*2.1. Clinical Methods*

Each patient underwent a physical examination of the oral cavity, during which the following clinical parameters were analysed:

Decayed Missing Filled Teeth Index for permanent dental elements/decayed missing filled teeth index for primary dental elements (DMFT/dmft) [29–31]. The presence of caries was determined following the International Caries Classification and Management System [32].

Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPI) [33,34]:

Code 0 → no treatment needs;

Code 1 → bleeding gingiva after gentle probing;

Code 2 → periodontal pockets not deeper than 3 mm, presence of supra- or subgingival calculus or plaque;

Code 3 → 4–5 mm deep periodontal pockets;

Code 4 → 6 mm or deeper periodontal pockets.

Lesions of oral mucosa or new mucosal formations [35] with the following characteristics: Acute/chronic onset ulcerative vesciculo-bullous lesions;

Red, blue, or red-purple plan/exophytic lesions, not removable white lesions, white and red, yellowish, pigmented lesions;

Swelling on palate, tongue, oral floor, vestibular mucosa, and/or gingiva.

The examination was conducted by one clinician, who performed the inspection of dental elements and the palpation of soft tissues (lips, tongue, cheeks, palate, and oral floor) of each participant. Periodontal probing was performed by the same operator using a probe with calibrations given in 3 mm sections. In order to diagnose the presence of caries, the operator used a dental mirror and a probe, analysing the occlusal, distal, mesial, palatal, and buccal portion of each dental element.

Aside from the clinical parameters, demographic data were collected: age, sex, country of birth, and level of education. In the case of minor subjects, the parents' level of education was taken into consideration. All these demographic data were recorded by using a questionnaire.

The medical history of the included patients was collected before proceeding with the oral examination, and each person's data were collected after obtaining informed consent.
