Contextual and individual factors associated with self-reported tooth loss among adults and elderly residents in rural riverside areas: A cross-sectional household-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Tooth loss is an oral health condition with high prevalence and negative impact on quality of life. It is the result of the history of oral diseases and their treatment as well as provision of dental care and access to dental services. Socioeconomic characteristics are determinants of tooth loss and living in rural areas is also a risk factor for its incidence. OBJECTIVE: To identify contextual and individual factors associated with self-reported tooth loss among adults and elderly people living in rural riverside areas. METHODS: A cross-sectional household-based survey was conducted in 2019 with rural riverside communities on the left bank of the Rio Negro River, Manaus, Amazonas. These communities are covered by a fluvial health team and two riverside health teams. Interviews were conducted in a representative random sample of dwellers aged ≥ 18 years, using electronic forms to obtain information on oral health conditions, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and use of and access to health services. The outcome was self-reported tooth loss. After the descriptive analysis of the data, a multilevel Poisson regression analysis was performed to estimate the prevalence ratio for the outcome. Variables with p-value ≤0.20 in the bivariate analyses were included in the multiple analysis considering the hierarchy between individual and contextual variables in the multilevel model. Variables with p-value ≤0.10 were kept in the final model and the significance level adopted was 0.05. RESULTS: 603 individuals from 357 households were assessed (mean age 44.1 years). The average number of missing teeth was 11.2 (±11.6); 27.4% of individuals had lost more than 20 teeth (non-functional dentition) and 12.1% were completely edentulous. Contextual characteristic of primary healthcare offered was associated with the outcome. The tooth loss was lower in territories covered by riverside health teams. At individual level, tooth loss was greater in older individuals who had experienced dental pain over the past six months and whose sugar consumption was high. Black or brown individuals, individuals whose household income was higher, those who were on the Bolsa Família cash transfer program, those who consulted a dentist over the past year, and those who reported satisfaction with their teeth/oral health reported less tooth loss. CONCLUSION: Tooth loss was associated with contextual territorial factors related to the healthcare service and individual demographic, behavioral, socioeconomic, and service-related characteristics as well as self-perceived oral health conditions. The findings suggest that actions focused on the oral health of these populations involve not only changes in the healthcare service organization, but also intersectoral policies that contribute to reducing social inequalities.

Fluoride Concentration in Public Water Supply in a City in the Amazon Region

Abstract Objective: To analyze the fluoride concentration in the public water supply in Manaus, Brazil. Material and Methods: Water samples were collected in 50 mL polyethylene bottles, identified, and labeled. The collection was performed from September 2016 to August 2018. For the selection of collection points, all neighborhoods of the city of Manaus, divided into four health districts (North, South, East, and West), were mapped. From each district, 30 samples were collected, totaling 120 monthly samples. Water samples were analyzed using an ion analyzer, ORION 720-A, and a specific electrode, ORION 96-09. The ion analyzer and electrode were calibrated in standard solutions. The levels were classified in intervals based on technical consensus to guide the health surveillance agencies. Results: Of the 2,874 water samples, 50.3% were within the recommended range, and 49.7% were inadequate, with 31.6% considered above the parameters and 18.1% below. Among the districts, the North had the highest percentages of unsatisfactory samples, resulting in limited action to prevent tooth decay. During the 24 months of analysis, there were large oscillations in the values in all four districts of Manaus. Conclusion: Results reinforce the importance of heterocontrol for the city to guarantee the effectiveness of this public health measure.

Reabilitação bucal com prótese total imediata / Oral rehabilitation with immediate full denture

O sucesso da reabilitação protética, estética e funcional requer, na maioria dos casos, um plano de tratamento transdisciplinar. Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar um caso de reabilitação bucal com a confecção de prótese total imediata (PTI) na arcada superior e prótese parcial removível provisória na arcada inferior. Os resultados demonstraram que o tratamento reabilitador com PTI foi resolutivo para o caso clínico, restabelecendo estética e função sem submeter a paciente a um período de edentulismo.

In most cases the success of prosthetic, esthetic and functional rehabilitation requires a multidisciplinary treatment plan. This work aims to present an oral rehabilitation case with immediate full denture (IFD) and lower provisional removable partial denture. The results showed that the rehabilitation treatment with IFD was the solution for the clinical case, restoring aesthetics and function without submitting the patient to an edentulous period.