Association of socioeconomic and educational indicators with dental caries among 12-year-old students living in a capital city in southern Brazil

摘要

Copyright © 2018 Bruzamolin et al.OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of dental caries in a population of 12-year-old schoolchildren in the city of Curitiba and to evaluate the association between dental caries and socioeconomic and educational variables. METHODS: Data were obtained from a socioeconomic and educational questionnaire assessment and a clinical examination to determine the index of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMF-T). A total of 451 children were examined, and the data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 14.0 and Stata programs. RESULTS: The prevalence of caries was 22.2, with a mean DMF-T of 0.37 (±0.90). Schoolchildren in public schools showed a higher mean DMF-T (0.39±0.93) and were 3.98 times more likely to develop caries compared to students from private schools. With regard to socioeconomic factors, the prevalence of dental caries in children in class C was 3.51 times greater than that in children in class A, i.e., 251 greater. There was also an association between low maternal education and an increase in the prevalence of dental caries in children. CONCLUSION: In this study, dental caries is directly associated with low socioeconomic and cultural indicators of children's families.