Effect of molar root fusion on radiographic bone loss

The aim of this investigation was to verify if there was an association between root fusion in molars and radiographic interproximal bone loss. Intra-oral radiographs of 810 molars from 102 subjects were obtained. All radiographs were taken by the same operator under standardized conditions. A 0.5 cm orthodontic wire was fixed tho the film to allow correction for distortion. Fused molars (FM) were compared to non-fused molars (NFM) with regard to the root length, the distance from the cementum-enamel junction to the alveolar bone crest and the bone loss percentage. The measurements were performed by two calibrated investigators. The prevalence of root fusion was 18.64%. Fifty-nine individuals (57.8%) presented at least one fused molar, which was compared to NFM from the same individuals. There was no significant difference between fused and non-fused molars according to the mean root length, the distance from cementum-enamel junction to alveolar bone crest and the bone loss percentage. The authors concluded that molars with radiographic evidence for root fusion do not exhibit more interproximal bone loss than NFM

Avaliação da disciplina observação da prática médica pelos graduandos de medicina da Unifesp - Escola Paulista de Medicina / Medical students' assessment of the course on observation of medical practice at the Unifesp School of Medicine

Discute-se a necessidade de cuidar, no campo afetivo, das relações estabelecidas entre médicos e pacientes, o que depende de modelos de humanização durante o ensino médico. Em 2003, a Unifesp iniciou uma unidade curricular (UC) que propôs a Observação das Práticas Médicas (OPM) aos primeiranistas do curso médico. Após a observação, seguia-se uma discussão das experiências de modo expositivo e reflexivo, com professores de diversas subáreas. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a influência imediata e ao longo do tempo desta UC sobre 30 graduandos de Medicina do primeiro ao terceiro ano (dez por ano), utilizando um questionário de abordagem quantitativa (cinco questões de múltipla escolha) e qualitativa (três questões abertas, categorizadas após análise e consenso dos dois autores). Concluiu-se que a UC permitiu a apresentação de práticas médicas aos iniciantes, que tinham pouco contato com as mesmas. Ao longo dos anos, observou-se uma modificação na percepção dos alunos sobre a OPM: os alunos das primeiras séries valorizaram o acolhimento emocional, enquanto os de séries mais adiantadas, o conhecimento do seu campo de aprendizado e atuação futura.

The article discusses the need to deal with physician-patient relations at the affective level, which requires models for humanization of care during undergraduate medical training. In 2003, the UNI-FESP School of Medicine launched a course on Observation of Medical Practices as part of the regular curriculum for first-year medical students. The observation was followed by discussion of experiences with lectures, reflection, and debate with medical faculty from various specialties. The aim of the study was to assess the immediate and long-term impact of the course on the 30 first to third-year undergraduates (10 students per year), using a quantitative (5 multiple-choice questions) and qualitative questionnaire (3 open questions, categorized after analysis and consensus between the two authors). The authors concluded that the course allowed presentation of medical practices to the early medical undergraduates, who had little previous contact with this reality. Over the course of the years, a change was observed in the students' perception of Observation of Medical Practice: students in the initial years tended to value emotional support for patients, while as the years went by the undergraduates focused more on the knowledge in their field of learning and their future professional work.