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  • Oral health behaviour perception scale applied among a sample of Portuguese adolescents
    Publication . Amaral, Odete; Couto, Patrícia; Coelho, Inês; Correia, Maria José; Veiga, Nélio Jorge
    Introduction: The application of a scale can be particularly useful for the epidemiological studies comparing different populations and for analysis of the influence of distinct aspects of oral health on the development of certain health conditions. The aim of this study consists in the creation of a scale to classify the level of perception of the oral health behaviors applicable to a sample of Portuguese adolescents. Material and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was designed with a total of 649 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years old from five public schools in the Viseu and Guarda districts, in Portugal. Data was collected by the application of a self-administered questionnaire and, after analysis of data collection, the newly Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) oral health perception scale was created. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-IBM software version 24.0 (IBM SPSS, Chicago, Il., USA). In the descriptive statistical analysis, absolute and descriptive frequencies were used for variables with nominal measurement level, mean as a measure of central tendency and standard deviation as a measure of dispersion for interval variables. Results: Oral health behaviors perception respecting the assumptions defined by the present scale has been elaborated. The result showed that 67% of the sample presented a poor perception of their oral health behaviors, 23.9% intermediate/sufficient, while 8.2% refer having good perception, respecting the assumptions defined for the elaboration of the present scale. Conclusion: For this purpose, through the scale to classify the level of oral health behaviors applicable to the sample of portuguese adolescents, it is possible to compare the data of several samples and understand what are the most frequent oral or eating habits among adolescents.
  • Estudo comparativo de comportamentos e autoperceção em saúde oral de populações adultas com e sem deficiência intelectual
    Publication . Martins, Inês; Veiga, Nélio; Correia, Maria; Coelho, Inês; Couto, Patrícia
    Objetivos: Comparar os comportamentos de saúde oral e a autoperceção da necessidade de tratamento em populações adultas com e sem deficiência intelectual. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo de prevalência numa amostra de conveniência de 480 indivíduos com idades compreendidas entre os 18-64 anos (240 indivíduos com deficiência intelectual leve filiados na HUMANITAS e 240 sem deficiência, utentes da Clínica Universitária da Universidade Católica Portuguesa), através da aplicação de um questionário sociodemográfico e de saúde oral onde se pretende avaliar: número de dentes naturais; frequência e técnicas de higienização; periodicidade e motivo das consultas médico-dentárias; autoperceção da condição oral e necessidade de tratamentos. A análise estatística foi realizada no software SPSS versão 22.0, com recurso aos testes estatísticos Qui-Quadrado e Mann-Whitney. Resultados: Relativamente à condição oral da população com deficiência verificou-se que 32,9% dos indivíduos tinha menos de 20 dentes, valor este superior ao da população sem deficiência (10%). Também a percentagem de higienização oral diária foi inferior na população com deficiência (79,6% vs 94,2%), assim como o uso de fio dentário (7,1% vs 47,1%) ou elixir (24,1% vs 49,2%). Verificámos ainda nos indivíduos com deficiência uma menor percentagem de consultas médico-dentárias nos últimos 6 meses (28,4% vs 59,2%), especialmente por motivo de rotina (18,8% vs 46,3%), uma maior autoperceção da necessidade de tratamento (75,2% vs 56,7%), e uma autoperceção menos favorável da condição oral, já que menos de metade (37,4% vs 56,2%) da amostra descreveu a sua condição oral como boa ou superior. Conclusões: Apesar dos fracos resultados gerais obtidos em ambas as populações, os comportamentos de saúde oral da população com deficiência intelectual são inferiores aos da população sem deficiência. Assim, a formação dos profissionais de saúde, dos cuidadores e a implementação de programas públicos de saúde oral são essenciais para melhorar a saúde oral destes indivíduos.
  • The influence of chronic diseases in the oral health of the elderly
    Publication . Veiga, Nelio Jorge; Domingues, Adeline; Douglas, Filipa; Rios, Sara; Vaz, Ana; Coelho, Carina; Bexiga, Filipa; Coelho, Inês
    Introduction: Aging is a natural and progressive process that produces limitations and changes in the functioning of the human body, making the individual more vulnerable and susceptible to chronic disease development. The most affected systems in the elderly are the neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine and muscularskeletel. Overall, all they affect a special system: the oral cavity. The objective of this review article consists in characterizing the influence of the major chronic diseases on the oral health of the elderly and define how the oral health professional can diagnose the oral manifestations of a chronic disease. Material and Methods: To carry out this review article the search strategies included electronic databases, reference lists of articles, and selected textbooks. Articles and textbooks used in this study were mainly reached by using the following keywords: “oral health”, “elderly”, “chronic diseases”, “cardiovascular disease”, “Parkinson’s disease”, “kidney dysfunction”, “metabolic disorders”, “quality of life”. By the end of the research, 34 scientific articles were selected. Results: An inflammation in the oral cavity can trigger a cell and immune response, which will be transmitted by the blood stream to the other components of the individual systems. Parkinson’s disease has repercussions in the oral cavity, not only by motor dysfunction, but also by administered drugs that can lead to xerostomia. Regarding renal impairment, the dental professional must pay special attention primarily to the medication prescribed to the patient, in order not to increase the risk of nephrotoxicity. Apart from this fact, scientific studies indicate a strong association between metabolic disorders and the development of oral diseases Discussion: The weakening of oral health in the elderly mainly occurs when there is a frequent decrease in medical and dental care, neglection of oral hygiene and when there is a systemic pathology responsible for the development of poor oral health conditions. Conclusions: As a result of the heterogeneity of the elderly population, the improvement of oral health should be given according to the diversity of needs required. The frequent presence of systemic diseases and polypharmacy among the elderly, in addition to the possible coexistence of various risk factors, contribute significantly to the development of oral diseases. Thus, in order to enable healthy aging, the dental professional has a key importance in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases among the elderly.
  • Validation of the Portuguese Rome III Questionnaire for Diagnosis of Functional Dyspepsia in adults
    Publication . Amaral, Maria Odete Pereira; Veiga, Nélio; Pereira, Carlos; Coelho, Inês; Pereira, Joana
    Introduction: The validation tools are essential in epidemiological research, especially for the consensus case definition and comparison of results. Currently, the instrument most commonly used to identify functional dyspepsia is the Rome III questionnaire, which is not validated for the Portuguese population. Objectives: To validate the Rome III questionnaire for the assessment of functional dyspepsia in Portuguese adults. Methods: The questionnaire was translated following the recommendations of Rome III. A total of 166 adults completed the questionnaire. The identification of the category of functional dyspepsia among adults was based on the presence of one or more symptoms from the total of 4 symptoms that the scale allows to assess from a total of 6 items. The internal consistency, reproducibility and contents analysis were evaluated using the program SPSS 23.0. Results: Alpha Cronbach coefficient from the total of 18 items measured was 0.89. For functional dyspepsia category (assessed by 6 items) was 0.76 and the alpha Cronbach’s based on standardized items was 0.85. Conclusions: We validated, for Portugal, the Rome III questionnaire for the diagnosis of functional gastrointestinal disorders, particularly for functional dyspepsia among adults. These results suggest that this tool will be useful for research in the Portuguese population.
  • Health determinants among a sample of Portuguese children
    Publication . Veiga, Nelio Jorge; Pereira, Carlos; Loureiro, Rosalina; Amaral, Maria Odete Pereira; Coelho, Inês; Pereira, Joana
    Introduction: The current lifestyles suggest risk behaviors that are the basis of a country’s health profile. Objectives: The objective of this study was the assessment of health determinants and its association with socio-demographic variables among a sample of Portuguese children from 3 to 10 years old. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed with a total of 1617 children from public schools, from the two main school groups of Tondela and Vouzela, Portugal. The final study sample was built with a total of 1365 children aged between 3 and 10 years old. Data collection was accomplished by the distribution of a self-administered questionnaire to the parents and caregivers of the children. Results: It was found that the older children had a lower adherence to healthy eating habits and a higher prevalence of physical activity. The boys had higher levels of physical activity and higher prevalence of sedentary behaviors, in comparison with girls. The residence area of the children was associated with a higher prevalence of fastfood consumption and sedentary behaviors. Conclusions: It becomes noticeable the need to make an intervention on the most vulnerable social groups to obtain more effective health equality. Health promotion strategies should be seriously considered in communities in order to improve healthy lifestyles among Portuguese children and their families.