Access to dental services in an elder population of African descent in Brazil.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated access to dental services and associated factors in a community of Quilombola older people. BACKGROUND: Quilombola populations are groups of individuals descended from black Africans subjected to slavery during part of Brazilian history. As marginalised and neglected individuals, they have high rates of negative indicators and require further attention to the social determinants that affect their health reality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in the Quilombola community of Castainho, in the Northeast region of Brazil. In this community, 34 older people aged between 65 and 74 resided. We collected self-report data on sociodemographic and economic characteristics, along with oral examinations by the researchers. The primary dependent variable was regular access to dental services. Statistical analysis used Fisher's exact test (P = .05). RESULTS: Among the 32 participants in the final sample, 18.8% (n = 6) reported accessing dental services in the previous 6 months. Self-declared individuals of mixed race, with positive self-assessment of oral health, and those who did not self-perceive the need for treatment had lower rates of regular access to dental services (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Use of dental services by older Quilombola people is low, and there are differences by ethnicity and individual perception of oral health.

Might Zika virus-associated microcephaly's severity impact deciduous tooth eruption and orofacial structures?

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the impact of the severity of microcephaly caused by the Zika virus (MCZ) on tooth eruption and orofacial structures of children. DESIGN: This case series study developed the research at the Mens Sana Rehabilitation Center, Arcoverde, Brazil. The study included 27 children diagnosed with MCZ. We performed the data collection in June 2018 through a questionnaire answered by the legal guardians, followed by a clinical examination of the children. The data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney and Fisher's exact tests (p = 0.05). RESULTS: The final sample was composed of 20 children. Of these, 13 (35.0%) had severe microcephaly, 5 (30.0%) had altered sequence of tooth eruption, 10 (50.0%) had delayed eruption, and the mean number of decayed teeth was 2.3. The most identified orofacial changes were teeth grinding habit (65.0%), difficult chewing (50.0%), and non-nutritive sucking (50.0%). The Mann-Whitney test showed that the severity of microcephaly did not affect tooth eruption (p = 0.581). The Fisher's exact test showed that the severity of microcephaly was not associated with orofacial changes (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The severity of MCZ does not seem to influence changes in deciduous tooth eruption and the presence of orofacial anomalies.

Orofacial features in children with microcephaly associated with Zika virus: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze published scientific evidence about the most common orofacial disorders in children with microcephaly associated with ZIKV infection. METHODS: Through a scoping review, we respond to the search question was formulated: "What are the orofacial alterations in children with microcephaly associated with ZIKV?" It was performed a search in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Health Virtual Library. It was selected papers wrote in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. An evidence quality analysis was performed using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality classification. RESULTS: It was included 11 studies performed in the Brazilian Northeast region. The studies were carried out between 2018 and 2020. The main related alterations were delay in the tooth-eruption and deformation in the oral structures. CONCLUSION: The results observed in our work show moderate scientific evidence regarding the association of ZIKV with orofacial alterations in children with microcephaly due to the classifications of the quality of evidence of each one of the included studies. The main changes reported were in the chronology of tooth eruption, alteration in teeth, and oral structures.

Prevalência da queilite actínica em agricultores de uma região do sertão brasileiro / Prevalencia de queilitis actínica en agricultores de una región del interior brasileño / Prevalence of actinic cheilitis in Brazilian semi-arid region farmers

Introdução: A queilite actínica é uma lesão inflamatória com potencial de transformação maligna e desenvolvimento associado à exposição solar excessiva. Objetivo: Avaliar a prevalência de queilite actínica em um grupo de agricultores, bem como a percepção e conhecimento desse grupo sobre a lesão. Métodos: O estudo observacional de levantamento epidemiológico envolveu uma população de agricultores de uma região do sertão brasileiro. A amostra foi obtida por acessibilidade a essa população, e alcançou-se o total de 219 agricultores. Além do exame físico intraoral, utilizou-se um questionário estruturado para coleta dos dados. Resultados: A queilite actínica foi diagnosticada em 30,6 porcento dos agricultores examinados. A lesão foi encontrada com maior frequência no sexo masculino (86,6 porcento), com mais de 60 anos (64,2 porcento) e leucodermas (58,2 porcento). A maioria dos indivíduos com queilite actínica se expunham à radiação solar por mais de 30 anos (65,7 porcento), por mais de 6h por dia (73,1 porcento) e não se protegiam adequadamente (94 porcento). Sexo, idade, escolaridade, hábito de beber e tempo de exposição solar tiveram uma correlação estatisticamente significante com a presença da queilite actínica (p<0,05). Verificou-se que 76,1 porcento dos participantes não notavam sinais e 61,2 porcento não percebiam sintomas da lesão. O conhecimento sobre queilite actínica foi baixo para 97 porcento dos indivíduos com lesão. Conclusões: Os resultados demonstraram alta prevalência de queilite actínica, além de uma baixa percepção e conhecimento sobre esta lesão, o que indica a necessidade de realização de ações de educação em saúde(AU)

Introducción: La queilitis actínica es una lesión inflamatoria con potencial de transformación maligna y desarrollo asociado con la exposición excesiva al sol. Objetivo: Evaluar la prevalencia de queilitis actínica en un grupo de agricultores brasileños y la percepción y conocimiento que estos tienen sobre la lesión. Métodos: Estudio observacional epidemiológico. Incluyó una población de agricultores de una región rural brasileña. La muestra, constituida por 219 agricultores, se obtuvo por accesibilidad a esta población. Además del examen físico intraoral, se utilizó un cuestionario estructurado para recopilar los datos. Resultados: Se diagnosticó queilitis actínica en el 30,6 por ciento de los agricultores examinados. La lesión se encontró con mayor frecuencia en hombres (86,6 por ciento), mayores de 60 años (64,2 por ciento) y leucodermos (58,2 por ciento). La mayoría de las personas con queilitis actínica estuvieron expuestas a la radiación solar durante más de 30 años (65,7 por ciento), más de seis horas al día (73,1 por ciento) que no se protegieron adecuadamente (94 por ciento). El género, la edad, el nivel de educación, los hábitos de bebida y el tiempo de exposición al sol tuvieron una correlación estadísticamente significativa con la presencia de queilitis actínica (p < 0,05). Se encontró que el 76,1 por ciento de los participantes no notó signos y el 61,2 por ciento no percibió síntomas de la lesión. El conocimiento sobre la queilitis actínica fue bajo para el 97 por ciento de las personas con lesiones. Conclusión: Los resultados mostraron una alta prevalencia de queilitis actínica, además de una baja percepción y conocimiento al respecto de esta lesión, lo que indica la necesidad de acciones de educación para la salud(AU)

Introduction: Actinic cheilitis is an inflammatory, potentially malignant lesion associated with excessive sun exposure. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of actinic cheilitis in a group of farmers, as well as the perception and knowledge of that group about this lesion. Methods: The observational epidemiological study included Brazilian semi-arid region farmers. The sample was obtained for accessibility to this population and a total of 219 farmers was reached. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data in addition to the intraoral physical examination. Results: Actinic cheilitis was diagnosed in 30.6 percent of the examined farmers. The lesion was found more frequently in males (86.6 percent), older than 60 years (64.2 percent), and leukoderma (58.2 percent). Most individuals with actinic cheilitis were exposed to solar radiation for more than 30 years (65.7 percent), for more than 6 hours a day (73.1 percent), and did not adequately protect themselves (94 percent). Sex, age, education level, drinking habits, and time of sun exposure had a statistically significant correlation with the presence of actinic cheilitis (p < 0.05). It was found that 76.1 percent of the participants did not notice signs and 61.2 percent did not perceive symptoms of this injury. Knowledge about actinic cheilitis was low for 97 percent of individuals with the lesion. Conclusions: The results showed a high prevalence of actinic cheilitis, in addition to low perception and knowledge about it, which indicates the need for health education actions(AU)