Socioeconomic Disparities in Oral Health Related Quality of Life of Schoolchildren: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Objective: To analyze whether demographic and socioeconomic factors can influence the OHRQoL in schoolchildren. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study using a representative sample of 1137 children aged 8-10 years, enrolled in public schools in Florianópolis, Brazil, was conducted. Children answered the Brazilian version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ8-10) quality of life questionnaire and their parents responded to socioeconomic and demographic questions. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. Results: Higher probability of presenting a negative impact on the OHRQoL was observed in children whose skin color was non-white (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.04-1.69) and female (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.04-1.69). Children in whom the head of the family had years of schooling 9-11 (p=0.001), 5-8 (p=0.005) and ≤4 (p=0.000) were more likely to have a negative impact on the OHRQoL. CPQ8-10 domains evaluation showed that variables education, gender, skin color, and age were associated with a negative impact on OHRQoL (p≤0.05). Conclusion: The educational level of the head of the family and the demographic characteristics of the children are associated with a negative impact on the OHRQoL.

Mouth Breathing and Prevalence of Sleep Bruxism among Preschoolers aged 2 to 5 years

Objective: To determine the prevalence of bruxism, associating it with mouth breathing in preschool children in Florianopolis, Brazil. Material and Methods: Clinical examination and questions to parents/guardians of 429 children aged 2-5 were conducted. The clinical examination was performed by three calibrated examiners to register the presence of tooth wear on incisors and molars. The questions were related to sleep bruxism (teeth grinding) and mouth breathing. For determinate diagnosis, were "possible" bruxism by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and "probable" bruxism, whereas the Item Response Theory was employed for mouth breathing. To determine the associations, a Chi-square test and Fisher exact test with a standard error of 5% and 95% interval confidence were applied. Results: The clinical examination revealed bruxism in 8.2%, whereas the parental report revealed bruxism in 17.2%. When clinical examination was associated with the parent's report, bruxism was present in 2.1%. Among the non-clinical variables, the most prevalent changes included: child presenting a regular stuffy nose (19.6%), followed by child is always open-mouthed (16.1%). A significant statistical association between bruxism and age was obtained (p<0.05), the age group with prevalence of 4 and 5 years old with 68.9%. There was no mouth breathing association with the presence of bruxism (p>0.05). Conclusion: Bruxism was prevalent for children aged 4-5 and bruxism had no association with mouth breathing.

Estudo do conhecimento clínico dos profissionais da fisioterapia no tratamento de crianças autistas / Study of clinical knowledge of physical therapy professionals in the treatment of autistic children

O autismo compõe a categoria dos transtornos invasivos do desenvolvimento, inclui prejuízos na interação social, na comunicação, padrões restritivos e repetitivos de comportamento, interesses e atividades. É de suma importância o profissional atuante com a criança autista, ser um bom conhecedor da patologia e de suas técnicas terapêuticas. Muito se fala, na atualidade, sobre a função da fisioterapia no acompanhamento deste paciente, inicialmente trabalhando no desenvolvimento motor, e posteriormente ativando áreas da concentração e da interação social. Assim, torna-se imprescindível que durante a graduação os futuros profissionais recebam informações sobre o assunto, para que venham para o campo de trabalho informados sobre a relação fisioterapeuta ? paciente autista. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o conhecimento do profissional da fisioterapia, quanto a sua função na humanização e tratamento da criança autista. Para isso, foram avaliados 30 profissionais, de ambos os sexos, sem fator de idade, graduados em fisioterapia atuantes na cidade de Toledo-PR. O estudo foi possível por meio da aplicação de um questionário, abordando as características da doença e as técnicas fisioterapêuticas utilizadas. Os resultados mostraram que 56,6% dos entrevistados adquiriram conhecimentos sobre a síndrome na graduação, entretanto, somente 20% buscaram aprimorar seus conhecimentos posteriormente. Foi possível concluir que existe a necessidade de uma melhora científica, proporcionando um desempenho ideal das habilidades práticas fisioterapêuticas voltadas para este paciente.

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that impairs social interaction and communication, restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities. It is fundamental that a professional working with autistic children have good knowledge of their pathology and therapeutic techniques. Presently, much is said on the monitoring role of physiotherapy in this kind of patient, initially working the motor development and later activating areas of concentration and social interaction. Therefore, it is essential that during their undergraduation course, future professionals receive information on the subject so that they become more prepared for the work regarding the relationship therapist - autistic patient. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the professional knowledge of physiotherapists and their role in the humanization and treatment of autistic children. 30 graduated professionals of both sexes, regardless of age, working in the city of Toledo, PR, were evaluated. The study was done by applying a questionnaire about the characteristics of the disease and used physical therapy techniques. The results showed that 56.6% of the surveyed individuals learned about the syndrome in their undergraduate course; however, only 20% tried to improve their knowledge afterwards. It can be concluded that there is a need for scientific improvement that provides optimal performance of practical skill-oriented physical therapy for this kind of patient.

Relação entre atividade física e osteoporose / The relation between physical activity and osteoporosis

Sabe-se que o envelhecimento afeta o sistema ósseo, promovendo diminuição fisiológica da densidade mineral, podendo, inclusive, se de forma demasiada, provocar uma doença sistêmica, conhecida como osteoporose, que é a redução da massa óssea e deteriorização da micro-arquitetura deste tecido, levando a uma fragilidade mecânica e predisposição a fraturas. Este estudo objetiva, através de sucinta revisão bibliográfica, elucidar a relação da osteoporose com a atividade física, destacando a importância da prática de exercícios na manutenção da integridade óssea. Parte da população não praticante de atividade física é representada, principalmente, pelos idosos e pelas mulheres na pós-menopausa, que apresentam maior predisposição a adquirir deficiências na densidade óssea. Recomendada-se a prática de exercícios para auxiliar na prevenção da perda e manutenção da massa óssea, embora algumas variáveis como componentes genéticos, étnicos, hormonais e nutricionais também possam influenciar.

It is known that aging affects the bone system by promoting the physiologic reduction of the mineral density causing – in extreme situations - a systemic illness known as osteoporosis, which is the reduction of the bone mass and the deterioration of the tissue micro architecture, resulting in a mechanical fragility and breaking predisposition. Thus, this study aims to briefl y review the related literature by searching to elucidate the relation between osteoporosis and the physical activity, detaching the importance of practicing exercises to preserve bone integrity. The amount of population which do not perform any physical activity is mainly represented byelderly people and post-menopausal women, who present higher predisposition to bone density defi ciency. The practice of exercises is recommended to prevent bone mass loss, although some variants can also infl uence such as genetic, ethnic, hormones and nutritionists components.