Prevalence of Dental Caries in 5-Year-Old Children in a Northeast Brazilian Capital

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of dental caries in children aged five years in a Northeast Brazilian Capital (Fortaleza, CE) and its association with sociodemographic conditions, presence of malocclusion, and gingival bleeding. Material and Methods: This is a quantitative, descriptive, observational, and cross-sectional study carried out in a representative sample of 3,582 children aged five years in the city of Fortaleza-CE. Data was collected in public and private schools distributed in the city\u27s Regional Health Coordination (CORES). Each of the six CORES worked with five field teams, participating in inter-examiner training and calibration with a final KAPPA coefficient of 0.87. Data were collected using a clinical form adapted from the SB Brasil 2010 questionnaire on sociodemographic conditions. The indices of dmft, need for treatment, malocclusion, and gingival bleeding were used for oral health conditions. The data were submitted to Pearson\u27s Chi-square or Fisher\u27s Exact tests, and the variables that show values of p<0.05 were submitted to a multinomial logistic regression model (forward stepwise model). Results: 57.1% of children were caries-free, and the mean dmft-d was 1.65 (1.65±2.65). CORES I and VI were the ones that presented the most significant association with caries attacks in all primary molars. The highest percentage of caries in the 2nd upper molar (60.6%), 1st lower molar (59%), and 2nd lower molar (58.8%) were found in children with normal occlusion. There was a significant association between gingival bleeding and caries in all molars and the need for treatment. Conclusion: These results allow us to observe that the prevalence of dental caries in 5-year-old children in Fortaleza is low, although with a tendency to increase

Oral diseases in 12-year-old schoolchildren in a capital city in northeast Brazil: rise or decline?

This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the distribution of oral diseases in 12-year-old schoolchildren in Fortaleza, Northeast, Brazil. Based on the SB Brasil 2010, 30 calibrated dentists evaluated 1,509 children. Data were submitted to Pearson's Chi-square or Fisher's Exact tests, considering p<0.05. It was observed that 67.3% of the children were caries free and the mean DMFT-D was 0.86, with a predominance of the carious component (69.8%) in its composition. Main needs found: restorations (33.5%), pulp treatment (4.8%) and extractions (4.1%). The prevalence of fluorosis was 32.5%. As for periodontal disease, 56.6% of the students did not present bleeding and the presence of calculus in the examined sextants. The prevalence of malocclusion was 40.3%. It is concluded that the Municipality of Fortaleza has low caries severity and low prevalence of periodontal disease. Fluorosis is more prevalent in the very mild form. The total number of children with normal occlusion was greater than those with malocclusion. Regarding the severity of malocclusion detected, defined malocclusion prevailed. A decline in caries disease was observed, however, fluorosis and malocclusion showed an increase when compared to previous epidemiological surveys

Prevalence of Dental Caries in 5-Year-Old Children in a Northeast Brazilian Capital

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of dental caries in children aged five years in a Northeast Brazilian Capital (Fortaleza, CE) and its association with sociodemographic conditions, presence of malocclusion, and gingival bleeding. Material and Methods: This is a quantitative, descriptive, observational, and cross-sectional study carried out in a representative sample of 3,582 children aged five years in the city of Fortaleza-CE. Data was collected in public and private schools distributed in the city's Regional Health Coordination (CORES). Each of the six CORES worked with five field teams, participating in inter-examiner training and calibration with a final KAPPA coefficient of 0.87. Data were collected using a clinical form adapted from the SB Brasil 2010 questionnaire on sociodemographic conditions. The indices of dmft, need for treatment, malocclusion, and gingival bleeding were used for oral health conditions. The data were submitted to Pearson's Chi-square or Fisher's Exact tests, and the variables that show values of p<0.05 were submitted to a multinomial logistic regression model (forward stepwise model). Results: 57.1% of children were caries-free, and the mean dmft-d was 1.65 (1.65±2.65). CORES I and VI were the ones that presented the most significant association with caries attacks in all primary molars. The highest percentage of caries in the 2nd upper molar (60.6%), 1st lower molar (59%), and 2nd lower molar (58.8%) were found in children with normal occlusion. There was a significant association between gingival bleeding and caries in all molars and the need for treatment. Conclusion: These results allow us to observe that the prevalence of dental caries in 5-year-old children in Fortaleza is low, although with a tendency to increase