Amelogenesis Imperfecta Prevalence in a Colombian Population: A Retrospective Study

Background: Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a hereditary condition that affects the structure of tooth enamel and causes sensitivity, predisposition to cavities, and psychological problems. In Colombia, its frequency, magnitude, distribution, and behavior are unknown, so it is necessary to carry out prevalence studies to implement preventive actions. Purpose: To determine the prevalence of AI in patients who have attended the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana clinics in Bogotá. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional observational study was carried out, whose sample included 1,394 medical records of patients who attended between January 2015 and December 2017. Results: The prevalence of AI was 0.6 %, corresponding to 8 people affected, 4 men and 4 women between the ages of 9 and 10 years. The most frequent phenotype was hypoplastic in 7 patients (87.5 %) and one person had a hypocalcified phenotype (12.5 %). Taurodontism was the most frequent anomaly in the 8 patients (100 %). Seven of the eight patients (87.5 %) had a family history of AI. All the individuals had a lower-middle socioeconomic level and came from urban areas. Conclusions: This study is the first approximation to determine the prevalence of AI in a group of the Colombian population. Although the prevalence was low, it is comparable with the findings of other studies.

Incisor- Molar Hypomineralization Phenotype Characteristics and Comparison with Amelogenesis Imperfecta: An Approach to a Differential Diagnosis

Background: Incisor-molar hypomineralization (IMH) presents various clinical characteristics that generate confusion for differential diagnosis with other enamel abnormalities such as amelogenesis imperfecta (AI). Purpose: To analyze dental, facial, and skeletal characteristics in people with IMH and compare them to those with AI in order to identify diagnostic differences between these two enamel defects. Methods: Analytical observational study. Twelve 7-to-10-year-olds with IMH and 10 8-to-49-year-olds with AI were studied. IMH was assessed according to the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s diagnostic criteria, Mathu Maju’s criteria (2006), and Neeti Mittal’s phenotypic classification (2016), while Witkop’s criteria (1989) were used to analyze AI. Clinical, radiographic, facial, and skeletal analyses were performed to establish IMH phenotypes, information that was fed into an Excel® database for subsequent statistical analysis (SPSS 22.0) (p<0.05). Results: Statistically significant differences were found between IMH and AI. Only patients with IA presented dilaceration, dental agenesis, and taurodontism. There are similarities regarding facial features such as facial asymmetry, increased intercanthal distance, decreased lower third, biprochelia and convex profile, and occlusal features such as molar relationship, canine relationship, and overjet. Concerning transverse relationships, micrognathism was more frequent in IMH and in vertical relationships, deep overbite was greater in IMH than in AI. Conclusions: The main differences between IMH and AI were evident in skeletal characteristics and associated dental alterations.

Tipos de inserción del frenillo labial superior asociado a diastemas en personas de 8 a 15 años del Cantón Mocha, Ecuador

Antecedentes: Los frenillos son estructuras a manera de pliegues de tejido conectivo que se insertan en el hueso maxilar superior. Esta estructura anatómica, que pasa muchas veces desapercibida durante el examen bucal, presenta variaciones de inserción que están asociadas a diastemas, problemas fonéticos, periodontales y ortodónticos. Objetivo: Identificar el tipo de inserción del frenillo labial superior asociado a la presencia de diastemas, en estudiantes de 8 a 15 años que acuden a la Unidad Educativa Vicente Anda Aguirre del Cantón Mocha, Ecuador. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de diseño observacional transversal, con una muestra de 300 niños de 8-15 años de edad, quienes cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión y exclusión. Se realizó examen clínico y registro fotográfico del frenillo labial superior para analizar las variables: tipo de inserción y presencia de diastemas en relación con la edad y el género. Mediante las pruebas de Chi cuadrado y regresión lineal se evaluó la asociación entre estas variables (p=0,05). Resultados: 44,67 % de los participantes presentaba frenillo labial superior con inserción gingival. La inserción papilar penetrante se halló en el 27,54 % y tuvo mayor relación con la presencia de diastema, siendo el de tipo leve el que se presentó con mayor frecuencia (66,67 %) independientemente del sexo. Conclusiones: La edad mostró estrecha relación con el sitio de inserción del frenillo, siendo su ubicación más coronal en edades tempranas. Por lo tanto, es un factor predisponente para la aparición de diastemas.

La hipofosfatemia ligada al cromosoma X y su impacto en los tejidos duros de cavidad Oral. Una revisión Integradora

Antecedentes: La hipofosfatemia ligada al cromosoma X (HLX) es una enfermedad genética rara en la que el aumento de la pérdida de fosfato en el riñón conduce a la hipofosfatemia y evita la mineralización normal de los huesos y tejidos duros del diente. Objetivo: Analizar el impacto que tiene esta patología genética sobre los tejidos duros dentales y periodontales tales como dentina, cemento y hueso alveolar. Método: Se realizo una revisión integradora de la literatura a partir de búsquedas en las bases de PubMed y SciELO. Los términos de búsqueda fueron hipofosfatemia ligada a X, tejido dental, periodonto, dentina, esmalte, cemento y hueso alveolar. La búsqueda se restringió a literatura en español e inglés publicada entre 2000 y 2020. Resultados: Se incluyeron 13 artículos que daban cuenta del impacto de la hipofosfatemia sobre los tejidos dentales, principalmente sobre la dentina y el cemento. También se informa de un impacto negativo de la hipofosfatemia sobre los tejidos periodontales especialmente sobre el hueso alveolar. Conclusiones: Los hallazgos de la presente revisión integradora muestran que la HLX altera la estructura de los tejidos duros de cavidad oral, lo cual afecta la calidad de vida de los pacientes. Genera la necesidad de seguir investigando sobre el efecto y el comportamiento de esta patología sobre los tejidos duros de cavidad oral, así como su comportamiento como factor de riesgo para la presencia de enfermedad dental y periodontal.

Four-Handed Technique in Dental Education: Integrative Review

Background: Since the 1970s, the World Health Organization has defined four-handed dentistry as a simplified method with defined tasks within the work team. It has been mainly implemented in clinics and universities in Brazil, the United States, Spain, and Chile. The comprehensive adult dental clinic (Sixth semester) and the pediatric dental clinic (Seventh and Eighth semesters) of the pre-doctoral dental program at El Bosque University’ Dental School (Bogotá, Colombia) use this method. However, theory on four-handed dentistry has not been included in the curriculum yet. Purpose: To explore and describe the influence of the four-handed method in the training of general dentists in order to justify its inclusion in the predoctoral curriculum. Methods: A search of articles was carried out until June 2020. Full-text selected articles were analyzed, and findings related to this study’s purpose were included in the review. Results: 13 articles were chosen. Findings are organized in three thematic axes: background and general aspects of the technique, benefits of the technique in the training of general dentists, and description of the four-handed care model as an exercise in the pediatric dental clinics, also called Growth and Development clinics, at El Bosque University. Conclusions: Patient care using a four-handed method can contribute to the development of soft skills, critical thinking, problem solving through collaborative work, and promoting meaningful learning in students.

Conditioning factors for the learning and design of removable partial dentures at the UAC-Cusco

Background: The conditioning factors of learning, important in the level of teaching, training, evaluation of the removable partial prosthesis design (RPP) and in the methodology; reflect self-perceived difficulties in the level of knowledge of removable prosthesis design, impairing the skill and experience of the undergraduate student. Purpose: To determine the relationship between the conditioning factors of learning and the design of RPP. Method: It was a scientific, descriptive, comparative; sampling, not probabilistic, by quotas of voluntary subjects; with a 95 % confidence, of mixed students, a universe of 56 students, and a studied population of 24.35 %; the conditioning factors of learning and the ability to design a removable prosthesis were measured in data collection sheets, using a questionnaire, together with the knowledge test for Kennedy classification; an examiner was in charge of the evaluation; the qualifications of the designs were subject to the guide of qualification criteria of Loza; with ratings (adequate, fair and poor) for Classes I, II, III and IV and for the type of analysis, descriptive statistics were used. Results: For the variable factors conditioning learning; the level of education was 66.1 % deficient, 28.6 % regular and 5.4 % adequate; for the variable removable prosthesis design; 67.9 % were deficient, 25 % fair and 7.1 % adequate. Conclusion: There is a very high relationship between the conditioning factors of learning and the design of RPP.

Social, Academic, and Family Factors Associated With Academic Repetition in Dental Students

Background: Student repetition is a multifactorial phenomenon, of a socio-educational type, associated with different characteristics (sociodemographic, academic, family) in students of institutions, being a recurring manifestation in university institutions, which makes evident the need to identify the factors that intervene in the process, which would help to avoid or reduce dropout. Purpose: to determine the academic, social and family factors associated with student repetition in dental students from a university institution on the Colombian Caribbean coast. Methods: descriptive, cross-sectional study, in a representative sample of dental students in a repetition and non-repetition condition, who voluntarily answered a validated instrument to measure, in addition to sociodemographic characteristics, the associated factors that may influence student repetition and familiar functionality. Results: of 244 participants with a predominance of the female gender, 40,2 % repeating. they never received vocational guidance (19,4 %), in general they reported good family functionality (91 %). The factors associated with student repetition were: socioeconomic status, academic levels and income of the parents, Saber11 test results and the number of times they have repeated a semester and / or a subject. Conclusion: The identification of these factors allows the design of strategies that encompass the impact of this condition so that higher education institutions can act in a timely manner to reduce these rates.

Systematization of Presentation of Virtual Cases in a Postdoctoral Program in Orthodontics

Background: Incorporating information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a teaching tool for the postgraduate orthodontics program at Unicoc-Cali, Colombia, has generated a transformative change in the dynamics of the presentation of cases. Purpose: To systematize the learning experience: Presentation of virtual clinical cases carried out by residents of the third and fifth semester of the Orthodontic postgraduate course at Unicoc (Cali-Colombia), during the period 2018-2019. Methods: A database, virtual survey and focus group with residents were carried out. Results: The new methodology allowed an additional 130% of cases presented compared to the previous year. The benefits that the residents found in the virtual methodology were in their order: reduction in waiting times, facilitates the presentation process, streamlines the presentation and improves the flow of patients. Conclusions: The implemented didactic proposal enriches the postgraduate teaching-learning process because the audiovisual resource allows them to leave a useful record for the autonomous study of their own cases and that of their classmates. Their access is flexible in terms of time and space while allowing them to advance their learning at their own pace. The scheme was reproducible by all residents. The didactics allowed the presentations to be shown to other specialists to facilitate the inter-consultation process. The benefits found in the virtual methodology were: reduction in waiting times, facilitates the presentation process, streamlines the presentation and improves the flow of patients.

Knowledge and Uses of Information and Communication Technologies in Dental Teaching

Background: Information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed teaching-learning processes in dental education. Professors are required to know and use them appropriately. Purpose: To identify the level of knowledge of ICT that professors at a dental school have and describe their academic uses. Methods: A mixed research method was used with an explanatory sequential design (quantitative-qualitative). A previously validated questionnaire was applied to 68 professors to measure their knowledge and uses of ICT. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 of them to obtain more relevant perceptions. In the quantitative phase, descriptive statistics and multivariate analyzes were used, while the qualitative information was systematically arranged in content categories. Results: 63.2 % of professors reached a basic level of ICT knowledge. Only a statistically significant relationship was found between the level of ICT knowledge and age, since professors under the age of 50 presented better results. Although 66.2 % say they use ICTs more than twice a week in their academic work, their use is limited to recording attendance and grades in the institutional platform, preparing and presenting contents in the learning sessions, looking for scientific information, and communicate with students. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need to improve faculty training and to promote educational policies that favor the effective incorporation of ICT in higher education.

Editorial. Dossier: Challenges and Alternatives of Latin American Dental Education

Universitas Odontologica presents its second dossier of 2020 on, “Challenges and Alternatives of Latin American Dental Education,” which is the result of a call for manuscript released among different professional and academic networks throughout the region. The dossier includes six articles mainly on use of teaching-and-learning technologies and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental education, as well as academic repetition and learning factors.