Leveraging School Health Programs in Africa: Integrated Screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease and Dental Caries.

Background: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and dental caries (DC) disproportionately affect children and young adults in sub-Saharan countries, with major impact on schoolchildren's health and education. DC in children with RHD constitutes an important risk for fatal complications. Our study aimed at assessing the feasibility of simultaneous RHD and DC screening in school environment. Methods: March 20-24, 2022, we performed an observational descriptive study of schoolchildren in a public school in Maputo City, Mozambique. RHD screening involved two stages: first, a physical examination (including cardiac auscultation and direct observation of the oral cavity), and second, an abbreviated echocardiography performed by a cardiologist. Rapid testing for group A Streptococcus (GAS) was done to every eighth child in the classroom and for those with signs suggesting recent infection, in accordance with the study protocol developed for screening. A multidisciplinary team collected the data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings: A total of 954 students (median age 9; range 6-15) were screened. One hundred and twenty-five participants were eligible for a rapid antigen test, of which 6 (4.8%) tested positive. On clinical evaluation 52 children (5.3%) presented a heart murmur. Echocardiography on 362 children showed borderline RHD in 35 children and definite RHD in 2 (0.6%); 1 child had a ventricular septal defect. Dental cavities were present in 444 (48.4%), despite 904 out of 917 students reporting brushing of their teeth once to three times daily (98.6%). Conclusion: School-based integrated oral and cardiovascular screenings and use of rapid tests for GAS carriage provide crucial information to create customized preventive strategies for rheumatic fever (RF) and RHD in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), in addition to detecting children at very high risk of bacterial endocarditis. The sustainability of such interventions and acceptability by health providers needs to be assessed.

Root dentin strain and temperature rise during endodontic treatment and post rehabilitation.

This study investigated the effects of endodontic treatment procedures and different post systems rehabilitation steps on the strain and temperature rise on apical and cervical root dentin regions. Twenty-one extracted human canine teeth had two strain gages attached to the distal root surface and two thermocouples attached to the mesial root surface (cervical and apical). The strain and temperature rise were recorded during the following procedures: root canal preparation, final rinse and drying, root canal filling and canal relief. Then the teeth were divided into three groups (n=7), according to the type of post system: CPC, cast post and core; FGP, fiberglass post; and PSP, prefabricated steel post. Data continued to be recorded during the post space preparation, post modeling (only for CPC), post trying and post cementation. Data were subjected to a two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test (α=0.05). The post-space preparation caused the highest temperature rise (4.0-14.9 °C) and the highest strain in the apical region during irrespective of post type. The resin cement light-activation resulted in significant temperature increases in the cervical region for all of the groups. The canal relief and the post-space preparation produced highest temperature rises. The CPC post modeling resulted in higher root strain level similarly the level of post preparation. The PSP resulted in highest strain during post trying and post cementation.

Root Dentin Strain and Temperature Rise During Endodontic Treatment and Post Rehabilitation

This study investigated the effects of endodontic treatment procedures and different post systems rehabilitation steps on the strain and temperature rise on apical and cervical root dentin regions. Twenty-one extracted human canine teeth had two strain gages attached to the distal root surface and two thermocouples attached to the mesial root surface (cervical and apical). The strain and temperature rise were recorded during the following procedures: root canal preparation, final rinse and drying, root canal filling and canal relief. Then the teeth were divided into three groups (n=7), according to the type of post system: CPC, cast post and core; FGP, fiberglass post; and PSP, prefabricated steel post. Data continued to be recorded during the post space preparation, post modeling (only for CPC), post trying and post cementation. Data were subjected to a two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test (α=0.05). The post-space preparation caused the highest temperature rise (4.0-14.9 °C) and the highest strain in the apical region during irrespective of post type. The resin cement light-activation resulted in significant temperature increases in the cervical region for all of the groups. The canal relief and the post-space preparation produced highest temperature rises. The CPC post modeling resulted in higher root strain level similarly the level of post preparation. The PSP resulted in highest strain during post trying and post cementation.

Este estudo investigou os efeitos de diferentes etapas do tratamento endodôntico e da inserção de diferentes tipos de retentores na deformação e aumento de temperatura na dentina radicular apical e cervical. Vinte e um dentes caninos humanos extraídos tiveram dois extensômetros colados à superfície da raiz distal e dois termopares ligados à superfície da raiz mesial (cervical e apical). A deformação e aumento de temperatura foram registrados durante os seguintes procedimentos: preparo do canal radicular, irrigação final e secagem, obturação do canal, alívio do canal; em seguida, os dentes foram divididos em três grupos (CPC, núcleo moldado e fundido; FGP, pino de fibra de vidro, e PSP pino pré-fabricado em aço-inoxidável, n=7). Os dados foram continuamente mensurados durante a modelagem do núcleo (somente para o CPC), inserção e cimentação dos retentores. Os dados foram submetidos a análise de variância fatorial, seguido pelo teste de Tukey (α=0,05). O preparo do canal para o retentor causou o maior aumento de temperatura (4,0-14,9 °C) e maior deformação na região apical independente do tipo de retentor. A ativação com luz resultou em significativo aumento de temperatura na região cervical, para todos os grupos. O alívio do canal e o preparo para o pino produziram maiores aumentos de temperatura. A modelagem do CPC resultou em maior nível de deformação da raiz em nível similar ao preparo para o retentor. O PSP resultou em maior deformação durante a inserção e ao final da cimentação.