Mothers' self-efficacy and children's oral health.

OBJECTIVES: To (i) test the validity of the Spanish Self-Efficacy Scale for Maternal Oral Care (SESMO), (ii) compare SESMO scores among socio-demographic groups and (iii) relate mothers' SESMO to children's dental status. METHODS: A limited census sample included 130 children and their mothers. The SESMO was applied through an interview, and the children's DMFT/dmft (number of decayed, missing and filled teeth) and OHI-S (oral hygiene score) were assessed through clinical examinations. To test the internal consistency and validity, the Spanish and English SESMO versions were compared. Dental status and oral hygiene were examined in different socio-demographic groups. RESULTS: Most of the families were from the middle socio-economic class, and the majority of children (65%) were ≤6 years of age. Cronbach's α was 0.82 for the English SESMO and 0.86 for the Spanish SESMO; both versions had a three-factor structure (one for each self-efficacy subscale). Overall, the factor loadings of the total and its subscale items were similar between the two SESMO versions. There was a correlation between the mothers' self-efficacy and the children's dental health status in deciduous dentition. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish SESMO scale had similar internal consistency and validity as the previously validated English SESMO scale. Mothers' self-efficacy was associated with children's dental status in deciduous dentition but not with children's status in permanent dentition.

Controlled infection of Poecilia reticulata Peters (guppy) with Tetrahymena by immersion and intraperitoneal injection.

Tetrahymena is a protozoan parasite, which infects guppy, Poecilia reticulata Peters, and causes substantial economical losses in commercial farms worldwide. Studies of guppy infected by Tetrahymena require standardized infection protocols. The LD50 for Tetrahymena infection of guppies by intraperitoneal (IP) injection was calibrated, and the level obtained was 946 parasites per fish. Guppy infection with Tetrahymena by immersion, imitating the natural route of infection via the integument, was studied under normal or stress conditions. Exposure to cold and netting (CNI) and to cold only (CI) followed by immersion exposure to 10 000 Tetrahymena per mL resulted in 22.5% and 19.2% mortality, respectively, as compared to 14.2% and 10% in groups that were netted only (NI) or non-stressed (I). Histopathology revealed that immersion infection resulted in a systemic infection. Lysozyme levels, measured 3 weeks after infection, were significantly higher in the CNI group (288 µg per mg protein) compared with CI-, NI- and I-treated groups (94.5, 64 and 62.3 µg mg(-1), respectively). There was no evident parasite immobilization activity in body homogenates, suggesting no development of acquired immunity. Re-infection by IP injection revealed no increase in protection in any of the treatment groups, mortality range of 56.3-75%, higher than in the non-exposed control (40.6% mortality).

Impact of a Maternal Motivational Interviewing on Oral Health in the Mother-Child Dyad.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) has been included in dentistry programs. There exists a need for interventions in the mother-child dyad. The aim of this paper was to compare the effects of a MI-based educational program on oral care knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in the mother-child dyad to a Traditional Education-based program (TE). A community intervention trial was carried out. The experimental and control groups were made up of women between 18 and 45 years of age in the sixth month of gestation. Both groups were provided with TE. The experimental group additionally received a session based on the principles of the MI. Socio-demographic data, children's oral health KAP (COHKAP), that of the mother (MOHKAP), and maternal self-efficacy (MSE) in relation to children's oral health (COHMSE) were recorded. A baseline measurement was made, as well as a six-month follow up. The participants included 135 women with an average age of 24.88 ± 6.00. After intervention, the experimental group's COHKAP, MOHKAP, and COHMSE all increased (p < 0.001). When MI-based interventions are combined with TE, MSE and dental care KAP for the mother-child dyad in pregnant women can be improved.

Effect of silver diamine fluoride on adhesion and microleakage of a pit and fissure sealant to tooth enamel: in vitro trial.

AIM: To identify the effect of silver diamine fluoride in adhesion and microleakage of a pit and fissure sealant to tooth enamel. METHODS: An in vitro study including 120 human molars without caries, and caries grade 1 was performed. Molars were randomly divided into four groups. Occlusal surfaces of groups 2 and 4 were sealed. In groups 1 and 3 silver diamine fluoride (SDF) was placed in the occlusal surface and then molars were sealed according to manufacturer's instructions. Afterwards, all groups were submitted to the adhesion test. Groups 1 and 2 were placed in a forming cylinder and their roots were submerged in polymethyl methacrylate after that they were stored in deionised water (37 °C ± 1). Subsequently, they were tested by applying a tractional load (Instron machine, speed cross of 1 mm/min). Sealant adhesion was evaluated through: Resistance to the detachment (MPa), residues of sealant area (mm2) and adhesive remaining index (ARI) (0-3 interval). Microleakage test: Groups 3 and 4 were placed in a plastic container and subjected to 2000 cycles at different temperatures one at 6 °C ± 1 and the other at 60 °C ± 1. Later the occlusal surface was immersed for 24 h in 1% toluidine blue. Microleakage was observed by optical microscopy (10×) and was interpreted in micrometres. RESULTS: Of the samples without SDF 18.1 and 23.0% of the sealant remaining and of the samples with SDF present 100% of sealant remaining on enamel. Samples with SDF obtained an average in the test of detachment of 6.89 ± 3.09 MPa, whereas in the group without SDF the average obtained was 6.42 ± 3.35 MPa. Differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.579). Most of the samples not treated with SDF (81.6%) showed microleakage than those treated with SDF in which 47% presented microleakage. CONCLUSIONS: There is an improvement in the retention properties of a fissure sealant applied after treatment with silver diamine fluoride. The application of fissure sealant to improve the aesthetics of teeth treated with SDF is recommended.

High affinity uptake of glutamate and aspartate in the developing rat retina.

Uptake for glutamate and aspartate in both retina and synaptosomes was found to be saturable, temperature sensitive, sodium dependent and reduced by metabolic inhibitors. The P1 and P2 synaptosomal fractions showed high affinity systems for glutamate (3 and 9 microM) and aspartate (6 and 3 microM) respectively. Early after birth, glutamate accumulation was much higher than that of aspartate. It showed a rapid increase reaching the adult values about day 15. Aspartate uptake progressively increases with age up to about day 30. Our findings suggest that glutamate and aspartate may be transmitters at specific cell populations in the rat retina.

Ontogeny of epinephrine-induced anorexia in rats.

Intraperitoneal or intraportal epinephrine elicits a strong inhibition of food intake in adult rats and dogs but has no effect when injected intramuscularly or intrajugularly, in spite of production of larger hyperglycemia and cardiovascular changes. These facts suggest that the effect of epinephrine on feeding is elicited via the liver. Ontogeny of this adrenergic control of food intake was studied in newborn and weanling rats. Anorexic effect of intraperitoneal epinephrine was clearly observed in dam-deprived 3-day-old neonatal rats (youngest in which it was tested), both when they were offered enriched milk through an anterior oral cannula while they were isolated from their dam and when they were allowed to suckle from her. However, anorectic effect was less in neonatal rats (day 3-13) than in adults. Weanling rats, 21-26 days old, were as sensitive to intraperitoneal epinephrine as adults. In 3- to 4-day-old rats it also reduced water intake, but this effect disappeared by day 12 and was not observed in mildly water-deprived adults. Peripheral adrenergic control of intake appears very early in ontogeny of rats. First, it affects food and water intake equally, but by day 12 it affects only food intake. Increase in sensitivity to epinephrine after weaning is probably due to an increase in number of hepatocytic adrenergic receptors and/or increase in enzymes necessary for hepatic effects of epinephrine.

Ontogeny of alpha- and beta-adrenergic anorexia in rats.

The anorectic action of alpha- (phenylephrine) and beta- (isoproterenol) adrenergic agonists was studied in mildly deprived neonatal, weanling, prepubescent, and adult rats. Intraperitoneal phenylephrine produced a reduction of food intake at all ages but with reduced potency and with a maximum of 50% in neonates. Contrary to intramuscular epinephrine that has no effect on feeding at any age, intramuscular phenylephrine was as effective as intraperitoneal in neonates, probably because it is not as rapidly destroyed in tissues as epinephrine. However, in weanlings and adults intramuscular phenylephrine was much less anorectic than intraperitoneal, suggesting that this effect is exerted via the liver. Isoproterenol did not reduce milk intake at any age before adulthood. Lactate had no effect on milk intake before the age of 40 days. Thus catecholamine anorexia is a purely alpha-adrenergic effect in young rats and appears before the metabolic effect of lactate. beta-Adrenergic anorexia, on the other hand, can be obtained only after puberty, suggesting that the mechanism mediating it matures after the preparatory action of the sexual hormones.