Factors associated with the survival of primary maxillary anterior teeth after intrusive luxation: a retrospective longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the survival rate of primary maxillary anterior teeth following intrusive luxation and identify associated factors. METHODS: A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted at a primary dental trauma centre using 88 dental records of children with intrusive luxation between 2007 and 2018. The variables of interest were time the tooth remained in the alveolus, degree of intrusion, accentuated overjet, lip protection, visible plaque, compromised germ of the permanent successor, clinical signs of infectious and inflammatory processes, endodontic treatment, pulp canal obliteration, sex, age at the time of trauma, family income, mother's schooling, and immediate care. Descriptive, bivariate, and Cox regression analyses were performed (p < 0.05; 95% CI). RESULTS: The 88 dental records of children with intrusive luxation included 128 teeth. Survival rate throughout the follow-up period was 65.6% (n = 84). Age older than three years and eight months (HR 2.28; 95% CI 1.04-4.99; p = 0.039), the development of an infectious process (HR 3.51; 95% CI 1.39-8.86; p = 0.008), development of an inflammatory process (HR 2.35; 95% CI 1.17-4.71; p = 0.016) and compromised germ of the permanent successor (HR 4.38; 95% CI 1.99-9.61; p < 0.001) were associated with a lower survival rate of intruded primary maxillary anterior teeth. CONCLUSION: The survival rate during the follow-up period of intruded primary maxillary anterior teeth was considered high. A significantly lower survival rate was associated with age, the occurrence of an infectious process and inflammatory process, and the compromised germ of the permanent successor.

Family Impact Scale (FIS): psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese language version.

AIM: Evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Family Impact Scale (FIS). METHODS: Following translation and cross-cultural adaptation, the FIS was tested on 123 parents-caregivers of children between 11 and 14 years of age with dental caries and malocclusions. The parents were recruited from the Paediatric Dental and Orthodontic clinics where their children were receiving dental care. Psychometric properties were assessed through internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity and discriminant validity. RESULTS: The mean FIS score was 6.97 (SD 7.81) for the dental caries group and 7.25 (SD 7.70) for the malocclusion group. The FIS score was unable to discriminate different family impact caused by children's oral health conditions. Internal consistency was confirmed by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.79. Test-retest reliability revealed good reproducibility (ICC 0.83). Construct validity was good, demonstrating highly significant correlations between parent's perceptions regarding the overall wellbeing indicator for their children and the total FIS and subscales. Financial burden demonstrated no significant correlation with global indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Overall psychometric results for the Brazilian version of the FIS confirm it as a reliable, valid questionnaire for assessing the family impact caused by children's oral conditions.

Breast-feeding and early childhood caries: an assessment among Brazilian infants.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate early childhood caries among 12-36-month-old children from families living in poor socio-economic conditions in the city of Recife, Brazil, its association with the type and duration of feeding (e.g. natural, sugared, bottle and glass), as well as the relationship between a supplementary diet and the occurrence of this type of caries. METHODS: The present study consisted of a visual clinical examination of teeth that had been previously cleaned with gauze. This was carried out under natural light in a waiting room. Four calibrated examiners performed the examination and the kappa test value was 8.0. The parents or guardians were interviewed for the following information: name, address, age, type of feeding, number of sugary meals, sugar intake and habitual diet. Some 468 children were included in this study. Their ages ranged from 12 to 36 months. The sample was comprised of 222 (47.4%) males and 246 females (52.6%). RESULTS: Of the 468 children included in this study, 133 (28.4%) had caries. Only 59 (12.6%) of the children examined had been breast-fed, 20 (33.9%) of whom presented with caries. Three hundred and twenty-seven (69.9%) subjects had been bottle-fed with sugared milk, 86 (26%) of whom had caries. Two hundred and eight children had five or more sugary meals per day, 70 (33.6%) of whom had caries. No statistically significant relationship was seen between breast-feeding and the prevalence of tooth decay. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study show that the prevalence of early childhood caries in 12-36-month-old children from poor backgrounds in Recife is in accordance with the rate found in other Brazilian cities and is extremely high compared with that of the world population as a whole. Early childhood caries was not clearly related to the type of feeding in this sample. The prevalence of early childhood caries increased with age, and the number of sugary snacks between meals and a cariogenic diet were strongly related to early childhood caries. The lack of fluoridated water and high rates of early childhood caries in lead the authors to suggest that fluoride dentifrice should be introduced at 12 months of age as a fluoride supplement and an important aid in the prevention of childhood caries. Additional studies in different cultures and societies need to be undertaken before a definitive conclusion can be drawn.

Formocresol mutagenicity following primary tooth pulp therapy: an in vivo study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether formocresol, in Buckley's original formulation, is mutagenic in vivo to lymphocyte cultures obtained from the peripheral blood of children aged from 5 to 10 years old. These children were recruited from those attending the dental clinics of Recife City Council and the University of Pernambuco School of Dentistry, Brazil. METHODS: The sample comprised 20 children who had primary teeth with cariously exposed vital pulps. Two venous blood samples were collected (6-8 ml) from each child, the first prior to vital pulpotomy (control group) and the second 24 h after pulpotomy (treated group). This research is a case-control study. The peripheral lymphocytes were grown in a complete culture medium consisting of 78% RPMI 1640 medium (a), supplemented with streptomycin (0.01 mg/ml), penicillin (0.005 ml(-1)), 20% fetal bovine serum (b) and 2% phytohemagglutinin (c). The lymphocytes were assessed for chromosomal aberrations via a previously published method which was modified. The cytogenetic analysis was performed in a blind test, where the slides were codified by an annotator and the scorers did not know which group they were analyzing. For each sample, this envolved the analysis of 200 metaphases. The level of significance adopted in the statistical test was 5.0% (p<0.05). RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in clinical doses between the control and treated groups, using Wilcoxon's Signed Ranks test, for the chromosomal aberrations (P=0.251) and for the total chromosomal breaks (P=0.149). Although there were no statistically significant differences between the control and treated groups, Buckley's formocresol was mutagenic for one patient, raising doubt about the desirability of its use for pulpotomies in children. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that, from a statistical standpoint, formocresol is not mutagenic. However, further investigations are required, preferably with a larger sample, in patients needing more than one pulpotomy in order to observe whether an increase in the quantity of the drug would increase the quantity of chromosome aberrations and also to verify individual susceptibility to chromosome alterations with the use of formocresol.