Browsing by Author "Ferreira, Paula"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Antibacterial effect of silver diamine fluoride incorporated in fissure sealantsPublication . Veiga, Nélio; Ferreira, Paula; Correia, Tiago; Correia, Maria J.; Pereira, Carlos; Amaral, Odete; Correia, Ilídio J.Abstract—Introduction: The application of fissure sealants is considered to be an important primary prevention method used in dental medicine. However, one of the most common reasons of dental caries development in teeth with fissure sealants is due to the formation of microleakages. The association between various dental biomaterials may limit the major disadvantages and limitations of biomaterials functioning in a complementary manner. The present study consists in the incorporation of a cariostatic agent – silver diamine fluoride (SDF) – in a resin-based fissure sealant followed by the study of release kinetics by spectrophotometry analysis of the association between both biomaterials and assessment of the inhibitory effect on the growth of the reference bacterial strain Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) in an in vitro study. Materials and Methods: An experimental in vitro study was designed consisting in the entrapment of SDF (Cariestop® 12% and 30%) into a commercially available fissure sealant (Fissurit®), by photopolymerization and photocrosslinking. The same sealant, without SDF was used as a negative control. The effect of the sealants on the growth of S. mutans was determined by the presence of bacterial inhibitory halos in the cultures at the end of the incubation period. In order to confirm the absence of bacteria in the surface of the materials, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) characterization was performed. Also, to analyze the release profile of SDF along time, spectrophotometry technique was applied. Results: The obtained results indicate that the association of SDF to a resin-based fissure sealant may be able to increase the inhibition of S. mutans growth. However, no SDF release was noticed during the in vitro release studies and no statistical significant difference was verified when comparing the inhibitory halo sizes obtained for test and control group. Conclusions: In this study, the entrapment of SDF in the resin-based fissure sealant did not potentiate the antibacterial effect of the fissure sealant or avoid the immediate development of dental caries. The development of more laboratorial research and, afterwards, long-term clinical data are necessary in order to verify if this association between these biomaterials is effective and can be considered for being used in oral health management. Also, other methodologies for associating cariostatic agents and sealant should be addressed.
- Dental caries and oral health behaviours in a portuguese sample of adolescentsPublication . Pereira, Carlos; Veiga, Nélio; Chaves, Cláudia; Nelas, Paula; Amaral, Odete; Coelho, Inês; Correia, Ilídio; Ferreira, Paula; Ferreira, Eduardo; Morais, Helena; Ferreira, ManuelaBackground The frequency of toothbrushing, use of dental floss and regular dental appointments are important behaviours to prevent oral diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the mean of decayed/missing/filled in permanent teeth (DMFT index) and assess the oral health behaviours in a sample of adolescents. Participants and methods A sample of 293 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years old, attending a public school in Sátão, Portugal, was enrolled in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire with questions about oral health behaviours and socio-economic status was answered by adolescents in the classroom. Clinical examination of oral health status was carried out according to the World Health Organization criteria to determine the prevalence of dental caries and the DMFT index. Results The prevalence of toothbrushing (twice-a-day or more) was 78.2%, more frequent among the female gender (82.9% vs. 72.3%, p=0.02). Four point one percent of adolescents reported daily flossing, more frequent among female gender (48.4% vs. 37.3%, p=0.04). Sixty-two point five percent had a dental appointment once or more times in the previous twelve months and the most frequent reasons referred were: 74.3% for a dental check-up and 26.2% when having a toothache. The DMFT index was 3.26 and the prevalence of dental caries 40.1% associated with gender (male=33.3% vs female=45.5%, p=0.03), parents´ level of education (<4 yrs=27.3%, 4-12 yrs=44.7% and >12 yrs=22.2%, p=0.02) and fear of the dentist (no=37.8% vs yes=54.3%, p=0.05). Conclusions We found a moderate DMFT index and prevalence of dental caries. One forth of adolescents don´t make a annual dental check-up appointment and visit a dentist only when they have toothache. Oral health community programs and primary preventive strategies should be considered in order to reduce a higher level of oral diseases and improve oral health behaviours.
- Oral and gastric helicobacter pylori : Effects and associationsPublication . Veiga, Nélio; Pereira, Carlos; Resende, Carlos; Amaral, Odete; Ferreira, Manuela; Nelas, Paula; Chaves, Claudia; Duarte, João; Cirnes, Luis; Machado, José Carlos; Ferreira, Paula; Correia, Ilídio J.This study consisted in the comparison of the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) present in the stomach and in saliva of a sample of Portuguese adolescents and the assessment of the association between H. pylori infection with socio-demographic variables and prevalence of dental caries.
- Oral health behaviours in a sample of portuguese adolescents: an educational issuePublication . Veiga, Nélio; Pereira, Carlos; Ferreira, Paula; Correia, Ilidio J.Introduction: Oral health education is an important issue that should be given to children and adolescents, allowing the acquisition of correct oral health behaviors. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral health behaviors among a sample of portuguese adolescents and verify the association with socio-demographic factors, in order to analyze the main needs related with oral health education to improve oral health status among adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed with a sample of 447 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old, attending a public school in Sátão, Portugal. A self-administered questionnaire was applied questioning about socio-demographic factors and oral health behaviors to each adolescent in the classroom. Prevalence was expressed in proportions and crude odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to measure the strength of association between oral health behaviors and socio-demographic factors. Results: The prevalence of tooth brushing (twice-a-day or more) was 90.6%. Five point eight percent of adolescents reported daily flossing, more frequent among female gender (female, OR = 2.03, 95% CI = (1.35 to 3.05)) and adolescents older than 15 years (>15 years, OR = 1.90, 95% CI = (1.24 to 2.92)). Sixty-seven percent had at least one dental appointment in the previous twelve months. The prevalence of dental appointments was associated with the father’s professional situation (unemployed, OR = 0.33, 95% CI = (0.17 to 0.65)) and crowding index (>1, OR = 0.4, 95% CI = (0.16 to 0.98)). Thirty-two point nine percent of adolescents referred having at least one episode of dental pain during their lives. Conclusion: Considering the results of the present study that show the need of improvement of some aspects related with oral health among adolescents, oral health community programs and primary preventive strategies, such as improvement of oral health education in schools should be considered in order to reduce the risk level of oral diseases and develop better oral health behaviors.
- Prevalence of fissure sealants in a portuguese sample of adolescentsPublication . Veiga, Nélio; Pereira, Carlos; Baptista, Marco; Chaves, Cláudia; Nelas, Paula; Amaral, Odete; Ferreira, Manuela; Ferreira, Paula; Correia, Ilidio; Coelho, InêsBACKGROUND The use of fissure sealants is an effective intervention for the primary prevention of pit and fissure caries in children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of fissure sealants in a portuguese sample of adolescents. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS A sample of 293 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years old, attending a public school in Sátão, Portugal, was enrolled in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire with questions about oral health behaviours, knowledge and socio-economic status was answered by the adolescents in the classroom. Clinical examination of oral health status and assessment of fissure sealants was accomplished by a trained and calibrated research team. The presence of fissure sealants in each tooth was assessed as total or partial. Prevalence was expressed in proportions and compared by the chi-square test. Crude odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to measure the strength of association between the presence of fissure sealants and the independent variables. RESULTS We verified that 26.3% (95%CI= 25.0-34.0) of adolescents refer knowing the definition of a fissure sealant, while only 5.9% (95%CI= 4.3-7.0) refer having fissure sealants applied on their teeth. The prevalence of fissure sealants was 52.7% (95%CI= 35.0-46.0), higher among the female gender (59.6% vs 46.2%, p=0.03). The presence of fissure sealants was associated with a lower prevalence of dental caries (dental caries, OR=0.32, 95%CI=0.18-0.59) and residence area (rural, OR=2.24, 95%CI=1.25-4.02). Among the adolescents with at least one tooth with fissure sealants, 21.7% (95%CI=13.9-30.0) presented total fissure sealants in sealed teeth, while 78.3% (95%CI= 70.1-86.1) presented one or more teeth with partial fissure sealant. CONCLUSIONS We found a low prevalence of fissure sealants and a high prevalence of partial and infiltrated sealants among adolescents. A low prevalence of adolescents know the definition and indications of a fissure sealant. It is necessary the establishment of a more targeted preventive program with better and more effective oral health education.