Longitudinal study for dental caries calibration of dentists unexperienced in epidemiological surveys.

This study aimed to make a longitudinal analysis of interexaminer calibration reproducibility in diagnosing dental caries in posterior teeth, by examiners without previous experience in epidemiological studies. A group of 11 inexperienced examiners underwent theoretical-practical training and calibration assessments, assisted by a standard examiner. An examiner who did not participate directly in the research selected 5-year-old children with and without caries. The D3 diagnostic threshold was used to evaluate dental caries, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The initial calibration (baseline) was performed after the theoretical-practical training session, and consisted of examining 20 children; the second calibration occurred three months later, and involved evaluating another 18 children. The interexaminer agreement was obtained by kappa statistics, and by overall percentage agreement. The paired t-test was applied to compare the values for kappa means and overall percentage agreement between the time points studied. At baseline, the values for kappa (> 0.81) and overall percentage agreement (> 95.63%) were considered high. At the 3-month calibration assessment, all the examiners showed some decrease in both kappa (p < 0.0001) and overall percentage agreement (p = 0.0102). The calibration process currently proposed by the WHO is effective. However, reproducibility was not maintained over time for inexperienced examiners evaluating the posterior teeth of 5-year-old children, under epidemiological conditions.

Longitudinal study for dental caries calibration of dentists unexperienced in epidemiological surveys

Abstract This study aimed to make a longitudinal analysis of interexaminer calibration reproducibility in diagnosing dental caries in posterior teeth, by examiners without previous experience in epidemiological studies. A group of 11 inexperienced examiners underwent theoretical-practical training and calibration assessments, assisted by a standard examiner. An examiner who did not participate directly in the research selected 5-year-old children with and without caries. The D3 diagnostic threshold was used to evaluate dental caries, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The initial calibration (baseline) was performed after the theoretical-practical training session, and consisted of examining 20 children; the second calibration occurred three months later, and involved evaluating another 18 children. The interexaminer agreement was obtained by kappa statistics, and by overall percentage agreement. The paired t-test was applied to compare the values for kappa means and overall percentage agreement between the time points studied. At baseline, the values for kappa (> 0.81) and overall percentage agreement (> 95.63%) were considered high. At the 3-month calibration assessment, all the examiners showed some decrease in both kappa (p < 0.0001) and overall percentage agreement (p = 0.0102). The calibration process currently proposed by the WHO is effective. However, reproducibility was not maintained over time for inexperienced examiners evaluating the posterior teeth of 5-year-old children, under epidemiological conditions.

Impact of Dental Aesthetic Index characteristics on the severity levels of malocclusion in a non-White population.

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the impact of the esthetic and occlusal characteristics of the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) on the need for orthodontic treatment in a non-White population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1296 non-White adolescents aged 12 years. DAI was the outcome variable (DAI 1 and 2 and DAI 3 and 4). The independent variables were categorized on the basis of the occlusal esthetic characteristics evaluated by DAI (tooth absence, crowding, spacing, midline diastema, maxillary misalignment, mandibular misalignment, maxillary anterior overjet, mandibular overjet, anterior open bite, and anteroposterior molar relationship). Simple logistic regression models were adjusted for the outcome, and the raw odds ratios were estimated. Variables with a P value of <0.20 for individual analyses were tested in a multiple logistic regression model, with P ≤0.05 remaining. RESULTS: A total of 1296 adolescents (764 girls and 532 boys) were evaluated; 1067 (82.3%) had DAI 1 or 2 (minor to a moderate need for orthodontic treatment), and 229 (17.7%) had DAI 3 or 4 (defined need for orthodontic treatment). The results showed that adolescents with diastema, maxillary irregularity, mandibular irregularity, mandibular overjet, anterior open bite, and the altered molar relationship had 5.34, 2.36, 2.63, 3.56, 8.73, and 5.16 times more likelihood to have DAI 3 or 4 (P ≤0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Diastema, maxillary and mandibular misalignment, mandibular overjet, anterior open bite, and anteroposterior molar relationship were the characteristics that influenced the determination of the need for orthodontic treatment in a non-White population using the DAI index.

Correlation between malocclusion and history of bullying in vulnerable adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the correlation between malocclusion and a history of bullying. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 494 adolescents aged 12 to 15 years was conducted. The National School Health Survey questionnaire (PeNSE 1 and 2) was used to determine history of bullying by identifying the victim and the abuser. Variables were evaluated based on the individual (age), environment (income, father's and mother's education, housing, government assistance, and parents' occupation), social and emotional well-being (CPQ11-14 domains), self-perceived need for orthodontic treatment, and clinical conditions (crowding, diastema, maxillary and mandibular overjet, and anterior open bite). Data were analyzed by Spearman correlation and by multivariate analysis, which allowed graphical representation of the eight variables studied in only two dimensions. RESULTS: There was no correlation between bullying and variables related to the individual and the environment. Maxillary overjet and self-perception related to the need for orthodontic treatment were important to explain the data variability. CONCLUSIONS: Malocclusion did not correlate with bullying history. However, increased maxillary overjet influences adolescent self-perception, suggesting a potential condition for bullying events.

Esthetic impact of malocclusions in the anterior segment on children in the mixed dentition.

INTRODUCTION: To assess the esthetic subjective effect of malocclusions in the anterior segment on children in the mixed dentition. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a population-based sample of 787 children aged 8-10 years in the late mixed dentition (n = 787). Orthodontic Aesthetic Subjective Impact Score determined the esthetic subjective effect. For assessing the malocclusions in the anterior segment (anterior crowding, anterior spacing, diastema, anterior open bite, and anterior maxillary overjet), the following Dental Aesthetic Index criteria were used. Sex, family income, and education level were used as control variables. The variables were analyzed using a simple logistic regression model, estimating crude odds ratios. The variables with P <0.20 in the simple analyses were tested in multiple regression models, estimating adjusted odds ratios with the respective 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Increased overjet was 1.54 (95% CI: 1.08-2.17) times more likely to cause greater esthetic concern (P <0.05), especially in girls (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Increased overjet negatively affected children's esthetic self-perception in the mixed dentition.

On-line Searches for Terms Related to Hand Hygiene During the COVID-19 Pandemic Worldwide

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the difference in the on-line searches for terms related to hand hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic in developed and middle-income countries. Material and Methods: The cross-sectional study analyzed the digital data through the Google Trends website to obtain the variation of the relative search volume (RSV) through the terms "alcohol gel" and "handwashing." According to socio-economic development, the countries were divided into two groups: countries from different continents and hemispheres, with more than 15 million inhabitants, with more than 50% of the population with access to the Internet network and over 1,000 confirmed cases of infected with COVID-19. The paired t-test was applied to compare the means. The significance value adopted was p<0.010. Results: The searches related to the term "hand washing" were more significant when compared to the term "alcohol gel," and the term "alcohol gel" presented a higher average volume of research in developed countries (p<0.010). The developed countries had a higher average relative volume of research than middle-income countries (p<0.010). Developed countries sought more for the term "alcohol gel," and the term "hand washing" showed no difference in the volume of research about the country's socio-economic aspect. Conclusion: Developed countries have a higher volume of search for hand hygiene terms. The middle-income countries must create proposals for raising awareness outside the on-line environment so that this information reaches the entire population during the pandemic.