Objective: To predict adolescents who use dental health services for emergency care, using three different machine learning algorithms. Materials and Methods:Data were obtained from an epidemiological survey of 615 adolescents in the five largest cities of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, food consumption, and health-related behaviors was collected using Sisson's theoretical model. Three machine learning algorithms were tested: Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Random Forest (RF), and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM). The Boruta algorithm was applied to identify the most important predictors. Model performance was evaluated using the Area Under the Curve (AUC), accuracy, precision, and recall. Results: The prevalence of emergency dental service use was 43% (95% CI: 30.7–56.3). Poor dietary habits were the strongest predictor. The LightGBM algorithm performed best (AUC = 0.76; accuracy = 0.67; precision = 0.67; recall = 0.63), while RF and XGBoost showed slightly lower but comparable results. Conclusion: The algorithms showed good predictive ability, correctly classifying about two-thirds of emergency dental service use cases among adolescents. These findings underscore the potential of machine learning approaches to identify at-risk adolescents and inform preventive policies.
Objective: To assess the level of knowledge regarding the effects of smoking on oral health among Brazilian adolescent students and explore its associations with smoking and sociodemographic factors. Materials and Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Adolescents completed a 16-item questionnaire about the effects of smoking on oral health. The level of knowledge was estimated from the sum of the responses. Smoking status was categorized as "current and former smokers" or "never smoked". Covariates included sociodemographic variables: gender, age, colour or race, and parental education. Independent-samples t-test and multiple regression analysis using backward elimination were performed; statistical significance was set at 5%. Results: 219 students participated in the survey (98.2%); most had never smoked (77.6%). The statement "smoking is harmful to oral health" received the highest percentage of correct answers (85.4%). Most questions had low percentages of correct answers (below 50%). Smoking status was significantly associated with knowledge level. Current and former smokers showed higher knowledge scores regarding the effects of smoking on oral health than those who had never smoked (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Although most adolescents recognized that smoking is harmful to oral health, few were aware of its main effects on the mouth. Moreover, a lower level of knowledge was observed among those who had never smoked.
Objective: To define primary tongue thrust as a distinct entity, separate from the more common adaptive tongue thrust, and to assess the feasibility of predicting treatment-resistant cases in orthodontic settings before intervention. Material and Methods: This descriptive case series was prepared based on data from a private dental clinic. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to assess muscle activity during the oral phase of deglutition, while computerized mandibular scanning (CMS) recorded mandibular movements. Patients with suspected primary tongue thrust were evaluated before and after undergoing orthodontic, orthognathic, and orofacial myofunctional therapy. Results: sEMG and CMS data demonstrated distinct patterns of muscle coordination that enabled differentiation between primary and secondary (adaptive) tongue thrust, both pre- and posttreatment. Primary dysfunction was characterized by anticipatory perioral muscle activation and poor therapeutic response, supporting the potential for early identification of refractory cases. Conclusion: Surface electromyography and computerized mandibular scanning can help diagnose primary tongue thrust. Differentiation from adaptive tongue thrust is feasible by analyzing spontaneous saliva swallowing during the oral phase of deglutition. Established standardized diagnostic criteria may improve treatment planning, reduce relapse risk, and avoid ineffective interventions, ultimately lowering healthcare costs.
Objective: To assess the applicability of legislation regarding dental care for incarcerated individuals in a male prison in a capital city in Southern Brazil, based on the analysis of demand and service utilization from the inmates' perspective. Material and Methods: Following a review of the regulatory framework governing oral healthcare provision, a cross-sectional study was conducted involving 170 individuals deprived of liberty under state custody. Data were collected on socioeconomic profile, dental care needs, demand, and service utilization within the prison facility. The chi-square test was used to assess differences between groups. Results: The mean age of participants was 35.6 years, and most self-identified as white. 37.0% reported having received dental care within the prison. The most frequently provided dental services included oral hygiene instructions, dental consultations, prophylaxis, and restorations. Association analyses indicated a higher prevalence of dental consultations among sentenced inmates (p = 0.003). Conclusion: The current legislation on oral healthcare for incarcerated populations is, in principle, sufficient to ensure the well-being of individuals under state custody. However, the studied prison does not fully implement the legally mandated dental services. More complex procedures, although established by law, are generally not offered. Basic procedures such as dental consultations and prophylaxis are insufficiently provided and unequally distributed among inmates.
Objective: To comparatively evaluate the levels of empathy and its dimensions in students and postgraduate dentistry teachers. Materials and Methods:Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, with between-group invariance established through multigroup factor analysis. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and omega coefficients. A cross-sectional design was used. Empathy and its dimensions were measured using the Empathy Scale for Health Professionals and the same scale for students. Empathy levels were compared using factorial variance. Results: It was established that the measure of empathy is valid, reliable, and sex-invariant. It was found that the empathy levels and the Compassionate Care (CC) and Perspective Adoption (PA) dimensions were classified as high in students and teachers, but the "Walking in the patient's shoes" (WIPS) dimension showed values as 'medium.' Empathy values were higher in women than in men, and teachers did not show higher empathy levels than their students. Conclusion: Empathy in students and teachers was characterized by high levels of E, CC, and PA, but median values in the WIPS dimension. Considering absolute (non-statistical) values, teachers had higher levels of E, CC, and PA than students, but no differences were observed in the WIPS dimension.
