Abstract
Dentists should be alert not only to clinical variables, but also to socioeconomic, psychological and cultural factors, which have all been associated with the experience of dental caries. The aim of this study of was to assess social status and dental experience among Brazilian children. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1367 male and female children aged six and seven years enrolled at public and private schools in the city of Recife (Brazil) in 2013. The children at tending public schools were socioeconomically less privileged than those attending private schools. Data were collected through interviews and intraoral examinations. Caries experience was high (53.3%) in the overall sample, but less privileged children had larger percentages of decayed teeth and teeth that required extraction (p < 0.001). Children from less privileged social class had a greater chance of having a low (OR = 1.77 [95%CI 1.33 - 2.35]), moderate (OR = 4.41 [95%CI: 3.18 - 6,14]) and high (OR = 9.55 [95%CI 6.01 - 15.16]) caries experience. They also had a greater chance of never visiting a dentist (OR= 2.90 [95% CI 2.25 - 3.74]) and had dental anxiety (OR = 1.70 [95%CI 1.34-2, 16]). Socioeconomic status influences the dental caries experience, the visits to the dentist and the dental anxiety of the children analyzed.
Highlights
Dental caries continues to be a highly prevalent public health problem, especially in socially and educationally disadvantaged communities[1,2]
Clinical variables as well as socioeconomic, demographic, psychological, ethnic and cultural factors have all been associated with the incidence of dental caries and toothache, as have patterns of access to dental services and the use of such services[1,3,6]
In a study conducted with children in Mexico City, Irigoyen et al.[11] report that type of school is a reliable indicator of socioeconomic status in urban environments, as children from more privileged families generally attend private schools
Summary
Dental caries continues to be a highly prevalent public health problem, especially in socially and educationally disadvantaged communities[1,2]. The prevalence of oral conditions, such as tooth decay, is influenced by aspects beyond mere etiological factors and the identification of individuals at high risk for caries is the first step toward the determination of treatment needs. Studies report that a greater burden of caries affects less economically privileged populations[7,8], leading to a greater concentration of the disease and treatment needs in a small part of the population (20 to 40%)[9]. A Brazilian national report on oral health[10] showed that children under five years of age had an average of 2.43 teeth with caries, with a higher mean (dmft = 2.89) in the northeastern region of the country, which is where the present study was conducted
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