Luciana Reichert da Silva Assunção

This study evaluated the impact of different oral health literacy (OHL) skills on the effectiveness of an informative leaflet (IL) for managing permanent tooth avulsion. The study involved 466 parents/guardians of children aged 4 to 12 years. Basic OHL was assessed using the Brazilian Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD-30), and interactive OHL with the Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). Knowledge score (KS) was measured through a six-item questionnaire at Baseline, immediately after IL reading (Phase I), and 60 days later (Phase II). Participants were classified as having adequate/marginal or inadequate OHL. Data were analyzed using nonparametric tests for inter and intra-group comparisons. Participants with adequate/marginal basic OHL had significantly higher KS at all phases compared to those with inadequate OHL. For functional OHL, differences were observed only in Phase I. In intra-group analysis, both basic OHL groups showed a significant decline in KS from Phase I to Phase II, whereas for functional OHL, only the adequate/marginal group exhibited a decrease. In conclusion, both OHL skills influenced short-term IL effectiveness, but only basic OHL impacted long-term retention. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating OHL into strategies for dental trauma management and the need for ongoing initiatives.

O objetivo deste estudo foi relatar experiências vivenciadas a partir do desenvolvimento de um aplicativo para smartphone (app) sobre saúde bucal de crianças e adolescentes, destinado a pais e/ou cuidadores. Este relato de experiência foi desenvolvido em um projeto de extensão da Universidade Federal do Paraná, entre junho e dezembro de 2020, em meio a pandemia do COVID-19. Os temas abordados no aplicativo foram doença cárie, higiene bucal, alimentação saudável, outras doenças bucais, prematuridade e saúde bucal e doenças infecciosas. O desenvolvimento do app aconteceu integralmente em plataforma online e gratuita, em sete etapas: Etapa 1 - escolha do nome do app; Etapa 2 - definição da paleta de cores; Etapa 3 - elaboração do logo para o app, definido como “EducaBucal”; Etapas 4 e 5 - definição dos objetivos e dos tópicos e subtópicos, respectivamente; Etapas 6 e 7 - levantamento bibliográfico, elaboração do material e finalização do app. A etapa de levantamento bibliográfico incluiu a consulta a artigos recentes em revistas de alto impacto indexadas no Google Acadêmico, SciELO e PubMed para suporte teórico à elaboração do material do app. Conclui-se que esta experiência inovadora e dinâmica permitiu a continuidade de ações educativas mesmo em meio a pandemia do COVID-19 e permitiu ampliar a abrangência e o alcance das orientações em saúde bucal. Os ambientes virtuais podem e devem ser cada vez mais explorados como cenários de projetos de extensão.

Oral health literacy (OHL) may play a crucial role for managing traumatic dental injuries. In this pre-post study, the effect of the different dimensions of OHL on the efficacy of using an information leaflet (IL for managing permanent tooth avulsion ) was assessed in elementary schoolteachers. Functional OHL was measured using the Brazilian version of the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD-30), while interactive OHL was assessed with the Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire (BOHL-AQ). Knowledge scores (KS) on avulsion management were collected at three intervals: before reading the IL (baseline), immediately post-intervention (Phase I), and 60 days post-intervention (Phase II). The effect on OHL was assessed by comparing KS means between Phase I/Baseline (acquisition) and Phases II/I (retention). Participants with high OHL/BOHL had a greater difference in mean KS values between Phase I/baseline, while those with high OHL/BREALD-30 showed a smaller difference between phases II/I. Different dimensions of OHL impacted the effectiveness of an educational intervention on managing permanent tooth avulsion with use of a leaflet.

Este trabalho avalia a utilização de redes neurais convolucionais para identificar diferentes níveis de lesões cariosas dentária, uma doença comum que afeta diferentes faixas etárias. Foram avaliadas sete redes neurais e a ResNet50 foi o modelo que obteve melhores resultados, com acurácia de 92,10%, sensibilidade 0,972 e especificidade 0,874 na classificação do problema proposto.

To investigate whether children with premature birth (PB) and/or with low birth weight (LBW) have different tooth eruption patterns than those born at term or with normal weight.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of oral health literacy (OHL) on conceptions of care and behaviors related to COVID-19. The sample came from two preliminary cross-sectional studies that determined the level of OHL of parents/guardians of six-to-12-year-old children in two major Brazilian cities (Curitiba and Belo Horizonte). Functional OHL was measured using the Brazilian version of the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD-30) and the Health Literacy Dental Scale (HeLD-14) for the evaluation of interactive OHL. Participants were recruited through e-mail, social media, and telephone contact. The questionnaire on conceptions of care and behaviors related to COVID-19 was created based on the guidelines of the World Health Organization. Two hundred nineteen individuals participated in the study. There was no significant difference in socioeconomic and demographic variables and in the medians of BREALD and HeLD-14 between the two cities (P>0.05). Higher levels of functional OHL were associated with an appropriate conception that individual care affects collective care (P=0.038), but with an inappropriate conception of seeking medical assistance in cases of mild symptoms (P=0.030). Higher levels of interactive OHL were related to social distancing behavior in the city of Curitiba (P=0.049) and in the overall sample (P=0.040). It is concluded that functional OHL was associated with two of the investigated conceptions about COVID-19, while interactive OHL was associated with social distancing behavior. These data may suggest that different dimensions of the OHL can have an impact on different aspects of coping with the pandemic.

Purpose Determine if different technology-based health education interventions can reduce oral health inequalities between the sexes in a sample of adolescents. Methods A cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted in three phases with an initial sample of 291 male and female adolescents 14-19 years of age. Phase I (n = 288) comprised a clinical examination performed by a calibrated examiner using the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) and gingival bleeding index (GBI). Phase II involved two educational interventions: video (VD; n = 147) or oral counselling (OR; n = 141) with standardized content. In phase III, an App was made available to half of the clusters (OR + App; n = 66/OR without App; n = 71/VD + App; n = 63/VD without App; n = 63), and the clinical examination was performed a second time. Data were evaluated using descriptive analysis and nonparametric tests. Results In phase I, boys had a lower standard of oral hygiene compared with girls, with higher mean OHI-S (p = 0.039) and GBI (p = 0.015). After VD and OR interventions, no significant difference between sexes was found regarding the mean OHI-S. However, males had a higher mean GBI compared with females in the OR group (p = 0.006). When the App was added to OR and VD groups, males in the 'OR without App' group had a higher mean GBI compared with females (p = 0.007). Conclusion This clinical trial demonstrated that educational interventions involving information technologies were effective at reducing oral health inequalities between the sexes among adolescents. However, oral counselling alone was not efficient in reducing GBI in male adolescents.

Background/Aim: Permanent tooth avulsion requires proper management at the time of the accident and parental oral health literacy (OHL) may influence decision‐making with regards to dental trauma. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of OHL on: (1) self‐rated comprehension of an information leaflet (IL), (2) self‐rated capacity to execute the tasks proposed on the IL, and (3) attitudes regarding the avulsion of a permanent tooth in children.Material and Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted involving the reading of an IL by 466 parents/caregivers. Evaluations were performed prior to the IL (Phase I), immediately after the application of the IL (Phase II) and 60 days after the application of the IL (Phase III). Self‐rated comprehension and capacity to execute the proposed tasks were analyzed in Phase II. Attitude was evaluated in all three phases. Functional OHL was measured using the BREALD‐30 and interactive OHL was measured using HeLD‐14.Results: Correlations were found between self‐rated comprehension and both the OHL/BREALD‐30 score (rs = 0.179; p = .012) and OHL/HeLD‐14 score (r = 0.258; p < .001). Correlations were also found between the self‐rated capacity to execute the proposed tasks and both the OHL/BREALD‐30 score (rs = 0.133; p = .047) and the OHL/HeLD‐14 score (rs = 0.225; p < .001). Higher BREALD‐30 and HeLD‐14 scores were associated with a better performance regarding parental attitudes toward permanent tooth avulsion comparing Phases I and II and Phases II and III (p < .05).Conclusions: Higher levels of OHL were associated with better parental self‐rated comprehension of the IL and the capacity to execute the tasks proposed therein as well as more adequate attitudes regarding the avulsion of a permanent tooth.

Social determinants of health (SDH) are strongly associated with oral health outcomes, and oral health literacy (OHL) is a potential factor that can modify this association. This study evaluated the association between SDH and OHL, including functional and interactive dimensions of OHL. The cross sectional study was conducted with 354 adults recruited from public dental clinics in southern Brazil. Functional OHL was measured using the Brazilian version of the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD-30) and the Health Literacy Dental Scale (HeLD-14), for the evaluation of interactional OHL. SDH was evaluated through a structured questionnaire, and economic class was determined based on the Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria. The statistical analysis involved bivariate and multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance (α=0.05) to estimate rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Among the 354 participants, 284 (80.2%) were women and the mean age was 22.9 ± 4.9 years. The median BREALD-30 score was 24 (1st/3rd quintile: 20/27) and the median HeLD-14 score was 45 (1st/3rd quintile: 37/50). Most participants had up to eight years of schooling (71.5%) and belonged to the "C" Economic Class or lower (94.1%). The multiple regression analysis showed that schooling and economic class were associated with the BREALD-30 and HeLD-14 scores, income and age were associated with the HeLD-14 score, and marital status and occupation were associated with the BREALD-30 score. Different dimensions of OHL were associated with SDH in Brazilian adults. This aspect should be incorporated into strategies for improving OHL levels in individuals or populations.