The present study demonstrates the antifungal potential of chemically characterized essential oil (EO) of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume on Candida spp. biofilm and establishes its mode of action, effect on fungal growth kinetics, and cytotoxicity to human cells. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) values varied from 62.5 to 1,000 μg/mL, and the effect seems to be due to interference with cell wall biosynthesis. The kinetics assay showed that EO at MICx2 (500 μg/mL) induced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of the fungal growth after exposure for 8 h. At this concentration, the EO was also able to hinder biofilm formation and reduce Candida spp. monospecies and multispecies in mature biofilm at 24 h and 48 h (p < 0.05). A protective effect on human red blood cells was detected with the EO at concentrations up to 750 μg/mL, as well as an absence of a significant reduction (p > 0.05) in the viability of human red blood cells at concentrations up to 1,000 μg/mL. Phytochemical analysis identified eugenol as the main component (68.96%) of the EO. C. zeylanicum Blume EO shows antifungal activity, action on the yeast cell wall, and a deleterious effect on Candida spp. biofilms. This natural product did not show evidence of cytotoxicity toward human cells.

Objective: To perform chemical analysis and to evaluate the anti-biofilm and hemolytic effect of the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus. Material and Methods: Gaseous chromatography coupled to mass spectrometer was performed for chemical characterization of the essential oil. To verify the antimicrobial action, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) were determined. From MIC, MBC and MFC data, concentrations were established to verify the antibiofilm effect and for the hemolysis test on human erythrocytes. A multispecies biofilm was developed in vitro and mouthwash applications were simulated to determine the inhibition of biofilm formation or its removal. Results were analyzed through ANOVA statistical test, complemented by the Tukey test, considering a significance level of 5%. Results: The major component of the essential oil is citral. MIC verified for Streptococcus mutans was 1mg / mL, while for Candida albicans, it was 125 µg/mL, presenting microbicidal effect for both microorganisms tested. The essential oil was able to inhibit biofilm formation (p<0.001), presenting non-toxic hemolysis percentage in concentration below 500 µg/mL. Conclusion: The essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus is antimicrobial, antibiofilm and non-toxic to human erythrocytes, representing a natural product with potential for use in Dentistry.

Aim. To evaluate the antifungal potential of the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus by determining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) for Candida albicans (ATCC 90029), Candida albicans (CBS 562), Candida tropicalis (ATCC 705) and Candida tropicalis strains (CBS 94), as well as to analyze the possible mechanism of action of the oil through the addition of sorbitol to the culture medium. Methods. For the MIC determination, inocula were previously adjusted through spectrophotometry and 100μL were added to the wells of plates already containing the culture medium and 100μL of the serial dilutions of the oil, incubating them in aerobiosis for 24 hours, with subsequent staining by 1% TCT. For the MFC, 50μL of the supernatant from the MIC assay wells were dripped onto Petri dishes and incubated in aerobiosis for 24 hours. Tests were performed in triplicate and data analysed by descriptive statistics. Results. It was determined that the MIC for C. albicans was 125 μg/mL while MIC for C. tropicalis was 250 μg/mL, with the essential oil presenting fungicidal effect for both analyzed yeasts. Conclusion. The essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus does not act at the cellular wall level and demonstrated an antimicrobial effect on Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis, therefore acting as a fungicide.

To identify the profiles of patients with special needs attended at a Center for Dental Specialties. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and quantitative study using an inductive approach, and a comparative and statistical procedure for analysis of the patients with special needs. Information concerning socioeconomic, medical and dental conditions was collected. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS, adopting a significance level of 5%. Results: It was observed that 58.6% of the users were males, single (54.7%), in the age group from 19 to 59 years (41.1%), being 97.4% without schooling. The most frequent clinical diagnoses were: deviations in intelligence (18.4%), behavioral deviations (18.4%) and physical defects (17.9%). We observed for oral health the presence of gingivitis (33.0%), and healthy gums (47.8%); the presence of caries (64.9%), with restored teeth (28.5%), and edentulism (12.3%). Dental intervention procedures were initiated with emphasis on: fluoride applications (39.7%) and subgingival scraping (34.9%). Topical fluoride applications (p=0.010) and prophylaxis (p=0.010) were realized in patients without autism. Also, prophylaxis (p=0.007) was more frequently performed and gingival alterations were more often verified (p=0.020) in patients without Down's syndrome. Conclusion: The users of the patients with special needs dental service can be generally described as male, single, aged between 19 and 54 years, with the special conditions of intelligence and behavioral deviation.

The Specialized Dental Clinics (SDCs) represent the first government initiative in Latin America aimed at providing specialized oral health services. This study sought to evaluate the organizational accessibility to specialized oral health care services in Brazil and to understand the factors that may be associated with accessibility from the user’s perspective. This epidemiological, cross-sectional and quantitative study was conducted by means of interviews with individuals who sought specialized public oral health services in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, and consisted of a sample of 590 individuals. Users expressed a favorable view of the classification and resolutive nature of specialized services offered by Brazilian public health. The binary logistic regression analysis revealed weak points highlighting the difficulty involved in obtaining such treatments leading to unfavorable evaluations. In the resolutive nature item, difficulty in accessing the location, queues and lack of materials and equipment were highlighted as statistically significant unfavorable aspects. While many of the users considered the service to be resolutive, weaknesses were mentioned that need to be detected to promote improvements and to prevent other health models adopted worldwide from reproducing the same flaws.