Outpatient dental procedures carried out by Pediatric Dentists within Brazil's public healthcare system.

Brazil's public healthcare system (SUS) offers specialized oral health services to Brazilians, but the productivity of specialists, such as Pediatric Dentists, has not been characterized. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the outpatient dental procedures (ODPs) carried out by Pediatric Dentists within the SUS. An epidemiological study with an ecological, longitudinal, retrospective, and quantitative approach was conducted. The ODPs carried out by Pediatric Dentists within the SUS were characterized based on type of procedure, complexity level, and circumstance (urgent or elective). Data were analyzed using a descriptive and analytical approach, considering a significance level of 5%, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (the 2020-2022 years were not included in secondary analyses). In the last 15 years, 29,234,972 ODPs were carried out by Pediatric Dentists within the SUS. Clinical procedures were the majority (55.4%), significantly more frequent than all other types of procedures (all p <0.05). Among these, restorative and periodontal procedures were the most common (30.7% and 21.0%, respectively). From 2008 to 2019, excluding COVID-19 pandemic years, the trend over the last 15 years was constant for all types of procedures (all p >0.05). In addition, low complexity ODPs were the majority (90.1%), significantly more frequent than medium (9.7%) and high complexity procedures (0.1%) (both p <0.05). At last, most ODPs were not characterized by circumstance in the outpatient production reports (96.9%). Therefore, it was possible to conclude that Pediatric Dentists carried out diverse ODPs within the SUS over the past 15 years, although there was a dominant pattern of type and complexity.

Territorial Disparities in Dental Care for Disabled Persons and Oral Health-Related Indicators: A Population-Level Approach in Brazil's Public Healthcare System from 2014 to 2023.

This study evaluated territorial disparities in dental care for disabled persons in Brazil's public healthcare system from 2014 to 2023. The person-year incidence of outpatient dental procedures carried out by special care dentistry specialists and hospitalizations for dental procedures for disabled persons were compared across different regions and against the national estimate. In addition, productivity was correlated with oral health-related indicators. The significance level was set at 5%. The northern region exhibited the highest outpatient productivity, while the southern region showed lower productivity compared to the national estimate (both p-value < 0.05). This pattern was reversed in inpatient productivity (both p-value < 0.05), with the northeastern and central-western regions also below average (both p-value < 0.05). There were no significant correlations between the indicators and inpatient productivity, but outpatient productivity was positively correlated with the proportions of inhabitants who self-rated their general and oral health as "poor" or "very poor", who have never visited a dentist, and who visited a dentist for tooth extraction (all p-values < 0.05). Territorial disparities in dental care for disabled persons were observed within Brazil's public healthcare system, and they were correlated with unfavorable oral health-related indicators at the population level.

Ulectomy in a patient with nephrotic syndrome under investigation for Galloway-Mowat syndrome: a case report.

The aim of this study is to report a case in which a patient with nephrotic syndrome underwent surgery to remove fibrous gum tissue (ulectomy). An 8-year-old patient, diagnosed with early onset nephrotic syndrome due to a mutation in the NUP107 gene, had received a kidney transplant and was therefore taking various medications, including immunosuppressants. On oral examination, the patient was found to have a fibrous gingiva that was preventing the eruption of the upper permanent central incisors. A ulectomy was performed and the gingival tissue was sent for histopathological analysis, which showed normal aspects. The upper right central incisor was seen in the oral cavity 15 days after surgery. A second procedure was carried out to facilitate the eruption of the upper left incisor, which was visualized in the oral cavity 30 days later. In addition, oral manifestations such as maxillary atresia, ogival palate and mouth breathing were observed. Therefore, the role of the dental surgeon in the lives of transplanted children is considered important, as they often take various medications that can affect their oral health. Thus, early diagnosis and effective treatment will be essential to prevent future malocclusions and thus improve the quality of life of these patients.