Links between the demanding nature of studies in the health sciences, students’ personality traits and psychological distress have been well-established. While considerable amount of work has been done in medicine, evidence from the dental education arena is sparse and data from Latin America are lacking. The authors conducted a large-scale investigation of psychological distress among dental students in Colombia and sought to determine its curriculum and student-level correlates. The Spanish version of the Derogatis’ Symptoms Checklist Revised (SCL-90-R) was administered to all students officially registered and attending classes or clinics in 17 dental schools in 4 geographic districts of Colombia between January and April 2012. Additional information was collected on participants’ socio-demographic information and first career choice, as well as school’s characteristics such as class size. The Global Severity Index (GSI) score, a measure of overall psychological distress, served as the primary analytical endpoint. Analyses relied on multilevel mixed-effects linear and log-binomial regression, accounting for study design and sample characteristics. A total of 5700 dental students completed the survey, a response rate of 67%. Pronounced gradients were noted in the association between socio-economic status and psychological distress, with students in higher strata reporting fewer problems. After adjustment for all important covariates, there was an evident pattern of increasing psychological distress corresponding to the transition from the didactic, to the preclinical and clinical phases of training, with few differences between male and female students. Independent of other factors, reliance on own funds for education and having dentistry as the first career choice were associated with lower psychological distress. Levels of psychological distress correlated with students’ socio-economic and study-level characteristics. Above and beyond the influence of person-level factors, variations in levels of distress paralleled specific transitional stages of the 5-year dental curriculum, providing opportunities for targeted interventions.

Dental caries is the result of a complex interplay of multiple determinants which may change overtime. Therefore, periodic surveys of caries experience and redetermination of the risk indicators of the disease are needed. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of coronal and root caries in Greeks aged 35-44 and 65-74-year-old in relation to socio-demographic parameters. Furthermore, trends in coronal caries experience of the 35-44-year-olds were investigated.

The use of sealants as an effective measure for the prevention of pit and fissure caries in children has been well documented by several studies; either they are used on an individual or on a public health basis. In order to plan and establish a national preventive program with sealants in a community, it is mandatory to know the epidemiological pattern of caries along with other variables influencing their use and effectiveness. Aims: To assess the utilization and distribution pattern of pit and fissure sealants on the first and second permanent molars of Greek adolescents and to evaluate whether the existing usage of sealants and some socio-demographic factors are correlated to caries prevalence on the population examined

Objectives: To investigate the effects of levelling the curve of Spee (COS) on the inclination of the mandibular incisors and the width of the mandibular arch. Methods: Fifty patients, 10–18 years of age, were selected using the following inclusion criteria: nonextraction treatment in the mandibular arch; eruption of all mandibular teeth; no spaces in the mandibular arch; no crowding in the posterior mandibular segments; a mandibular irregularity index greater than 2.5. The depth of the COS, the amount of crowding of the mandibular anterior dentition and the intercanine and intermolar widths were measured on standardised photographs of the casts. The inclinations of the mandibular incisors were measured on cephalometric radiographs. The paired t -test was used to analyse changes in the intercanine and intermolar widths and incisor inclinations before and after treatment, whilst the Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to examine changes in the COS with treatment. The data were further analysed with a regression analysis to determine the measurements that predicted a reduction of the curve of Spee at the 5 per cent level of significance. Results: The COS showed a median decrease of 0.9 mm, with 50 per cent of the cases ranging between 0.4 mm and 1.4 mm. The sole predictor of curve flattening was the lower incisor to mandibular plane angle. Conclusions: The COS is mainly ‘flattened’ by proclining the mandibular incisors. For 1 mm of levelling the mandibular incisors were proclined 4 degrees, without increasing arch width.

Evidence regarding disparities in oral health among native and immigrant child and adolescent populations in Europe is scarce. The present study aimed to determine the caries status of 5-, 12-, and 15-year-olds with an immigrant background in Greece in relation to their sociodemographic characteristics and compare their caries levels with those of their native Greek peers. A sample of 707 immigrants underwent clinical examination for caries (ICDAS II criteria), followed by a calculation of caries prevalence and experience estimates (2013–2014). Multivariable regression models assessed the effect of ethnic background on the caries experience (d_3–6mfs/D_3–6MFS) of the total (707 immigrants and 3702 Greeks) population, and the association between parental education level and the immigrants’ d_3–6mfs/D_3–6MFS. Among the 5- and 12-year-olds, those with an immigrant background demonstrated higher caries rates and had unfulfilled treatment needs at higher proportions. Among 15-year-old adolescents, no considerable differences in caries status were observed according to ethnic background (native Greek or immigrant). The strength of the association between immigrant background and caries experience levels attenuated gradually with increasing age (IRR = 1.61, 1.27 and 1.10, and p = 0.001, p = 0.006 and p = 0.331 for 5-, 12- and 15-year-olds, respectively). Among the immigrants, adolescents with less educated mothers exhibited elevated caries levels. Public health strategies should prioritize immigrant children and early adolescents in order to reduce the existing ethnic disparities in oral health.