Prevalence of dental caries in the first permanent molar and associated risk factors among sixth-grade students in São Tomé Island.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries is one of the most preventable oral diseases among children in developing countries. This study aims to estimate the prevalence and severity of dental caries in the first permanent molar and analyze the related risk factors among sixth-grade students in São Tomé Island. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with a stratified cluster sampling method was conducted on 1855 sixth-grade school children, mainly aged 11 to 14 years old, from 10 schools in 6 regions of São Tomé Island, from April 17 to June 27, 2021. Dental caries examination was performed by using the CAST criteria (DMFT) index, and the self-administered questionnaires about family background, oral hygiene, and relevant behaviors were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to study risk factors related to dental caries of the first permanent molar, and all data analyses were done using SPSS version 25. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental caries in the first permanent molar was 68.79%, without significant difference between gender, age, residence, and whether only child or not. The mean Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and mean Decayed, Missing, and Filled Surface (DMFS) index were 1.751 ± 1.514 and 3.542 ± 3.941, respectively. The rate of filling teeth was 5.50%, and Pit and Fissure Sealant (PFS) rate was 2.21%. The overall prevalence and DMFT index of dental caries of permanent teeth was 76.01% and 2.753 ± 4.569, respectively. The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that the frequency of candy/chocolate consumption (OR = 1.095) and fair self-assessment of dental health (OR = 1.354) were significantly associated with dental caries (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of dental caries in the first permanent molar was a public health issue among sixth-grade school children in São Tomé Island. The prevalence of dental caries, mean DMFT and DMFS scores were higher, while the rate of filling and PFS teeth were lower than the average score of other African countries. Thus, oral health education, implement oral health preaching to school children and their parents is crucial to prevent dental caries.

IL-2 and IFN- are biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 specific cellular response in whole blood stimulation assays

A proper description of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 will be critical for the assessment of protection elicited after both infection and vaccination. Uncoupled T and B cell responses have been described in acute and convalescent patients and exposed individuals. We assessed the potential usefulness of whole blood stimulation assays to identify functional cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2. Blood from COVID-19 recovered individuals (5 months after infection) and negative subjects was stimulated for 24 hours with HLA predicted peptide "megapools" of the Spike and Nucleoprotein, or the mixture of them. After stimulation, cytokines were quantified using a beads-based multiplex assay. Interleukin-2 and IFN-{gamma} were found to be specific biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 cellular response. Using the Spike and Nucleoprotein mixture, 91.3% of COVID-19 recovered individuals presented an IL-2 stimulation index over the cut-off, while 82.6% showed IFN-{gamma}. All the negative individuals presented an IL-2 response under the cut-off, while 5.3% of these subjects presented positive IFN-{gamma} stimulation indexes. Moreover, IL-2 production correlated with IgG levels for Spike 1, RBD, and Nucleocapsid. In conclusion, we demonstrate the potential of whole blood stimulation assays and the quantification of IL-2 and IFN-{gamma} for the analysis of SARS-CoV-2 functional cellular responses.

Efeitos da fratura bilateral do arco zigomático no crescimento facial em ratos jovens / Effects of bilateral zygomatic arch fracture on the facial growth in young rats

Os efeitos da fratura bilateral do arco zigomático no crescimento facial em ratos jovens foram avaliados através de mensuraçöes cefalométricas. Animais com um mês de idade, submetidos a fraturas, constituíram o grupo experimental, enquanto animais näo operados formaram o grupo controle. Os animais foram sacrificados com três meses de idade, e suas mandíbulas, desarticuladas. O crânio foi submetido à tomada radiográfica axial, e as hemimandíbulas foram submetidas à norma lateral. As mensuraçäes foram realizadas através de um sistema computadorizado, com emprego de imagem digitalizada. No grupo experimental, verificou-se uma tendência de encurtamento no sentido ântero-posterior do terço médio da face na regiäo anterior e do ramo mandibular, quando comparado ao grupo controle, bem como foi verificada diferença estatisticamente significante na profundidade da fossa infratemporal. Näo houve diferença estatisticamente significante para as diversas mensuraçöes entre os lados direito e esquerdo, exceto para a profundidade da fossa infratemporal