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Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions (OML) and oral self‐examination and their associated factors among pregnant women from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, Brazil. Methods: Pregnant women who would deliver babies in 2015 were included in the antenatal study. Data related to demographic, socio‐economic and behavioural conditions were collected using questionnaires. Participants were also clinically assessed for oral health outcomes. The outcomes were the presence of OMLs and oral self‐examination. Size, location, time of onset and symptomatology of the lesions were collected. Descriptive and bivariate analysis, and Poisson regression were performed. p‐Value <0.05 was set to indicate statistical significance. Results: Data from 2481 pregnant women were analysed. Four hundred and nine (16.5%) had at least one OML. The most prevalent lesions were exostosis (80/16.6%), coated tongue (70/14.5%) and benign oral brownish pigmentation (68/14.1%). Non‐white skin colour was associated with a higher prevalence of OMLs (PR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1–1.6), while daily use of dental floss was positively associated with the prevalence of oral self‐examination (PR 1.4; 95% CI 1.2; 1.5). Conclusions: Almost 20% of pregnant women presented OML, which were more prevalent in non‐white individuals. Women with better oral care were more likely to perform oral self‐examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To verify the presence of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) in atherosclerotic plaque (AP) using techniques with different sensitivities, correlating with histological changes in plaque and immunoexpression of inflammatory markers. Materials and Methods: Thirteen AP samples were subjected to real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR), histopathological analyses, histochemical analysis by Giemsa staining (GS), and immunohistochemical analysis for S. mutans, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α (streptavidin‐biotin‐peroxidase method). Ten necropsy samples of healthy vessels were used as controls. Results: All AP samples showed histopathological characteristics of severe atherosclerosis and were positive for S. mutans (100.0%) in qRT‐PCR and immunohistochemical analyses. GS showed that Streptococcus sp. colonized the lipid‐rich core regions and fibrous tissue, while the control group was negative for Streptococcus sp. IL‐1β and TNF‐α were expressed in 100% and 92.3% of the AP tested, respectively. The control samples were positive for S. mutans in qRT‐PCR analysis, but negative for S. mutans, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α in immunohistochemical analyses. Conclusion: The detection of S. mutans in AP and the visualization of Streptococcus sp. suggested a possible association between S. mutans and atherosclerosis. The results obtained from the control samples suggested the presence of DNA fragments or innocuous bacteria that were not associated with tissue alteration. However, future studies are necessary to provide more information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]