Experience, prevalence, need for treatment and cost of care for caries: A multicenter study in a developing country.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the experience, prevalence, need for treatment and economic impact of caries among students 6-12 years old in four cities in Mexico. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: Cross-sectional clinical study. SETTING: Elementary public schools. PARTICIPANTS: 500 schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 years. METHOD: Oral clinical examinations using WHO criteria for caries in the primary (dmft) and permanent (DMFT) dentitions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Indicators of caries in the primary and permanent dentitions: experience, prevalence, severity and the Significant Caries Index. In addition, we calculated the treatment needs, dental care rate and cost of care. RESULTS: dmft in the primary dentition was 2.59±2.83, and DMFT was 0.82±1.44 in the permanent dentition. Caries prevalence reached 67.7% in the primary and 34.1% in permanent dentition. The treatment needs index was 85.9% and 91.3% in the primary and permanent dentitions, respectively; the dental care index was 13.9% and 8.5%, respectively. The cost of care for caries in the primary dentition was estimated at $22.087 millions of international dollars (PPP US$) when amalgam was the restorative material used, and PPP US$19.107 millions for glass ionomer. For the permanent dentition, the cost was PPP US$7.431 millions when amalgam was used and PPP US$7.985 millions when resin/composite was used as restorative material. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence and experience of caries in the primary dentition were 50% greater than those of other studies carried out in Mexico. In the permanent dentition they were less. There is considerable need for the treatment of caries and minimal experience with restorative care. The cost of care for caries may be assumed to be high for a health system such as Mexico's.

Análisis de marcadores de superficie celular de utilidad en el diagnóstico de la sepsis neonatal: Reporte preliminar / Utility of the cellular surface markers in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis: Preliminary report

La cuantificación de poblaciones leucocitarias en sangre periférica puede realizarse con ayuda del análisis por citometría de flujo. Los valores de poblaciones leucocitarias en neonatos son frecuentemente contrastados con sangre periférica de adultos. El presente reporte preliminar muestra el análisis de tres muestras de sangre de cordón umbilical de pacientes sanos y tres muestras de sangre periférica de neonatos con diagnóstico de sepsis tardía. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que CD69, CD71 y CD45RO pueden ser de utilidad para diferenciar estados de sepsis en neonatos. En un estudio futuro, la propuesta es realizar un análisis multiparamétrico por citometría de flujo que permita un análisis integral de la sepsis neonatal.

Quantification of leukocyte populations in peripheral blood can be performed using flow cytometry. The leukocyte populations are often contrasted between neonate and adult peripheral blood. This preliminary report shows the analysis of three samples of umbilical cord blood of healthy subjects and three peripheral blood samples of newborns diagnosed with late sepsis. Our results show that CD69, CD71 and CD45RO could be useful to differentiate states of sepsis in neonates. We propose a subsequent study to generate a multiparametric flow cytometry analysis that will allow a comprehensive analysis of neonatal sepsis.