Aim The aim of this study is to assess whether anxiety symptoms are associated with alcohol abuse in Brazilian undergraduate dental students during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Method A cross‐sectional study was conducted. A semi‐structured questionnaire addressing the variables of interest was hosted on Google Forms and shared with dental undergraduate students from all Brazilian regions between July 8 and 27, 2020. Alcohol abuse was measured using the Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye opener (CAGE) questionnaire score of ≥2. All participants responded to the seven‐item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD‐7). Hierarchical logistic regression was also conducted. Results Among the 1050 students evaluated, 18.7% ( n = 196) had a positive screening for alcohol abuse during the pandemic. The prevalence of mild (GAD‐7 = 5–9), moderate (GAD‐7 = 10–14), and severe (GAD‐7 ≥15) anxiety among students were 31.3%, 29.6%, and 24.2%, respectively. The final hierarchical logistic regression model showed that during the COVID‐19 pandemic, anxiety levels predict the likelihood of alcohol abuse among students with moderate (OR 10.05 [95% IC: 4.12–24.52]) or severe (OR 15.82 [95% IC: 6.46–38.73]) anxiety, especially for male students (moderate anxiety: OR 17.06 [95% CI: 8.36–34.78]; severe anxiety: OR 28.38 [95% CI: 8.62–38.24]). Conclusion The prevalence of alcohol abuse and moderate or severe anxiety in Brazilian undergraduate dental students during the COVID‐19 pandemic was high. Male students may be more sensitive to the presence of anxiety symptoms in this period, thus contributing to higher levels of alcohol consumption, in comparison to female students. Intervention strategies that promote the adoption of healthier lifestyles can enable the effective management of anxiety symptoms during the pandemic and thus, hold the potential to reduce exacerbated alcohol intake in this population.

Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of Brazilian dental students about biosafety measures that should be adopted in the clinical setting during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 1,050 dental students was conducted. A semi-structured questionnaire was shared with students. Mean knowledge score on biosafety guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic was the outcome, with a maximum of 8 scores. Explanatory variables included sociodemographic and educational characteristics, aspects related to biosafety education, actions adopted by the dental schools during the pandemic, and sources of biosafety information. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Mean knowledge score was 5.19 (1.28). Female students (β=0.346; 95%CI:0.154–0.539), those enrolled in the intermediate (β=0.525; 95%CI:0.167–0.883) or final (β=0.569; 95%CI:0.200–0.937) stage of course, and those who had already received theoretical-practical training in biosafety (β=0.464; 95%CI:0.063–0.866) presented higher mean knowledge scores. Students who did not receive guidance on aerosol control measures before the pandemic (β=-0.324; 95%CI:-0.519–-0.130) had the lowest score. Conclusion: Students presented a medium level of knowledge about dental biosafety measures in the COVID-19 pandemic. Sociodemographic characteristics and those related to the institutional profile of the participants, and access to orientation and training in biosafety may influence their knowledge.

Introdução: a cárie dentária ainda é considerada um problema de saúde pública com relevante impacto na saúde das pessoas. As ações educativas no âmbito da saúde bucal possibilitam a criação de hábitos e noções de autocuidado, especialmente quando desenvolvidas em ambientes estimuladores, como as escolas. O Tratamento Restaurador Atraumático (TRA) caracteriza-se como uma abordagem que enquadra-se na proposta da Odontologia de mínima intervenção, sendo uma das principais opções para o tratamento de lesões cariosas em pré-escolares. Objetivo: realizar uma revisão de literatura com ênfase na aplicação do TRA associado à promoção em saúde bucal em crianças escolares com risco à cárie. Método: revisão integrativa da literatura, composta por estudos publicados entre os anos de 2010 e 2020, encontrados nas bases de dados SciELO, LILACS e Portal de Periódicos CAPES e selecionados de acordo com os critérios de inclusão e exclusão. Resultados: foram encontrados 6 artigos publicados. Os estudos abordam intervenções em ambientes escolares que fizeram uso do TRA junto com as demais atividades de promoção e prevenção em saúde bucal. Conclusão: essa integração de ações proporciona resultados bastante satisfatórios na saúde bucal de escolares, na medida em que reduz a incidência de novas lesões cariosas e promove uma maior longevidade das restaurações.

ObjectiveExplore the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and associated factors in undergraduate dental students during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Brazil.Materials and MethodsCross‐sectional study. A semi‐structured questionnaire addressing the variables of interest was shared with dental students between July 8 and 27 2020. The outcome was determined using the seven‐item generalized anxiety disorder (GAD‐7) scale. A ‘positive’ diagnosis was defined as a total of ≥10 points on the scale. Statistical analysis involved descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses, with the significance level set at 5%.ResultsAmong the 1050 students evaluated, 53.8% had a positive diagnosis for GAD. The multivariate analysis revealed that the prevalence of symptoms was higher among individuals who resided with more than three people, those enrolled at teaching institutions that suspended all clinical and laboratory activities, those who did not have an adequate home situation to maintain distance learning, those who had been diagnosed with COVID‐19, those who felt anxious about having to see patients with a suspicion or diagnosis of COVID‐19 and those who preferred to interrupt in‐person academic activities until the population is vaccinated for the COVID‐19 virus.ConclusionThe prevalence of GAD was high. Aspects related to the composition and organization of the home, the suspension of academic activities, a history of COVID‐19 contamination, feelings of anxiety in providing dental care to patients with symptoms/suspected of COVID‐19 infection and the preference to interrupt in‐person academic activities until the population is vaccinated for COVID‐19 were factors predisposing the students to anxiety during the first wave of the pandemic.