Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify variables associated with early childhood caries (ECC) in 5-year old Brazilian children to allow their monitoring at both regional and national levels. It is a population-based cross-sectional study with epidemiological and socioeconomic data of 7.217 children included in the National Oral Health Survey (SBBrasil 2010). The dependent variable was untreated caries (component c of cpod). Independent variables were grouped into individual and contextual ones, and multilevel models of Poisson regression analysis were applied. In the country, 49,8% of children aged 5 years presented untreated caries. Among the 5 national regions, prevalence of untreated caries was higher in the North (64,9%) and lower in the Southeast (43,7%). National cpod index was 2,45 (CI 95%: 2,20-2,71) and component c was 2,05 (CI 95%: 1,81-2,29). There was a significant difference between North (3,11; CI 95%: 2,69-3,53) and Southeast (1,68; CI 95%: 1.40-1,95) regions. At individual level, low family income was associated with higher prevalence of untreated dental caries (CI 95%: 2,05-2,88). At contextual level, there was higher prevalence of untreated caries in areas with less access to fluoridated water (CI 95%: 1,04-2,25), less access to primary oral health care (CI 95%: 0,93-0,98), higher population/dentist ratio (CI 95%: 1,04-1,33), and higher percentage of children living in low-income families (CI 95%: 1,18-1,78). Our results indicate that socioeconomic factors were determinant for ECC prevalence, increasing dental treatment needs.
Highlights
Childhood caries (ECC) is a disease of international high prevalence, especially in developing countries (Piovesan et al, 2011; Folayan et al, 2020)
According to the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD), Early childhood caries (ECC) is defined as the presence of at least one decayed, missing or filled surface, consequent to dental caries, in any primary tooth, in children up to 6 years of age (Tinanoff et al, 2019)
From the total sample of 7.348 5-year-old children examined in SBBrasil 2010, this study excluded data from 131 children (1,8%) due to typing errors and/or age inconsistencies identified through dental eruption chronology
Summary
Childhood caries (ECC) is a disease of international high prevalence, especially in developing countries (Piovesan et al, 2011; Folayan et al, 2020). According to the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD), ECC is defined as the presence of at least one decayed, missing or filled surface, consequent to dental caries, in any primary tooth, in children up to 6 years of age (Tinanoff et al, 2019). The etiology of dental caries combines biological, behavioural, and psychosocial factors (Pitts et al, 2019). This important public health problem is strongly associated with political, cultural, educational, economical, and social conditions (WHO, 2019; Ortiz et al, 2020). Different oral health standards in different Brazilian population groups reflect country’s social and economic organization (Silva, Machado, & Ferreira, 2015). In Brazil, social exclusion, and living and working conditions determine different epidemiological patterns (Passos, Araújo, Gomes Filho, & Cruz, 2011)
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