Frequency and severity of dental caries in foster care children of Turin, Italy: a retrospective cohort study.

AIM: Aim of this retrospective cohort study was to assess the frequency and severity of dental caries (DC) among foster care children in the city of Turin, in North West Italy, and to compare these data with those of a general paediatric population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 2016 to September 2018, 75 paediatric subjects between the age of 4 and 12, located in 11 residential child care communities were recruited. Instructions were provided concerning oral health, caries and correlation with dietary habits. Oral and dental examination were carried out to establish frequency and severity of caries (not-penetrating, nPC, corresponding to the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) codes: 1-4, vs. penetrating, PC, corresponding to ICDAS codes: 5-6). Decayed, missed, filled teeth (DMFT) index was used. Data for comparison were acquired from the WHO Collaboration Center For Epidemiology and Community Dentistry of Milan (WHO-CCOMS), belonging to a nationwide sample of 2,141 Italian children. RESULTS: Only 13 subjects (17%) were caries-free; 187 caries were identified: 133 were PC, whereas 54 were nPC. Overall, 76% of the caries were found in deciduous teeth. Mean DMFT was 3.43 (D = 2.97; M = 0.24; F = 0.22). When the study data were compared to those from WHO-CCOMS, a significantly higher DMFT (3.43 vs 0.96; p <0.00001) and D (2.97 vs 0.62; p <0.00001) was detected. CONCLUSION: A significant higher frequency of caries in foster care children in Turin, Italy compared to the general population was detected.

The association between burning mouth syndrome and sleep disturbance: A case-control multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the quality of sleep and the psychological profiles of a large cohort of Italian patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and to clarify the relationships between these variables and pain. METHODS: In this case-control study, 200 patients with BMS vs an equal number of age- and sex-matched healthy controls, recruited in 10 universities, were enrolled. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), Numeric Pain Intensity Scale (NRS) and Total Pain Rating Index (T-PRI) were administered. Descriptive statistics, including the Mann-Whitney U test and hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis, were used. RESULTS: Poor sleep quality (PSQI ≥ 5) was present in 78.8% (160) patients with BMS. BMS patients had statistically higher scores in all items of the PSQI and ESS than the healthy controls (p < .001). A depressed mood and anxiety correlated positively with sleep disturbance. The Pearson correlations were 0.570 for the PSQI vs HAM-D (p < .001) and 0.549 for the PSQI vs HAM-A (p < .001). Pain intensity (NRS) poorly correlated to sleep quality; the Pearson correlation was 0.162 for the PSQI vs NRS (p = .021). CONCLUSIONS: The BMS patients showed a poor sleep quality, anxiety and depression, as compared with the controls, highlighting the relationships between oral burning, sleep and mood.