Reconocimiento de salud y registro de enfermedad en la promoción de la salud bucal / Assessment of health and record of disease in the promotion of health oral

BACKGROUND: At present, epidemiologic dentistry has numerous indexes to measure illness such as DMFT, dmft and S-OHI which are broadly used for illness diagnosis in different population groups. On the other hand, the index INSAO proposed differs from the approach focused on the disease itself. INSAO offers a parameter to measure the degree of health of teeth and gums and thus provides the patient with the information about their health. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyze the usefulness of the information provided by the traditional indexes and those recorded by INSAO, to the oral health evaluation in rural schools of the north of Córdoba, Argentina. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in school children, aged 5 to 14 attending 8 rural primary schools. Data was collected from a clinical examination. Caries experience was measured according WHO indications. The dmf-t and DMF-T indexes were determined. Oral hygiene was evaluated by means S-OHI. The total amount of teeth present in the mouth, sound teeth number, and the state of the gum were registered to built INSAO index. RESULTS: Inverse correspondence is observed between dental health level through INSAO and the disease through proportion of permanent and temporary teeth with cavities active recorded by dmf-t and DMF-T indexes. CONCLUSION: The application of INSAO is presented as a valuable instrument in the promotion of oral health in communities that belong to excluded social groups due to their special characteristics.

Antecedentes: La epidemiología odontológica dispone en la actualidad de numerosos índices capaces de medir enfermedad, CPOD, ceod e IHO-s, son índices ampliamente utilizados para el registro de enfermedad. Por su parte el índice INSAO, sale del enfoque asentado en la enfermedad ofreciendo un parámetro para medir el grado de salud de dientes y encías en forma conjunta. Objetivo: Comparar la información proporcionada por los índices tradicionales, CPOD, ceod e IHO-S, y por INSAO (índice de Salud Oral), y la utilidad de su aplicación en la evaluación de la salud oral de escolares rurales. Materiales Métodos: Se realizó examen clínico-odontológico a escolares rurales de 5 a 14 años de edad, ambos sexos, concurrentes a 8 escuelas rurales del norte de la Provincia de Córdoba, Argentina. Se evaluó la experiencia de caries según los criterios de la OMS y se elaboraron los correspondientes índices ceo-d y CPO-D. Se valoró la higiene oral mediante el Índice de Higiene Oral simplificado (IHO-S) de Green y Vermillon. Se registró además, total de dientes presentes en boca, cantidad de dientes sanos, y el estado de la encía, para la construcción del índice INSAO. Resultados: Se observó una correspondencia inversa entre el nivel de salud evaluado por INSAO y la proporción de elementos dentarios temporarios y permanentes con actividad de caries registrada por ceo-d y CPO-D respectivamente. Conclusiones: El reconocimiento de salud a través de la aplicación de INSAO, se presenta como una valiosa estrategia en la promoción de la salud bucal. La valoración positiva que los propios sujetos puedan hacer de sus elementos dentales y encías sanas a través de INSAO, contribuirá a la construcción de la cultura de la salud bucal en las comunidades a las que ellos pertenecen, lo que es de especial importancia cuando se trata de comunidades que por sus características especiales constituyen grupos sociales excluidos o marginados.

T4 RNA ligase: New structural studies on an unusual but useful enzyme.

Gene 63 from bacteriophage T4 encodes a single polypeptide with two independent enzyme activities, RNA ligase and tail fibre attachment. The DNA sequence of gene 63 has been determined and the gene cloned in an expression plasmid (pDR540) that contains the inducible tac promoter. Escherichia coli cells containing the plasmid (KR54) produce about 5–10 % of their soluble protein as RNA ligase. A convenient isolation procedure for the enzyme is described from KR54 cells and the isolated product is indistinguishable from that obtainable from T4-infected Escherichia coli. The enzyme reacts reversibly with ATP in the presence of Mg2+ to give a covalent AMP-enzyme adduct. It is shown by FAB mass spectrometric analysis of chymotryptic fragments of the adenylylated enzyme that the AMP is bound covalently to lysine residue 99. Methods of in vitro mutagenesis are described for gene 63 cloned in a bacteriophage M13 vector. By deletion mutagenesis it was shown that the C-terminal 20 % of the protein is not crucial for the RLi activity but the TFA activity, as measured by a complementation assay, is reduced. A method is described for the introduction of point mutations in gene 63 by use of AMV reverse transcriptase for error-directed repair polymerisation in gapped DNA heteroduplexes. In addition, a synthetic oligonucleotide mismatched at the 3’ end was used as a primer for reverse transcriptase catalysed repair polymerisation to force a single base change in the codon for Lys-99 to give the codon for Asn. The mutant protein has no detectable RNA ligase activity but retains tail fibre attachment activity.