Impact of gingivitis on oral health-related quality of life in 12-year-old schoolchildren of Quito, Ecuador.

PURPOSE: Evaluate the impact of gingivitis on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) amongst 12-year-old schoolchildren from Quito, Ecuador. METHODS: We evaluated 998 school children using the Community Periodontal Index for gingival bleeding and calculus. OHRQoL was assessed with the Child Perceptions Questionnaire 11-14 (CPQ11-14) questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 998 schoolchildren, 93% had gingival bleeding and 73% had dental calculus. Schoolchildren with more than one sextant with gingival bleeding had 1.18 times higher mean CPQ11-14 (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.11-1.27) than those with none or just one affected sextant. Male schoolchildren presented a 15% lower mean Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ) (RT 0.85; 95% CI 0.76-0.96). Children whose parents had incomplete secondary education had a 15% lower mean CPQ (RT 0.85; 95% CI 0.77-0.94). Bleeding in more than one sextant was significantly associated with worse quality of life in the emotional well-being (RT 1.40, 95% CI 1.03-1.90) and social well-being domains (RT 1.76, 95% CI 1.32-2.34). CONCLUSION: Gingival bleeding negatively impacted the OHRQoL of 12-year-old Ecuadorian schoolchildren living in Quito.

Guar gum effects on food intake, blood serum lipids and glucose levels of Wistar rats.

The effects of guar gum derived from the endosperm of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (75% soluble fiber, 7.6% insoluble fiber, 2.16% crude protein, 0.78% total lipids, 0.54% ash and 9.55% moisture) on food intake, levels of blood serum cholesterol, triacylglycerols, glucose and LDL and HDL-cholesterol were studied. The effects of guar gum on indices of protein absorption and utilization were also investigated. Diets containing 0%, 10% and 20% (w/w) guar gum or 10% and 20% cellulose powder (reference) were fed to normal rats for 60 days. The rats fed the guar gum diets showed significantly (p < or = 0.05) lower levels of blood serum cholesterol, triacylglycerols, reduced food intake and body weight gain. Furthermore, a concomitant increase in HDL-cholesterol with a substantial elevation of the HDL/LDL cholesterol ratio were noted. Guar gum decreased blood serum glucose only during the first month of the experiment, and no changes in the indices of protein absorption and utilization were found. The guar gum caused a 10% increase in the small intestine length and a 25% retardation in the intestinal transit. The results of this research suggested that guar gum could potentially be effective in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and obesity in humans.