Quality of life and associated factors for community health workers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in northeastern Brazil.

In this study, we evaluated the quality of life (QoL) and associated factors of community health workers (CHWs) in different urban settings as a contributor to the preparedness of Brazilian primary care for future sanitary emergencies. The sample included 1935 CHWs from 4 state capitals and 4 inland municipalities in northeastern Brazil. Information was collected on QoL (WHOQOL-BREF), work routines, sociodemographics, direct and indirect exposure to violence, general self-efficacy, social support (MSPSS), mental health (SRQ-20) and coronavirus anxiety.

Level of natural fluoride in public water supply: geographical and meteorological factors in Brazil's Northeast.

This study analyzed the relationships between the concentration of natural fluoride in public water supply and meteorological and hydrographic factors in a northeastern region of Brazil. This was a descriptive, analytical, ecological, longitudinal, and field study conducted by collecting water in 23 municipalities (2019 to 2020) of four macroregions of Paraíba (Brazil): coast (1), borborema (2), agreste (3), and outback (4). Four collection sites were selected per municipality: two near and two distant from the water treatment plant.

Dental Caries, Tooth Loss and Quality of Life of Individuals Exposed to Social Risk Factors in Northeast Brazil.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of dental caries and tooth loss on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in socioeconomically disadvantaged people. A population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted in 28 cities at social risk in Northeast Brazil. All permanent residents aged 12, 15-19, 35-44, and 65-74 years were eligible, and 3063 were included.

Influence of sociodemographic factors and Family Health Strategy coverage on oral health promotion procedures: an analysis of Brazilian municipalities in 2019.

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate associations between sociodemographic factors and municipal Family Health Strategy (FHS) coverage and oral health promotion (OHP) procedures in Brazil.

Material And Methods: Data were obtained using public information systems and by direct request to the Ministry of Health. Clinical and collective OHP procedures performed in 2019 were analyzed, and sociodemographic covariates were associated with FHS coverage (population covered by FHS teams [FHST] and oral health teams [OHT]).

Community health workers perspective on the COVID-19 impact on primary health care in Northeastern Brazil.

This article evaluates the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on the Family Health Strategy (FHS) team's work routines across a range of northeast Brazilian cities as perceived by community health workers (CHW). Data on COVID-19, CHW activities, and FHS teams were collected in 2021 by a structured questionnaire. A total of 1,935 CHWs from four state capitals (Fortaleza - Ceará State, João Pessoa - Paraíba State, Recife - Pernambuco State, Teresina - Piauí State) and four hinterland cities (Crato, Juazeiro do Norte, Barbalha, Sobral - Ceará State) participated in the study.

Mental health of community health workers in the COVID-19 context.

This study aimed to analyze the factors related to the mental health of Community Health Workers (ACS) in the COVID-19 context. A total of 1,935 ACS from four Northeastern capitals and four cities in the inland region of Ceará participated. The following data were collected: sociodemographic; professional; SRQ-20; WHOQOL-Bref, exposure to violence, General Self-Efficacy Scale (EAEG), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), COVID-19-related information, and the coronavirus anxiety scale (EAC).

Which factors influenced the adoption of interprofessionality in health based on the reports of the PET-Health Interprofessionality projects in Brazil? A document analysis.

The Program of Education through Work - Health (PET-Health) Interprofessionality is one of the strategic actions of the "Plan for the Strengthening of Interprofessionality" in healthcare in Brazil. Based on the experience of the program, this paperexamines the aspects that impact the adoption and strengthening of interprofessional education and collaborative practices, and issues recommendations for the strengthening of interprofessionality as a guiding principle of training and working in healthcare. This is a document analysis of partial reports from the six- and 12-months of execution of 120 PET-Health Interprofessionality projects in Brazil.

Coordination between Primary Care Teams and Family Health Support Units and influence on Primary Care delivery.

This article aims to compare the implementation of coordinated actions by family health/primary care (FH/PC) teams and extended family health and primary care units (NASF-ABs) in the Northeast and rest of Brazil, and the influence of implementation on collaborative working. The independent variables were 19 coordinated actions assessed by Module II of the 3rd Cycle of the National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality (PMAQ-AB). The three collaborative working outcomes were "FH/PC team readiness to work jointly with the NASF-AB", "support received by the FH/PC team from the NASF-AB", and "The NASF-AB's contribution to resolving patients" needs.

Dimensions of interprofessional collaboration in the dynamics of the expanded family health and primary care centers: A qualitative study.

Primary health care (PHC) in Brazil is based on Family Health Strategy (FHS) teams. These teams are supported by Expanded Family Health and Primary Care Centers (Nuclei) (NASF-AB) whose services are backbone elements for comprehensive health care within PHC. NASF-AB encompass several professional groups that aim to increase the responsiveness and scope of actions of the FHS teams.

Dental pain associated with untreated dental caries and sociodemographic factors in 5-year-old children.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental pain and to examine its association with untreated dental caries in 5-year-old children.

Material And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 261 5-year-old children in Northeast Brazil. Parents answered questions about their socioeconomic conditions and their children's toothache.

Incisor Molar Hypomineralization and Quality of Life: A Population-Based Study with Brazilian Schoolchildren.

Aim: To assess the impact of incisor molar hypomineralization (MIH) on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) according to the perception of students and their parents/caregivers.

Materials And Methods: This is a cross-sectional population-based study with 463 Brazilian students aged 11-14 years. OHRQoL was measured using the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (B-CPQISF: 16) applied to students and the short version of the Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (B-P-CPQ) applied to parents/caregivers.

Presence of molar-incisor hypomineralization is associated with dental caries in Brazilian schoolchildren.

This study aimed to identify the prevalence of molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) in schoolchildren and its association with dental caries experience. This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 471 children aged 8 to 10 years. Data were collected via a sociodemographic questionnaire.

Dental Fear in Children: Association with Dental Caries and Molar Incisor Hypomineralization.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of dental fear and to evaluate its association with dental caries and molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) in schoolchildren aged 8-10 years from a municipality in Northeastern Brazil. Data from 466 students enrolled in urban public schools in a cross-sectional study were collected. Parents/guardians answered a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic characteristics, dental fear was measured by means of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) and clinical examinations were performed by three calibrated examiners for diagnosis of dental caries, using the International Caries Detection & Assessment System - ICDAS II and a previously validated index for MIH.

Molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH), dental fluorosis, and caries in rural areas with different fluoride levels in the drinking water.

Aim: This study determined the prevalence of molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) and its association with dental fluorosis and caries in children living in rural areas in north-eastern Brazil who are exposed to residual fluoride (F) levels in the drinking water.

Design: A census was carried out with 610 schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 years. The European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry criteria, Thysltrup and Fejerskov index, and World Health Organization index were used for diagnosis of MIH, dental fluorosis, and caries detection, respectively.

Temporomandibular disorders: knowledge, competency, and attitudes of predoctoral dental students.

Objective: To evaluate knowledge, competency, and attitudes related to temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among predoctoral dental students, and to investigate the curricular organization of contents related to TMD and occlusion.

Methods: Predoctoral dental students (n = 147) answered a questionnaire with topics related to TMD. Another questionnaire evaluated the organization of TMD and occlusion courses.

Degree of family cohesion and social class are associated with the number of cavitated dental caries in adolescents.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between number of cavitated dental caries in adolescents and family cohesion, drug use, sociodemographic factors and visits to the dentist. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 746 adolescents aged 15 to 19 years from Campina Grande, Brazil. The parents answered a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic data, and the adolescents answered questionnaires on drug use, type of family cohesion and visits to the dentist.

Adolescents with worse levels of oral health literacy have more cavitated carious lesions.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the ability to recognize and read oral health terms is associated with the number of teeth with cavitated carious lesions in adolescents. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving a sample of 746 adolescents representative of students aged 15 to 19 years at the public and private school systems in a city in northeast Brazil. Two examiners who had undergone a training and calibration exercise (inter-examiner and intra-examiner Kappa coefficient: 0.

Effectiveness of an intervention with mothers to stimulate children under two years.

Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of an educational intervention with mothers to stimulate children under two years of age at risk for neuropsychomotor development.

Method: Before-after intervention study, conducted with 52 mothers of children under two years old, enrolled in reference centers in early childhood education. Initially, maternal knowledge regarding child development and stimulation was assessed through a structured instrument.

Oral Health Impact Profile: need and use of dental prostheses among Northeast Brazilian independent-living elderly.

This study aimed to explore the association between use and need of dental prostheses to the quality of life in elderly individuals in a  Referral Center for Elderly Care in the northeastern of Brazil. A cross-sectional study was developed with 199 elderlies of both sexes. Data were collected from clinical examinations (WHO criteria) and a questionnaire regarding socioeconomic status, Oral Health Impact Profile index (OHIP-14) by a single calibrated examiner with Kappa = 0.

Factors associated with prenatal care and HIV and syphilis testing during pregnancy in primary health care.

Objective: To evaluate the factors associated with HIV and syphilis testing during pregnancy in Brazil.

Methods: This was an ecological study covering all Brazilian municipalities evaluated by the second cycle of the National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Care, 2013-2014. The dependent variables were based on prenatal care access: prenatal care appointments, and HIV and syphilis tests during prenatal care.

Inequalities in access to HIV and syphilis tests in prenatal care in Brazil.

This study aims to evaluate the social determinants of access to HIV and VDRL tests during pregnancy in Brazil. The dependent variables were based on prenatal care access: prenatal care appointments, no HIV and syphilis tests. The independent variables at the first level were formal education level, age, race, work and participation in the Family Income program conditional cash transfer program.

Influence of Fluoridated Groundwater and 1,100 Ppm Fluoride Dentifrice on Biomarkers of Exposure to Fluoride.

This research aimed to determine the influence of fluoridated groundwater and 1,100 ppm fluoride dentifrice on biomarkers of exposure to fluoride in preschoolers. A cross-sectional study was performed on thirty preschoolers recruited from naturally fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas (n=15). Total Daily Fluoride Intake (TDFI) from diet and dentifrice, and Daily Urinary Fluoride Excretion (DUFE) was measured over 24 h.

Influence of the dental prosthetic status on self-perceptions of health and treatment needs: A cross-sectional study of middle-aged adults with chronic disease.

Background: Subjective aspects of dental prosthesis need in middle-aged adults are poorly explored, especially when the population presents chronic diseases. Objectives: To investigate if the use and necessity of dental prosthesis influence the self-perceptions of health and dental treatment need in middle-aged adults with chronic diseases.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 210 middle-aged adults.

[The National Health Promotion Policy: an evaluability assessment in a health region in Brazil].

The National Health Promotion Policy (PNPS) is based on the broadened concept of health and presents the promotion of health as a set of strategies and ways of promoting health, both individually and collectively with responsibilities for the three federated entities. The scope of this study was to develop an evaluability assessment of the PNPS. It is a qualitative-based evaluability assessment conducted in a health region in the Brazilian Northeast in the year 2013.

Perception of children and mothers regarding dental aesthetics and orthodontic treatment need: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The normative orthodontic treatment need, established by dental professionals during the dental appointment, becomes ineffective when it does not evaluate all the factors that influence the decision-making process, including individuals' perception and satisfaction with their dental appearance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of children and their mothers as regards orthodontic treatment need and satisfaction with dental aesthetics and test if these variables are associated with the objective orthodontic treatment needs, assessed by the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 308 children aged 12 years, and their mothers were randomly selected by cluster sampling (primary schools).