The aim of this study was to quantify the force exerted by tandem archwires in a specific system of passive self-ligating bracket. Forty-eight thermo-activated nickel-titanium orthodontic archwires were separated into four groups (n = 12): G1 - two .014" + .014" round archwires; G2 - two .014" + .016" round archwires; G3 - .014" x .025" rectangular archwire; and. G4 - .016" x .022" rectangular archwire. Brackets were fixed onto teeth 1.5 to 2.5 using a device that represented the upper teeth, maintaining an interbracket distance of 6.0 mm. The deflection tests were performed using the structure representative of tooth 1.1 as support on the Instron testing machine at a speed of 2.0 mm/min. The archwires were evaluated at deflections of 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, and 1.5 mm. The data were analyzed by a generalized linear model, considering values at different deflections as repeated measurements in the same experimental unit (α = 0.5%). At 0.5 mm, higher forces were observed in G2 and G3, which did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). The lowest force was observed in G4 (p < 0.05). At 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm, the highest force was observed in G3, followed by G4 and G2 (p < 0.05). The lowest force was observed in G1 (p < 0.05). In general, tandem archwires (same or different calibers) in a specific passive self-ligating bracket exerted lower force when compared with rectangular archwires.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of pairs of antagonist teeth (epidemiological criterion) for defining pairs of teeth in occlusal contact (clinical criterion) and to estimate the agreement between the prevalence of "shortened dental arch" (SDA) and "functional dentition" (FD) when occlusal units (OUs) or posterior occluding pairs (POPs) are defined by the epidemiological or clinical criterion. Data were collected in an epidemiological oral health survey conducted in a municipality in Minas Gerais, Brazil. OUs and POPs were defined by the epidemiological criterion (dental crown status) or clinical criterion "gold standard" (carbon paper record of occlusal contacts during habitual maximum intercuspation). SDA corresponded to the presence of an intact anterior region and three to five OUs. FD was based on the concomitant presence of ≥ 1 tooth in each arch, 10 teeth in each arch, 12 anterior teeth, ≥ 3 premolar POPs, and ≥ 1 molar POP bilaterally. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of the epidemiological criterion were calculated. The study included 197 adults. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 88.5, 87.9, 92.5, and 81.9%, respectively, and accuracy was 88.3%. The epidemiological criterion proved to be valid and could be used in epidemiological studies to calculate the prevalence of reduced dental configurations that consider POPs. The assessment of oral functionality is an aspect that should be included in the diagnosis of the clinical condition of patients, contributing to a more effective individual and collective oral health care plan.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of school bullying and oral health-related verbal bullying on the occurrence of bruxism associated with poor sleep quality among adolescents. This cross-sectional study was nested in a cohort study performed with a sample of children from southern Brazil. Possible sleep bruxism was determined by the question: "Has anyone told you that you grind your teeth in your sleep?" Sleep quality was determined by answering the following question: "How would you classify the quality of your sleep?". The outcome was created by combining occurrence of sleep bruxism and poor sleep quality. The Sense of Coherence (SOC) was assessed using the SOC-13 scale. Bullying was investigated using the victim scale of the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire and oral health-related verbal bullying using an item from the Child Perceptions Questionnaire-11-14. Demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and clinical data were also collected. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used. Results were expressed as prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). A total of 429 adolescents with a mean age of 12.6 (standard deviation 1.3) years were evaluated. The prevalence of bruxism associated with poor sleep quality was 23.7%. Victims of school bullying (PR 2.06; 95%CI: 1.01-4.22) and oral health-related verbal bullying (PR 1.87; 95%CI: 1.18-2.95) presented higher prevalence of bruxism associated with poor sleep quality. Factors such as skin color and SOC were also associated with the outcome. These findings suggest an association between episodes of bullying and bruxism related to poor sleep quality.
The present cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the relationship between awake bruxism and fatigue of masticatory muscles in healthy young adults. For this purpose, 121 graduate students participated in this study. Frequency of awake bruxism was collected for 7 consecutive days by ecological momentary assessment (EMA) using an online survey (mentimeter). Muscle fatigue was tested one day after EMA assessment, which consisted of voluntarily and continuously clenching at 30% (kgf/cm2) of maximum bite force (MBF) until exhaustion. The percentage of change in MBF after the clenching task, as compared to the MBF before the clenching task was measured. The average frequency of awake bruxism was 45.5% during 7 days. Sustained clenching resulted in a significant reduction in MBF values in the total sample (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, no significant correlation was found between frequency of awake bruxism behaviors and percent of change in MBF and endurance time during the fatigue test. Therefore, it can be concluded that young healthy adults present a relatively high frequency of awake bruxism behaviors that do not seem to impact the degree of masticatory muscle fatigue.
The main purpose of this study was to answer the question: "Can radiotherapy cause changes in the dental pulp condition of patients treated with irradiation in the head and neck region?" Clinical observational studies in adults with head and neck cancer undergoing treatment with ionizing radiation, longitudinal or cross-sectional follow-up to measure oxygen saturation (SpO2), and/or pulp sensitivity test to cold stimulation, were considered eligible. A systematic literature search was performed in six different databases, including the gray literature, and in article references. Two independent evaluators selected the studies, extracted the data, recorded the data on electronic spreadsheets, and then evaluated the methodological quality using the Checklist for Quasi-Experimental Studies tool devised by JBI. The data were assessed qualitatively using the Synthesis Without Metanalysis (SWiM) guidelines. After removing the duplicate articles, carefully analyzing the titles and abstracts, and reading the papers in full, seven studies were included. Four of the studies evaluated applied the cold sensitivity test, two associated pulse oximetry and cold sensitivity, and only one used just pulse oximetry. Evaluation using the cold sensitivity test and pulse oximetry in the initial periods before radiotherapy showed a decrease in the sensitive response and in SpO2 levels during a maximum period of 1 year. However, analyses thereafter indicated a normal response in both tests from 5 to 6 years after the end of radiotherapy treatment. Radiotherapy causes changes in pulp behavior patterns in the short term; however, recovery and return to average values occurs after long periods.
Considering the unfavorable implications of health falsehoods and the lack of dental research into information disorder, this study aimed to identify and characterize online oral health misinformation. A total of 410 websites published in English were retrieved using Google Advanced Search and screened by two independent investigators to compile falsehoods through thematic content analysis. Afterward, 318 pieces of misinformation were consensually divided into four groups concerning their informational interest (G1), financial, psychological, and social interests produced/disseminated by non-dental professionals (G2) or by dental professionals (G3), and political interests (G4). Social media (Facebook and Instagram) and fact-checking tool (Snopes) were also screened to determine the spread of falsehoods by identifying corresponding posts and warnings. As a result, misinformation was mainly associated with gum diseases (12.0%), root canal treatment (11.6%), toothache (10.4%), fluoride (10.4%), and dental caries (9.8%), with a special highlight on recommendations for the usage of natural products, toxicity concerns, and anti-fluoridation propaganda. Additionally, most misinformation was allocated in G3 (41.9%), which presented a statistically higher frequency of financial interests than G4. Finally, falsehoods were considerably identified on Facebook (62.9%) and Instagram (49.4%), especially G3 and G4. Nevertheless, Snopes has debunked only 5.9% of these content items. Therefore, misinformation was predominantly produced or disseminated by dental professionals mainly motivated by financial interests and usually linked to alternative/natural treatments. Although these items were shared on social media, fact-checking agencies seemed to have limited knowledge about their dissemination.

