The sample comprised of 100 complete denture wearers (29 men, 71 women, mean age of 65.2 +/- 9.9 years). The associations between each OHRQoL inventory and other variables served as measurements of construct validity. Data analysis comprised the Spearman correlation test as well as multiple regression using the OHRQoL inventories as dependent variables and the other scales as determinants. Results: Both OHRQoL inventories showed good correlation with denture satisfaction, whereas lower correlation coefficients were found among the inventories and the HAD subscales. Denture satisfaction alone explained 48% and 39% of the variance found for the OHIP-EDENT and GOHAI, respectively, as assessed by multiple regression. A smaller effect was found for OHIP-EDENT. Conclusion: Both OHIP-EDENT and GOHAI showed good construct validity for measurement of OHRQoL of edentulous subjects.

The impact of dental caries and trauma in children on family quality of life

Objectives: To assess the impact of childrens dental caries (DC) and traumatic dental injuries (TDI) on parents quality of life (QoL), adjusted by family income. Methods: Parents of 219 children aged 5 and 6 years answered the Family Impact Scale (FIS) on their perception of QoL and data about income. Three calibrated dentists examined the severity of DC according to decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth index, and children were categorized into: 0 = caries free; 15 = low severity; and =6 = high severity. TDI were classified into uncomplicated and complicated injuries. QoL was measured through FIS items and total score, and Poisson regression was used to associate the variables with the outcome. Results: Severity of DC showed a negative impact on the total score and subscales on parental/family activities, parental emotions and financial burden (P < 0.001). TDI showed a negative impact on total score and in some FIS items. The multivariate-adjusted model showed that only the increase in the severity of childrens DC (RR = 3.19; 95% CI = 2.36, 4.31; P < 0.001) was associated with a greater negative impact on parents QoL, while high family income was a protective factor (RR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.48, 0.95; P < 0.001). Conclusions: The severity of childrens DC has a negative impact on parents QoL, whereas TDI do not. A lower family income might have a negative impact on parents QoL.

Perception of the esthetic impact of mandibular incisor extraction treatment on laypersons, dental professionals, and dental students

Objective: To evaluate the degree of perception of laypersons, dental professionals, and dental students regarding dental esthetics in cases with mandibular central incisor extraction. Materials and Methods: Using a smile photograph of a person with normal occlusion and all teeth, modifications were made to reflect the extraction of a mandibular incisor of various compositions and sizes. For this purpose a program specifically for image manipulation (Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Systems Inc) was used. After manipulation the images were printed on photographic paper, attached to a questionnaire and distributed to laypersons, dental professionals, and dental students (n = 90) to evaluate the degree of perception and esthetic using a scale of attractiveness, where 0 = hardly attractive, 5 = attractive, and 10 = very attractive. The differences between examiners were checked by the Mann-Whitney test. All the statistics were performed with a confidence level of 95%. Results: The results demonstrated the skill of the dental professionals and dental students in perceiving the difference between cases of normal occlusion and cases where an incisor was lacking (P < .05). The photograph in which the lateral incisors were shown to be larger than the central incisor was the one that obtained the highest value among the cases of extraction in all groups of evaluators. Conclusions: It can be concluded that dental professionals and dental students are more skillful at identifying deviation from normality. In addition, central incisor extraction should always be discarded when there are other treatment options available. (Angle Orthod. 2012;82:732-738.)

The relationship between the speech perception and the degree of satisfaction among adult users of cochlear implants

Introduction: In recent years, the benefits associated with the use of cochlear implants (CIs), especially with regard to speech perception, have proven to surpass those produced by the use of hearing aids, making CIs a highly efficient resource for patients with severe/profound hearing loss. However, few studies so far have assessed the satisfaction of adult users of CIs. Objective: To analyze the relationship between the level of speech perception and degree of satisfaction of adult users of CI. Method: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted in the Audiological Research Center (CPA) of the Hospital of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of São Paulo (HRAC/USP), in Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 12 users of CIs with pre-lingual or post-lingual hearing loss participated in this study. The following tools were used in the assessment: a questionnaire, "Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life" (SADL), culturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese, as well as its relationship with the speech perception results; a speech perception test under quiet conditions; and the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT)Brazil under free field conditions. Results: The participants in the study were on the whole satisfied with their devices, and the degree of satisfaction correlated positively with the ability to perceive monosyllabic words under quiet conditions. The satisfaction did not correlate with the level of speech perception in noisy environments. Conclusion: Assessments of satisfaction may help professionals to predict what other factors, in addition to speech perception, may contribute to the satisfaction of CI users in order to reorganize the intervention process to improve the users' quality of life.

Automated system of seedling image analysis (SVIS) and electrical conductivity to assess sun hemp seed vigor

The development of new procedures for quickly obtaining accurate information on the physiological potential of seed lots is essential for developing quality control programs for the seed industry. In this study, the effectiveness of an automated system of seedling image analysis (Seed Vigor Imaging System - SVIS) in determining the physiological potential of sun hemp seeds and its relationship with electrical conductivity tests, were evaluated. SVIS evaluations were performed three and four days after sowing and data on the vigor index and the length and uniformity of seedling growth were collected. The electrical conductivity test was made on 50 seed replicates placed in containers with 75 mL of deionised water at 25 ºC and readings were taken after 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 hours of imbibition. Electrical conductivity measurements at 4 or 8 hours and the use of the SVIS on 3-day old seedlings can effectively detect differences in vigor between different sun hemp seed lots.

Classification of polymers insulators hydrophobicity basead on digital image processing

Although the hydrophobicity is usually an arduous parameter to be determined in the field, it has been pointed out as a good option to monitor aging of polymeric outdoor insulators. Concerning this purpose, digital image processing of photos taken from wet insulators has been the main technique nowadays. However, important challenges on this technique still remain to be overcome, such as; images from non-controlled illumination conditions can interfere on analyses and no existence of standard surfaces with different levels of hydrophobicity. In this paper, the photo image samples were digitally filtered to reduce the illumination influence, and hydrophobic surface samples were prepared from wetting silicon surfaces with solution of water-alcohol. Furthermore norevious studies triying to quantify and relate these properties in a mathematical function were found, that could be used in the field by the electrical companies. Based on such considerations, high quality images of countless hydrophobic surfaces were obtained and three different image processing methodologies, the fractal dimension and two Haralick textures descriptors, entropy and homogeneity, associated with several digital filters, were compared. The entropy parameter Haralick's descriptors filtered with the White Top-Hat filter presented the best result to classify the hydrophobicity.

Comparison of child self-reports and parent proxy-reports on quality of life of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract Background Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological condition that affects 3%–7% of the pediatric population and significantly compromises the quality of life (QoL) of these individuals. The aim of the current study was to compare child self-reports and parent proxy reports on the QoL of children with ADHD. Methods Forty-five children with ADHD, combined type, aged 8–12 years without comorbidities, were compared with 43 typically developing children. PedsQL™ 4.0 (Pediatric QoL Inventory™) Generic Core Scales (physical, emotional, social, and school functioning) were completed by families and children self-reporting their health-related QoL. Results Children with ADHD reported themselves significantly lowered their PedsQL™ scores on all dimensions in comparison to typically developing children. Statistically significant differences were observed in social functioning (p = 0.010), school functioning (p <0.001), psychosocial health (p <0.001), and total score (p = 0.002). The physical functioning and emotional functioning dimensions did not differ significantly between groups, with p = 0.841 and p = 0.070, respectively. Parents of children with ADHD also reported lower PedsQL™ scores, with statistically significant differences in all dimensions. The relationship between child self-reports and parent proxy reports indicated that there is greater agreement among children with ADHD, except for the school functioning. Conclusions This suggests that children with the disorder and their parents have a perception of the functional limitations the disorder brings. It is therefore important to undertake studies to verify the QoL in children with ADHD that aim to provide and measure the scope of the well-being of these children.

Air quality simulations for Londrina region, Brazil

The objective of this work were apply and provide a preliminary evaluation of the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) performance, for Londrina region. We performed comparison with measurements obtained in meteorological stations. The model was configured to run with three domains with 27,9 and 3 km of grid resolution, using the ndown program and also was realized a simulation with the model configured to run with a single domain using a land use file based in a classified image for region of MODIS sensor. The emission files to supply the chemistry run were generated based in the work of Martins et al., 2012. RADM2 chemical mechanism and MADE/SORGAM modal aerosol models were used in the simulations. The results demonstrated that model was able to represent coherently the formation and dispersion of the pollution in Metropolitan Region of Londrina and also the importance of using the appropriate land use file for the region.