Impact of early childhood caries severity on oral health-related quality of life among preschool children in Mexico: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Information is scarce on Early Childhood Caries (ECC) in Mexican preschool children and its impact on quality of life. AIM: To evaluate the ECC prevalence and its impact on OHRQoL in 3-5 years-old Mexican children according to disease severity. DESIGN: Caries was determined at two thresholds: (1) children with at least one caries lesion (ICDAS-1-6) and (2) children with at least one lesion in dentin (ICDAS-3-6). OHRQoL was assessed through the Mexican Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (M-ECOHIS). Associations among caries severity, M-ECOHIS, and other variables were assessed by ordinal logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 409 children participated (53.8% girls, 46.2% boys). Caries prevalence was 82.2% considering all lesions, and 45.0% for dentinal lesions. Significant linear trends (p < .05) among caries levels and categories of exposure were found for socioeconomic variables, dietary habits, and toothbrushing habits. Attending rural private schools (OR = 1.39, 95%CI = 1.11-1.72; p < .01), two main meals/day (OR = 2.75, 95%CI = 1.26-6.03; p = .01) and unsupervised toothbrushing (OR = 3.20, 95%CI = 1.96-5.24; p < .01) increased the risk to have high caries severity levels. M-ECOHIS scores were statistically significant associated with caries levels (χ2 (4)  = 175.85, p < .01; trend across groups z = 12.63 Prob > |z| < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: M-ECOHIS was significantly associated with caries severity. Type of school, age groups, parents' educational level, family income, and living conditions were correlated with caries, showing how distinctive risk indicators were associated with different caries stages.

A Virtual 3D Dynamic Model of Caries Lesion Progression as a Learning Object for Caries Detection Training and Teaching: Video Development Study.

BACKGROUND: In the last decade, 3D virtual models have been used for educational purposes in the health sciences, specifically for teaching human anatomy and pathology. These models provide an opportunity to didactically visualize key spatial relations that can be poorly understood when taught by traditional educational approaches. Caries lesion detection is a crucial process in dentistry that has been reported to be difficult to learn. One especially difficult aspect is linking clinical characteristics of the different severity stages with their histological features, which is fundamental for treatment decision-making. OBJECTIVE: This project was designed to develop a virtual 3D digital model of caries lesion formation and progression to aid the detection of lesions at different severity stages as a potential complement to traditional lectures. METHODS: Pedagogical planning, including identification of objectives, exploration of the degree of difficulty of caries diagnosis-associated topics perceived by dental students and lecturers, review of the literature regarding key concepts, and consultation of experts, was performed prior to constructing the model. An educational script strategy was created based on the topics to be addressed (dental tissues, biofilm stagnation areas, the demineralization process, caries lesion progression on occlusal surfaces, clinical characteristics related to different stages of caries progression, and histological correlations). Virtual 3D models were developed using the Virtual Man Project and refined using multiple 3D software applications. In the next phase, computer graphic modelling and previsualization were executed. After that, the video was revised and edited based on suggestions. Finally, explanatory subtitles were generated, the models were textured and rendered, and voiceovers in 3 languages were implemented. RESULTS: We developed a 6-minute virtual 3D dynamic video in 3 languages (English, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese) intended for dentists and dental students to support teaching and learning of caries lesion detection. The videos were made available on YouTube; to date, they have received more than 100,000 views. CONCLUSIONS: Complementary pedagogical tools are valuable to support cariology education. This tool will be further tested in terms of utility and usability as well as user satisfaction in achieving the proposed objectives in specific contexts.

Impact of a Tutored Theoretical-Practical Training to Develop Undergraduate Students' Skills for the Detection of Caries Lesions: Study Protocol for a Multicenter Controlled Randomized Study.

BACKGROUND: Tutored laboratorial activities could be a manner of improving the competency development of students. However, its impact over conventional theoretical classes has not yet been tested. Additionally, different university contexts could influence this issue and should be explored. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a tutored theoretical-practical training for teaching undergraduate students to detect caries lesions as compared with theoretical teaching activities. The impact of these teaching/learning activities will be assessed in terms of efficacy, cost/benefit, retention of knowledge/acquired competences, and student acceptability. METHODS: Sixteen centers (7 centers from Brazil and 9 centers from other countries throughout the world) are involved in the inclusion of subjects for this protocol. A randomized controlled study with parallel groups will be conducted. One group (control) will be exposed to a 60- to 90-minute conventional theoretical class and the other group (test) will be exposed to the same theoretical class and also a 90-minute laboratory class, including exercises and discussions based on the evaluation of a pool of images and extracted teeth. The mentioned outcomes will be evaluated immediately after the teaching activities and also in medium- and long-term analyses. To compare the long-term outcomes, students who enrolled in the university before the participating students will be interviewed for data collection and these data will be used as a control and compared with the trained group. This stage will be a nonrandomized phase of this study, nested in the main study. Appropriate statistical analysis will be performed according to the aims of this study. Variables related to the centers will also be analyzed and used to model adjustment as possible sources of variability among results. RESULTS: This ongoing study is funded by a Brazilian national funding agency (CNPq- 400736/2014-4). We expect that the tutored theoretical-practical training will improve the undergraduate students' performance in the detection of caries lesions and subsequent treatment decisions, mainly in terms of long-term retention of knowledge. Our hypothesis is that tutored theoretical-practical training is a more cost-effective option for teaching undergraduate students to detect caries lesions. CONCLUSIONS: If our hypothesis is confirmed, the use of laboratory training in conjunction with theoretical classes could be used as an educational strategy in Cariology to improve the development of undergraduate students' skills in the detection of caries lesions and clinical decision-making.

E-learning Activities to Complement Education in Cariology for Undergraduate Students

Objective: To evaluate activities performed in an e-learning platform after 2-year of implementation in terms of contents and functionality. Material and Methods: Elearning courses were prepared and created by two lecturers. Contents were intended for last year undergraduate students attending the pediatric dentistry discipline, and included different topics considered as relevant to the area. Given tele-courses from 2010-2012 as well as statistics and contents, provided by the platform, were collected for analysis. Results: Five tele-courses were proposed and the total participation was 322 students (mean-per-course±SD=64.4±17.2). On average, 15 tutors/course accompanied the process. Caries lesion detection and fluoride therapy were discussed in all modules, but different activities were focused in various aspects. Other topics were also included: caries activity (60%), caries risk assessment, oral hygiene and clinical examination (40%). Two lecturers were responsible for preparing exercises and tutors helped in the creation, revision and correction. The main type of validation was open questions (83%). A High level of students' access was observed during the 2-year-period (mean-per-course±SD=21372±6775,2). More than 32000 external visits of the topics were also seen. On average, 14 tutor/student feedbacks were sent per student in each tele-course. Conclusion: The use of an e-learning system has been used especially to complementing teaching in caries detection and management using fluorides. Telecourses have been highly accessed by undergraduate students and also, external participants.