Teledentistry can help answer the rising demand for oral health in homebound older adults. This study aims to analyze the feasibility of teledentistry in monitoring the oral health of homebound older adults in primary care, focusing on acceptance, barriers, and system quality. It is a cross-sectional and exploratory implementation study with a quantitative approach conducted in Primary Health Care services in Southern Brazil. Twenty older individuals/their caregivers, and five dentists were intentionally selected. A dentist assessed older adults through an online telehealth system via video call. The AdEQUATE questionnaire collected data from older adults/caregivers and dentists. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Twenty older adults received the video calls. Most were women aged 80 years or older; 50% received home care; 90% had no prior home dental care. Older adults generally found teledentistry a comfortable, convenient, safe, and trustworthy care option. However, some dentists expressed skepticism about its diagnostic accuracy and infrequent use. This highlights the importance of addressing dentists’ concerns in integrating teledentistry into public health services. The study also identified challenges, including limited equipment and technical issues. Despite this, teledentistry has proven to be a viable option for timely care, particularly for those unable to attend health facilities.

Objective: To investigate teledentistry practices for oral healthcare of homebound and institutionalized older adults and to discuss their potential applicability to primary healthcare (PHC) settings. Method: A rapid literature review, structured by the SPICE model, searched 10 databases in October 2024, without language or date restrictions. Two independent researchers screened the studies, and a third researcher resolved disagreements. Data were tabulated to capture study characteristics, teledentistry intervention features, and reported outcomes. The study was registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF) (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/FD3PN). Results: Sixteen studies were included, comprising 15 teledentistry interventions targeting homebound or institutionalized older adults (≥60 years), conducted primarily in the United States, Japan, Australia, and Chile. Interventions took place at home ( n = 9) or in long‐term care institutions ( n = 7), with sample sizes ranging from 4 to 252 participants and a mean duration of 6.7 months. No intervention was implemented within PHC settings. Applications included oral health assessment, treatment planning and referral, oral health education, and rehabilitation of oral function. Technological approaches were predominantly asynchronous, followed by synchronous and hybrid models. Findings suggest that teledentistry may support the detection of oral conditions, identification of gingival inflammation, improvements in swallowing function, and high levels of patient satisfaction. Challenges included technical barriers and low‐digital literacy. Interprofessional collaboration with nurses and oral health technicians was frequently reported. Conclusions: Teledentistry may improve access to oral healthcare and support patient‐centered care for homebound and institutionalized older adults. However, as the included studies were not conducted within PHC settings, these findings should be interpreted as evidence of potential applicability rather than direct implementation. Further research is needed to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and integration of teledentistry within PHC services.

Objective: This study evaluated the nutritional status and associated factors among older adults of a southern Brazilian city. Methods: A cross-sectional home-based study, with a probabilistic sample per cluster, was carried out with 282 older adults aged ≥60 years in the city of Veranópolis, Brazil. Through a structured questionnaire, socioeconomic, general and behavioral health aspects were assessed. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MAN®) instrument, categorizing the sample into eutrophic or nutritional risk (risk of malnutrition + malnourished). Oral health was assessed by counting teeth and the use of and need for dental prosthesis. Two independent multivariate models were constructed, using number of daily medication and polypharmacy (≥2 daily medications). Logistic regression was used to verify associations. Results: The prevalence of nutritional risk was 14.5% (N=41). In the final multivariate analysis, users of ≥6 daily medications demonstrated a greater odds ratio (OR) of being at nutritional risk when compared to those who did not use medication daily (OR: 12.16; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.47 – 100.82). Non-edentulous older adults had 67.7% (p = 0.006) lower OR for nutritional risk when compared to edentulous. Conclusion: The prevalence of nutritional risk was low among this sample, and it was associated with edentulism and number of daily medications.

Comunicação em odontologia pode ser negligenciada, dada dificuldade da obtenção de um canal paciente-profissional eficaz. Objetivo: Investigar práticas de comunicação no cuidado odontológico ao idoso. Metodologia: Realizada revisão de escopo, buscando trabalhos indexados nas principais bases e portais de dados em saúde, considerando estudos em qualquer idioma ou ano de publicação. Avaliação do risco de viés foi realizada pelo ‘CASP Checklist para estudos qualitativos’. Resultados: 3.257 estudos foram investigados, 12 corresponderam aos critérios estabelecidos. Dois estudos apresentaram metodologia observacional participativa e os demais via entrevistas, 42% da amostra abordou somente a comunicação verbal (audível) e 2 mencionaram a prática à distância. A avaliação do risco de viés apontou dez estudos de nível A e dois de nível B. As práticas de teleatendimento ou questionários apresentam-se como aplicações da comunicação em odontogeriatria. Conclusões: Sugerem-se princípios comunicativos com o idoso através de interprofissionalidade e atenção, que devem ser exploradas e consolidadas.

Na odontologia, a espiritualidade ainda não é abrangida em pesquisas. Propõe-se neste estudo apresentar o projeto de ensino “Espiritualidade e Odontologia: um atendimento mais humanizado” –, o qual busca aproximar estudantes de odontologia de uma visão mais humanizada para pacientes e da função da espiritualidade no processo saúde-doença. Tem-se obtido a compreensão de uma visão humanista dentro do contexto da odontologia, além de uma saúde odontológica mais humanizada e abrangente, respeitando e explorando a individualidade do ser. O projeto contribui para a compreensão do espaço que há entre o tratamento humanizado e a espiritualidade e instiga um conhecimento singular para tais estudantes, a fim de saber como é possível falar sobre espiritualidade com pacientes, tendo em vista proceder a um melhor atendimento clínico.

Internacional Saúde Única (Interface Mundial) (978-65-5941-339-3) - Abordagens Terapêuticas Para Casos De Aumento Gengival Medicamentoso Associado À Ciclosporina.