Ten Years of a National Oral Health Policy in Brazil: Innovation, Boldness, and Numerous Challenges.

Brazil is the only country in the world to propose a universal health care system with the aim of guaranteeing delivery of all levels of health care, free of charge, to a population of over 200 million inhabitants by means of a unified health system ("Sistema Único de Saúde" [SUS]). The national policy of oral health, also known as Smiling Brazil ("Brasil Sorridente"), was implemented in 2004. Oral health was designated as 1 of the 4 priority areas of the SUS, transforming oral health care in Brazil, with the objective that the SUS achieve the integrality of care envisaged at its creation. The aim of this article is to share part of this experience in order to prompt reflection about the inclusion of oral health care in other health care systems around the world. The most significant results of Smiling Brazil can be seen in 3 areas: (1) oral health epidemiological indicators, (2) financial investment and professional development, and (3) the building of an oral health care network throughout the 10 y of the policy. The "Discovery!" article presented here portrays 10 y of evolution; however, it is important to point out that this is a process undergoing construction and that the oral health care network needs to be further expanded, refined, and solidified so that over time and through changes in the political parties in power, Smiling Brazil prevails as a perennial policy and not merely an action by a single government.

The homeobox HOXB13 is expressed in human minor salivary gland.

BACKGROUND: Homeobox are a family of developmental genes involved in morphogenesis and cellular differentiation. Participation of homeobox within normal and malignant tissue has been recently discussed in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the presence of HOXB13 transcript expression in human minor salivary gland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten-micrometer sections from frozen samples were evaluated employing non-radioactive in situ hybridization technique and HOXB13 mRNA probes. RESULTS: HOXB13 was found to be expressed in ducts and mucous acini but not in serous acini. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS suggest that HOXB13 transcripts are differently expressed in normal mucous and serous acini, and it may possibly reflect a different role in salivary gland carcinogenesis.