Digital Assessment of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Preparedness of Dentists towards Providing Dental Treatment to People Living with HIV in Northern Brazil.

People living with HIV (PLWH) continue to face stigma and discrimination during dental treatment in Brazil. This study aimed to describe the sociodemographic, educational and professional characteristics of dentists working in the Northern Brazilian region and to identify the level of knowledge of these health professionals in relation to the care and management of PLWH using a digital form. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was population-based among dentists and was conducted between July and December 2021. A total of 396 dentists were invited using the "snowball" sampling technique and received an anonymous digital form (Google® Forms platform) composed of four blocks of dichotomous and multiple-choice questions. After signing the informed consent form, dentists were divided into seven groups according to the amount of time that had passed (in years) since they had completed their bachelor's degree in dentistry. A total of 25 questions referring to sociodemographic, educational and professional factors and knowledge about the dental care of PLWH were asked, and all data were presented as descriptive percentages and then analyzed using the Kappa test. RESULTS: The average age was 31.9 years, and the states of Pará and Amazonas presented better knowledge about the dental care of PLWH. Dental prostheses (62/381-16.3%), orthodontics (57/381-15%) and periodontics (56/381-14.7%) were the most cited dental specialties, and demographic, professional and epidemiological characteristics showed a statistically significant difference regarding knowledge (<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge of dentists in Northern Brazil is partially high, although there is some lack of knowledge about the dental care of PLWH.

Influence of Prolonged Tooth Bleaching on Enamel Mass Variation / Influencia del Blanqueo Dental Prolongado en la Variación de Masa del Esmalte Dental

ABSTRACT: The objective evaluate was the influence of prolonged tooth bleaching with 10 % carbamide peroxide (10CP) on tooth enamel mass variation. Ten healthy bovine incisor teeth were divided (n = 5) into G1 - storage in distilled water and G2 - storage in artificial saliva. The samples were weighed in an electronic analytical balance at the following times: T0 - before application of the bleaching gel, T1 - after 14 days of bleaching (the time recommended by the manufacturer), T2 - after 21 days of bleaching (50 % increase in the time recommended by the manufacturer), and T3 - after 28 days of bleaching (100 % increase in the time recommended by the manufacturer). The data were subjected to ANOVA for related samples (p = 0.05). The highest mean was observed in G2 (0.5982 g) and the lowest mean was observed in G1 (0.3074 g) at T2 and T3, respectively. Significant differences were observed between the groups at all times. Overall, 10CP caused variation in the enamel mass after a 100 % increase in the use time recommended by the manufacturer, with a decrease in mass when distilled water was used as the storage medium and an increase when artificial saliva was used.

RESUMEN: El objetivo fue investigar la influencia del blanqueamiento dental prolongado con peróxido de carbamida al 10 % (10CP) sobre la variación de masa del esmalte dental. Las muestras se dividieron en dos grupos: G1, diez dientes sanos de los incisivos bovinos (n = 5) en agua destilada, y G2, almacenamiento en saliva artificial. Las muestras se midieron en una escala analítica electrónica de precisión en los siguientes tiempos: T0-antes de la aplicación del gel blanqueador, T1-después de 14 días de blanqueo (el tiempo recomendado por el fabricante), T2-después de 21 días de blanqueo (aumento de 50 % en el tiempo recomendado por el fabricante), y T3-después de 28 días de blanqueo (aumento de 100 % en el tiempo recomendado por el fabricante). Los datos se presentaron al ANOVA para las muestras relacionadas (P = 0,5). La media más alta se observó en G2 (0,5982 g) y la media más baja se observó en G1 (0,3074 g) en T2 y T3, respectivamente. Se observaron diferencias significativas entre los grupos en todo momento. En general, la 10 CP causó variación en la masa del esmalte después de un aumento de 100 % en el tiempo de uso recomendado por el fabricante, con una disminución en la masa cuando el agua destilada se utilizó como medio de almacenamiento y aumentó cuando se usó saliva artificial.