Background: The implementation of artificial intelligence brings with it a great change in health care, however, there is a discrepancy about the perceptions and attitudes that dental students present towards these new technologies. Methods: The study design was observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional. A total of 200 dental students who met the inclusion criteria were surveyed online. For the qualitative variables, descriptive statistical measures were obtained, such as absolute and relative frequencies. For the comparison of the main variables with the type of educational institution, sex and level of education, the chi-square test or Fisher′s exact test was used according to the established assumptions with a level of statistical significance of p < 0.05 and a confidence level of 95%. Results: The results indicated that 86% of the students surveyed agreed that artificial intelligence will lead to great advances in dentistry. However, 45% of the participants disagreed that artificial intelligence would replace dentists in the future. In addition, the respondents agreed that the use of artificial intelligence should be part of undergraduate and postgraduate studies with 67% and 72% agreement rates respectively. Conclusion: The attitudes and perceptions of the students indicate that 86% agreed that artificial intelligence will lead to great advances in dentistry. This suggests a bright future for the relationship between dentists and artificial intelligence.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of childhood hypertension (HT) is growing exponentially, influenced by environmental factors such as foods with high salt content, sedentary lifestyles, and poor-quality food. The incidence of HT is about 10.4% in well-nourished children, but when associated with obesity or overweight, this can rise to 38% and 68%, respectively. To assess the influence of physical activity on the blood pressure (BP) of children who are overweight or obese. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was carried out in Granada (Spain), from October 2015 to June 2016. The sample consisted of 98 children, all of whom were overweight or obese. The intervention group (IG) (n = 49) practised physical activity and received nutritional advice, while the control group (n = 49) only received theoretical–practical sessions on nutrition. Body composition was measured, a nutritional assessment was made and BP was determined (in percentiles, to avoid the misclassification of children who are located at the extremes of normal growth). RESULTS: Before the physical activity intervention, 85.7% of the children in the IG (with overweight/obesity) were in the 95th or higher percentile for BP, a situation representative of high BP (HT). However, by the end of the study period, this value had decreased significantly (P = 0.001), to 16.13%. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood obesity is a risk factor for HT. Physical activity, together with nutritional advice, effectively reduces BP in children who are overweight or obese. The use of percentiles, according to age, weight, and height, is an effective means of measuring BP. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: This study is registered at https://www.clinicaltrials.gov (identifier NCT02779647).

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been linked to perinatal adverse outcomes. Studies conducted to date have recommended assessing interactions with other vitamin D-related metabolites to clarify this subject. We aimed to evaluate the association of vitamin D deficiency during early pregnancy with preterm birth. Secondary outcomes included low birth weight and small for gestational age. Additionally, we explored the role that parathyroid hormone, calcium and phosphorus could play in the associations. We conducted a prospective cohort study comprising 289 pregnant women in a hospital in Granada, Spain. Participants were followed-up from weeks 10–12 of gestation to postpartum. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, calcium, and phosphorus were measured within the first week after recruitment. Pearson’s χ² test, Mann–Whitney U test, binary and multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore associations between variables and outcomes. 36.3% of the participants were vitamin D deficient (<20 ng/mL). 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was inversely correlated with parathyroid hormone (ρ = −0.146, p = 0.013). Preterm birth was associated with vitamin D deficiency in the multivariable model, being this association stronger amongst women with parathyroid hormone serum levels above the 80th percentile (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 6.587, 95% CI (2.049, 21.176), p = 0.002). Calcium and phosphorus were not associated with any studied outcome. Combined measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone could be a better estimator of preterm birth than vitamin D in isolation.

Objective: To perform a systematic review of scientific literature on the impact of oral health on the quality of life of pregnant women. Methods: A systematic search following PRISMA guidelines was carried out and 16 specific articles/studies on the subject were selected. Results: Pregnant women's quality of life (QoL) is related to age, number of pregnancies, pain, difficulty eating and presence of dental caries. Quality of life was directly related to oral health. Conclusions: It was found that most studies associating QoL and oral health during pregnancy were cross-sectional and observational; therefore, for a better understanding of these impacts, performing longitudinal studies from the beginning of pregnancy until postpartum is necessary. The need for preventive oral health counseling and dental care assistance during pregnancy is highlighted.