Abstract
Over the last two decades, the prevalence of dental caries in children has decreased and the prevalence of dental fluorosis has increased. Knowledge on the epidemiologic conditions of a population is fundamental for the planning of health programs. To determine the prevalence of dental caries and dental fluorosis among schoolchildren, in Catalão, Goiás, Brazil. A random sample of 432 schoolchildren aged 7-12-years old was obtained. WHO (1997) criteria for dental caries and fluorosis diagnosis were used. The DMFT indexes were 0.97; 1.20; 1.80; 1.62; 2.40 and 2.51 for 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 years old, respectively. Analysis of dental fluorosis for the same ages presented higher prevalence at 12 years old and for the female gender. The percentage of questionable dental fluorosis (Dean's classification) was 34.0%. Only 3% of the sample presented dental fluorosis with scores very mild, mild and moderate. The prevalence of caries in schoolchildren of Catalão, Goiás, Brazil, was low. In average, private schools showed better results than public schools; however, all schools presented a low DMFT index. In this study, dental fluorosis is not a public health problem and has not damaged dental esthetics.
Highlights
Over the last two decades, the prevalence of dental caries in children has decreased and the prevalence of dental fluorosis has increased
The joint FDI/WHO working group for Oral Health Research and Epidemiology indicated that the factor common to all countries with substantial reductions in caries prevalence was fluoride, either as fluoridated water or in toothpaste[20]
In addition to the considerable benefits, the use of fluoride increases the risk of dental fluorosis, a condition that has been observed in both fluoridated and non-fluoridated populations[6,8,9,19]
Summary
Over the last two decades, the prevalence of dental caries in children has decreased and the prevalence of dental fluorosis has increased. Knowledge on the epidemiologic conditions of a population is fundamental for the planning of health programs.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of dental caries and dental fluorosis among schoolchildren, in Catalão, Goiás, Brazil. Analysis of dental fluorosis for the same ages presented higher prevalence at 12 years old and for the female gender. Conclusions: The prevalence of caries in schoolchildren of Catalão, Goiás, Brazil, was low. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of dental caries and dental fluorosis, among schoolchildren aged 7-12-years old and compare the results found for private and public schools, based in a cross-sectional study performed in 2001
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