Depressive symptoms and oral mucositis in children with oncological diseases: a cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between depressive symptoms and the occurrence of oral mucositis in children with oncological diseases treated at a reference hospital. This was a cross-sectional study conducted with individuals aged 4 to 18 years, diagnosed with primary neoplasms. Data was collected by using a questionnaire that assessed the degree of oral mucositis according to the World Health Organization index, the risk of oral mucositis according to the Child's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale, and depressive symptoms using the Children's Depression Inventory. The data were analyzed and subjected to Spearman's correlation, chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test, considering p<0.05. A statistically significant correlation was observed between depressive symptoms and the degree of oral mucositis (p = 0.044), and also between the "pain" variable within the risk of oral mucositis and depressive symptoms (p = 0.021). Based on the findings, it can be inferred that oral mucositis may be associated with the development of depressive symptoms and may be influenced by the individual's hospitalization, thereby affecting the quality of life of pediatric patients.

Factors Associated with Periodontitis in Patients with and without HIV.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare clinical periodontal conditions in HIV-positive people on HAART with an HIV-negative group, in addition to investigating factors associated with periodontitis in the entire sample. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data were collected by oral clinical examination for the diagnosis of periodontitis, review of medical records, and application of a questionnaire containing personal data, deleterious habits, and oral hygiene habits for the other variables. The results were analyzed by Pearson's χ 2 test and Student's t-test. A logistic regression model was constructed for the multivariate analysis and periodontitis was defined as a dependent variable. The analysis was performed on the entire sample (HIV+ and HIV-) and also on the group consisting of only people living with HIV. Results: Individuals older than 43 years old and with HIV were more likely to develop moderate and severe periodontitis (47.80 and 4.84 times, respectively). When analyzing only HIV+, in addition to age (OR = 2.795; CI = 1.080-7.233), the use of nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) (OR = 2.841; CI = 1.135-7.112) was also associated with moderate and severe periodontitis. Conclusion: It was possible to observe a higher prevalence of periodontitis among individuals with HIV, showing an association between the virus, advanced age, and moderate or severe periodontitis.

Impact of oral health and body image in school bullying.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the association between perception of body image and oral health in school bullying among adolescents of an urban locality in Brazil. METHODS: A self-questionnaire was applied on 381 students from public school between 12 and 15 years old. The variables studied were sex, age, schooling, school bullying events, and perception about their oral health and body image. The prevalence of bullying was 29.6%. The multivariate analysis showed that those who indicated that they were criticized due to the condition of their teeth had 4.37 more chance of victimization (oral 4371 CI 2325-8218). Those who felt that oral health had little effect on their relationship with other people had 2.2 times more chance to suffer from bullying (oral 2204 CI 1031-4708) than those who did not. Among adolescents who were not satisfied with their body image, 46.7% had more chance to be a victim of bullying (oral 2467 CI 1373-4431). CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of students affected by bullying was observed. It was possible to observe an association between bullying and dissatisfaction with oral health and body image. It is important to implement and evaluate public policies on oral health, expanding access to and improving these public services offered to the population.