Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in dental students and associated factors

Aim: The objective of this research was to evaluate the prevalence of painful symptoms among dental academics, as well as their associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at a public higher education institution, and the study population (n = 303) included undergraduate students who studied at least one subject that included clinical activities. For data collection, two self-administered questionnaires were delivered to the participants, the first of which consisted of sociodemographic variables, academic life, harmful habits, physical activity practice, and general health. The validated Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to identify musculoskeletal symptoms, the need to seek health resources, and to assess whether the disorders interfered with the work activities of academics. Results: The presence of pain in the past 12 months was observed in 199 participants (82.6%). Several variables, including gender, number of courses performed, physical activity, and general health status, had an association with painful symptoms in at least one area of the body (GA) over the past 12 months. In addition, variable general health was associated with pain symptoms in any area of the body (DG) over the past seven days. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms, especially in the upper limbs, and there were associations between muscular pain and the number of disciplines studied and between muscular pains and the general health of the students.

Organizações Sociais de Saúde (OSS): Privatização da Gestão de Serviços de Saúde ou Solução Gerencial para o SUS?

Revisamos criticamente a literatura publicada no Brasil sobre as Organizações Sociais de Saúde como modelo de gestão de serviços de saúde ambulatoriais e hospitalares para o Sistema Único de Saúde. Optamos pelo método de revisão integrativa, através de busca na base de dados científicas Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (Lilacs) e na biblioteca eletrônica Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). Foram identificados 31 artigos que atenderam aos critérios de inclusão. Os estudos publicados até 2015 sobre as OSS são metodologicamente insuficientes e não permitem generalizações sobre a maior eficiência da gestão de serviços de saúde por meio das OSS em comparação com a gestão pública. Mesmo com a falta de dados empíricos conclusivos na literatura científica revisada, há fortes argumentos legais, administrativos, e políticos que sugerem que as OSS não se constituem como solução  para resolver os problemas de gestão de serviços no SUS. Embora se apresentem como modelo “sem fins lucrativos” ou filantrópico e fundamentado em técnicas gerenciais modernas e eficientes, as OSS tendem a fortalecer a privatização do sistema público de saúde brasileiro. 

Prevalence of malocclusion and related oral habits in 5- to 6-year-old children

PURPOSE

To verify the prevalence of malocclusion and the influence of harmful oral habits on deciduous dentition in 5- and 6-year-old children enrolled in Brazilian public elementary schools during 2010.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Exams were conducted in 1385 children from 56 Brazilian elementary schools using the method recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for epidemiological surveys on oral health. Information about the type of arch, social and economic data and harmful oral habits of the children were collected through a structured questionnaire.

RESULTS

In relation to canine occlusion, a high prevalence of Class I (74.5%), followed by Class II (19.4%), was found. Among all participants, 22% showed high overjet, 7.8% showed edge-to-edge occlusion and 2.3% showed anterior crossbite. In relation to overbite, 13.2% had short overbite, 14.3% open bite and 16.8% high overbite. The presence of posterior crossbite occurred in 14.6% of children. Maxillae predominantly exhibited the type I arch (67.9%) and mandibles predominantly exhibited type II (51.7%). In relation to harmful oral habits, 43.4% used a pacifier, 84.8% used a bottle and finger sucking was reported by 17.2%.

CONCLUSION

There was a high prevalence of malocclusion associated with oral habits harmful to deciduous dentition.