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Background: Individuals with mental disorders have a significant risk of experiencing a deterioration in their oral health due to several factors. This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to evaluate the influence of socioeconomic and behavioral factors on the caries experience of adults with mental disorders in a large Brazilian metropolis., Methods: A total of 753 adults diagnosed with schizophrenia or depression participated in the study. They were users of 10 public mental health outpatient clinics located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. These adults provided data on socioeconomic characteristics, medication use, and behaviours related to general and oral health. Oral heath examinations were conducted to evaluate dental plaque and caries experience., Results: It was observed that the chance of presenting decayed, missing due to caries, and filled teeth (DMFT) above the sample median was significantly higher among older individuals (OR = 11.62; 95% CI: 8.11-16.66), those with lower education levels (OR = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.23-2.53), those who used tobacco 3 or more times per week (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.18-2.56) and those with a higher biofilm index (OR = 1.45; 95% CI: 1.01-2.09), p < 0.05. The DMFT index (mean ± SD) was 15.3 ± 8.4 for individuals with schizophrenia and 15.8 ± 8.3 for individuals with depression. Mean plaque index was 2.81 for participants with schizophrenia and 2 for participants with depression., Conclusion: The sample of Brazilian adults with mental disorders had poor oral health, which was associated with socioeconomic, behavioural, and oral factors., Competing Interests: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 CDHA | ACHD.)

This study aimed to develop and rigorously evaluate the Test of Oral Health Literacy in Adults (TOHLA) for the Iranian population, addressing the limitations of existing oral health literacy (OHL) measurement instruments and contributing to the literature on OHL assessment. The development of the TOHLA involved a qualitative approach, which included a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with a panel of 15 experts from diverse fields and 22 Iranian adults aged 18 to 64 years. The instrument was designed with 48 items categorized into four domains: cognitive skill, communication skill, media skill, and functional skill. Content validity was established through expert input and content validation indices. Construct validity was supported by factor analysis, and concurrent validity was assessed by comparing TOHLA scores with demographic variables. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability analyses were performed to assess the instrument's reliability. The psychometric evaluation of the TOHLA demonstrated strong content validity, construct validity, concurrent validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. The instrument exhibited a high level of internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.81 for the entire scale. Test-retest reliability was satisfactory, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.83. Concurrent validity analysis showed statistically significant associations between OHL scores and demographic variables, supporting the instrument's overall performance. The TOHLA overcomes the weaknesses observed in existing instruments and offers a comprehensive tool with strong psychometric properties to assess the OHL of the Iranian adult population. Researchers, policymakers, and healthcare providers can utilize the TOHLA to address oral health challenges and enhance overall oral health outcomes among Iranian adults.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the associations between oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and socioeconomic and demographic variables, suicidal ideation, self-perception of oral health, and experiences of dental care in the Brazilian adult LGBTIQ+ population. A sample of 464 participants completed self-administered online questionnaires and provided information for OHRQoL assessment, using the OHIP-14 instrument at three hierarchical levels of explanatory variables: LGBTIQ+ identities; socioeconomic and demographic data and existential suffering; and self-perception of oral health and experience of dental care. The collected data were fitted to hierarchical multiple logistic regression models, in which the associations between each independent variable with the OHIP-14 prevalence outcome were analyzed. The OHIP-14-prevalence index showed that 33.2% of the participants answered 'frequently' or 'always', and the highest frequencies were obtained for the psychological discomfort (27.8%), psychological disability (18.3%), and physical pain (17.5%) domains. According to the adjusted final model, LGBTIQ+ individuals who were more likely to have their OHRQoL affected were those who were indifferent (OR=3.21; 95% CI: 1.26-8.20), dissatisfied (OR=10.45; 95% CI: 3.86-28.26), or very dissatisfied (OR=53.93; 95% CI: 12.12-239.93) with their oral health status, and also those who had or have difficulty accessing dental treatment (OR=2.06; 95% CI: 1.24-3.41) (p<0.05). It may be concluded that the OHRQoL of the investigated Brazilian LGBTIQ+ population showed associations with individual aspects and with access to dental services.

Purpose: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether the characteristics of dental schools and the profiles of their deans were associated with curricular activities related to LGBTQ+ in Brazilian dental schools., Methods: A survey was mailed to the deans of all Brazilian dental schools for the purpose of assessing the development of pedagogical activities focused on the topic of oral health of the LGBTQ+ population, and the characteristics of the institutions and profiles of their deans. The data collected were analyzed with hierarchical multiple logistic regression models in order to analyze associations between variables of interest., Results: Of the deans approached, 156 (response rate of approximately 32.4%) completed and returned the survey. The majority of dental schools (67.3%) of the sample were private institutions and 39% of them developed pedagogical activities directed toward the LGBTQ+. This percentage was much lower in public institutions (18%). The results of the hierarchical multiple logistic regression demonstrated that deans who attributed high relevance to the theme "oral health of the LGBTQ+ population" were more likely to develop pedagogical activities directed toward the LGBTQ+ population (odds ratio = 4.74; 95% confidence interval: 1.65-13.48), than those who attributed low or little importance to this topic (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: A low percentage of activities aimed at the LGBTQ+ population was observed in the sample of Brazilian dental schools. Deans must be aware of the importance of the topic and be motivated to implement pedagogical activities for this population., (© 2024 American Dental Education Association.)

Objectives: Schizophrenia is a disabling mental disorder associated with severe social dysfunction. Individuals with long-term mental conditions have poorer Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) compared to the general population, but little is known about the measurement properties of OHRQoL instruments in this group of patients. This study aimed to examine the replicability of OHRQoL networks across samples of the general community (GC) and patients with schizophrenia (PWS)., Methods: Data were obtained from 603 community-dwelling participants and 627 patients with schizophrenia. OHRQoL was measured using the short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire. A regularized partial correlation network was estimated for each sample. The number of dimensions and structural stability were assessed using Exploratory Graph Analysis. Global strength, edge weights and centrality estimates were compared. Network replicability was examined fitting the PWS data to the GC network structure., Results: A single OHIP-14 dimension was identified in the GC sample, whereas three dimensions were detected in the PWS sample. Structural consistency was perfect in the network of GC participants (1), and considerably low in at least two dimensions of the PWS network (0.28; 0.65; 0.16). A moderate correlation for node strength estimates was observed (τ: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.72), although edge weights were not correlated (τ: 0.025; 95% CI: -0.11, 0.16). The fit of the PWS data to the GC network structure was deemed unacceptable., Conclusion: Network models of OHRQoL did not replicate across samples of the general community and outpatients with schizophrenia. Prudent use of OHIP-14 to compare measures of OHRQoL between groups with significant cognitive impartment and the general population is recommended., (© 2023 The Authors. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To estimate the discrepancies between global ratings of oral health and general health and investigate the factors associated with self-rated oral health (SROH) and self-rated general health (SRGH)., Methods: Data were collected from 502 participants aged 18 to 81 years. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data regarding sociodemographic characteristics and self-reported conditions. Global self-ratings of oral health and general health were the main outcomes. Discrepancies between self-ratings of oral health and general health were stratified by independent variables. Bayesian ordinal logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the posterior distributions of parameters and 95% credible intervals (95% CrI)., Results: The proportion of participants who rated their oral health worse than general health was 28.6% (95% CrI: 24.7-32.3). Negative discrepancies between SROH and SRGH were associated with being men, reporting gingivitis, and lower income. Sex (95% CrI: 1.12-2.25) impacted only on SRGH. Income (SROH - 95% CrI: 1.52-6.40; SRGH - 95% CrI: 1.08-4.56), tertiary education (SROH - 95% CrI: 1.13-2.53; SRGH - 95% CrI: 1.01-2.32), self-reported missing teeth (SROH - 95% CrI: 1.57-3.46; SRGH - 95% CrI: 2.21-4.92), self-reported gingivitis (SROH - 95% CrI: 1.10-2.40; SRGH - 95% CrI: 1.71-3.82), and self-reported chronic health problem (SROH - 95% CrI: 1.38-3.08; SRGH - 95% CrI: 1.61-3.59) impacted on both outcomes., Conclusions: Substantial discrepancies between self-rated oral health and self-rated general health were found and were associated with being male, reporting gingivitis, and having lower income., (Copyright© 2023 Dennis Barber Ltd.)

The aim of this study was to investigate associations of health literacy (HL), general self-efficacy (GSE), and sociodemographic variables with non-adherence to dental treatment among Brazilian young adults. This is a cross-sectional study based on a cohort study of 248 young adults aged 19 to 25 years followed up in an earlier study. The participants completed the perceived general self-efficacy scale (GSE), a questionnaire on socioeconomic and demographic variables and were examined for oral conditions. HL was measured using the Brazilian version of the health literacy questionnaire (HLQ-Br), which provides nine individual scores based on an average of the items within each of the nine scales. Dental treatment adherence was evaluated as the decision of young adults to seek a dentist to finish the recommended restorative treatment for dental caries. The effects of HL domains on the adherence to dental treatment were analyzed by logistic regression and the effect was adjusted for sex, age, family income, paternal and maternal education, type of housing, and self-efficacy. The results of the adjusted analysis showed associations among young adults who did not adhere to dental treatment with lower self-efficacy levels, living in non-owner-occupied homes, and lower HL levels in almost all of the HL domains (p < 0.05). Only the HLQ6 domain "Ability to actively engage with healthcare providers" was not associated with the outcome (p>0.05). Adherence to dental treatment in primary care among young adults was associated with their general self-efficacy levels, socioeconomic characteristics, and individual's lower HL aspects.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of online social networks (OSN) as resources for promoting behaviour changes related to the prevention and promotion of oral health., Methods: This was a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials identified in databases (MEDLINE/Embase/Lilacs), published up until May 2022, and prepared according to Cochrane recommendations. Studies that used OSN (WhatsApp ® , Telegram ® , TikTok ® , Facebook ® , Twitter ® , YouTube ® , Instagram ® , Soundcloud ® , Flickr ® , LinkedIn ® , and Webradio ® ) were included. The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42021248045)., Results: In total, 3171 studies were evaluated, of which 12 studies met the inclusion criteria for the review and contained data on 1669 participants. The most frequently investigated OSN were WhatsApp ® , followed by Telegram ® , and YouTube ® . All studies included were at high risk of bias. Data extraction allowed the meta-analysis of gingival index (GI) and oral health knowledge (OHK) outcomes for young people. Findings revealed that young people exposed to digital interventions via OSN showed a reduction in GI when compared with traditional educational interventions. This reduction occurred in all young people (standardized mean difference, -0.48; 95% CI, -0.75 to -0.21; p = 0.0006, I 2 = 0%; very low certainty), including those who were undergoing orthodontic treatment (standardized mean difference, -0.58; 95% CI, -0.92 to -0.24; p = 0.0008, I 2 = 0%; very low certainty). Furthermore, young people undergoing orthodontic treatment and exposed to OSN showed an increase in OHK when compared with participation in traditional educational interventions (standardized mean difference, +0.86; 95% CI, +0.46 to +1.26; p < 0.0001, I 2 = 0%; very low certainty)., Conclusion: OSN could be effective tools for improving oral health outcomes in young people., Competing Interests: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 CDHA | ACHD.)

Background: This study aimed to investigate the associations of oral health literacy (OHL), sense of coherence (SOC) and other covariates with self-reported school performance (SRSP) in adolescents enrolled in public schools in Brazil., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with adolescents aged from 14 to 18 years enrolled in 6 public schools in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Researchers carried out data collection at schools using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The dependent variable was SRSP. The explanatory factors included were sociodemographic characteristics, OHL, SOC, self-rated oral health, health behaviors, and experience of bullying. Analyses included simple and multiple logistic regression models., Results: The final sample consisted of 385 adolescents with a mean age of 16 years. Poor school performance was associated (95%CI) with being male, with more than 1 sibling, individual whose last visit to the dentist was due to dental pain, with a lower level of OHL and SOC., Conclusions: OHL and SOC were important factors associated with SRSP performance together with other sociodemographic and oral health-related variables in high school students. Our findings reinforce the importance of intersectoral actions between the health and education sectors to promote better school performance among adolescents, including actions to improve OHL and SOC., (© 2022, American School Health Association.)

Introduction: Basic and daily oral hygiene care is essential for maintaining oral health in adults with special needs. The caregivers act in this process and need to be understood about the difficulties and the resources they use to deal with this demand. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand the difficulties and strategies of caregivers regarding oral hygiene for adults with special health care needs (SHCN) METHODS: Twenty-one caregivers of adults with SHCN participated in an interview in which the following questions were asked: What are the greatest difficulties in performing oral hygiene for the adult with SHCN you take care? and "How do you overcome these difficulties?" The interviews were recorded and the qualitative data were analyzed using the Discourse of the Collective Subject technique RESULTS: All respondents were female with a mean age of 58.5 years (± 10.8) and the adults with SHCN presented mean age of 30 years (± 18). The greatest difficulty pointed out by caregivers regarding oral hygiene for adults with SHCN was their non-cooperation to do such activity. Regarding coping strategies, caregivers pointed out several strategies to perform oral hygiene in adults with SHCN, such as supervising their brushing, seek for a qualified dentist to assist with this task, performing oral hygiene during the bath, performing physical restraint, among others CONCLUSION: The caregivers' perspectives indicate feelings of failure, discomfort, but also the use of creative resources to deal with the task. The results bring up themes that refer to anxieties and are related to technical and dental issues, that could be explored and need to be recognized by the reference oral healthcare team, whose responsibility it is also to work for the empowerment of caregivers., (© 2022 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Oral health literacy (OHL) is a key factor for reducing inequalities in oral health and promoting better health outcomes, including those related to periodontal health. This study aimed to evaluate associations between OHL and periodontal disease amongst users of primary health care services., Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 250 adult users of primary health care services in Brazil. OHL was measured using the Oral Health Literacy Instrument-Brazilian (OHLA-B). Participants also answered a structured questionnaire addressing sociodemographic and behavioural data. Clinical oral examination was performed using the Community Periodontal Index. Analyses of the crude associations were performed by simple logistic regression models, and estimates were reported as odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Variables associated with a significance level <0.20 in bivariate analyses were included in hierarchical multiple logistic regression models., Results: Amongst participants, 62% were female with an average age of 37.2 years. Adults aged 37 years or older (OR, 5.48; 95% CI, 2.68-11.21), with fewer years of study (OR, 3.34; 95% CI, 1.66-6.71), with low OHL levels (OR, 5.91; 95% CI, 1.71-20.49), and who smoked (OR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.34-8.09) were more likely to have periodontal pockets compared to their counterparts., Conclusions: Primary health care users with low OHL levels presented with more severe periodontal diseases., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None disclosed., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Aim: To identify the individual and contextual factors associated with the absence of Brazilians at a scheduled appointment in Dental Specialties Centers (DSC)., Methods: This cross-sectional design uses the National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Dental Specialties Centers database, 2018. The outcome was the users' lack of at least one of the scheduled appointments. Contextual and individual independent variables were used, considering Andersen's behavioural model. The analyses were performed with the R Core Team and SAS (Studio 3.8, Institute Inc, North Carolina, U.S, 2019) programs., Results: Of the 10,391 patients interviewed, 27.7% missed at least one of the consultations. In the adjusted multivariate model, the interpretation based on the effect size and 95% CI showed that the behaviour individual predisposing factors such as age ≤ 42 years (OR = 1.10; 95%CI:1.01-1.21), individual need factors such as participation in the "Bolsa Família" program (OR = 1,14; 95%CI:1.02-1.27), not being covered by the Family Health Strategy (OR = 1.15; 95% CI:1.02-1.30), and users of periodontics services (OR = 1.22;95%CI:1.05-1.40) were associated with absences. The behavioural factor associated with the outcome was that the DSC facilities were not in good condition (OR = 1.18; 95%CI:1.03-1.34). DSC located in the capital (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 0.92-1.48) were 12% more likely to have dental absences than those in the interior region., Conclusion: There are individual and contextual barriers associated with patients not attending specialised public dental consultations. DSC should offer adequate hours to patients, especially young adults and vulnerable people., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Portuguese Brazilian version of the instrument for measuring health literacy European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short form (HLS-EU-Q16). The study sample consisted of 783 Brazilian adults with a mean age of 38.6 years. The data were analyzed through an extensive and robust process of testing the properties with the combination of exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) techniques, aiming to search for strong validation evidence in the internal structure and stability step for other sub-samples. The instrument's reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega. The analyses indicated the existence of only one dimension and good reliability values. The model tested with cross-validation indicated satisfactory, adequate, consistent and stable levels for EFA, IRT via item discrimination and CFA, both for primary indicators as factor loadings, communalities, item discrimination as well as for the model adequacy indicators. It is concluded that the Brazilian Portuguese version of the HLS-EU-Q16 proved to be a one-dimensional, consistent, accurate and stable model for measuring health literacy in Brazilian adults., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: To evaluate the replicability of oral health literacy (OHL) network models across the general community and a sample of older adults from Brazil., Methods: Data were obtained from two oral health surveys conducted with a total of 1138 participants. OHL was measured using the short form Health Literacy in Dentistry scale (HeLD-14). A regularized partial correlation network was estimated for each sample. Dimensionality and structural stability were examined via exploratory graph analysis. Network properties compared included global strength, edge weights, and centrality estimates. Model replicability was examined fitting the general community model to the older participants' data., Results: Six dimensions with the exact same item composition were detected in both network models. Only the Receptivity domain in the older adults sample yielded low structural stability. Strong correlations were observed between edge weights (τ: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.62-0.74) and between node strength estimates (τ: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.36-0.89). No statistically significant differences were found for global strength. The fit of the older adults sample to the HeLD-14 network structure of the general community sample was satisfactory., Conclusion: Network models OHL replicated across the general community and a sample of older adults. The psychometric network approach is a useful tool to evaluate the measurement equivalence of OHL instruments across populations., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Public Health Dentistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Public Health Dentistry.)

This study aimed to investigate the association between Oral Health Literacy (OHL) and dental outcomes. A sample of 920 adults above 18 years of age living in areas covered by 10 Family Health Units (FHUs) in a large city in São Paulo state, Brazil, was included. OHL was assessed using the short-form Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). Data on sociodemographic factors, oral health, and general health were obtained through a structured questionnaire. The investigated outcomes "tooth loss" and "reason for the last dental appointment" were evaluated using self-reported data. Simple logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between each independent factor and outcomes. Factors that presented a significance level of ≤0.20 in the bivariate analysis were included in the hierarchical multiple logistic regression models. Participants with an education level up to high school, low OHL, and poor/fair self-rated oral health had 1.35 (95%CI, 1.01-1.80), 1.48 (95%CI, 1.12-1.95), and 1.46 (95%CI, 1.11-1.92) times more probability to report missing teeth, respectively. Adults from families with lower monthly income, low OHL, and poor/fair self-rated oral health had 1.70 (95%CI, 1.29-2.26), 1.89 (95%CI, 1.42-2.51), and 1.73 (95%CI, 1.30-2.30) times more chance, respectively, to have gone to the last dental appointment due to pain or caries. Adults with low OHL levels are more likely to have missing teeth and have gone to the last dental visit for pain, reinforcing the importance of OHL as an important determinant for promoting oral health.

This study aimed to assess whether complementing atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) with oral health educational strategies (OHES) improves the perception of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and clinical oral outcomes. A controlled clinical trial included 93 six- to eight-year-old students from five public schools of Piracicaba, Saltinho, and Charqueada municipalities (State of São Paulo, Brazil) divided into 3 groups (31 children each) which received: OHES (caries-free), ART (dental caries), and ART plus OHES (dental caries). OHRQoL (CPQ8-10-ISF:16), dental caries, biofilm control, and gingivitis were assessed before and 1 month after interventions by one calibrated examiner. OHES consisted of an educational interactive activity performed once a week for four weeks. Data were analyzed using mixed model ANOVA, Chi-square, and Sign tests. After 1 month of follow-up, improvement in gingivitis status, OHRQoL total score, and Functional Limitations, Emotional Well-Being and Social Well-Being domains scores were found in all groups (p < 0.05). The improvement in biofilm control was observed only in the OHES group (p < 0.001; power = 0.98), while a decrease in Oral Symptoms scores was observed only in ART+OHES group (p <0.001; power = 0.99) and a significant change in the perception of oral health was observed in the two groups that received ART (p < 0.05). In conclusion, improvement in overall OHRQoL and oral status was observed in all children, although the effect of including health educational strategies in the treatment plan was determinant for the perception of an improved oral health after restorative treatment.