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  • Oral health behaviors and dental caries in a sample of Portuguese militaries
    Publication . Azevedo, Luís; Martins, David; Fialho, Joana; Veiga, Nélio; Correia, André
    Objectives: To determine the prevalence of dental caries and oral health behaviors in a sample of the Portuguese army. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of army soldiers of the Infantry Regiment no. 14 of Viseu, Portugal, using a questionnaire. The study involved 122 members of the armed forces, who were asked to complete a questionnaire autonomously. The questionnaire enquired about general oral-health behaviors but focused mainly on: i) frequency of toothbrushing, ii) use of dental floss and iii) frequency of dental appointments. It also asked about sociodemographic information, like age and gender. An intra-oral observation was also conducted to determine the DMFT index and to record dental plaque based on the Silness and Löe plaque index (1964). Results: The prevalence of dental caries was high (51.6%±7.4%; DMFT of 4.6±3.5). The most prevalent score of the Silness and Löe plaque index was score 2 - visible plaque (58.2%). Regarding oral hygiene habits, most of the sample reported brushing their teeth at least twice a day (65.6%) and using fluoride toothpaste (64.8%). However, very few participants (18%) used dental floss. More than 30% of the participants had not visited a dentist within the previous year. Furthermore, 45.9% were current smokers. Conclusion: Prevention programs and promoting actions for oral health with these specific groups are important and should be adopted to reduce the prevalence of dental caries and to increases the knowledge about oral-health behaviors.
  • Oral health behaviors, dental injuries and mouthguard awareness among a sample of Portuguese athletes: a cross sectional study
    Publication . Azevedo, Luís; Martins, David Simões; Fialho, Joana; Veiga, Nélio; Correia, André; Fine, Peter
    Aim: To determine the oral health behaviors, the prevalence of dental injuries, the level of information about first-aid procedures in the case of dental avulsion and the mouthguard awareness in a sample of Portuguese athletes. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional research among 1,048 athletes from the district of Viseu, Portugal. A self-administered questionnaire included demographic data and questions about: I) oral hygiene habits, II) occurrence of orofacial trauma, III) use of mouthguards and IV) athletes’ knowledge regarding first-aid management in case of dental avulsion was given. The comparison between different variables was made by Chi-square test with level of significant set at p-value =0.05. Results: The mean age of the sample (76.24% male) was 18.14±8.17 years. Overall, the results demonstrated a low use of dental floss (25.48%) and a high number of athletes (21.94%) that had not visited a dentist in more than a year. The prevalence of dental trauma was 5.06% and the most common dental injuries experienced by athletes were crown fractures (60.38%). Nearly half of the participants (45.23%) reported not knowing how to act following a dental avulsion. The rate of mouthguard use was very low (9.73%). There was a significant relationship between the prevalence of dental injuries and the use of mouthguards (p=0.000; Cramér’s V=0.145). Conclusion: The prevalence of dental trauma in our population was low. A low number of athletes use a mouthguard and there is a lack of knowledge concerning dental trauma issues. Prevention programs and promoting actions among this population are important and should be adopted.
  • Impact of personality traits on prosthodontic patients
    Publication . Dantas, Fernando Filipe dos Santos; Almeida, Carlos Emanuel Natividade Ferreira de; Correia, André Ricardo Maia; Campos, José Carlos Reis
    Determining oral health-related quality of life in elderly patients with removable prostheses who have increased difficulty in reporting oral issues is imperative for a successful rehabilitation. Aim: Our objective is to assess the extent to which a trace, or personality dimension, can influence oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in rehabilitated patients. Methods: 135 participants rehabilitated with removable prosthesis were evaluated in the Clinical Unit of Removable Prosthodontics of the Faculty of Dental Medicine of Porto University, Portugal. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire was applied to evaluate oral health-related quality of life, along with the Eysenck Personality Inventory (E.P.I.) to determine a personality trait. Statistical analysis was carried out using Mann-Whitney, Student's t-test, Spearman's rho and linear regression. Results: No statistical correlation was found concerning age, gender and oral health-related quality of life. Regarding the latter, the highest agreement was found on the question involving “pain in teeth”. The prevalence of acrylic partial dentures, as opposed to partial dentures with metallic framework, was substantially higher. No signi?cant association between both extraversion/neuroticism (E.P.I.) and oral health-related quality of life (OHIP-14) upon rehabilitation with removable prostheses was found (p>0,05). In our study, personality traits neuroticism and extraversion did not influence oral health-related quality of life with removable prostheses. However, we should not overlook the importance of other psychological factors (such as motivation or perception) and their role in determining oral health-related quality of life. Conclusion: Personality traits “extraversion” and “neuroticism” did not influence oral health-related quality of life.