Objective: to estimate the prevalence of acute poisoning by pesticides and associated factors in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Methods: this was a cross-sectional study, the outcome of which was acute intoxication in the month prior to the interview, as diagnosed by a physician; multivariate analysis was performed using Poisson regression. Results: we interviewed 753 individuals; acute intoxication occurred at a rate of 17%; the main associated factors were living near plantations (PR=2.81-95%CI 1.79;4.41), having incomplete high school education or less (PR=1.80-95%CI 1.22;2.71), living less than 500 meters from maize crops (PR=1.57-95%CI 1.05;2.35) and cotton plantations (PR=1.43-95%CI 1.02;2.02). Conclusion: Individuals living near to corn and cotton plantations reported higher occurrence of acute intoxication.