The impact of persistent organic pollutants on fertility: exposure to the environmental toxicant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin alters reproductive tract immune responses.

Exposure to environmental contaminants can result in profound effects on the host immune system. One class of environmental toxicants, known as dioxins, are persistent environmental contaminants termed "forever chemicals". The archetype toxicant from this group of chemicals is 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), an immunotoxicant that activates the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor pathway leading to a variety of changes in immune cell responses.

Guidelines for Reporting Oral Epidemiologic Studies to Inform Burden Estimation (GROESBE).

High-quality prevalence and incidence studies of oral conditions are essential for estimation of disease burden and comparison of estimates among countries and over time, as well as for priority setting, resource allocation, and planning public health action. Existing systematic reviews of the epidemiology of untreated dental caries, severe periodontitis, and edentulism, carried out for the Global Burden of Disease study, showed inadequate and incomplete reporting of the measurement of oral conditions as well as a lack of consistency and comparability with other health conditions. These issues are more accentuated in studies from low- and middle-income countries.

Association between oral health and physical performance in Brazilian older adults: SABE cohort study.

Background: Oral health is recognized as integral to general health and impaired dentition status may affect physical performance among older adults. This study evaluated the longitudinal association between clinical and self-reported oral health measures and physical performance (outcome) in Brazilian older adults.

Methods: This was a longitudinal study that used data from the second (year 2006), third (year 2010) and fourth (year 2015) waves of the Health Well-being and Aging Study conducted in Brazil.

Starch intake and caries increment: A longitudinal study in Finnish adults.

Objective: To evaluate whether changes in starch intake (in terms of amount and food sources) were associated with increments in dental caries among adults.

Design: This is an 11-year longitudinal study (2000-2011) with duplicate assessments for all variables. A 128-item FFQ was used to estimate intake of starch (g/d) and six starch-rich food groups (potatoes, potato products, roots and tubers, pasta, wholegrains and legumes).

Particulate Matter 2.5 and Severe Periodontitis Among Colombian Adults.

Aims: The primary aim was to determine the association between particulate matter 2.5 (PM) concentration at municipality-level and severe periodontitis among adults. A second aim was to evaluate contemporaneous versus lagged effects of exposure to municipality-level PM concentration on severe periodontitis.

Starch intake and changes in dental caries among adults: A longitudinal study in Finland.

Objective: To evaluate the association between starch intake (amount and type) and changes in dental caries among adults over 11 years.

Methods: Data from 1679 adults, aged 30 years and over, who participated in three consecutive surveys in Finland were pooled for analysis. Participants completed a validated semi-structured 128-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline, from which total starch intake (g/day and % energy intake) and the intake (g/day) of seven food groups high in starch (potatoes, potato products, roots and tubers, refined grains, pasta, wholegrains, and legumes) were estimated.

Big Data in Epidemiology: Brave New World?

Epidemiology is experiencing a significant shift toward the utilization of big data for health monitoring and decision-making. This article discusses the recent example of the World Health Organization (WHO) global oral health status report and regional summaries, which faced criticisms due to its reliance on big data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. We address the arguments for and against the use of big data in epidemiology and provide an assessment of the value and limitations of big data epidemiology.

Is Starch Intake Associated With Periodontal Status? An 11-Year Longitudinal Analysis Among Finnish Adults.

Aim: To evaluate the association between baseline starch intake (amount and sources) and changes in periodontal status over 11 years in adults.

Methods: Adults aged 30-82 years, who participated in the Finnish Health 2000 survey and were re-examined in 2004/2005 and/or 2011 were included in the study. The consumption of total starch and six relevant food groups (potatoes, fried potatoes, roots and tubers, pasta, wholegrains and legumes) over the past year was determined at baseline with a validated food frequency questionnaire.

Longitudinal association between dentition status and gait speed among older Brazilian adults: SABE cohort study.

Background: Oral health has been associated with general health conditions, but few longitudinal studies evaluated the effect of dentition status on gait speed.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal association between different time-varying measures of dentition status (i.e.

Colombia's Armed Conflict and Dental Caries among Adults.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the association between residing in municipalities with armed conflict and dental caries among adults in Colombia.

Methods: Data from 9,194 individuals aged 18-79 years, who participated in the Fourth National Oral Health Survey in 2014, were linked with information on the presence and intensity of the armed conflict experienced in their municipality of residence between 2000 and 2012 (extracted from the Resource Centre for Conflicts Analysis). Dental caries was determined through clinical examinations and summarised using the numbers of decayed teeth (DT), decayed and filled teeth (DFT), and decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT).

Impact of Pregestational Obesity on the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Brazilian Pregnant Women: A Cohort Study.

The oral health-related quality of life of pregnant women and its effects on health conditions are important topics to be investigated in scientific research. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of pre-pregnancy obesity on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in pregnant women. A prospective cohort study was carried out with 93 pregnant women who were evaluated in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy (T1) and after delivery (T2).

Particulate matter 2.5 exposure during pregnancy and birth outcomes: Evidence from Colombia.

Particulate matter is a type of air pollution that consists of fine particles with a diameter <2.5 μm (PM), which can easily penetrate the respiratory system and enter the bloodstream, increasing health risks for pregnant women and their unborn babies. Recent reports have suggested that there is a positive association between PM exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Positioning errors of anatomical landmarks identified by fixed vertices in homologous meshes.

Background: Human movement analysis is usually achieved by tracking markers attached to anatomical landmarks with photogrammetry. Such marker-based systems have disadvantages that have led to the development of markerless procedures, although their accuracy is not usually comparable to that of manual palpation procedures. New motion acquisition systems, such as 3D temporal scanners, provide homologous meshes that can be exploited for this purpose.

Adiposity is not associated with caries among youth in the United States.

Background: Body mass index has been traditionally used to determine the nutritional status of children in studies on obesity and caries. Imaging methods provide a superior assessment of body fat. This study investigated the relationship between measures of adiposity and caries in permanent teeth in children and adolescents.

Caries clusters at lesion-severity thresholds: A Sierra Leone case study.

Objectives: Despite being almost entirely preventable, globally, dental caries is extremely prevalent. Moreover, dental caries will continue to present an even larger challenge for lower income countries, particularly those in the African context, as they transition to a more Western diet. Hence, epidemiological data providing insight into disease patterns and trends is critical to inform public health action.

Education mediates the relationship of parental socioeconomic status with subjective adult oral health.

Background: Evidence shows that both socioeconomic status (SES) during childhood and education are associated with adult oral health. However, whether the range of opportunities families have regarding their children's education mediate the effect of childhood disadvantage on oral health later in life remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mediating role of education in the association between parental SES and subjective oral health status in middle adulthood.

Social participation and tooth loss, vision, and hearing impairments among older Brazilian adults.

Background: Vision and hearing impairments can reduce participation in social activities. Given the prominent role of the mouth in face-to-face interactions, this study evaluated the associations of tooth loss, vision, and hearing impairments with social participation among older adults.

Methods: This analysis included 1947 participants, aged 60+ years, who participated in three waves (2006, 2010, and 2015) of the Health, Wellbeing and Aging Study (SABE) in Brazil.

Burden of dental caries in individuals experiencing food insecurity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Context: Food insecurity affects approximately 2.37 billion people worldwide. Individuals experiencing food insecurity are more likely to exhibit poor health-related endpoints.

Satisfaction with orthodontic treatment: cross-cultural adaptation and validation of an instrument for the Brazilian Portuguese language.

Objective: To cross-culturally adapt into the Brazilian Portuguese and evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument for assessing the satisfaction of parents/guardians regarding their sons'/daughters' orthodontic treatment.

Methods: Translations of the instrument from English, pre-test and evaluation of validity and reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese version were performed. The questionnaire has 25 items distributed across 3 subscales (process, psychosocial effect and outcome).

Allostatic load and depressive symptoms in older adults: An analysis of 12-year panel data.

Background: Whether changes in allostatic load (AL) and depressive symptoms relate over time has not been yet fully explored. This study evaluated the association between AL and depressive symptoms over 12 years among community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: Panel data from 8291 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing were analysed.

Ethnic inequalities in child oral health behaviours among five- and eight-year-old children from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Aim To examine whether there are ethnic inequalities in child oral health behaviours and the role of parental socioeconomic status (SES) in explaining them.Methods Data from 2,186 five- and eight-year-olds of white, Asian, Black and other ethnicity, who participated in the 2013 Children's Dental Health Survey, were analysed. Parents reported their children's toothbrushing and dental attendance.

The intersections of socioeconomic position, gender, race/ethnicity and nationality in relation to oral conditions among American adults.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate how gender, socioeconomic position (SEP), race/ethnicity and nationality intersect to structure social inequalities in adult oral health among American adults.

Methods: Data from adults aged 20 years or over who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2018 were analysed. The outcomes were poor self-rated oral health and edentulism among all adults (n = 24 541 and 21 446 participants, respectively) and untreated caries and periodontitis among dentate adults (n = 16 483 and 9829 participants, respectively).

Ethnicity, Social Support and Oral Health Among English Individuals.

Objective: To determine whether social support explains ethnic inequalities in oral health among English individuals.

Methods: Data from 42704 individuals across seven ethnic groups in the Health Survey for England (1999-2002 and 2005) were analysed. Oral health was indicated by self-reports of edentulousness and toothache.