Impact of Oral Health and Sociodemographic Factors on Quality of Life: A Cross-sectional Study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of oral health and socioeconomic variables on the quality of life in a sample of low-income Brazilians. Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 400 adults assisted by the Rescuing Smiles Social Program (Pernambuco University) in June 2014 in the town of Arcoverde, Pernambuco. Two 18+ physically and mentally healthy people were chosen to participate in the study per household. The data obtained were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: About 75% of participants were female, averaging 42.65 years; 59% had elementary schooling and 27% were illiterate; 63% of them needed dental restorative treatment, 59.5% periodontal, and 43.3% surgical procedures; and 68.2% of the respondents showed partial tooth loss, 22.8% were totally edentulous, and 9% had full dentition. Oral health impact profile (OHIP)-14 average score was 14.91, considered low. The highest averages were observed in low-income individuals (16.25). Individuals with total or partial tooth loss had an average 14.26 and 15.79, respectively, thus showing a statistically significant difference as compared with total dentate (9.86). Conclusion: Although low-income individuals with tooth loss showed the highest OHIP-14 averages, it could be concluded that oral condition did not affect the quality of life of most individuals in the population studied. Clinical significance: Thus, oral health did not have a significant impact on respondent health awareness. This study showed the need to better inform the public of the relevance of oral health to quality of life. Keywords: Oral health, Oral health impact profile-14, Quality of life.

Antinociceptive effects of low-level laser therapy at 3 and 8 j/cm2 in a rat model of postoperative pain: possible role of endogenous Opioids.

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is the direct application of light to stimulate cell responses (photobiomodulation) to promote tissue healing, reduce inflammation, and induce analgesia; the molecular basis for these effects of LLLT remains unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the analgesic effect of LLLT in the rat plantar incision model of postoperative pain as well as to investigate some of the possible mechanisms involved in this effect. Wistar rats were submitted to plantar incision and treated with LLLT (830 nm, continuous-mode, 30 mW/cm2 , 1-12 J/cm2 ). Postoperative thermal and mechanical hypersensitivity were monitored for 24 hours post-incision. In addition, the animals were pretreated with saline, naloxone (a nonselective opioid receptor antagonist; 20 µg/5 µl) or methysergide (5-HT2C , 5-HT2A , 5-HT7 , 5-HT5a , 5-HT6, and 5-HT1F receptors antagonist; 30 µg/5 µl). Moreover, 24 hours after incision and treatment, the TNF-α and IL-1ß levels in serum were evaluated. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that LLLT at 3 or 8 J/cm2 , but not at 1-2, 4-7, or 9-12 J/cm2 , induced an analgesic effect on postoperative pain. Naloxone, but not methysergide, blocked the LLLT-induced anti-nociceptive effect. Additionally, IL-1-ß and TNF-α production significantly decreased after LLLT at 3 or 8 J/cm2 . Our results suggest that LLLT at 3 or 8 J/cm2 primarily modulates the endogenous opioids system and is not directly mediated by serotonergic receptors. Reduction of IL-1ß and TNF-α may play a role in the antinociceptive action of LLLT. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:844-851, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.