Impact of rurality on the oral health status of 6-year-old children from central Chile: the EpiMaule study

摘要

Introduction:The aim of this study was the assessment of dental caries and the gingival status of 6-year-old children living in the Maule region, Chile's most rural region, and to determine if rurality was related to a higher prevalence of oral conditions. Methods:A representative sample of 485?children aged 6?years was examined using WHO methods. Children were chosen from schools belonging to urban and rural districts of the region. Caries status was obtained by deft (decayed, extracted, filled teeth), DMFT (decayed, missing, filled teeth) and SiC (Significant Caries) indexes. To assess gingival health status, the oral hygiene (OHI) and the gingival index (GI) were used. Urban and rural children data were compared using student's t-test at pResults:Overall caries prevalence was 80.62%. Rural children showed higher prevalence (pppppConclusions:Children from the Maule region in Chile have a severely deteriorated oral health, higher than Chile's mean. Rural are significantly more affected than urban children. A special focus on rural communities when designing oral health policies is strongly suggested.