Brazilian dentist's knowledge of minimum intervention dentistry for caries management: application of a developed knowledge scale (MIDDeC-KS) and evaluation of its psychometric properties.

AIM: To assess the knowledge of Brazilian dentists about Minimum Intervention (MI) using a Minimum Intervention Dentistry to Dental Caries-Knowledge Scale (MIDDeC-KS) and evaluate its psychometric properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online scale was developed to evaluate dentists' knowledge about MI. The higher the score, the greater the knowledge and vice versa. A preliminary study was carried out with 143 dentists to validate the MIDDeC-KS. For psychometric properties analysis, convergent and discriminant validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of the instrument were assessed. After validation, MIDDeC-KS was applied to a representative sample of Brazilian dentists. T test for independent samples, Chi-square, and/or ANOVA one-way tests were applied. RESULTS: The MIDDeC-KS convergent (Spearman's = 0.48) and discriminant (P = 0.001) validity and reliability (ICC = 0.85, α = 0.72 and ω = 0.74) were proved. The participants (n = 637) obtained an overall mean score of 7.4 ± 2.5. The sample was mainly composed of females (P < 0.01), who graduated over 10 years prior (P = 0.02), from public colleges (P < 0.01), and most were pediatric dentists (38.2%). The highest and lowest scores were reached by pediatric dentists (9.2 ± 1.6) and bucomaxillofacial professionals (3.1 ± 2.1), respectively. Brazilian dentists demonstrated more knowledge about diet, biofilm, and topical fluoride control (84.3%), while the Hall technique (31.9%), resin infiltrant (47.6%), and chemical mechanical caries removal (48.4%) were the least known MI techniques. CONCLUSION: Brazilian dentists demonstrated more knowledge about preventive measures and less about more recent protocols, such as the Hall technique, resin infiltrant, and chemical mechanical caries tissue removal. Sufficient psychometric evidence of the MIDDeC-KS was found. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Identify dentist's knowledge about MI.

Influence of malocclusion on social perceptions of adolescents at public and private schools.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether malocclusion influences adolescents' perception when judging their colleagues from the aspects of athletics, social and health status, leadership and academic skills. METHODOLOGY: Front view photographs of the smile of eight adolescent volunteers (non-ideal smile) were altered to create an image with aligned teeth (ideal smile). Two parallel groups were programmed with the subjects' photographs. When the image of an ideal smile of one of the subjects appeared in one of the groups, the image of the non-ideal appeared in the other. Two hundred adolescents were evaluators, half of the students being from private and half from public schools. They classified the group images indicating their social perception with respect to skills in sports, leadership, academic activities, popularity and the health conditions of each subject. RESULTS: The majority of photographs of subjects with an ideal smile were evaluated as being better when compared with photographs of the non-ideal smile. The differences in the evaluations between the ideal and non-ideal smiles were significant for the perception of popularity, intelligence, leadership capability and health, differently from the performance in sports, as this aspect did not attain statistical relevance. CONCLUSIONS: Malocclusion has influence on the perception of adolescents of different social levels when judging youngsters with or without malocclusion from the aspects of athletics, social and health status, leadership and academic skills.

Anthropometric indexes of obesity and hypertension in elderly from Cuba and Barbados.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between various anthropometric indexes of obesity with arterial hypertension in elderly from Barbados (Bridgetown) and Cuba (Havana). DESIGN: Cross-sectional data were extracted from the Survey on Health, Aging and Well being in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE). SAMPLE SIZE: In Bridgetown and Havana, respectively, 1508 and 1905 subjects ( ≥ 60 years) were examined, and were selected by a controlled sampling design. MEASUREMENTS: The occurrence of hypertension was assessed by self-report. Multiple measurements of adiposity were used including body mass index (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m(2)), waist hip ratio (WHR = > 0.95 men; > 0.80 women), waist to height ratio (W/ht. = > 0.50) and waist circumference - WC(L) ( > 88 cm, women; > 102 cm, men) e WC(OK) ( > 90.3 cm, women; > 91.3 cm, men). Binary logistic regression analyses (Odds Ratio) were used to measure strengths of relationships. RESULTS: In the elderly of Bridgetown, the final design (adjusted for age, education, race, smoking, regular physical activity and diabetes) shows that, in men, WC(OK) and W/Ht were associated with hypertension, and in women, WCL and WCOK were the indexes associated. In the Cuban elderly, the final design shows that, with the exception of WHR, all indicators were associated with hypertension. WCOK and W/ht were the indexes most strongly associated with the outcome. CONCLUSION: The explanatory power of anthropometric indicators when determining the outcome differed between men and women, as well as between cultural groups living in relative proximity (Barbadians and Cubans).

Nutritional status, health conditions and socio-demographic factors in the elderly of Havana, Cuba: data from SABE survey.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of nutritional status with sex, age, race/color, education, smoking, physical activity, hypertension, diabetes, and hospitalization in older adults residing in the city of Havana, Cuba. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, population-based household survey. A total of 1,905 persons (1,197 women and 708 men; ≥ 60 years) were examined between 1999 and 2000, selected by probabilistic sampling. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI): BMI < 22.0 kg/m2 = underweight; BMI > 27.0 kg/m2 = overweight. Multinomial logistic regression analysis (crude and adjusted) was used. RESULTS: The estimation of the prevalence of underweight was 33.0% and that of overweight was 29.6%. The adjusted regression model showed that the probability of underweight was higher in older age groups (OR = 1.63, 70-79 years; OR = 2.05, ≥ 80 years) and among smokers (OR = 1.83). There was negative association between underweight, and hypertension and diabetes. Hypertension (OR = 1.99) was positively associated with overweight. The lower likelihood of overweight was observed among men, smokers, and those aged 80 years and more. CONCLUSION: The elderly population of Havana presents a vulnerable nutritional status in view of the prevalence of underweight and overweight. Increasing age, smoking, gender, and hypertension are the factors positively associated with vulnerable nutritional status.