Sharps Accidents: Occurrence and Knowledge Level among Brazilian Dental Students

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of sharps accidents among dental students in southwest Goiás state, Brazil, and further survey their knowledge of biosafety and post-injury management. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical observational study was carried out in 2018 following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. The study population included dental students in the 4th and 10th course semester. A pre-formulated self-administered questionnaire containing 14 objective questions was used for data collection. Mean and standard deviation values were calculated. Results: A total of 308 responses were obtained. Overall, 15.9% of the respondents reported having previously experienced accidents with sharps. Most dental students who claimed to know the biological risks to which they are exposed were in the 5th and 8th course semesters, and 67.2% of them reported knowing how to proceed in the event of a sharp accident. Conclusion: A low prevalence of sharps accidents has been reported, and dental students are considered to have a good knowledge of biosafety.

Effect of photobiomodulation therapy on pain perception during anesthetic puncture of dental local anesthesia: A systematic review

Abstract Background Local anesthetic puncture is often related to the experience of pain. This study aimed to systematically analyze the literature on changes in pain perception during the anesthetic puncture of dental local anesthesia after Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT). Material and methods An electronic search was performed in eight primary databases (Embase, LILACS, BBO, LIVIVO, MedLine via PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, and Web of Science) and three additional ones (EASY, Google Scholar, and OATD) to partially capture the "gray literature". The PICO strategy was used to identify randomized clinical trials evaluating the analgesic effect of PBMT in the anesthetic puncture site of dental local anesthesia compared to placebo or control groups, without restrictions on publication language and year. Two reviewers extracted the data and assessed the individual risk of bias of the eligible studies using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool version 2.0. Results The electronic search found 3,485 records, of which eight met the eligibility criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. The studies were published from 2011 to 2022. None of the included studies had a low risk of bias. PBMT groups showed no significant difference in pain scores compared to placebo and control groups of most studies. Conclusion Based on a low to very low certainty of evidence, PBMT seems to have no effect on pain perception during anesthetic puncture in patients undergoing dental local anesthesia.

Oral care and the use of fluoride in the prevention of radiation-related caries: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to map the literature on oral hygiene protocols and fluoride use in patients undergoing radiotherapy. STUDY DESIGN: A comprehensive search was performed in 10 databases, including part of the "gray literature." Clinical trials and observational studies that used radiotherapy in the head and neck region and evaluated the occurrence of radiation-related caries (RRC) were included. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were included in the review. The studies generally presented different methods of oral care and fluoride use. Several studies have shown promising results for oral care instructions in preventing RRC. The main strategies found in the articles were oral hygiene instructions, professional teeth cleaning, recommendations for the use of fluoride toothpaste, and monthly follow-ups. Fluoride gel was the most commonly used fluoride product (72%). Its main recommendation for use was at least 5 min at night daily. Most of these studies (60%) used custom-made trays. Other fluoride methods were fluoride varnish, mouthrinses, and high-fluoride-containing toothpaste. CONCLUSION: Oral care, such as hygiene instructions with regular dental follow-up and daily fluoride, seem to be promising strategies for preventing RRC. Periodically monitoring these patients is one of the most important strategies.

Analysis of financial resources for public health in Brazilian capitals: a time trend ecological study / Análise de recursos financeiros para saúde pública nas capitais brasileiras: um estudo ecológico de tendências temporais / Análisis de recursos financieros para la salud pública en capitales brasileñas: un estudio ecológico de tendencia temporal

This study aimed to analyze part of the financial resources used to fund public health actions in the 26-Brazilian capitals, from 2008 to 2018. This is a time-trend ecological study involving revenue and expenditure indicators provided by the Information System on Public Budget for Health (SIOPS). The values were deflated based on the Extended National Consumer Price Index of 2018 in Brazil to allow the comparison over the years. The mean annual variation of health investments, in Brazilian Reais (BRL) was assessed using linear regressions. Pearson's correlation coefficients were estimated between federal revenues and expenditures with the capitals' resources. All capitals presented statistically significant positive correlations for the origin of the budget resource invested in health. The lowest coefficient was found in the capital city of Macapá (Amapá State) (r = 0.860) and the highest, in Fortaleza (Ceará State) (r = 0.997). Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais State) was the capital with the highest annual increase in federal transfers (about BRL 67.91 per year) and Teresina (Piauí State) presented the highest annual increase in health expenditures among the capitals (about BRL 55.42 per year). We found a increase in the transfers of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) and municipal resources in almost all capitals, but there are still inequalities in the distribution of financial resources among Brazilian capitals from different regions. Health funding is affected by the municipalization of SUS and it is not the single factor affecting the access and quality of health services.

O estudo teve como objetivo analisar parte dos recursos utilizados para financiar ações de saúde pública nas 26 capitais brasileiras entre 2008 e 2018. O estudo ecológico de tendências temporais envolveu indicadores de receitas e gastos fornecidos pelo Sistema de Informação sobre Orçamento Público em Saúde (SIOPS). Os valores foram deflacionados com base no Índice de Preços ao Consumidor Amplo de 2018 no Brasil para permitir a comparação ao longo dos anos. A variação anual média dos investimentos em saúde, em Reais (BRL), foi avaliada com o uso de regressões lineares. Os coeficientes de correlação de Pearson foram estimados entre as receitas e gastos federais com os recursos das capitais. Todas as capitais apresentaram correlações estatisticamente positivas com a origem do recurso orçamentário investido em saúde. O menor coeficiente foi encontrado na cidade de Macapá (Amapá) (r = 0,860), e o mais alto em Fortaleza (Ceará) (r = 0.997). Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) foi a capital com o maior aumento anual em transferências federais (cerca de BRL 67,91 por ano) e Teresina (Piauí) apresentou o maior aumento anual nos gastos em saúde (cerca de BRL 55,42 por ano). Houve um aumento real nas transferências no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e nos recursos municipais em quase todas as capitais, mas ainda persistem desigualdades na distribuição dos recursos financeiros entre as capitais brasileiras das cinco regiões. O financiamento da saúde é afetado pela municipalização do SUS, e não é o único fator que afeta o acesso e a qualidade dos serviços de saúde.

El objetivo fue analizar la parte de recursos financieros utilizados para financiar acciones de salud públicas en 26 capitales brasileñas, entre 2008 y 2018. Se trata de un estudio ecológico de tendencia temporal, implicando indicadores de ingresos y gastos proporcionados por el Sistema de Información sobre el Presupuesto Público para Salud (SIOPS). Se deflactaron los valores basados en el Índice de Precios al Consumidor, ampliado de 2018 en Brasil, para permitir la comparación a lo largo de los años. La variación anual media de inversiones en salud, en Reales brasileños (BRL), fue evaluada usando regresiones lineales. Se estimaron los coeficientes de correlación de Pearson entre los ingresos y gastos federales, respecto a los recursos de las capitales. Todas las capitales presentaron estadísticamente correlaciones positivas significativas respecto a la fuente presupuestaria originaria invertida en salud. El coeficiente más bajo se encontró en la capital de Macapá (Amapá) (r = 0.860) y el más alto en Fortaleza (Ceará) (r = 0.997). Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) fue la capital con el incremento anual más alto en transferencias federales (cerca de BRL 67.91 por año) y Teresina (Piauí) presentó el incremento anual más alto en gastos de salud entre todas las capitales (sobre BRL 55.42 por año). Hubo un incremento real de transferencias en el Sistema Único de Salud brasileño (SUS), así como recursos municipales en casi todas las capitales, pero existen todavía inequidades en la distribución de recursos financieros entre las capitales brasileñas de diferentes regiones. La financiación de la salud está afectada por la municipalización del SUS, y no es el único factor que afecta al acceso y calidad de los servicios de salud.