BackgroundMaxillofacial injuries occur in a significant number of trauma patients. Epidemiological assessments are essential to reaffirm patterns, identify new trends and develop clinical and research priorities for effective treatment and prevention of these injuries.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to identify the epidemiological profile and risk factors associated with maxillofacial trauma treated at a referral emergency hospital for the Public Health System in the State Capital of Goiás, Brazil.Material and MethodsA cross-sectional study was designed including 530 patients with maxillofacial trauma, 76% male, with a mean age of 25.5±15.0 years. Data were collected between May 2003 and August 2004 over weekly shift-working periods. Results: The main causes of trauma were traffic accidents (45.7%) and physical assaults (24.3%), and differences in etiological factors were identified according to gender (p<0.001). The distribution of patients according to age and etiology showed significant differences for traffic accidents (p<0.01), physical assaults (p<0.001), falls (p<0.001) and sport injuries (p<0.01). In the multinomial logistic regression analysis (R2 = 0.233; p<0.05), age was associated with injury in traffic accidents and falls (p<0.01), sports-related accidents were associated with males (p<0.05), and alcohol consumption with assaults and traffic accidents (p<0.001). Facial soft tissue lesions were found in 98% of patients and facial fractures in 51%.ConclusionsThe significant association of maxillofacial trauma with young males and alcohol consumption reinforces the need for educational strategies and the development of policies for the prevention and reduction of associated damage in this specific risk group.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that several dimensions of the self-perceived psychosocial impacts of dental esthetics are not associated with grades of malocclusion, oral health–related quality-of-life measures, and body self-image in adolescents. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 301 adolescents (mean age 16.1 ± 1.8 years, 58.1% female subjects). Demographic data were collected and dental conditions were assessed. The Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) was used for assessment of malocclusion and determination of orthodontic treatment needs. The short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ), and the Body Satisfaction Scale (BSS) were used to measure adolescents' self-perceived variables. Results: All variables (DAI, OHIP-14, and BSS) were correlated with PIDAQ (P &lt; .001). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed significant associations (P &lt; .001) of independent variables with the total score of PIDAQ (R2 = 0.29) and dental self-confidence (R2 = 0.30), social impact (R2 = 0.14), psychological impact (R2 = 0.23), and esthetic concern (R2 = 0.13). Conclusion: The hypothesis is rejected. A broad range of adolescents' self-perceived impact of dental esthetics is influenced by severity of malocclusion, oral health–related quality of life, and body satisfaction.

Oral health care of the elderly was perceived as a burden by caregivers, and did not follow a standard protocol. Caregivers' knowledge and perceptions reinforce the need for education and training in oral health issues.

Comprehensive assessment of students' academic performance plays an important role in educational planning. The aim of this study was to investigate variables that influence student's performance in a retrospective sample including all undergraduate students who entered in a Brazilian dental school, in a 20-year period between 1984 and 2003 (n=1182). Demographic and educational variables were used to predict performance in the overall curriculum and course groups. Cluster analysis (K-means algorithm) categorized students into groups of higher, moderate or lower performance. Clusters of overall performance showed external validity, demonstrated by Chi-square test and ANOVA. Lower performance groups had the smallest number of students in overall performance and course groups clusters, ranging from 11.8% (clinical courses) to 19.2% (basic courses). Students' performance was more satisfactory in dental and clinical courses, rather than basic and non-clinical courses (p<0.001). Better student's performance was predicted by lower time elapsed between completion of high school and dental school admission, female gender, better rank in admission test, class attendance rate and student workload hours in teaching, research and extension (R(2)=0.491). Findings give evidence about predictors of undergraduate students' performance and reinforce the need for curricular reformulation focused on with improvement of integration among courses.

BackgroundIn 2013, the Pan American Health Organization established a multi-site, multi-country network to evaluate influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE). We pooled data from five consecutive seasons in five countries to conduct an analysis of southern hemisphere VE against laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalizations in young children and older adults.MethodsWe used a test-negative design to estimate VE against laboratory-confirmed influenza in hospitalized young children (aged 6─24 months) and older adults (aged ≥60 years) in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Paraguay. Following country-specific influenza surveillance protocol, hospitalized persons with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) at 48 sentinel hospitals (March 2013–December 2017) were tested for influenza virus infection by rRT-PCR. VE was estimated for young children and older adults using logistic random effects models accounting for cluster (country), adjusting for sex, age (months for children, and age-in-year categories for adults), calendar year, country, preexisting conditions, month of illness onset and prior vaccination as an effect modifier for the analysis in adults.ResultsWe included 8426 SARI cases (2389 children and 6037 adults) in the VE analyses. Among young children, VE against SARI hospitalization associated with any influenza virus was 43% (95%CI: 33%, 51%) for children who received two doses, but was 20% (95%CI: −16%, 45%) and not statistically significant for those who received one dose in a given season. Among older adults, overall VE against SARI hospitalization associated with any influenza virus was 41% (95%CI: 28%, 52%), 45% (95%CI: 34%, 53%) against A(H3N2), 40% (95%CI: 18%, 56%) against A(H1N1)pdm09, and 20% (95%CI: −40%, 54%) against influenza B viruses.ConclusionsOur results suggest that over the five-year study period, influenza vaccination programs in five South American countries prevented more than one-third of laboratory confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations in young children receiving the recommended two doses and vaccinated older adults.