Oral Health Indicators Research Articles

Exhaled carbon monoxide levels correlate with incidence of oral mucosal lesions independent of smoking status

ABSTRACTCarbon monoxide (CO) is an important component of tobacco smoke, but also environmental toxicity. This study analyzed possible correlation between exhaled CO level and oral health indicators in two geographically distributed populations during health-promoting public events organized for local communities in cities with high and low environmental pollution in Poland (907 patients). Self-reported, instructor-led, oral health questionnaire was developed to monitor current and previous mucosal lesion incidence. Exhaled CO correlated with subjects smoking status and environmental CO exposure: highest in smoking inhabitants of Krakow (12 ppm), with lower levels in smokers from Kozienice (6.5 ppm) and non-smokers from Krakow (6 ppm), and lowest for Kozienice non-smokers (2 ppm) (p < 0.001). After propensity score matching and adjustment for smoking status, demography and comorbidities odds ratio for mucosal lesion incidence was 1.46 (1.31–1.63), p < 0.001) per 1 ppm increase of exhaled CO level. This result might implicate a possible role of environmental pollution factors in oral health pathology.

Oral health condition and occurrence of depression in the elderly.

Depression is a common disorder among the elderly; however, it is not a standard element of the ageing process. Depression can affect oral health as a result of neglecting oral hygiene procedures, cariogenic nutrition, avoidance of necessary dental care which leads to an increased risk of dental caries and periodontal disease.Assessment of the relationship of oral health parameters with depression.500 subjects aged ≥65 (mean 74.4 ± 7.4) were involved in the study. Dental condition (decay-missing-filled index [DMFT], number of missing teeth [MT], removable denture wearing, teeth mobility), periodontal condition (bleeding on probing [BoP], pocket depth [PD], loss of attachment), oral dryness (the Challacombe Scale) and depression according to the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale were assessed.Depression on a minimal level was detected in 60.2% of the subjects, mild—in 22.2%, moderate—in 6.0% and moderately—in 2.6%. The mean of the PHQ-9 scale was 3.56 ± 4.07. Regression analysis showed a positive relationship of the PHQ-9 value with DMFT, the number of MT, oral dryness and with age. No correlation was observed between other examined oral health indicators, such as periodontal condition (BoP, PD, clinical attachment level), periodontitis, removable denture wearing a PHQ-9.The results of our study have shown that among people aged 65 and over, the severity of depression increases with a higher number of MT, the number of decayed teeth, as well as prevalence of oral dryness.

Oral health and health-related quality of life in HIV patients

BackgroundOral health care may improve the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of HIV/AIDS patients. We aimed to evaluate oral health and HRQoL of HIV/AIDS patients using antiretroviral therapy.MethodsA cross-sectional study included 120 HIV-infected patients, aged ≥18 years, from February, 2016 to September, 2017. The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to evaluate the HRQoL. We assessed dental caries status using the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. Information about demographic, socioeconomic status, depression, and other comorbidities were collected. All patients with depression had a medical diagnosis. Comorbidities were defined as medical diagnoses of arterial hypertension, type-2 diabetes, tuberculosis, syphilis, cardiopathy, chronic renal failure, lymphoma, HCV infection, HBV infection and fatty liver disease. Independent t-tests were used to compare differences between mean levels of HRQoL, age, and DMFT and its components according to groups of sex, comorbidities and depression. Simple linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between the Mental Component Summary (MCS) and DMFT, and a multiple regression equation investigated depression, age, MCS, and comorbidities as predictors of DMFT.ResultsThe mean DMFT index was 12.4 ± 8.2. A linear regression equation estimated a significant (p = 0.022) decrease of 0.25 unit (%) in MCS for each unit increase in DMFT. Among depressed patients, a significant (p = 0.008) decrease of 0.67% in MCS for each unity increase in DMFT was estimated. Depressed patients showed worse oral health indicators (DFMT index; p ≤ 0.001; and mean Missing Teeth; p ≤ 0.052) and lower HRQoL domains than non-depressed patients. DMFT remained associated with depression (P < 0.005) after controlling for age, MCS, and comorbidities.ConclusionsWe found association between poorer oral health (higher DMFT index) and lower Mental Health Component Summary in HIV-infected patients with depression. Patients with depression deserve especial attention to their HRQoL and oral care.

Dental Functionality: construction and validation of an oral health indicator for institutionalized elderly persons in the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract Objective: to suggest a composite indicator that identifies the oral health condition of institutionalized elderly persons. Method: an observational and cross-sectional study was performed. A total of 315 elderly persons were investigated in long-stay care facilities for the elderly in the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Such individuals underwent an epidemiological evaluation of their oral health conditions, based on the DMFT index, CPI and the PAL (periodontal attachment loss) index. Factor analysis was used to identify a relatively small number of common factors by principal component analysis. Results: five oral health variables were included in factor analysis, and using the Kaiser criterion, which considers the percentage of variance explained by the factors, a single factor which together explained 79.7% of the total variance of the variables included in the analysis model was selected. This factor was analyzed and interpreted according to the dimension to which it related, and was entitled the factor of Dental Functionality. Conclusion: this factor generated an objective indicator to characterize the oral health of the elderly in long-term care facilities for the elderly of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, and represents a parameter for studies of the oral health outcomes of this elderly population. It also revealed a change in the dental profile of this population with more teeth present in the mouth and a reduction in edentulism.

Social gradients in oral health status in Korea population

ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to investigate whether clinical (severe tooth loss) and subjective (chewing difficulties) indicators of oral health outcomes are associated with socioeconomic position and to explore the age-sex differences in the magnitude of the social gradient in Korea using data from the representative national data. MethodsData were acquired from 10,939 men and women, ≥30 years of age who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted from 2012 to 2014. Education and income were used as socioeconomic position. Self-rated chewing difficulties and severe tooth loss were assessed by dentists and trained interviewers. Confounding variables were demographic factors, general health behaviors, and systemic health status. ResultsSignificant differences in oral health outcomes were observed according to the quartiles of income and education. In particular, the quartiles of education were significantly associated with oral health outcomes in the fully adjusted model with a dose-response trend. In participants aged 40–49 (OR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.37–3.88) and 50–59 years (OR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.49–3.14), the associations between the lowest quartiles of income and chewing difficulties were stronger than in the total population. ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate a clear and distinct social gradient in clinical and subjective oral health indicators based on socioeconomic position.

Association between oral health and general health indicators in older adults

Oral health (OH) and general health (GH) indicators are representations of the health status of the body. The OH indicators provide information about the oral health status while the GH indicators are used to assess the functional, cognitive, and mental conditions. OH is reported to be associated with GH. However, some specific associations, especially longitudinal relationships between OH and GH indicators, have not been fully explored. We examined the prediction ability from OH to GH and vice versa using a Belgian registry. We collected information from 8359 elderly participants, who were older than 65, lived at home, and received home care. The demographic and clinical information including three binary OH indicators and four ordinal GH indicators were collected. The participants were recorded at baseline and every six months afterwards. We opted for a generalization of a vector autoregressive model to ordinal responses. This model allows to estimate autocorrelations and cross-lagged correlations, addressing the prediction of GH from OH in a cross-sectional and longitudinal manner. We showed that individuals who had poorer OH had a higher risk of suffering from poor GH status. The percentages of correct or close prediction for GH indicators from OH indicators are high, being around 80% for all GH indicators. Additionally, having a poor OH (resp. GH) status was additionally predictive of a poor GH (resp. OH) status at following assessments. Our finding suggests using historical records of OH as well as GH indicators to draw better health care plan for geriatrics population.

Socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in oral health among children and adolescents living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

ObjectivesAlthough adolescence is a sensitive developmental period in oral health, the social equalization hypothesis that suggests health inequalities attenuate in adolescence has not been examined. This study analyses whether the socioeconomic gap and ethnic disadvantage in oral health among children aged 5 reduces among adolescents aged 15.MethodsData from the cross‐sectional Children's Dental Health Survey 2013 were analysed, comprising of 8541 children aged 5, 8, 12 and 15 attending schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Oral health indicators included decayed and filled teeth, plaque, gingivitis and periodontal health. Ethnicity was measured using the 2011 UK census ethnic categories. Socioeconomic position was measured by family, school and residential deprivation. Negative binomial and probit regression models estimated the levels of oral health by ethnicity and socioeconomic position, adjusted for demographic and tooth characteristics.ResultsThe predicted rate of decayed teeth for White British/Irish children aged 5 was 1.54 (95%CI 1.30‐1.77). In contrast, the predicted rate for Indian and Pakistani children was about 2‐2.5 times higher. At age 15, ethnic differences had reduced considerably. Family deprivation was associated with higher levels of tooth decay among younger children but not among adolescents aged 15. The influence of residential deprivation on the rate of tooth decay and filled teeth was similar among younger and older children. Moreover, inequalities in poor periodontal health by residential deprivation was significantly greater among 15‐year‐old children compared to younger children.ConclusionsThis study found some evidence of smaller ethnic and family socioeconomic differences in oral health among British adolescents compared to younger children. However, substantial differences in oral health by residential deprivation remain among adolescents. Community levels of deprivation may be particularly important for the health of adolescents.

Factors associated with Brazilian adolescents' satisfaction with oral health.

To identify the sociodemographic, clinical and self-reported indicators of oral health associated with Brazilian adolescents' satisfaction with oral health. Secondary data were used following the examination of 4,231 adolescents, aged 15 to 19 years, participating in a national oral health survey (SBBrasil 2010). The independent variables were grouped into demographics, predisposition/facilitation, oral health conditions and perceived dental treatment need. Satisfaction with oral health was considered the dependent variable. Ordinal logistic (multiple) regression models tested the variables in sequence (hierarchical), as per the conceptual model, assuming p≤0.05 as the criterion for remaining in the model (Wald test). Adjustment of the model was evaluated with the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and -2 Log L. Participants with perceived treatment need (OR=2.36, 95% CI = 2.14-2.61), toothache (OR=1.18, 1.10-1.28), presence of oral impacts on daily performance (OIDP) (OR= 1.55, 1.44-1.68), severe and very severe dental aesthetic index (DAI) (OR=1.17, 1.08-1.27), were female (OR=1.16, 1.10-1.23), were of black/brown ethnicity (OR=1.10, 1.04-1.17), and had caries in anterior (OR=1.20, 1.08-1.32) and posterior teeth (OR=1.22, 1.13-1.32) presented lower satisfaction with oral health. Satisfaction with oral health in Brazilian adolescents is linked to a multidimensional structure of factors that include demographic aspects, such as gender and ethnic group, self-perception aspects, such as perceived treatment need and oral health impact on daily activities, and clinical aspects, such as the presence of toothache, severe malocclusion and caries in anterior and posterior teeth.

Systematic review of Latin American national oral health surveys in adults.

Oral diseases represent a main public health problem worldwide. There is scarce information about oral health indicators in adults in middle-income countries in Latin America and Africa. To identify and describe national health surveys with national representative samples that included oral health assessment for adults in Latin America. A systematic review was conducted in scientific and regional bibliographic databases (PubMed, SciELO, Wos and Embase); this was complemented with searchings in grey literature (Google Scholar, Open Grey and government health organization websites), from August 2016 to May 2017 (from 2000 to date). Studies conducted, supervised or funded by Ministries of Health or National Health Institutes were included. Data extracted included country, year, methods, interview and dental examination. Two researchers independently performed search and data extraction. Results were discussed as a group. Only 5 countries in Latin America have developed national health surveys evaluating the dental status in adults, with overall national representative samples during 2000-2015: Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Chile and Uruguay. Main differences were observed in the type of dental indicators selected, measure of dental services access and the professional who performed the dental examination. While some dental surveys were specifically designed as oral health surveys (Brazil, Colombia, Panama and Uruguay) and the examination was performed by dentists, other surveys represent a module within a general health survey (Chile) and the examination was performed by nurses. There are a small number of Latin American countries that report research about dental status with national representation samples. Most of these studies have been conducted as national oral health surveys, and fieldwork was carried out by dentists. The development of oral health research in this part of the world should be promoted as these surveys provide relevant information to monitor oral health and evaluate the effectiveness of health programmes.

Oral microbiota reveals signs of acculturation in Mexican American women.

The oral microbiome has been linked to a number of chronic inflammatory conditions, including obesity, diabetes, periodontitis, and cancers of the stomach and liver. These conditions disproportionately affect Mexican American women, yet few studies have examined the oral microbiota in this at-risk group. We characterized the 16S rDNA oral microbiome in 369 non-smoking women enrolled in the MD Anderson Mano a Mano Mexican American Cohort Study. Lower bacterial diversity, a potential indicator of oral health, was associated with increased age and length of US residency among recent immigrants. Grouping women by overarching bacterial community type (e.g., “Streptococcus,” “Fusobacterium,” and “Prevotella” clusters), we observed differences across a number of acculturation-related variables, including nativity, age at immigration, time in the US, country of longest residence, and a multi-dimensional acculturation scale. Participants in the cluster typified by higher abundance of Streptococcus spp. exhibited the lowest bacterial diversity and appeared the most acculturated as compared to women in the “Prevotella” group. Computationally-predicted functional analysis suggested the Streptococcus-dominated bacterial community had greater potential for carbohydrate metabolism while biosynthesis of essential amino acids and nitrogen metabolism prevailed among the Prevotella-high group. Findings suggest immigration and adaption to life in the US, a well-established mediator of disease risk, is associated with differences in oral microbial profiles in Mexican American women. These results warrant further investigation into the joint and modifying effects of acculturation and oral bacteria on the health of Mexican American women and other immigrant populations. The oral microbiome presents an easily accessible biomarker of disease risk, spanning biological, behavioral, and environmental factors.

Increase the effectiveness of oral hygiene in children with oncological and hematological diseases

In children with hematological, oncological and immunological diseases often causes complications associated with oral lesions (stomatitis, mucositis, etc.) during treatment with chemo- and radiotherapy. One way to reduce the number of such complications is individual oral hygiene and optimal selection. Aim of this study was to optimize oral hygiene based on the study of individual characteristics of patients. 18 Patients included in the study (9 with oncohematological diseases and 9 patients who did not suffer from them), who’s the main indicators of oral health were analyze in 2 stages. It was shown that patients who treated for oncohematological diseases, there is an increased risk of inflammatory changes with loss of teeth. The article presents that personal hygiene means of the oral cavity selected adequately, adherence to the oral care regime significantly improves the condition of the oral mucosa and teeth, and promotes the prevention of loss of teeth.

Curative procedures of oral health and structural characteristics of primary dental care.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To evaluate if the provision of clinical dental care, by means of the main curative procedures recommended in Primary Health Care, is associated with team structural characteristics, considering the presence of a minimum set of equipment, instrument, and supplies in Brazil’s primary health care services.METHODS A cross-sectional exploratory study based on data collected from 18,114 primary healthcare services with dental health teams in Brazil, in 2014. The outcome was created from the confirmation of five clinical procedures performed by the dentist, accounting for the presence of minimum equipment, instrument, and supplies to carry them out. Covariables were related to structural characteristics. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to obtain crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, with 95% confidence intervals.RESULTS A total of 1,190 (6.5%) dental health teams did not present the minimum equipment to provide clinical dental care and only 2,498 (14.8%) had all the instrument and supplies needed and provided the five curative procedures assessed. There was a positive association between the outcome and the composition of dental health teams, higher workload, performing analysis of health condition, and monitoring of oral health indicators. Additionally, the dental health teams that planned and programmed oral health actions with the primary care team monthly provided the procedures more frequently. Dentists with better employment status, career plans, graduation in public health or those who underwent permanent education activities provided the procedures more frequently.CONCLUSIONS A relevant number of Primary Health Care services did not have the infrastructure to provide clinical dental care. However, better results were found in dental health teams with oral health technicians, with higher workload and that plan their activities, as well as in those that employed dentists with better working relationships, who had dentists with degrees in public health and who underwent permanent education activities.

Association between oral health and upper respiratory tract infection among children

The oral cavity is a potential reservoir for respiratory pathogens. This longitudinal study investigated the association between upper respiratory tract infection (URI) and oral health among children. A total of 288 children aged 4 years were recruited. Their dental caries and oral hygiene status were clinically determined, using the dmft (decayed, missing and filled teeth) index and the Silness-Löe plaque index. Questionnaires were completed by parents to collect information on the child's socio-demographic background and URI episodes and symptoms in the following 12 months. Standard or zero-inflated negative binomial regressions were used to analyse the association between URI and both oral health indicators (dmft and plaque score). Some 138 (47.9%) children had URI in 12 months, including 63 (21.9%) and 75 (26.0%) children with 1-2 episodes and ≥3 episodes, respectively. The reported URI episodes fell into two peaks, coinciding with the two influenza peaks in Hong Kong. Significantly a higher dmft was found among children without URI compared with children who had ≥3 URI episodes (1.32 vs. 0.49; P = 0.043). The number of URI episodes was inversely associated with dmft (IRR = 0.851; 95% CI: 0.766-0.945; P = 0.003). There was no significant association between the plaque score and URI (P > 0.05). The children's caries experience was associated with reduced episodes of URI. Whether this inverse association is attributed to the immune response induced by dental caries is yet to be investigated.

Estimating tooth retention by the number of present teeth in a middle-old-aged population: 3-year follow-up study in Korea.

The number of individual teeth decreases with age, resulting in a decrease in masticatory capacity, and is an important indicator of oral health. However, it is difficult to estimate the number of present teeth on the basis of age alone. We aimed to determine whether tooth retention could be estimated by the number of present teeth in middle-old-aged individuals. We used data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study on Atherosclerosis Risk of Rural Areas in the Korean General Population (KoGES-ARIRANG). Subjects (40-75 years old) were invited to participate in a 3-year prospective follow-up survey conducted from 2010 to 2014. A total of 557 individuals (219 men and 338 women) took part in the study. Tooth retention was estimated from the number of present teeth by multivariate logistic regression analysis using SPSS v. 20.0. In total, 294 (52.8%) subjects retained teeth during a 3-year follow-up period. The number of present teeth and the proportion of subjects with complete tooth retention after 3 years decreased with increasing age. A greater number of present teeth in the baseline year was associated with complete tooth retention after 3 years in a greater proportion of subjects (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the proportion of subjects with tooth retention in the Q4 quartile (28 teeth) was 9.17 times that in the Q1 quartile (less than 26 present teeth), even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and oral health behavior in middle-aged individuals. In elderly individuals, tooth retention in the Q4 quartile (28 teeth) was 4.50 times that in the Q1 quartile (less than 17 teeth). The number of present teeth could be used to estimate tooth retention over a 3-year period. This highlights the importance of promoting oral health care in middle-aged individuals before tooth loss occurs.

The European Oral Health Indicators and Challenges in Prevention of the Major Dentalal Diseases in Children of the Commonwealth of Independent States

The aimof the research. Assesinng prevalence оf dental caries and commong risk factors among school age cildren in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS countries) in order to base recommendations to improove the primary prevention. Objects and methods. Meta-analysis оf the dental literature and own research data on the analytical epidemiology on dental caries in cildren. Results and discussion. In the most CIS countries, a reduce dental caries trend was observed in recent 20-25 years due to the Prevention Program which was introduced in 1988. However, dental caries level in CIS is much higher оf the best international standards. Conclusion: The challenges in promotion оf primary prevention in CIS countries should be an exchange оf experience and use оf the WHO recommendations.

Oral health indicators in the Interfederative Pacts of the Unified Health System: development in the 1998-2016 period

Abstract Introduction In recent decades, the Ministry of Health has been recommending the use of indicators for the assessment and monitoring of health care. Over the years, it has instituted interfederative pacts dealing with health indicators, including oral health indicators, with the purpose of encouraging health system managers to incorporate the monitoring and assessment of actions in their practice, as well as enabling the follow-up of the performance of services. Objective To analyze the development of oral health indicators propounded in the interfederative pacts of the Unified Health System (SUS) in Brazil between 1998 and 2016. Material and method Documentary research based on government guidelines issued during the analyzed period. The variables studied were the characteristics of publications and indicators (denomination, method of calculation, source and purposes). Result In the period of 1998-2016, oral health indicators were proposed in the pact on primary care indicators (1998-2006), in the Pacts for Health (2007-2011), and in the resolutions of the tripartite intermanagerial committee (2012, 2013 and 2016). Changes were identified over this period, characterized by the inclusion and exclusion of indicators, and by a drastic reduction in the number of indicators, eventually leading to only one retained indicator: “Proportion of tooth extractions in relation to procedures.” Conclusion There were changes in oral health indicators over the analyzed period, characterized by periods of advancement and regression, eventually resulting in a single indicator related to mutilating actions (tooth extractions), effective in 2016.

Oral health and later coronary heart disease: Cohort study of one million people.

AimsSystematic reviews report an association between poorer oral health and an increased risk of coronary heart disease. This contentious relationship may not be causal but existing studies have been insufficiently well powered comprehensively to examine the role of confounding, particularly by cigarette smoking. Accordingly, we sought to examine the role of smoking in generating the relationship between oral health and coronary heart disease in life-long non-smokers.Methods and resultsIn the Korean Cancer Prevention Study, 975,685 individuals (349,579 women) aged 30–95 years had an oral examination when tooth loss, a widely used indicator of oral health, was ascertained. Linkage to national mortality and hospital registers over 21 years of follow-up gave rise to 64,784 coronary heart disease events (19,502 in women). In the whole cohort, after statistical adjustment for age, there was a moderate, positive association between tooth loss and coronary heart disease in both men (hazard ratio for seven or more missing teeth vs. none; 95% confidence interval 1.08; 1.02, 1.14; Ptrend across tooth loss groups <0.0001) and women (1.09; 1.01, 1.18; Ptrend 0.0016). Restricting analyses to a subgroup of 464,145 never smokers (25,765 coronary heart disease events), however, resulted in an elimination of this association in men (1.01; 0.85, 1.19); Ptrend 0.7506) but not women (1.08; 0.99, 1.18; Ptrend 0.0086).ConclusionIn men in the present study, the relationship between poor oral health and coronary heart disease risk appeared to be explained by confounding by cigarette smoking so raising questions about a causal link.

English

English

Dental disease and dietary isotopes of individuals from St Gertrude Church cemetery, Riga, Latvia.

This research explores oral health indicators and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data to explore diet, and differences in diet, between people buried in the four different contexts of the St Gertrude Church cemetery (15th– 17th centuries AD): the general cemetery, two mass graves, and a collective mass burial pit within the general cemetery. The main aim is to assess whether people buried in the mass graves were rural immigrants, or if they were more likely to be the victims of plague (or another epidemic) who lived in Riga and its suburbs. The data produced (from dental disease assessments and isotope analyses) were compared within, as well as between, the contexts. Most differences emerged when comparing the prevalence rates of dental diseases and other oral health indicators in males and females between the contexts, while isotope analysis revealed more individual, rather than context-specific, differences. The data suggested that the populations buried in the mass graves were different from those buried in the general cemetery, and support the theory that rural immigrants were buried in both mass graves. Significant differences were observed in some aspects of the data between the mass graves, however, possibly indicating that the people buried in them do not represent the same community.

Oral health and socioeconomic indicators of adolescents living in a region of extreme poverty

Introduccion: la adolescencia es la fase de la vida en la que se consolidan habitos futuros de higiene, y es a su vez un periodo de multiples descubrimientos y cambios en la vida del ser humano. Debido a la gran cantidad de nuevas emociones que se presentan, muchas veces los adolescentes acaban dejando su salud en segundo plano, lo que causa una mayor probabilidad de sufrir enfermedades bucales, que muchas veces atacan de manera precoz a esta poblacion y son tratadas en fases tardias, dando como resultado perdidas dentarias. El objetivo del presente estudio consistio en evaluar el perfil de salud bucal de adolescentes que viven en una region de extrema pobreza. Metodos: se trata de un estudio transversal y analitico, en el cual fueron analizados datos de 205 adolescentes residentes en el barrio Augusta Meneguine, localizado en la ciudad de Viamao, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Resultados: el promedio de dientes perdidos fue de un diente por adolescente. La prueba t de Student (p ≤ 0,05) no mostro diferencias significativas por sexo (p = 0,158). Los adolescentes cuya familia contaba con un ingreso mensual de hasta un salario minimo presentaron un valor promedio mayor de dientes perdidos, en comparacion con los de familias de ingresos mensuales mayores, pero esta no fue una diferencia significativa (p = 0,341). Tampoco se observaron diferencias significativas entre los dientes perdidos y el consumo de azucar (p = 0,869), ni en relacion con el numero promedio de caries entre los adolescentes que recibieron una supervision de higiene bucal (p = 0,631). Conclusiones: el presente estudio permitio identificar un perfil carente de salud bucal y nivel socioeconomico de los adolescentes de bajos ingresos y niveles de educacion, por lo que presentan altos indices de placa visible, sangrado gingival, caries y perdidas dentarias. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17533/udea.rfo.v29n2a4