Clinicopathological analysis of oral mucous autoimmune disease: A 27-year study

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to analyze the main clinical and histopathological features of autoimmune diseases with oral manifestations such as oral lichen planus (OLP); mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP); pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and erythema multiforme (EM). Study design: Retrospective review of 5770 files from the Oral Pathology Laboratory of Sao Jose dos Campos Dental School, São Paulo State University (UNESP) comprising a 27- year period from 1974 to 2000.Results: The cases accounted for 64 (1.10%) of 5770 anatomopathological examinations performed over the study period. Among the autoimmune diseases diagnosed, 49 (76.56%) were OLP, 6 (9.37%) were MMP, 5 (7.82%) were em and 4 (6.25%) were PV. Descriptive statistical analysis was used.Conclusion: The initial manifestations of most autoimmune diseases occur in the oral mucosa. An earlier diagnosis and proper therapeutic protocol will delay the dissemination of the lesions, thus greatly contributing to a better prognosis and quality of life of the patient.

Mucus extravasation and retention phenomena: a 24-year study

Background: Mucoceles are benign lesions related to the minor salivary glands and their respective ducts frequently affecting oral structures which are generally asymptomatic. Mucoceles are generally characterized by swollen nodular lesions preferentially located on the lower lip and differ from the so-called ranulas, which are lesions located on the floor of the mouth and related to the sublingual or submandibular glands.Methods: The objective of the present study was to analyze data such as age, gender, race and site of the lesion of 173 mucocele cases diagnosed at the Discipline of Stomatology, Sao Jose dos Campos Dental School, UNESP, over a period of 24 years (April 1980 to February 2003).Results: of the 173 cases analyzed, 104 (60.12%) were females and 69 (39.88%) were males. Age ranged from 4 to 70 years (mean +/- SD: 17 +/- 9.53) and most patients were in the second decade of life (n = 86, 49.42%); white (n = 124, 71.68%). The lower lip was the site most frequently affected by the lesions (n = 135, 78.03%), whereas the lowest prevalence was observed for the soft palate, buccal mucosa, and lingual frenum.Conclusion: In this study, mucoceles predominated in white female subjects in the second decade of life, with the lower lip being the most frequently affected site.

Periodontal conditions in a 7-19-year-old student population in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil, 1995

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar as condições periodontais e necessidades de tratamento em crianças e adolescentes, com idades entre 7 e 19 anos, matriculados em Escolas Públicas de Araraquara, SP, Brasil, em 1995, com o propósito de se obter um banco de dados-base inicial para o monitoramento das mudanças no estado periodontal. Uma amostra de 1956 crianças e adolescentes foi examinada por duas examinadoras, previamente calibradas, usando o CPITN. Os resultados mostraram que o sangramento gengival foi a condição periodontal mais frequentemente observada em todas as idades, com média de 3,0 sextantes afetados na idade de 15 anos. A presença de cálculo dental aumentou com a idade. No grupo etário de 15-19 anos, o cálculo dental e as bolsas periodontais rasas (3,5-5,5 mm) foram observados em 39,8% e 1,6% dos adolescentes, respectivamente. Com o propósito de alcançar a meta da OMS de não mais do que um sextante com escores 1 (sangramento) ou 2 (presença de cálculo dental) do CPITN na idade de 15 anos, prioridade deve ser dada aos programas de prevenção primária para que a saúde periodontal da maioria seja beneficiada.

Multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain from myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome: A four-year experience at a Brazilian center

Chronic pain is the major complaint of myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS) and is a complex problem which involves physical, psychological and social aspects, the etiology of MPDS is multifactorial and the multidisciplinary approach is essential for differential diagnosis and for comprehensive treatment planning, In 1993, the Dental School of Piracicaba-UNICAMP, Brazil, opened a Center for Pain Studies (CPS), staffed by health care providers including, dentists, psychologists, physicians, physiotherapists and phonoaudiologists. The major aims of the CPS are to provide clinical care and to develop basic and applied research, Sixty-two MPDS patients had been admitted to the CPS by 1997, There were 60 females and 2 males, mean age -32.5 years, the mean duration of chronic pain was 48 months. Pain intensity and unpleasantness were measured employing the Visual Analogue Scale, the tendency to develop stress-related diseases was assessed by the Social Readjustment de Scale, There was a mean reduction of chronic pain of 69.89% and 71.78% relative to intensity and unpleasantness, respectively, the experience of clinical attendance at a multidisciplinary center showed the relevance of a team consisting of health care providers from different specialties with well-established aims, completely integrated and sensitive enough to understand the painful complaints of MPDS patients.

Assessment of the diet of 0- to 6-year-old children in municipal schools in a Brazilian city

Diet control is one of the important factors in the prevention of dental caries because food functions as substratum for fermentation and, consequently, for the formation of the organic acids that demineralize the tooth surface. This study aims to descriptively assess school diet and the associated caries-preventive methods applied to children in all municipal nursery schools of a Brazilian city (Aragatuba/SP). For this, a questionnaire with open and closed questions was used. The results showed that all schools serve school meal, which is composed mainly of sugar, carbohydrates, and proteins. The students enjoy the meal very much because for most of them, the meal served at school is the only source of food. It was observed that 90% of the schools offer other kinds of food besides the main school meal. The snacks served such as cakes, white hominy, and milk fudge are composed of sweet and highly cariogenic foods. It was also verified that in 13.30% of the schools, the daily supervised dental hygiene, an important procedure that should not be neglected, is not carried out. This procedure introduces the children to healthy habits that are added to those acquired in the family environment. It was concluded that the school diet is potentially cariogenic and, in association with the lack of daily dental hygiene, this potential may become even higher.

Dental trauma involving root fracture and periodontal ligament injury: A 10-year retrospective study

The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyze the cases of traumatic dental injuries involving root fracture and/or periodontal ligament injury (except avulsion) treated at the Discipline of Integrated Clinic, School of Dentistry of Araçatuba, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil, from January 1992 to December 2002. Clinical and radiographic records from 161 patients with 287 traumatized teeth that had sustained root fracture and/or injuries to the periodontal ligament were examined. The results of this survey revealed that subluxation (25.09%) was the most common type of periodontal ligament injury, followed by extrusive luxation (19.86%). There was a predominance of young male patients and most of them did not present systemic alterations. Among the etiologic factors, the most frequent causes were falls and bicycle accidents. Injuries on extraoral soft tissues were mostly laceration and abrasion, while gingival and lip mucosa lacerations prevailed on intraoral soft tissues injuries. Radiographically, the most common finding was an increase of the periodontal ligament space. The most commonly performed treatment was root canal therapy. Within the limits of this study, it can be concluded that traumatic dental injuries occur more frequently in young male individuals, due to falls and bicycle accidents. Subluxation was the most common type of periodontal ligament injury. Root canal therapy was the type of treatment most commonly planned and performed.

Conservative management of severe intrusion in a primary tooth: A 4-year follow-up

The purpose of this report was to describe the case of an 18-month-old boy who was referred to the pediatric clinic of the School of Dentistry of Araçatuba, São Paulo State University, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil, 3 days after sustaining severe trauma that led to the complete intrusion of the primary maxillary right lateral incisor, a crown fracture of the primary maxillary right central incisor without pulp involvement, and disruption of the superior labial frenum. Four months later, spontaneous re-eruption was observed in the intruded tooth and no endodontic intervention was necessary in either traumatized teeth. Four years after the trauma, a morphological change in the germ of the permanent successor was noted. Clinical follow-up and periodic radiographies are necessary after traumatic intrusion of primary teeth to monitor possible sequelae in the permanent successors.

Dornase alfa improves the health-related quality of life among Brazilian patients with cystic fibrosis - A one-year prospective study

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measurements provide valuable information about the psychological and social impact of treatment on patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). This study evaluated the HRQOL of Brazilian patients with CF and assessed the changes in HRQOL domains over 1 year after dornase alfa (Pulmozyme) introduction. Patients and Methods: One hundred fifty-six stable patients with CF and 89 caregivers answered the Portuguese-validated version of the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R) at baseline (T 0), and at 3 (T 1), 6 (T 2), 9 (T 3), and 12 (T 4) months of follow-up. Eighteen patientswere excluded because they did not fulfill the inclusion criteria. The patients were analyzed in two groups: those aged 6-11 years and those aged 14 years and older. ANOVA for observed repeated results and the last observation carried forward (LOCF) method for missing data were used for the statistical analysis. Results: After 1 year of follow-up, there was significant improvement in respiratory symptoms (T 4-T 0=8.1; 95% confidence interval (95% CI)=[2.1;14.0]; effect size (ES)=0.35; P<0.001), Emotional Functioning (T 4-T 0=5.6; 95% CI=[1.1;10.1]; ES=0.31; P<0.05), Social Functioning (T 4-T 0=6.0; 95% CI=[1.3;11.7]; ES=0.31; P<0.05), Body Image (T 4-T 0=11.9; 95% CI=[4.1;19.7]; ES=0.42; P<0.05), and Treatment Burden (T 4-T 0=5.3; 95% CI=[0.3;10.3]; ES=0.24; P<0.05) domains in the younger group. A significant improvement in Role Functioning (T 4-T 0=6.1; 95% CI=[1.1;11.1]; ES=0.40; P<0.05), Body Image (T 4-T 0=12.6; 95% CI=[3.5;21.7]; ES=0.46; P<0.05), and Weight (T 4-T 0=11.7; 95% CI=[1.8;21.6]; ES=0.40; P<0.05) was obtained in the older group. The caregivers' CFQ-R showed improvements in the Digestive Symptoms (T 4-T 0=5.5; 95% CI=[1.5;9.4]; ES=0.30; P<0.05), Respiratory Symptoms (T 4-T 0=7.6; 95% CI=[3.9;11.4]; ES=0.48; P<0.05), and Weight (T 4-T 0=10.1; 95% CI=[1.6;18.6]; ES=0.26; P<0.05) domains. Conclusion: The introduction of dornase alfa improved the HRQL of the patients with CF during the first year of treatment. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Body mass index, dental caries and sugar intake in 2-5 year-old preschoolers

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

18-Year Follow-up of Dens Invaginatus: Retrograde Endodontic Treatment

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Interactive simulations to physics teaching: a case study in brazilian high school

This paper presents the results of a study that investigated the use of simulators to improve physics teaching. The study population consisted of eight classes totaling 205 second year high school students from Brazilian public school. The research methodology adopted compares the average performance of students on tests conducted in the classroom to performance on tests conducted in the laboratory using computer simulators. The results obtained showed that students’ performance on tests improved after the use of simulators. It was found that the students had more homogeneous test results when using the simulator.

Adolescents’ Occupational and Educational Aspirations and Expectations: Links to High School Activities and Adult Educational Attainment

This longitudinal study explored adolescents’ future-oriented cognitions, current activities, and later educational attainment using data from 317 adolescents (55% female; mean age = 14.98 years, SD = 0.85) followed into early adulthood. Aspirations and expectations regarding work and education showed modest stability from year to year. Exploration of the reciprocal relations between these cognitions and adolescents’ activities supported both unidirectional and bidirectional effects, with different patterns emerging for aspirations and expectations. In multiple regression analyses, future-oriented cognitions predicted adult educational attainment; follow- up analyses indicated that the effect of adolescents’ expectations was partially mediated by participation in extracurricular activities. These results suggest a potentially important influence of adolescents’ future-oriented cognitions on their current behavior and future attainments.

The implementation of a tobacco dependence education curriculum in a Swiss Dental Hygiene School - an 8-year review

OBJECTIVE The aim of our investigation was to review the implementation of a comprehensive tobacco dependence education (TDE) curriculum at the Medi School of Dental Hygiene (MSDH), Bern, Switzerland, 2001-2008. METHODS In 2001, new forms to record patients' tobacco use history and willingness to quit were created for all the MSDH patients. In 2002, a new theoretically based tobacco dependence treatment protocol was implemented into the MSDH curriculum. Students received instruction on how to provide brief tobacco use dependence interventions as well as maintain detailed records of patient tobacco use and cessation interventions for every smoker at all dental hygiene visits. RESULTS In 2002, 17 lecture hours were added to the following subjects: pathology, periodontology, preventive dentistry, pharmacology and psychology. During the same time period, 2213 patients (56.9% women) have visited the MSDH. Smoking status was recorded in 85.7% of all the patients (30.2% smokers). Brief tobacco use interventions were recorded in 36.8% of all smokers while 7.6% of these have reported to quit smoking. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the new TDE curriculum was successfully implemented and accepted by the MSDH faculty. Applications in the clinical practice, however, may still be improved to better identify smokers and increase initial and follow-up interventions potentially leading to higher quit rates.