Influence of head and linear growth on the development of malocclusion at six years of age: a cohort study

Abstract The aim of this article was to evaluate the influence of biological and sociobehavioral factors on the development of malocclusions in children. This is a cross-sectional study nested in a cohort of 350 children who participated in a community intervention study. After six years, an active search identified 290 children with occlusal abnormalities. Socioeconomic status, linear growth, and nutritional status of the child at birth and at the time of measurement, as well as dietary and sucking habits, were investigated. Malocclusions were evaluated across three spatial planes - anteroposterior, vertical, and transverse. The prevalence of these anomalies was 64.5%, primarily in the anteroposterior plane. The logistic regression analysis revealed that pacifier use for 60 months or more, stunting as measured at age six, and reduced gain in head circumference from birth to six years of age, were significantly associated with the development of malocclusion in childhood. Head circumference and linear growth are associated with occlusal anomalies in infants, independent of pacifier sucking.

Periodontitis-associated risk factors in pregnant women

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with periodontitis in pregnant women. METHODS: This study was conducted in two stages. In Stage 1, a cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of periodontitis among 810 women treated at the maternity ward of a university hospital. In Stage 2, the factors associated with periodontitis were investigated in two groups of pregnant women: 90 with periodontitis and 720 without. A hierarchized approach to the evaluation of the risk factors was used in the analysis, and the independent variables related to periodontitis were grouped into two levels: 1) socio-demographic variables; 2a) variables related to nutritional status, smoking, and number of pregnancies; and 2b) variables related to oral hygiene. Periodontitis was defined as a probing depth > 4 mm and an attachment loss > 3 mm at the same site in four or more teeth. A logistic regression analysis was also performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of periodontitis in this sample was 11 percent. The variables that remained in the final multivariate model with the hierarchized approach were schooling, family income, smoking, body mass index, and bacterial plaque. CONCLUSION: The factors identified underscore the social nature of the disease, as periodontitis was associated with socioeconomic, demographic status, and poor oral hygiene.