Abstract Background: Despite the economic burden of psoriasis for patients and societies, scant information exists regarding the impact and burden of the disease in Argentina. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate medical resource consumption and direct health care costs for patients with moderate/severe psoriasis in Buenos Aires, Argentina from the perspective of the payer. Methods: Adults with moderate/severe psoriasis (severity was defined as receiving systemic treatment), during January 2010-January 2014, aged 18 years and older, members of the Italian Hospital Medical Care Program with at least 18 months of follow-up were included. All data on hospitalizations, drug prescription, outpatient episodes, consultations, and investigations/tests in the 12 months before inclusion in the study were considered for the estimation of medical resource consumption and direct health care costs. First-quarter 2018 costs were obtained from the IHMCP and converted into US dollars (using the January 2018 exchange rate). Results: A total of 791 patients were included. The mean age at diagnosis was 34 ± 12 years. Almost 65% of the patients had a dermatologist as their usual source of care, 43% had internists, and 14% had rheumatologists. The average yearly direct cost was US$ 5326 (95% CI: 4125-7896) per patient per year. Study limitation: The single center design and the retrospective nature are the main limitations. Conclusion: This is the first Argentine study that evaluated the costs of moderate/severe psoriasis by taking into consideration the direct medical costs of the disease.

OBJETIVO: Determinar a prevalência e severidade da doença cárie dentária em crianças pré-escolares de 3 a 5 anos de idade em creches no Chile, localizadas em uma comunidade sem fluoretação da água de abastecimento público e em outra comunidade com agua fluoretada. METODOLOGIA: Delineamento do estudo: observacional, transversal. A amostra foi composta por 200 crianças de 3 a 5 anos, com boa saúde geral, pertencentes a baixos estratos sociais, de quatro creches da Região Metropolitana de Santiago, dois do município de Maipú sem fluoretação da água de abastecimento público e duas do município de Peñalolén com fluoretação desde 1996, com concentração de flúor de 0,6 mg/L. A metodologia da OMS foi utilizada para o registro da percentagem de crianças livres de cárie e o índice cpod foi usado para medir a severidade da doença. RESULTADOS: A porcentagem de crianças livres de cárie foi de 24% em Maipú e 55% em Peñalolén, com índice cpod de 3,38 e 1,84, respectivamente. Estes resultados aumentaram com a idade. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência e severidade da cárie dentária em pré-escolares de 3 a 5 anos em Maipú (agua não fluoretada) foram superiores aos observados em Peñalolén (água fluoretada).

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence and severity of dental caries in three- to five-year-old preschool children from two communes in Chile: one with a fluoridated public water supply and the other with a non-fluoridated public water supply. METHODS: Study design: Cross-sectional observational study. The sample was composed of 200 children from three to five years old, with good general health, of low socioeconomic status, attending four kindergarten schools of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile. Two schools were located in the commune of Maipú, which does not have fluoridated public water, and two schools were located in the commune of Peñalolen, which has had fluoridated public water since 1996, at a fluoride concentration of 0.6 mg/L. The WHO (World Health Organization) methodology was used to measure the percentage of caries-free children, and the dmft index was used to measure the severity of the disease. RESULTS: The results showed that 24% of the children in Maipú were caries free, compared to 55% in Peñalolen. The dmft index was 3.38 and 1.84 in Maipú and Peñalolen, respectively. These indices increased with age. CONCLUSION: The prevalence and severity of dental caries in three- to five-year-old preschoolers were higher in Maipú, the commune with non-fluoridated water, than in Peñalolen, the commune with fluoridated water.