This study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep quality and possible sleep bruxism (SB) in children eight to ten years of age. The study hypothesis was that sleep disturbances influenced a higher occurrence of bruxism during the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal study was conducted at two time points: in person prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (T1), and online during the pandemic (T2). The sample comprised 105 children. Parents/caregivers answered a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic characteristics, the use of electronic devices, reported (vs. clinical) SB, and the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) at both T1 and T2. McNemar's and Wilcoxon's tests were used to compare SB and sleep disorders at both time points. Poisson regression analysis determined the relative risk (RR) among the variables, and the incidence of possible SB (p≤0.05). The comparison of the two time points (T1 and T2) revealed a significant increase in possible SB (p<0.01) and sleep disorders (p < 0.04). Children whose parents had a lower schooling level (RR: 2.67; 95%CI: 1.19-6.01), those with their own electronic devices (RR: 1.97; 95%CI: 1.09-2.50), and those with sleep disorders during the pandemic (RR: 1.74; 95%CI: 1.35-2.24) were at greater risk of developing SB during the pandemic. Moreover, the incidence of bruxism and sleep disorders was greater during the pandemic. The factors influencing SB incidence during the pandemic were a lower level of mothers' schooling, greater access to electronic devices, and the occurrence of sleep disorders.

This article aims to analyze the clarity and engagement measures of publications on oral cancer in the Instagram profiles of official health agencies in Brazil. An infodemiological study was conducted with 81 profiles. Data collected concerned content classification, account and media, manner of addressing the topic, number of posts, likes, comments, views and hashtags. The clarity of the educational publications was assessed with the Brazilian version of the Clear Communication Index (BR-CDC-CCI). Data analysis involved Spearman’s correlation and the Mann-Whitney test (α = 5%). A total of 775 publications on oral cancer were found. The average BR-CDC-CCI score was 69.8 (SD = 15.5). The clarity of the information was adequate in 9.5% of the educational publications. Positive correlations were found between the number of likes and engagement (comments [r = 0.49], views [r = 0.96]), number of hashtags (r = 0.13) and year of publication (r = 0.21). Publications from the Health Ministry had a significantly higher BR-CDC-CCI score compared to the other profiles. Publications on oral cancer were correlated with engagement, year of publication and number of hashtags. Public agencies increased publications to reach the population, but the clarity of the content was low.

This study outlines the profile of research productivity grant holders of the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico [CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development)] in the field of pediatric dentistry. A cross-sectional study with data collected from the Brazilian academic curriculum vitae database. The eligibility criterion was being a research productivity grant holder in pediatric dentistry from 2018 to 2020. In the period of interest, 215 individuals were research productivity grant holders in the field of dentistry, 33 of whom had graduate degrees (specialization, master's or doctorate) in pediatric dentistry. The period of scientific production and work concluded of advising of scientific initiation, master, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees was 2010 to 2020. Descriptive analysis was performed and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze associations (5% significance level) between productivity grant level (2, 1D, 1C, 1B or 1A) and year of obtainment of the doctoral degree. The VOSviewer (version 1.6.17) was used to present graphically the interinstitutional collaborations. The sample was composed of Level 2 researchers (66.7%), women (66.7%), researchers linked to institutions in the southeastern region of Brazil (81.8%), with a doctoral degree concluded prior to 2002 (51.5%), began working as a professor at a higher education institution prior to 2007 (78.8%) and the title of full professor (45.5%). No significant association was found between productivity grant level and year of conclusion of the doctoral degree (p = 0.10). Median (interquartile range) of scientific articles was 119 (37-312). The prevalence of citations (57.52%) and JCR articles (62.76%) was higher among female researchers. In conclusion, CNPq research productivity grant holders in pediatric dentistry are essentially represented by females from the southeast region of the country (UFMG and USP). However, males have proportionally greater productivity.

The study analyzed the clarity of publications on human papillomavirus (HPV) in the Instagram profiles of official Brazilian health agencies. An infodemiological study analyzed publications on HPV in the 81 Instagram profiles selected from the Health Ministry, States’ Health Departments, and dental councils and associations. The following data were collected: classification of content, type of profiles, type of media, how the content was addressed, number of posts, frequency, likes, comments, viewings, and hashtags, and how the HPV vaccine was addressed. The clarity of the educational publications was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Clear Communication Index (BR-CDC-CCI). Data analysis was performed with Spearman’s correlation and the Mann-Whitney test (p < 0.05). A total of 504 publications on HPV were found. The average number of likes was 528.3 (SD = 2388.2) and the average BR-CDC-CCI score was 67.1 (SD = 14.1). The quality and clarity of the information was considered adequate (BR-CDC-CCI score ≥ 90) in 6.9% of the publications. A weak positive correlation was found between the number of likes and both the BR-CDC-CCI score (r = 0.195) and number of posts (r = 0.124). Publications from the Health Ministry had a significantly higher BR-CDC-CCI score (72.9) compared to the other profiles analyzed (p = 0.01). Most publications concerned government actions, had low engagement, and written educational information was of low clarity and quality. However, the effort to reach the population was evident, with an increase in publications over the years.

The study validated the Piers-Harris Children Self-Concept Scale (PHCSCSV1-6) for Brazilian adolescents, an instrument for measuring self-concept. The culturally adapted Brazilian Portuguese version (BR-PHCSCS) was administered to 325 adolescents aged 12-18 years at public and private schools in two cities in Northeast Brazil. Psychometric properties analyzed included internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega), reproducibility (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC]), convergent validity (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale [DASS-21]), discriminant validity (sociodemographic variables), predictive validity (dental caries and occlusal aspects) and factorial validity (Exploratory Factor Analysis [EFA]). The scale exhibited satisfactory Cronbach’s alpha = 0.79; McDonald’s omega = 0.78; ICC = 0.97. The scale showed a multidimensional structure with six factors, explaining 45.3% of the variance. Convergent validity was confirmed with BR-PHCSCS and DASS-21 scores (rs = -0.575, p < 0.001). Discriminant validity revealed associations with type of school (p = 0.033), number of children (p = 0.027), guardian’s education level (p = 0.008), and monthly income (p = 0.018). The self-concept of BR-PHCSCS was not associated with occlusal problems or caries experience. BR-PHCSCS demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties for Brazilian adolescents aged 12-18 years and can be reliably used for other situations that exert an influence on the construct.

O presente estudo avaliou a prevalência do uso de ansiolíticos/antidepressivos e fatores associados entre estudantes universitários no período pré-vacinal da pandemia de COVID-19. Foi realizado um estudo transversal com 983 estudantes de universidades públicas e privadas do Brasil. Os dados foram coletados entre setembro e dezembro de 2020 com auxílio de questionário disponível na plataforma Survey Monkey® abordando dados socioeconômicos, autoavaliação de saúde, uso de ansiolíticos/antidepressivos, histórico de depressão, tratamento psicológico/psiquiátrico e aspectos da graduação curso. A análise estatística envolveu estatística descritiva e regressão de Poisson com variância robusta (α = 5%). A prevalência de uso de ansiolíticos/antidepressivos foi de 15,7%. O uso de ansiolíticos/antidepressivos esteve associado ao sexo feminino (RP = 1,53; IC 95%: 1,03-2,26), insatisfação com a saúde geral (RP = 1,40; IC 95%: 1,08-1,82), estar em tratamento psicológico/psiquiátrico (RP = 2,85; IC 95%: 1,91-4,22) e diagnóstico médico de depressão (RP = 3,44; IC 95%: 2,52-4,70). O sexo feminino, a insatisfação com o próprio estado geral de saúde, a realização de tratamento psicológico/psiquiátrico e o diagnóstico médico de depressão exerceram influência no uso de ansiolíticos/antidepressivos por estudantes universitários de graduação durante a pandemia de COVID-19.