Saul Paiva

• Professor
• Professor (Full) at Federal University of Minas Gerais

Aim To evaluate the effect of the first 12 months of orthodontic treatment on the quality of life of Brazilian adolescents and to examine the evaluative properties of the short form of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11–14). Study design and methods This study involved a sample of 101 adolescents undergoing orthodontic treatment with a f...

The objective of this study was to evaluate prediction factors for failure to seek treatment following a traumatic dental injury (TDI) to primary teeth among preschool children in the city of Campina Grande, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 277 children 3 to 5 years of age, with TDI, enrolled in public and private preschool...

The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of malocclusion on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among preschool children and their families. This study involved 732 preschoolers. Parents/caregivers filled out the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B-ECOHIS) and a questionnaire addressing sociode...

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the first 8 months of orthodontic treatment with a fixed appliance on the families of adolescent patients and to examine the evaluative properties of the Family Impact Scale (FIS). Materials and methods: The study involved a sample of 94 parents/caregivers of adolescents undergoing orthodontic treatment with...

Dental caries, traumatic dental injury (TDI) and malocclusion are common oral health conditions among preschool children and can have both physical and psychosocial consequences. Thus, it is important to measure the impact these on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of...

Purpose: To investigate associations between possible sleep bruxism (PSB) and sleep disorders in children/adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as parental perceived stress. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving children/adolescents with ASD five to 19 years of age and their parents at a public institution that...

The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the available literature on pretreatment factors, from a patient-centered perspective, that predict successful orthodontic treatment. Systematic and unrestricted searches were conducted across the electronic MEDLINE, Embase, Web-of-Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and LILACS/Bireme databases. Gr...

Resilience refers to one’s ability to face life’s challenges and achieve positive outcomes, and has drawn increasing interest from researchers and policymakers. The Adolescent Resilience Questionnaire (ARQ) is a measure that assesses resilience in adolescents according to a multidimensional perspective, encompassing its several different domains. T...

Objective: To investigate the influence of the parents’ attitude on the duration of the pacifier sucking habit and the occurrence of anterior open bite (AOB) in children. Material and Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Ribeirão das Neves, Brazil, including 497 children aged 4–6 years. The pacifier use was reported by...

The objective of this study was to analyze the directions by which school jet lag is associated with traumatic dental injury in children, evaluating direct and indirect effects of socioeconomic factors and sleep. A representative, population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted with 739 schoolchildren eight to ten years of age. Parents/guardi...

Objective: To explore the relationship between parenting styles and children's personality traits and parental-reported sleep bruxism (SB). Methods: A total of 301 parents/caregivers of Brazilian children participated in this cross-sectional study and answered an online questionnaire addressing sociodemographic characteristics, sleep-related beh...

Background: Periodontal disease (PD) leads to the destruction of supportive tissues through an inflammatory response induced by biofilm accumulation. This low-grade systemic inflammation from PD increases the risk of comorbidities. Among potential therapeutic agents for PD, humic acids (HAs) are notable for their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulat...

With the increase in digitalization of adolescents and health services, the population must demonstrate digital health literacy skills to be able to navigate online health information, as well as identify, evaluate, and apply relevant information. The present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the adapted version of the eHeal...

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can be extremely traumatic, and their impact on health throughout the life course has been a public policy issue all around the world. Oral health conditions significantly influence quality of life, but its relationship with ACEs among children and adolescents is not well defined. This systematic review investig...

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of Digital Health Literacy Instrument for Brazilian Adolescents (DHLI-BrA). Two hundred and sixty Brazilian adolescents answered the DHLI-BrA and the Brazilian version of quality-of-life and health literacy instruments: WHOQOL-Bref, eHEALS-BrA, NVS-BR, and REALMD-20. Then, t...

Aim: To investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic formation and performance of Brazilian postgraduate students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 2897 postgraduate students. Data collection was carried out through an online questionnaire addressing socioeconomic aspects, course-related aspect...

The aim of this study was to undertake a cross-cultural adaptation of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) instrument to measure digital health literacy of Brazilian adolescents. eHEALS is a scale consisting of 8 items that measure self-perception related to the consumption of electronic health information. This is a methodological study of cross-cu...

Purpose: Investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the higher education through the perception of Brazilian undergraduates. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1006 students of public and private universities. Data collection happened between September-December 2020 with an online questionnaire addressing socioeconomic char...

Investigate individual and contextual determinants associated with bullying in schoolchildren eight to ten years of age. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 739 schoolchildren, who answered a question about episodes of bullying related to oral health and questionnaires addressing childhood anxiety and orofacial dysfunction. The guardians pro...

Objective To assess the impact of treatment with orthodontic aligners (OA) on oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients with trisomy 21 (T21) compared to non‐syndromic patients. Materials and methods The sample consisted of 30 patients, both sexes, aged between 11 and 35 years, divided into two groups: T21 ( n = 10, patients with T2...

Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) is a genetic condition arising from the presence of three chromosomes at position 21. Individuals diagnosed with this syndrome have a greater likelihood of developing systemic problems, as well as cognitive, developmental, and psychiatric disorders. This paper reports a case of a child with Down syndrome under treatment f...

The negative oral health outcomes of disadvantaged racial groups have been well-documented, as racial disparity in oral health persists over time and in different locations1. However, it is important to note that skin colour has no biological meaning, and the observed differences can be physiological expressions of social injustice such as racism....

Purpose To associate maternal anxiety with sociodemographic factors, breastfeeding practices, oral habits, and the child’s entry into daycare among deaf and hearing (non-deaf) mothers. Methods This retrospective comparative cross-sectional study included 116 mothers (29 deaf and 87 hearing) of children aged between two and five years. Deaf mothers...

Objective To test the association between socioeconomic and sociodemographic status of Brazilian dental students with discriminatory experiences suffered by them. Methods This multicenter cross‐sectional study was conducted with 531 undergraduate dental students from four different Brazilian states. The Explicit Discrimination Scale (EDS) was used...

Objective: Investigate individual and contextual determinants associated with traumatic dental injuries in schoolchildren. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 739 pairs of parents and children. Parents answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale and a questionnaire on the child’s use of electro...

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of dental caries in children from 18 months to 5 years of age in eastern (near urban centers) and western (far from urban centers) Parakanã, verify the influence of proximity to non-indigenous cultures, and compare with other ethnicities and non-indigenous. Material and Methods The universe of children was exam...

The aim of this study was to identify and describe the characteristics of coronavirus (COVID-19)-disease related dental research in Brazil presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Division of the International Association for Dental Research (SBPqO). A search was carried out in the proceedings of the meeting to retrieve all abstracts....

Exploring children’s dental pain experiences helps to develop healthcare policies for improving oral health and quality of life. A cross-sectional study involved 300 parents/caregivers of four- to seven-year-old children using snowball sampling. Parents/caregivers self-completed an online questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, parenting...

Background Oral outcomes may have an impact on quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess factors associated with the impact of fixed appliance orthodontic treatment on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of adolescents. Material and Methods Individuals aged 10 to 18 years undergoing orthodontic treatment were included. Data...

Introduction Little is known regarding the impact of dental treatment under sedation on distressed young children's oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL). Aim To evaluate the impact of dental treatment under sedation on the OHRQoL of children and their families. Methods Caregivers of two‐to‐six‐year‐old children answered the Brazilian vers...

The present study aimed to investigate associations between the self-perceived dental treatment need and clinical factors, familial characteristics, and school context in adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 746 students aged 15 to 19 years in a medium-sized city in Brazil. Data collection involved the...

Objective To assess changes in oral health-related behavior and oral health status in Brazilian children in early childhood perceived by their parents/caregivers during social isolation caused by COVID-19. Material and Methods A cross-sectional study with parents/caregivers of children in southeastern Brazil aged 0-5 years who responded to an onli...

Purpose: To assess the impact of early childhood caries (ECC) and its clinical conse- quences on preschool children's sleep, as reported by caregivers. Methods: A representative cross-sectional study was carried out with preschoolers aged four to six years in Brazil. Caregivers responded to the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health I...

Purpose: To evaluate the chronology of the eruption of primary mandibular central incisors in infants born preterm and with low weight (PLBW) and its association with weight/length ratio for gestational age (GA) at birth, individual characteristics and hospitalization at birth. Methods: A cohort of 46 infants was followed at a multidisciplinary ref...

Objective To evaluate the presence of sleep disorders, obesity and anxiety associated with cavitated carious lesions in children aged 8 to 10 years. Materials and Methods A cross‐sectional study was carried out in the Northeast of Brazil. The sample was comprised of 793 schoolchildren randomly selected from public and private schools. Calibrated e...

This study aimed to develop and validate a self-administered questionnaire in Brazilian Portuguese to verify the level of knowledge of orthodontists in the care of pregnant, lactating, and postmenopausal women, named "Considerations on Orthodontic Treatment during Pregnancy, Lactation, and Postmenopausal Periods." The development and validation of...

This study aimed to analyze the 100 most-cited papers in Dentistry, with a focus on female leadership in dental research. Papers were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS- CC) in the category ‘Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine’. Gender was assessed through WoS-CC, Scopus, ResearchGate, social media, institutional websites, and so...

The present study aimed to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI) for native Brazilian Portuguese-speaking adolescents (DHLI-BrA). Cross-cultural adaptation consisted of the following steps: translation, assessment, and adjustments by the expert committee to ensure cultural equivalence; back-translati...

Objectives: To evaluate the association of sleep bruxism activity with smartphone addiction and sleep quality among university students during COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey with 546 university students in social distancing was conducted (May 29th to June 2nd 2020). Participants should be undergraduate and...

The aim of this paper was to present a summary of the process of developing and preparing the final documents of the national consensus for teaching undergraduate Brazilian dental students the dental caries curriculum in the Portuguese language. The final document was developed in three steps: a) The ABENO and LAOHA cariology group invited experts...

Policy evaluation and guidance on fluoride use and sugar consumption in Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACC) may provide a scientific evidence basis for policymakers, dental professionals, civil society organizations and individuals committed to improving public oral health. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the extent of i...

The present study assessed the prevalence of the use of anxiolytics/antidepressants and associated factors among university students in the pre-vaccine period of the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 983 students of public and private universities in Brazil. Data were collected between September and December 2020 with th...

Background/Aim Traumatic dental injuries (TDI) constitute a public health problem. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether sleep disorders, school jet lag, and anxiety are associated with TDI in schoolchildren 8–10 years of age. Methods An analytical, cross‐sectional study was conducted with 739 pairs of parents/guardians and child...

Background: Sleep bruxism (BS) is defined as involuntary jaw movements characterized by grinding and clenching teeth. Objective: To verify the association between chronotype, sleep quality, and self-reporting of BS in dental students. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 214 undergraduate dental students at a public university in nort...

The aim of this multicenter study was to explore the early-life sugar consumption and dietary practices in Latin America as well as to investigate the association between breastfeeding duration and the age at which foods and beverages with added sugars are introduced. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 805 1- to 3-year-old children from 10...

BACKGROUND With the increasing digitalization of health care and the high familiarity of adolescents with communication technologies, an effective instrument is necessary to assess levels of health literacy in this age group. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Digital Health Literacy Instrument for Brazilian...

Introduction: Parents' report is the most used method for the study of sleep bruxism (SB) in children, especially in research with large samples. However, there is no consensus about the questions used to assess SB, what may difficult the comparisons between studies. Objective: The aim of this research was to evaluate the agreement between two diff...

Purpose: To investigate the perceptions of parents/caregivers about the impact of oral conditions on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children/adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to the perceptions of parents/caregivers of children/adolescents without ASD. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was cond...

Background: Identifying the presence of teeth in newborns is important as it may require immediate care. This study aimed to determine the worldwide prevalence of natal and neonatal teeth. Type of Studies Reviewed: Six electronic databases and the gray literature were searched on February 23, 2023 to identify observational studies reporting the pre...

Aim: The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to compare the impact of two management options for primary molars with pulp necrosis (pulpectomy or extraction) on children's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Design: A total of 100 children aged 3-5 years with at least one necrotic primary molar were selected and randomized into t...

Purpose: To evaluate the association between the introduction of total sugar foods (TSF) in the first six months of age and the prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) and its consequences for dental pulp in preschool children. Methods: A representative cross-sectional study was conducted with 533 preschool children (four to six years old) in Ri...

Aim To assess the impact of childhood cancer and its harmful effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents based on both the mother’s perception and the child’s self-perception. Subject and methods The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) 3.0 Cancer Module was administered to 52 pairs of mothers and childre...

Objective The purpose of the present in vitro study was to evaluate the efficiency of three different instruments in the root canals of artificial primary molars as well as the quality of the fillings. Methods Sixty artificial primary molars were divided into three groups of 20 teeth. Each group was submitted to a different technique: Group 1 - co...

Aim: To compare oral health indicators of children/adolescents with Down syndrome (DS) with a group of children/adolescents without DS. Methods and results: This cross-sectional study included 144 individuals with DS, ages 4 to 18 years, matched for age and sex with a group of 144 individuals without DS, and their parents/caregivers. Parents/car...

The objective of this study was to verify the impact of early childhood caries (ECC) and parental oral health literacy (OHL) on the use of oral health care services by preschool children. A population-based study was conducted with 449 dyads of preschool children aged 4-6 years and their parents/caregivers in the city of Ribeirão das Neves, Brazil....

The aims of this study were to perform an exploratory analysis of probable awake (AB) and sleep bruxism (SB) prevalence using of different diagnosis criteria based on the International Consensus; evaluate the associations between self-report and clinical signs/symptoms in adolescents. Participated in this cross-sectional study 403 adolescents aged...

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of parents or guardians about bruxism in children who seek care at Pediatric Dentistry Clinics at the State Polyclinic of the State of Amazonas. Methods: Participation in the study was authorized through the Free and Informed Consent Form. This is a cross-sectional, population-based...

Objective: To identify a structural model for the identification of psychosocial associated factors of early childhood caries (ECC) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in preschool children and their families. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 533 preschool children from 4 to 6 years-old public and...

Objective: To investigate the relationship between temperament traits and dental fear and anxiety (DFA) in children and adolescents by the means of a systematic review (PROSPERO #CRD42020207578). Methods: The PEO (Population, Exposure, and Outcome) strategy was followed using children and adolescents as the population, temperament as the exposur...

Adolescence is marked by changes and vulnerability to the emergence of psychological problems. This study aimed to investigate associations between anxiety/depression/chronic pain and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)/happiness/polymorphisms in the COMT, HTR2A and FKBP5 genes in Brazilian adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducte...

Unlabelled: Identifying factors that influence the satisfaction of undergraduate dental students can contribute to establishing strategies for improving the educational process, furthering student development, and enhancing students' academic and professional achievements. Aim: the present study investigated associations between undergraduate st...

An inadequate level of oral health literacy (OHL) can hinder the understanding of dental information, which can have a negative impact on health promotion actions, such as the rational use of fluoride. The aims of the present study were: 1) to look for association between parents/guardians´ OHL and the amount of fluoride toothpaste used for childre...

This review aimed to describe the importance of the first 1000 days of a child's life as a golden period for interventions and actions to prevent dental caries and other chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) throughout the life course and highlight that the first 450 days of life could be even more important for oral health. During the first 100...

Abstract This was a retrospective cohort study to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the gender gap in articles submitted to three international dental journals based in Brazil. All submissions performed to Brazilian Dental Journal, Brazilian Oral Research, and Journal of Applied Oral Science before (2019) and during the pandemic (2020)...

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...

he present study aimed to evaluate the association between premature primary tooth loss and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in preschool children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 769 5-year-old preschool children. The children and their parents or guardians answered the Brazilian version of the Scale of Oral Health Outcomes fo...

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of malocclusion and dental caries on oral health- related quality of life (OHRQoL) in adolescents and the differences between adoles- cents' self-reports and caregiver's proxy reports. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,612 Brazil- ian adolescents and 1,168 caregivers. Adolescents...

Aim To evaluate the impact of community and individual social capital during early childhood on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) over a 10-year follow-up period. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in the southern Brazil. Baseline (T1) data collection occurred in 2010 with preschool children aged 1-5 years. Participants we...

Introduction Malocclusion is one of the most prevalent oral health problems and can affect self-esteem, social relations, and oral health–related quality of life. The present study aimed to evaluate associations between malocclusion and orofacial dysfunction, nonnutritive sucking habits, cavitated carious lesions, and anxiety in Brazilian children....

Objectives: To explore the pathways by which oral health literacy is associated with dental caries in adolescents, assessing direct and indirect effects of family cohesion and socioeconomic status. Methods: A population-based, representative cross-sectional study was conducted with 740 12-year-old adolescents in Campina Grande, Brazil. Parents/g...

Background: Recognizing that a deficit of reading and numeracy skills is associated with poorer oral health, contemporary researchers have identified additional components as important attributes of oral health literacy (OHL). So, the use of comprehensive functional OHL tools is crucial. The Oral Health Literacy-Adults Questionnaire (OHL-AQ) evalu...

Cyberchondria is a psychopathological behavior that affects people who compulsively consult the internet, by searching the symptoms of different pathologies from which they believe they are suffering, and when influenced by what they read, are sure they have some of these diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the cyberchondria level and ass...

Purpose: To assess the levels of empathy and self-confidence of pre- and post-doctoral dental students during the dental care of children of different facial types, sex and skin color. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 170 Brazilian dental students. Photos of four mesofacial pediatric patients of different sex (male, female) and...

To assess the impact of oral conditions on oral health-related quality of life (OHROoL) in infants in ten Latin America countries (LAC). A cross-sectional study was conducted with 930 pairs of 1-to-3-year-old children/parents from 10 LAC, as a complementary study of the Research Observatory for Dental Caries of the Latin American Region. The scale...

The authors developed and validated a short form of the Brazilian Oral Health Literacy Assessment Task for Paediatric Dentistry (BOHLAT-P). Data included responses from 200 parents of preschoolers to sociodemographic and oral health service access questions on the BOHLAT-P, the Brazilian Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD-30), an...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of socioeconomic factors, oral conditions and the impact of OHRQoL as possible risk indicators related to the incidence of untreated dental caries in preschool children two years after an initial examination. A prospective longitudinal study was performed with a sample of 288 preschool chil...

The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between tooth loss, and oral health literacy, the use of multiple psychoactive substances, and the reason for the last dental appointment in adolescents. A cross‐sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 746 adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in Campina Grande, Brazil. Pa...

Bone quality is an important issue in dentistry. Low bone density may be associated with more severe periodontitis, and may influence implant therapy success. Recent evidence suggests that physical activity can improve alveolar bone quality. Irisin is an exercise-mediated peptide that might be involved in this process. We assessed the effect of exe...

Specific measures to evaluate positive oral health have been in a nascent stage in Dentistry, especially in developing countries. The present study aimed to translate, cross-culturally adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of Positive Oral Health and Well-Being (B-POHW). After forward-backwards translation to Brazi...

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 t...

A oportunidade de realizar o Doutorado Sanduíche no Exterior é um sonho de diversos estudantes ao longo da formação como professor e pesquisador. A possibilidade de desenvolver parcerias científicas no exterior, expandir a visão frente à diferentes abordagens metodológicas, e aprofundar o conhecimento em uma linha de pesquisa específica, é também e...

Faculdade de Odontologia da UFMG Comissão Editorial Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha- Belo Horizonte-MG Cep 31270-901 A Odontologia Baseada em Evidências (OBE) foi definida em 1995, por Richards e Lawrence, como uma abordagem que reestrutura a maneira como os cirurgiões-dentistas pensam e lidam com os problemas clínicos, ao combinar as evidências...

To assess the impact of oral conditions on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in infants in ten Latin America countries (LAC). A cross-sectional study was conducted with 930 pairs of 1-to-3-year-old children/parents from 10 LAC, as a complementary study of the Research Observatory for Dental Caries of the Latin American Region. The scale...

Objetivo: Realizar uma overview relacionada ao assunto traumatismo em dentes decíduos e permanentes, bem como analisar a qualidade metodológica e o risco de viés dos trabalhos incluídos (PROSPERO CRD42018107840). Métodos: Este trabalho foi conduzido de acordo com o Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews (PRIO). A estratégia de busca foi aplicada n...

This study evaluated the association between socioeconomic factors and stages of dental caries in children one to five years of age. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 759 children enrolled in preschools in Diamantina, Brazil. The parents/caregivers filled out a form addressing socioeconomic factors. Add to the end of this sentence: an...

Atualmente, ainda há a crença no imaginário coletivo de que a "raça" influencia em aspectos hereditários e imutáveis que prejudicam ou beneficiam diferentes grupos populacionais. Entretanto, não existem especificidades étnicas biológicas que justifiquem as condições de saúde de um indivíduo ou comunidade. Na verdade, as iniquidades dos indicadores...