Geographic information systems (GIS) in assessing dental health.

The present study investigated the distribution profile of dental caries and its association with areas of social deprivation at the individual and contextual level. The cluster sample consisted of 1,002 12-year-old schoolchildren from Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. The DMFT Index was used for dental caries and the Care Index was used to determine access to dental services. On the individual level, variables were associated with a better oral status. On the contextual level, areas were not associated with oral status. However, maps enabled determining that the central districts have better social and oral conditions than the deprived outlying districts.

Perception of dental fluorosis and other oral health disorders by 12-year-old Brazilian children.

AIM: The aim of this study was to verify the perception of dental fluorosis as an oral health problem by 12-year-old Brazilian children and to evaluate if they were able to detect other oral disorders. METHODOLOGY: The sample consisted of 401 schoolchildren. Firstly, clinical examinations were performed using a visual method under natural light. After that, children answered a questionnaire with the purpose of assessing the self-perception of their oral health problems. Next, the volunteers were shown a photo album containing 24 photographs, and had to match each photo with a severity scale. RESULTS: The prevalence of fluorosis was 18.2%; 81.8% of this total in fluorosis scale T-F 1. Of the 401 children, 48.9% (n = 196) answered oral health problems related to concerns, such as aesthetic appearance or pain. Among them, only two children, both with fluorosis T-F 2, correlated their problems with the presence of stained teeth. As regards the photo album analysis, the children considered photos showing fluorosis T-F 7-9 as the most severe, whereas the photo of an orally healthy patient was considered the least severe. CONCLUSION: Children did not show negative perception of dental fluorosis, except for dental fluorosis at severe levels (T-F 7-9), and were mainly able to detect aesthetic or pain-related problems.

Oral health of a Brazilian population on renal dialysis.

The purpose of this study was to assess the oral health of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing hemodialysis in Brazil. A dentist examined 160 subjects aged 40 to 85 years of age. Data was collected on dental caries, use of and need for dentures, oral mucosa, periodontal disease and temporomandibular joint status. All subjects were interviewed about their socioeconomic status, dental and medical history, and oral hygiene habits. Most subjects had hypertension (49.4%); used the public service for their medical care (69.4%); had a middle school educational level (83.1%); and did not complain of xerostomia (60.0%). The majority used private oral healthcare services and used a toothbrush only for oral hygiene. The mean DMFT was 26.0 (standard deviation 7.7). Most individuals did not wear dentures, but needed some type of prosthesis. Lesions of the oral mucosa (3.1%), signs (2.5%) and symptoms (3.8%) of temporomandibular dysfunction could be observed in only a few patients. The oral health of the subjects examined was poor. These persons needed their oral condition monitored by a dentist and their oral disease treated as well as receiving instruction on oral hygiene.