Background: In

Abstract:The presence of dental plaque is associated with deterioration of oral health, tooth decay, gingivitis and periodontal disease. The study of content validity of a new instrument aims to determine whether the items included in the measuring instrument are representative of the assessed construct. The objective of this research was to design and validate the content of an oral hygiene habits scale. A Likert-like scale, named Oral Hygiene Habits Scale (OHHS), containing 10 items and five response options on frequency of behavior, was developed to assess the dimensions of toothbrushing and flossing. Six experts were recruited for the study. They were asked to conduct their evaluations individually. Four characteristics (adequacy, clarity, consistency and relevance) were evaluated for each item, using an assessment scale of four ordinal values (from 1="does not meet the criteria" to 4="high level of compliance"). Data were analyzed using the binomial test, Kendall's W and Fleiss's Kappa coefficient. The judges mostly indicated a high level of compliance with the characteristics evaluated for each item and their judgments were consistent with one another. It is concluded that the OHHS composed of 10 items showed content validity. Further studies are suggested to determine its reliability and construct validity.

Abstract:The human body releases around 500-600mL of saliva daily, however when values of unstimulated whole saliva range from 0.1 to 0.2mL/ min, there is a condition called Hyposalivation or hyposialia. Hyposalia is characterized by a large number of systemic conditions, including Sjögren's syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects between 0.1 and 3% of the world population and is characterized by exocrinopathy of the salivary glands leading to glandular hypofunction and thus decreasing the normal salivary flow. Saliva is part of innate immunity, when there is a decrease in protein secretion, numerous oral manifestations occur such as dental caries, candidiasis, gingival disease, angular cheilitis, lymphomas of the salivary glands, dysphagia, erythematous and fissured tongue, among others. Currently there is no defined dental treatment, however there are alternative treatments by sialogogues and salivary substitutes, plus non-pharmacological therapies, which seek to maintain the ecology and oral conditions stable, in addition to preventive and restorative dental treatment for lesions already established as a consequence of the disease. The aim of this study is to conduct a literature review on the characteristics, classification, oral manifestations and dental management of Sjögren's syndrome.

Several socioeconomic factors are associated with poor oral hygiene habits. A version of the Oral Hygiene Habits Scale (OHHS) was developed in Mexico to measure these factors; however, its relationship with sociodemographic variables has not been studied. The verification of these relationships could contribute to the validation of the scale. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between oral hygiene habits and sociodemographic variables of sex, age, schooling, self-defined socioeconomic stratum, occupation and marital status in the general and clinical population of Monterrey, Mexico. Materials and Methods: A general population sample (GPS) of 256 participants and a clinical sample (CPS) of 240 participants were studied. The OHHS consisted of an eight-item Likert scale of 4 points ranging from 0 to 4. A descriptive correlational study was performed with a cross-sectional design. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman correlation coefficient, Cramer's V coefficient, and multivariate aligned rank test. Results: In GPS and CPS groups, OHHS was related to sex, schooling, socioeconomic stratum, occupation and marital status, but not to age. There were no significant interactions between the samples (GPS and CPS) and sociodemographic variables. Conclusion: There is a statistically significant relationship between oral hygiene habits and some sociodemographic variables in the general and clinical population. This relationship supports the validity of the OHHS.