Dental caries prevalence in 12-year-old schoolchildren in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil: a socioeconomic approach
Keywords:
Dental caries, socioeconomic factors, prevalence,Abstract
Purpose: To assess dental caries prevalence in male and female 12-year-old schoolchildren in the city of Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil, and investigate its association with gender and socioeconomic and preventive variables. Methods: The study population consisted of 553 children regularly attending the municipal educational system and spatially distributed among the six sanitary health districts of the town, urban area. Dental caries prevalence was assessed by the DMFT index as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). A questionnaire was used to gather information on educational level of the child and mother, family income, and oral health preventive measures. Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used to analyze the association of the variables as well as odds ratio (OR). Results: Caries prevalence was 70.5%, and mean DMFT was 2.09. Maternal educational level and time of the last visit to the dentist were positively associated with DMFT index. Conclusion: The results suggest a high prevalence of dental caries in this sample of schoolchildren, and DMF-T below the WHO recommendations. Key words: Dental caries; socioeconomic factors; prevalence; epidemiologyDownloads
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