OBJECTIVETo analyze the effectiveness of educational interventions performed in health services in the improvement of clinical behaviors and outcomes in oral health.METHODSWe have carried out a systematic review of the literature searching the PubMed, Lilacs, and SciELO databases. We have included studies that have investigated interventions performed by health professionals working in health services and who have used educational actions as main approach to improve behavioral and clinical outcomes in oral health.RESULTSThe search amounted to 832 articles and 14 of them met all the inclusion criteria. Five studies have only exclusively evaluated the effectiveness of interventions on caries reduction, three have exceptionally evaluated oral health behaviors, and the other articles have evaluated the effectiveness of interventions for both clinical outcomes (dental caries and periodontal conditions) and behaviors in oral health. Most of the studies (n = 9) were based on randomized controlled trials; the other ones have evaluated before and after the intervention. Five studies have reported a significant reduction of dental caries, and five of the six studies evaluating behavioral outcomes have found some positive change.CONCLUSIONSMost studies evaluating behavioral and periodontal outcomes have shown significant improvements in favor of interventions. All studies evaluating caries have shown a reduction in new lesions or cases of the disease in the groups receiving the interventions, although only five of the eleven articles have found a statistically significant difference. Educational interventions carried out by health professionals in the context of their practice have the potential to promote oral health in the population.

IntroduçãoOs dentes decíduos, além de importantes para o bom desempenho da função mastigatória, para articulação, fonação e oclusão estética da criança, são os melhores mantedores de espaço proximal e funcional. Isso devido à presença da coroa clínica, do periodonto e das raízes que guiam a irrupção dos dentes sucessores permanentes, permitindo o desenvolvimento adequado da dentição humana 1,2 . A perda precoce dos dentes decíduos, especialmente dos molares, pode determinar sérias alterações no desenvolvimento da oclusão da dentição decídua, mista e, consequentemente, da dentição permanente. A perda parcial ou total da estrutura dentária acarreta uma diminuição do espaço disponível

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention to improve young children's oral health‐related behaviours and caregiver knowledge.MethodsThis paper reports on findings from a cluster randomized controlled trial, 12 months after of baseline, conducted in Pelotas, Southern Brazil. Two Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) and 170 caregiver‐child dyads were assigned to an intervention group, and two PHCs and 174 dyads were assigned to a control group. Children's oral hygiene behaviours, sugar consumption and use of dental services were the outcomes analysed as well as changes in caregiver knowledge. The impact of the intervention was assessed using multilevel mixed‐effects model regressions and the change rate ratios (IRR) were expressed.ResultsThere were positive and significant changes in favour of the intervention group in children's oral hygiene behaviours, use of dental services, and caregivers’ knowledge of oral health. For example, children in the intervention group were more likely to have brushed with fluoride toothpaste at least two times a day (IRR 1.43, 95% CI 1.06‐1.92), to have brushed their teeth before bedtime (IRR 1.37, 95% CI 1.02‐1.84), and to have used dental services for preventive care (IRR 2.54, 95% CI 2.02‐3.19) than children in the control group.ConclusionThis intervention had positive effects on children's oral health‐related behaviours and caregivers’ oral health knowledge.

Objective: To know the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in 12 years old adolescents of schools of Pelotas/RS in 2010. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study, using for six trained examiners the recommendations of the World Health Organization. We selected an aleatory systematic sample of students from 39 municipal schools in the urban area. The tooth parameter for classification of fluorosis was recorded, and the basis, we identified products with exposure to fluoride water type and amount of dentifrice. Results: We examined 32 adolescents (86.5%) of 37 schools were randomly selected students, bringing the number of 228 (91.2% of total). There were no cases of moderate or severe fluorosis and only 2 cases of mild fluorosis. The conditions that more it prevailed were questionable fluorosis (68.4%) and very mild (21%) being the upper premolars the most affected, with 122 observations (59.2%). The type of water reported by the scholars as the more consumed was a public supply (75.5%); and the amount of used toothpaste was 0,75g or more (86%). There was no significant statistical association between the presence of dental fluorosis and dentifrice in use above the recommended amount. Conclusion: We observed high prevalence and low severity of dental fluorosis; expected situation where levels of fluoride in public water supplies are the recommended, as is the case of Pelotas. Most of the students reported using amount of dentifrice indicated above. His contribution in the prevalence of dental fluorosis should be investigated by means of others designs studies

The study aimed to investigate inequalities in the commitment of family income to private expenditures on dental care in Brazil. Data were analyzed from 55,970 Brazilian households that participated in the nationwide Family Budgets Survey in 2008-2009. The commitment of family income to private spending on dental care was calculated by dividing the mean annual per capita household spending on dental care by the mean annual per capita income, classified in four categories: > 0%, ≥ 5%, ≥ 10%, and ≥ 20%. Analysis of income commitment only included households with positive spending. Only 2,961 households (7%) reported positive spending on dental care. Mean annual per capita spending was BRL 42.19 (USD 12.78) overall and BRL 602.47 (USD 182.57) among those with positive spending. Households with the highest absolute expenditures on dental care were those from urban areas and the wealthiest quintile. Meanwhile, households with the highest proportional income commitment were from rural areas and the poorest quintile. Among those that reported positive spending, 55% of the households in the poorest quintile committed ≥ 20% of their income to dental care. The proportion was only 6% in the wealthiest quintile of the population. The poorest households in the wealthiest regions of Brazil (Central, South, and Southeast) showed the highest income commitments. There were striking socioeconomic inequalities in spending and income commitment to dental care. The evaluation of these inequalities is relevant for the evaluation and orientation of public health policies.