An in vivo study was done by measuring the accumulation of dental plaque after rinsing with a solution of 10% sucrose four times daily during 5 days and comparing it with a rinsing of 10% solution of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni four times a day, during 5 days a week. The accumulation of dental plaque after rinsing with Stevia was 57, 82% less than under rinsing with sucrose as measured by the Silness-Löe index and 10, 40% less plaque when measured by O'Leary index of plaque.

The aim of this study was to analyze the role of teaching at primary healthcare services within the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) in dentists' training, at a public university in the south of Brazil. A qualitative methodological approach (case study) was used. Interviews were conducted with 12 dentistry students, six dentists who were preceptors working in public primary healthcare services and three teachers connected with this curricular training. Our findings showed that the curricular training in SUS primary healthcare services had an impact on the dentists' education through establishment of bonds, autonomy in problem-solving and multiprofessional teamwork. It was seen that they learned about how healthcare services function, about healthcare and about development of cultural competence. There is a need to maintain constant questioning regarding these practices, and to ensure the presence of infrastructure and qualified professionals for teaching at these services.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between tooth loss and overweight/obesity in an adult Brazilian population. It is a cross-sectional study comprising 3,930 adults [1,744 men and 2,186 women; median age of 40 y (ranging 20-59); 16.9% obese; 7.3% almost all or all teeth missing]. Data were collected using a selfadministered questionnaire for tooth loss (4 categories), diet, access and use of health services, socioeconomic factors, health habits and behaviors, demographics and anthropometric measurements. Multiple ordinal logistic regressions were performed. In comparison with adults with BMI < 25 kg/m², the overweight (BMI ≥ 25 and < 30kg/m²) and obese individuals (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) showed a greater odds of tooth loss (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.4-1.9 and OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.8-2.5, respectively). After adjusting for potential confounders, overweight and obesity showed no statistically significant associations with tooth loss, with OR = 0.8 and OR = 0.9, respectively. The results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that the association between overweight/obesity and tooth loss can be explained by known, common risk factors.

The objectives of this observational descriptive and crosssectional study were: 1) to describe the diet components of students from the second and third cycles of Porto Alegre public schools, 2) to verify if the institutional school meal offered was eaten by the students and 3) to verify if the presence of canteens inside the schools modifi ed the consumption.A twenty four hour opened reminder was used to evaluate the diet of 1398 students.It was observed that the institutional school meal was hardly consumed by the students, since it was offered to all of them and only 41,8% ate the meal.The consumption of items external to the school meal, were in the great majority, nutritionally weak, with high quantity of sugar and fat. These items must be considered an important factor for the non-consumption of the school meal, besides being a risk factor for the development of chronic degenerative diseases. It was verifi ed that there was an informal commerce of food items inside the four schools studied, what made impossible the comparison between schools with and without canteens. It was observed that the school environment is hardly used for the development of alimentary education activities. This study suggests that the high percentage of students that do not eat the institutional school meal should be interpreted also a waste of public funds.

This study can contribute to the identification of priority municipalities, helping healthcare authorities and communities to formulate equitable public oral healthcare policies that improve the quality of life for this population.