A documentação odontológica sob a ótica dos cirurgiões-dentistas de Natal-RN

The dental documentation or handbook is a collection of documents produced by the professional with diagnostic and therapeutical purpose where the inherent information to the buccal and general health of patients are registered. The register and proper filling of these documents, taking care of the ethical and legal requirements, provide to the dentist the possibility to contribute with justice in cases of human identification and makes of these documents an essential element of evidence in the ethical processes, administrative, civil and criminal against the dentists. Ahead of this fact, understanding such requirements and the importance of the dentist to register himself adequately, this research verified the knowledge of Natal (RN) City s dentists with relation to the elaboration of the dental handbook, investigating the concepts and the importance attributed to the handbook, identifying the documents more used and filed by these professionals, besides inquiring the legal value of filed documents and the filling time of these ones. The sample was constituted by 124 dentists, who had answered a questionnaire, after having been randomly selected ITom a list of professionals subscribed in the Dentistry Local Council/RN Section. The analysis of the results showed that majority of the participant citÍzens (52,3%) confers to the dental documentation the clinical importance, followed by the legal and forensic-dentistry importance; 59,3% of the searched professionals do not distinguish satisfactorily or they do not observe differences between the dental handbook and the clinical filing card, the X-rays, the dental certificates, the prescriptions, the directions and the receipts; between the documents of common use to clínical and specialist ones, the contract of rendering of services and term of ITee and cleared up consent are the documents less used by the professionals. It was still verified, that only 13,1% of the sample register the signature of the patients in the clinical filing card, making it more credibility to be presented in judgement. In the same way, copies of dental certificates and prescriptions evaluated and signed by the patients are filed respectively by only 13,5% and 9,4% ofthe searched professionals and 50% ofthe sample, keep these documents filed for an indeterminate period of time, that is, these professionals have the guard of the handbook and they do not intend to disdain it, although 85,5% of the sample does not recognize the real proprietor of the handbook. It is concluded that a great part of the dentists is unaware about the importance of the dental documentation, and neglect its elaboration, leaving themselves exposed to several kinds of penalties foreseen in the legislation

Avaliação do conhecimento dos cirurgiões dentistas que realizam curso de especialização na Universidade Estadual Paulista-UNESP, sobre aspectos bioéticos, éticos e legais do tratamento odontológico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

La informática en el consultorio odontológico y el uso de los regsitros digitales

The use of computers in dental clinics has brought many benefits to dentist, helping them in various technical, administrative and legal. This study aimed to verify whether dentist, students of the post-graduate course in Orthodontics and Implantodontia of the Brazilian Association of Dentistry (ABO), regional Araçatuba-SP, using computers and digital documentation in clinical practice. They were invited to participate in the study all 60 students enrolled in courses of Orthodontics and Implantodontia of those institutions, in the year 2007 and those who consented (n = 52) answered a questionnaire containing questions open and closed on the subject . As the profile of the participants, 64.5% are male, 51.9% are between 30-39 years of age and 48.1% completed the graduation in the 90th. A 69.3% said they didn't receive any notion of computing during graduation and 67.3% use the computer in the office, mainly for management of the same (34.3%). Regarding the use of electronic record 55.8% reported using this technology, while 44.2% denied. 32.7% do not believe that electronic records that can serve as proof of judicial and 35.7% believe that the electronic records should be archived for 20 years. It follows that most professionals use the computer in the office and also the digital records, but does not feel secure about the legal validity of such documents, unknown, including the appropriate time of its filing.

Improving the oral health status of functionally independent and dependent seniors residing in long-term care facilities through dental hygiene education /

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oral health status of residents residing in 2 long-term care facilities and determine if dental hygiene education was required in order to improve their current oral health. The oral health status of 6 independent and 4 dependent individuals residing in 2 long-term care facilities was evaluated. In addition, the current oral health and disease prevention practices employed by 4 caregivers who were responsible for providing oral care to dependent residents in the long-term care facilities were evaluated. Furthermore, an evaluation of the oral care practices of independent residents who were responsible for providing their own care was conducted. Finally, the challenges that caregivers and independent residents faced when performing oral care were determined, and methodological changes were proposed. Using a generic qualitative research methodology, data collection was comprised of semi structured interviews, field observations, and documentation. The oral health status of the residents was reevaluated 3 months later. The findings of this study demonstrated an increase in plaque accumulation, gingival inflammation, and unhealthy gingival tissue colour changes among the residents over the 3-month period. The study revealed that poor oral health among the residents was a result of inadequate oral hygiene care techniques, difficulties accessing oral health care, financial limitations, insufficient care staff, insufficient time for personal care duties, lack of professional development, minimal interprofessional collaboration of health disciplines, and lack of perseverance on the part of the caregivers and residents. Overall, oral health is essential, and maintaining optimal oral health requires increased collaboration and communication between health care providers.

Age assessment based on dental calcification in individuals with Down syndrome

It is important to estimate both chronological age (CA) and maturational age of an individual, in order to perform orthopedic treatment or surgery, and in cases of lost documentation. Use of dental age (DA) for these purposes has been widely studied; however, the literature is scarce with regard to individuals with Down syndrome (DS), a prevalent condition worldwide. In this study the chronology of dental maturation was evaluated by analyzing the DA of individuals with DS based on the Chronological Mineralization Table proposed by Nolla (1960). Thus, second molars were evaluated in 57 panoramic radiographs of male and female individuals with DS, between 5 and 16 years-old. These data were compared with a control group of 191 nonsyndromic individuals of the same age group. Correlation between CA and DA was ascertained using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r), and the difference between these variables was measured using Student's t-test for paired samples and the method proposed by Bland and Altman. The difference between DA and CA was compared between the control and DS groups using Student's t-test for independent samples (α=0.05). DA was slightly lower than the CA; however, this difference was only significant for females. The difference between DA and CA was not significant between individuals with DS and control group (both genders, p=0.945; males, p=0.542; females, p=0.381). We concluded that dental maturation in individuals with DS occurs similarly to that of nonsyndromic individuals. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Springboards into design : exploring multiple representations of interaction in a dental surgery

This paper demonstrates that in order to understand and design for interactions in complex work environments, a variety of representational artefacts must be developed and employed. A study was undertaken to explore the design of better interaction technologies to support patient record keeping in a dental surgery. The domain chosen is a challenging real context that exhibits problems that could potentially be solved by ubiquitous computing and multi-modal interaction technologies. Both transient and durable representations were used to develop design understandings. We describe the representations, the kinds of insights developed from the representations and the way that the multiple representations interact and carry forward in the design process.

A participatory design agenda for ubiquitous computing : a case study in dental practice

This paper reflects upon our attempts to bring a participatory design approach to design research into interfaces that better support dental practice. The project brought together design researchers, general and specialist dental practitioners, the CEO of a dental software company and, to a limited extent, dental patients. We explored the potential for deployment of speech and gesture technologies in the challenging and authentic context of dental practices. The paper describes the various motivations behind the project, the negotiation of access and the development of the participant relationships as seen from the researchers' perspectives. Conducting participatory design sessions with busy professionals demands preparation, improvisation, and clarity of purpose. The paper describes how we identified what went well and when to shift tactics. The contribution of the paper is in its description of what we learned in bringing participatory design principles to a project that spanned technical research interests, commercial objectives and placing demands upon the time of skilled professionals.

Maintaining human agency in the design on context-aware systems : Design games in a dental surgery

This paper describes a series of design games, specifically aimed at exploring shifts in human agency in order to inform the design of context-aware applications. The games focused on understanding information handling issues in dental practice with participants from a university dental school playing an active role in the activities. Participatory design activities help participants to reveal potential implicit technical resources that can be presented explicitly in technologies in order to assist humans in managing their interactions with and amidst technical systems gracefully.

Stem cell regulatory gene expression in human adult dental pulp and periodontal ligament cells undergoing odontogenic/osteogenic differentiation

Introduction During development and regeneration, odontogenesis and osteogenesis are initiated by a cascade of signals driven by several master regulatory genes. Methods In this study, we investigated the differential expression of 84 stem cell–related genes in dental pulp cells (DPCs) and periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) undergoing odontogenic/osteogenic differentiation. Results Our results showed that, although there was considerable overlap, certain genes had more differential expression in PDLCs than in DPCs. CCND2, DLL1, and MME were the major upregulated genes in both PDLCs and DPCs, whereas KRT15 was the only gene significantly downregulated in PDLCs and DPCs in both odontogenic and osteogenic differentiation. Interestingly, a large number of regulatory genes in odontogenic and osteogenic differentiation interact or crosstalk via Notch, Wnt, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)/bone morphogenic protein (BMP), and cadherin signaling pathways, such as the regulation of APC, DLL1, CCND2, BMP2, and CDH1. Using a rat dental pulp and periodontal defect model, the expression and distribution of both BMP2 and CDH1 have been verified for their spatial localization in dental pulp and periodontal tissue regeneration. Conclusions This study has generated an overview of stem cell–related gene expression in DPCs and PDLCs during odontogenic/osteogenic differentiation and revealed that these genes may interact through the Notch, Wnt, TGF-β/BMP, and cadherin signalling pathways to play a crucial role in determining the fate of dental derived cell and dental tissue regeneration. These findings provided a new insight into the molecular mechanisms of the dental tissue mineralization and regeneration

The role of self-efficacy in dental patients’ brushing and flossing: Testing an extended Health Belief Model

Objective: In an effort to examine the decreasing oral health trend of Australian dental patients, the Health Belief Model (HBM) was utilised to understand the beliefs underlying brushing and flossing self-care. The HBM states that perception of severity and susceptibility to inaction and an estimate of the barriers and benefits of behavioural performance influences people’s health behaviours. Self-efficacy, confidence in one’s ability to perform oral self-care, was also examined. Methods: In dental waiting rooms, a community sample (N = 92) of dental patients completed a questionnaire assessing HBM variables and self-efficacy, as well as their performance of the oral hygiene behaviours of brushing and flossing. Results: Partial support only was found for the HBM with barriers emerging as the sole HBM factor influencing brushing and flossing behaviours. Self-efficacy significantly predicted both oral hygiene behaviours also. Conclusion: Support was found for the control factors, specifically a consideration of barriers and self-efficacy, in the context of understanding dental patients’ oral hygiene decisions. Practice implications: Dental professionals should encourage patients’ self-confidence to brush and floss at recommended levels and discuss strategies that combat barriers to performance, rather than emphasising the risks of inaction or the benefits of oral self-care.

Healthy smile dental

This article features the Healthy Smile Dental Clinic located at Shop 43, Underwood Market Place, 3215 Logan Road, Underwood, Queensland, which was designed by OEWG Architects. The environment of the clinic was based on the concept of human relationship and care.

A framework guiding critical thinking through reflective journal documentation: A Middle Eastern experience

The purpose of this paper is to present a framework to guide critical thinking through reflective journaling, and describe how a group of 20 Middle Eastern nurses used reflective journaling to enhance their practice. Journal documentation was used during clinical practicum to foster the development of critical thinking in order to assist nurses when analysing and evaluating their clinical experiences. The findings from this study demonstrated that nurses accepted the framework for journal documentation because it provided structure for reflection, speculation, synthesis and metacognition of events experienced during clinical practice. Journaling gave nurses the opportunity to transfer thoughts onto paper and write down subjective and objective data, and created dialogue between the nurse educators and nurses. They were engaged in productive and positive activity to enhance their nursing practice. Nurses also commented that writing helped to develop their confidence in writing English.

Drugs, dental professionals and the law

Dentists have the privilege of possessing, administering and prescribing drugs, including highly addictive medications, to their patients. But because drugs are often vulnerable to being abused by all members of society, including dentists and their patients, and because drugs can be dangerous, they are tightly regulated in Canada by the federal and provincial/territorial governments. Regulatory and professional dental bodies also provide guidance for their members about how to best administer and prescribe drugs. This chapter outlines the regulation by federal and provincial/territorial governments in this area, examines the professional practice requirements set out by regulatory/professional bodies and the issue of drug abuse by dental professional and patients. It is important to note from the outset that governmental and professional regulations, policies and practices differ from province to province and territory to territory. This chapter aims to alert dentists to possible legal and professional issues surrounding the possession, administration and prescription of drugs. For detailed specific information about regulation, policies, ethical standards and professional practice standards in Canada or their province/ territory, dentists should contact their insurer or professional association.